The OUHSC Graduate College oversees the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Our mission is to ensure that Postdoctoral Fellows have opportunities for career and professional development in addition to the focused research training provided by your mentor's laboratory.
Information posted on this page includes policies regarding postdoctoral appointments, benefits, upcoming events, and useful links.
If you have questions about your appointment or suggestions for postdoctoral activities or career development events, please contact us:
Dr. Nathan Shankar
Associate Dean, Graduate College
nathan-shankar@ouhsc.edu
Kara Bullen
Administrative Coordinator
kara-bullen@ouhsc.edu
In June 2012, a Working Group of the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD) issued a report on the biomedical research workforce. The report includes recommendations about training of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in order to attract and retain the best and most diverse scientists, engineers and physicians from around the world. One goal of the Working Group was to better prepare students and postdocs to participate successfully in a broad-based and evolving research and research-related economy. An important contributer to career development is the use of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for all graduate student and postdoctoral researchers, and this has been implemented at OUHSC.
Were do I start?
- Create your IDP using the Science Careers online tool to create your IDP at myIDP.
Description of the use of IDP’s by OUHSC Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows for section B.4 of NIH Research Performance Progress Reports. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Graduate College and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs have established a Mentoring Policy that requires all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows supported by NIH awards to develop and use Individual Development Plans (IDPs). Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows use the Science Careers “myIDP” Program to create and update an IDP and they must discuss it with their mentors on an annual basis.Records of completion of IDPs signed by the mentor are placed in the graduate student and postdoctoral fellow file and the Graduate College is notified that this has been done at the end of each academic year. To further assist with career planning, OUHSC offers several workshops throughout the year that are available to all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
- Complete the The OUHSC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Self-Assessment Worksheet
- Meet with your mentor to discuss your career goals and how to achieve them.
- Every year, before June 30th, revise your IDP and discuss it with your mentor as a part of your annual evaluation.
Courses at OUHSC
- BMSC 5001 (Fall semester). Integrity in Scientific Research.
- BMSC 5112 (Spring semester). Advanced Scientific Writing.
- BMSC 5102 (Fall and Spring semesters). Fundamentals of Scientific Writing.
- Procedure For Enrolling in Courses as a Non-Degree Seeking Student
Postdoctoral Fellows may enroll as Special Students (non-degree seeking student) for courses that provide professional development. Special Student Application Instruction
Other Required Campus Training
You will also need to take at least some of these Training modules, required by NIH, other Federal, and State regulations).
Fellowship Application Template
The National Postdoctoral Association is a non-profit organization providing resources for postdoctoral fellows in the United Sates. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences is a sustaining member, so all postdoctoral fellows at OUHSC have access to the "member-only" resources of the web site. The NPA has developed a set of Core Competencies that postdocs should be able to acquire during their training, and other career-development programs.