Professionalism Series 2021

The OACD provides an annual series of professional development workshops for doctoral students and postdoctoral trainees. This series covers a range of career development topics critical to your professional success and the foundational content applies across all disciplines.

Aug 25, 2021 An Overview of Career Development Resources for Postdocs

Presenter: Darlene Zellers, PhD
Description: All postdocs in the schools of the health sciences attend an Orientation to Career Development seminar within the first three months of their training and are introduced to Pitt’s unique model of career development, that is, A Developmental Approach to Professional Training (ADAPT). This overview of career development resources is designed as a refresher that will cover the vast career development resources at your disposal and will provide you with an opportunity to discuss your career development challenges, opportunities, and plans with fellow postdocs.

Presenter Bio: Darlene F. Zellers, PhD, in her leadership role with the OACD, is responsible for supporting the academic health science community, including graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, residents, clinical fellows, and faculty at every level of experience by providing full-spectrum academic career development guidance, programs, and services. With regard to postdoctoral affairs, she is additionally responsible for overseeing the postdoctoral appointment process and the professional career development of postdocs across the schools of the health sciences. University-wide, she is responsible for the Center for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Career Development, overseeing programs and resources that support the professional development of advanced-degree trainees across all academic centers.

Sept. 15, 2021 Maximizing the Mentee Experience

Presenter: Joseph Ayoob, PhD, Joel C. Brady, PhD, April Dukes, PhD
Description: Targeted to postdocs and graduate students. Mentoring relationships are an essential part of any career journey but they are not always easy to navigate, particularly in the role of the mentee. During this session, we will provide you with guidance regarding how to cultivate a mentoring network, what it means to be a mentee, how to identify and cultivate new mentors, what makes for a successful mentor/mentee relationship, and how to manage a multitude of difficult situations that may arise in these relationships. This session will be interactive, so please be sure that you are in an environment that will allow you to engage verbally and come prepared with any questions you may have!

Presenter Bio: Dr. April Dukes is the director of the Faculty and Future Faculty Program for the Engineering Educational Research Center and the Institutional Co-administrator for Pitt’s Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning. Dr. Joel Brady is the Program Supervisor for the Graduate Student Teaching Initiative and staff liaison for the Center for Mentoring at the University Center for Teaching & Learning. Dr. Joseph Ayoob is a Faculty Fellow for the Center for Mentoring at the University Center for Teaching & Learning; and is an Associate Professor of Computational and Systems Biology in the School of Medicine

Oct. 27, 2021 Presenting Your Best Self When Connecting with Others

Presenter: Tracy Costello
Description: Being able to build relationships (network) helps you develop resources necessary for your career development. It is critical to present yourself during these interactions with confidence, through understanding the difference between self-awareness versus bragging and in dealing with “imposter syndrome.” During this seminar, presented by Tracy Costello, PhD (Career Coach and Professional Development Trainer at Coach4Postdocs), we will discuss tips and techniques for these topics and more, including email/LinkedIn etiquette and developing your “elevator pitch” when you meet someone in person or virtually.

After this presentation, you will be able to:

Identify potential challenges to connecting with others and developing your network
Proactively and positively own your experience (self-awareness) and be able to identify when imposter syndrome occurs and take steps to deal with its impact
Have a framework to reach out to others in a variety of settings and converse about your skills and experiences
We invite you to bring any questions you may have to be answered during the session!

Presenter Bio: Tracy Costello, PhD, draws from an array of professional experiences that fuel her passion for improving the postdoctoral experience. She is currently a career coach and professional development trainer for PhDs (www.coach4postdocs.com) having earned her doctorate in biomathematics & biostatistics and human & molecular genetics, from The University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston. Her predoctoral and postdoctoral work were funded in part by an R25 Fellowship in Cancer Prevention and focused on the development of statistical methodology for application in genetics. Following her postdoc, she transitioned to staff positions in academia and industry before returning to MD Anderson in 2012 to expand the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs which led to being recruited to start a new postdoc office in 2017 at Moffitt Cancer Center in 2017. She has provided career development workshops and keynotes for numerous universities, professional societies, and non-profits and has served on study sections for both NIH and NSF. She volunteers her time as a current member and former Chair of the National Postdoctoral Association Board of Directors and the Vice President for U.S. Relations on the Board of Directors for STEMPeers.

Nov. 4, 2021 Making Difficult Conversations Less Difficult - VIEW RECORDING

Presenter: Marnie Oakley, DMD
Description: Why do we all prefer to avoid conversations that we know we need to have—knowing the problem will only worsen over time? It’s time to stop running from our circumstances and to start leading our outcomes! During this session, presented by Marnie Oakley, DMD (Senior Associate Dean for Clinical and Faculty Affairs, School of Dental Medicine), you will learn how to prepare for, conduct, and follow-up on the difficult conversations that most people dread.

After this session, you will be equipped to:

Successfully lead difficult conversations and embrace the need to fully prepare with a sense of deep reflection, gratitude, and humility
Identify and apply personal preferences, approaches, and tactics to influence success when resolving conflicts
Discuss skills and techniques that can prevent harmful conflict and difficult conversations in the future

Archived Video

Presenter Bio: Dr. Marnie Oakley serves as Senior Associate Dean at the School of Dental Medicine. After graduating from the School of Dental Medicine in 1992, she served an active duty, four-year tour as a Dental Officer in the United States Navy. Dr. Oakley served as Chair of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session Planning Committee for two consecutive years, for which she received a Presidential Citation. As a graduate fellow of the ADEA’s Leadership Institute, she served in officer positions on several ADEA committees and groups. She is a Senior Consultant for the Academy of Advancing Leadership—where she offers one-on-one consulting services and seminars on various leadership topics to academicians across the country. Dr. Oakley works extensively in various areas of leadership development that include, creating a positive culture, leading difficult conversations, resolving conflict, and managing change. As a proud alumna of the Berkeley Institute of Executive Coaching, she leverages her certification and experience to help executives discover and reveal the best versions of themselves.

Dec. 14, 2021 How to Negotiate for Your Next Opportunity

Presenter: Jennifer Woodward, PhD
Description: Are you feeling nervous and unprepared to negotiate an opportunity for yourself? Whether you are seeking a job, a training opportunity, or just the chance to acquire more experience, effective negotiation skills are vital to your career, but don’t always come easily. During this session, presented by Jennifer Woodward, PhD (Vice Chancellor for Sponsored Programs and Research Operations), you will learn how to develop a negotiation strategy that will contribute to your future success. Tips and tricks for how to negotiate while maintaining positive relationships will be covered, as well as guidance regarding how to become a more confident and successful negotiator.

Presenter Bio: Dr. Jennifer E. Woodward serves as Vice Chancellor for Sponsored Programs and Research Operations and Professor of Surgery and Immunology in the School of Medicine. Previously, Dr. Woodward was Associate Vice Provost for Research Operations, Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs in the School of Medicine, and Executive Director for Research and Academic Affairs at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. Jennifer has extensive experience negotiating in an academic culture – sitting on both sides of the table. She is an alumna of ELAM, the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program, which is a year-long fellowship for senior women faculty dedicated to developing the skills required to lead and manage in today's complex health care environment. Jennifer has received additional training in negotiation under Catherine Morrison, a nationally recognized negotiation consultant specializing in academic healthcare.

Jan. 18, 2022 Financial Wellness (only for postdocs and faculty) - VIEW RECORDING

Time: 3-4pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter: Cynthia Grindel
Description: Worried about finances? You are not alone. In this workshop, presented by Cynthia Grindel of LifeSolutions, we’ll explore the habits and attitudes that drive our financial decisions, discuss how to develop a budget, share tips for saving and review additional resources available through the Employee Assistance Program.

Archived Video

Presenter Bio: Cindy Grindel is a licensed social worker with a graduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently serves as a Program Manager with LifeSolutions Faculty & Staff Assistance Program where she provides educational trainings, consultation, and other programming for businesses throughout the region.

Jan. 26, 2022 Introduction to the Faculty Role

Time: 3:30-4:30pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter: April Dukes, PhD
Description: Being a faculty member is about more than just doing your own, independent research. Attend this informational session to learn foundational knowledge about what being a faculty member is all about, the different types of faculty positions, the different responsibilities that feed into the role, and the importance of institution type when considering a career in academia. April Dukes, PhD, coordinator for Pitt’s Center for Integrating Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), whose expertise is in training the next generation of faculty, will answer all your questions.

Presenter Bio: Dr. April Dukes (aprila@pitt.edu) is the Faculty and Future Faculty Program Director for the Engineering Educational Research Center (EERC) and the Institutional Co-leader for Pitt-CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning) at the University of Pittsburgh. April leads local professional development courses and facilitates workshops on instructional and mentoring best practices for both current and future STEM faculty. April currently collaborates on the national educational research initiative, the Aspire Alliance’s National Change, and was a collaborator of the NSF INCLUDES Alliance, to support systemic changes towards excellence and inclusivity in higher education.

Feb. 8, 2022 The Universe of STEM Careers Waiting for You & How to Showcase Your Value to an Employer

Time: 3:30-5pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter: Josh Henkin, PhD
Description: The universe of career options available to PhDs in the health sciences is widespread and exciting, but daunting to many who might not know which path to take. Join us as we guide you through an exploration of the vast array of career options available and help you to understand and develop the skills needed to achieve career success. During this workshop, presented by Josh Henkin, PhD, attendees will learn about several resources to search and explore careers outside of academia. You will also be introduced to tools you can use to identify how your professional values, interests, and skills align with potential careers of interest. We'll help you discover what macro and micro skills you possess, and discuss how to increase your confidence in articulating and demonstrating the value you bring to an organization.

Presenter Bio: After years of successfully mentoring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) job seekers, in 2014 Josh founded STEM Career Services, a career coaching company aimed at helping STEM graduates start and sustain careers outside of academia. Josh speaks and conducts workshops at conferences, universities, and institutes across the country and provides career coaching to STEM graduates at all career levels. These efforts earned Josh two elected terms on the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Board of Directors, where he sat on the executive committee and served as the nonprofit’s treasurer. In addition, Josh is an American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship and AAAS Career Development Center Subject Matter Expert/Career Coach. He has created several online courses for the CDC and is invited to deliver workshops and panel discussions at AAAS events. Concurrent with his work at STEM Career Services, Josh is a Senior Program and Portfolio Manager with Tunnell Consulting, a science and technology consulting company. Josh provides technical and programmatic support to the Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA) and Department of Defense (DoD) vaccine and therapeutic development programs. Currently, Josh is working on developing numerous COVID-19 vaccines under Operation Warp Speed. Prior to these roles, Josh worked at Medtronic as a Principle Field Scientist in its cardiac rhythm disease management division, where he managed a portfolio of investigatorinitiated clinical trials to promote innovative research with implantable cardiac devices. And before this as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, Josh worked with the DoD as a scientific advisor for the Undersecretary of Defense for Laboratories and Basic Sciences, creating policies and managing basic science research programs. A lifelong athlete, Josh played rugby for 20 years at the collegiate, national, and international levels. He has authored research articles on muscle, exercise physiology, and fitness, is a certified strength and conditioning coach, and has started several companies in the exercise and fitness space. He holds a BS in business administration, a MS in nutritional sciences, and a PhD in cell and molecular biology - all from the University of Vermont.

Feb. 23, 2022 LinkedIn: Optimize Your Profile & Tap Into the Platform’s Hidden Power

Time: 3:30-5pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter:D. B. Wienke
Learn from a Subject Matter LinkedIn Expert, Ms. D. B. Wienke, who will start by demonstrating the process of optimizing your LinkedIn profile in real-time using her proprietary worksheet. She will provide you with action steps for successfully inviting professionals post-conference into your LinkedIn network. She will also show you how to tap into the hidden job market, conduct advanced people searches in verticals of particular interest, and earn informational interviews using this powerful platform.

Presenter Bio: D. B. Wienke – her prestigious career spans 20 years of award-winning work as a Fortune 50 executive for News Corp in Chicago, New York, Palm Beach as a corporate strategist working with global clients in Consumer Package Goods including Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson. As well, Ms. Wienke consulted with Regional Presidents for National City Bank as a marketing strategist on all seven business units for 2,500 offices.

Since 2009 as a Subject Matter LinkedIn Expert, Ms. Wienke is the CEO of ResumeLinkup. She is a keynote LinkedIn speaker and LinkedIn workshop presenter at academic graduate level instruction and notably at enterprise level companies like IBM, Toyota, Coca-Cola among others. Working worldwide, her LinkedIn instruction has helped over 6,000 professionals for increased visibility on the business-to-business platform with 775MM+ users.

Ms. Wienke holds an MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management with a dual concentration in Management Strategy and Marketing. Her Bachelor of Arts in Economics was obtained at Denison University.

Mar. 16, 2022 Entering Mentoring: Maximizing Mentoring Skills

Time: 3-4:30pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter: Joseph Ayoob, PhD, Joel C. Brady, PhD, April Dukes, PhD
Description: Taking on the responsibility of being a mentor requires new skills and knowledge that are not typically addressed in academic training programs, though evidence-based approaches have emerged to help new mentors build and maintain successful mentoring relationships. We invite you to attend this workshop, presented by Joseph Ayoob, PhD, Joel Brady, PhD, and April Dukes, PhD, to learn about these current best practices in mentoring that will equip you with the tools necessary to be a successful mentor. You will develop vital strategies to cultivate and manage productive mentoring relationships that will contribute to the professional success of your mentees and that will provide you with personal satisfaction throughout your career.

Presenter Bio: Dr. April Dukes is the director of the Faculty and Future Faculty Program for the Engineering Educational Research Center and the Institutional Co-administrator for Pitt’s Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Joel Brady is the Program Supervisor for the Graduate Student Teaching Initiative and staff liaison for the Center for Mentoring at the University Center for Teaching & Learning.

Dr. Joseph Ayoob is a Faculty Fellow for the Center for Mentoring at the University Center for Teaching & Learning; and is an Associate Professor of Computational and Systems Biology in the School of Medicine.

Mar. 23, 2022 Constructing A Resume for Employers Outside of Academia

Time: 12-1pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter: Joan Anson, MS Ed, PC
Description: How do you effectively prepare a written document, such as a resume, that communicates your experience to employers outside of the Academy? Your resume is the first step in landing your next interview, so it's essential that it makes the impact that you intend it to!This session, presented by Joan Anson, MS, Ed, PC, will teach you how to effectively prepare and market yourself to those in industry, government, and non-profit organizations.

Presenter Bio: Joan Anson, MS, Ed, is an ICF certified professional coach assisting millennials with career management issues and baby boomers seeking a purposeful retirement. Her extensive career in higher education administration included serving in an advisory capacity as staff to executive directors, deans and presidents at two health related education associations. Her positions included leadership roles in enrollment management, student affairs and career promotion. Later, she served as a director of admissions at the University of Baltimore and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Joan completed programs in management leadership from both the Johns Hopkins Leadership Institute and the National Association of Colleges and Employers. When she returned to the University of Pittsburgh in 2007, Joan became the founding director of career services for Pitt Public Health. In that role, Joan created programs and services to assist masters, doctoral and postdoctoral students plan and prepare for a variety of career destinations. Currently, Joan serves as a mentor-coach for individuals contemplating “next steps” in their personal or professional lives.

Apr. 7, 2022 Ask Me Anything: Q&A Session for Postdocs

Time: 12-1pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter: Darlene Zellers, PhD, Laura Miller, PhD, Tammy Dennis
Description: Spend your lunch break with representatives from Pitt’s Center for Postdoctoral Affairs in the Health Sciences for an informal question and answer session. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance or be able to ask their questions live during this remote session. Even if you don’t have any questions at this time, join us to learn what’s on the minds of your fellow postdocs. Questions may span a wide variety of topics such as career development, programming, benefits, classifications, compensation, postdoc guidelines, funding opportunities, among others. The questions posed during this session are purposely crowdsourced so we can learn what’s important to you.

Presenter Bios:

Darlene F. Zellers, PhD, is the associate vice chancellor for academic career development, health sciences; director, Office of Academic Career Development (OACD), Health Sciences; director, Center for Postdoctoral Affairs in the Health Sciences; and associate dean for postdoctoral affairs in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In her leadership role with the OACD, she is responsible for developing professional career development programs and services for biomedical scientists and clinical investigators within the University’s six schools of the health sciences (dental medicine, health & rehabilitation sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health). The OACD serves the University’s academic health science community, including graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, residents, clinical fellows, and faculty at every level of experience, by providing full-spectrum academic career development training and support. Regarding postdoctoral affairs, she is additionally responsible for overseeing postdoctoral training, personnel management, and professional career development across the schools of the health sciences.

Laura Miller, PhD, is the associate director of the Office of Academic Career Development (OACD), Health Sciences. She is responsible for the strategic planning, development, marketing, execution, and assessment of career development programs, workshops, and special events for trainees across all six schools of the health sciences to develop leaders and drive career excellence. Dr. Miller graduated with a PhD in Medical Neurobiology from Indiana University School of Medicine. In this role, she combines her passion, educational background, and experience to create transformative programming in support of the University of Pittsburgh’s role as a national leader in biomedical research.

Tammy L. Dennis is the associate director for the Office of Career Development, Center for Postdoctoral Affairs in the Health Science at the University of Pittsburgh. She oversees the postdoctoral appointment process, tracks postdoctoral career outcomes, prepares postdoctoral data reports, generates various institutional data reports, and oversees the career development and progress assessment process.

Apr. 19, 2022 Virtual Interviewing: Champion Yourself Through Storytelling - VIEW RECORDING

Time: 3:30-5pm
Location: Zoom
Presenter: Alaina Levine
Description: Interviewing, like all forms of communication, is about telling stories that resonate with your audience. Your story can be the most important one they hear! Interviewing is about demonstrating how your background, experience, skills and enthusiasm are aligned with the employer’s needs, and that you have a unique set of talents that can add value and move their agenda forward. To ensure that decision makers understand what exactly you can do for and with the employer, you want to build verbal bridges between you and them. This takes place in the form of stories. In this webinar, presented by Alaina Levine, we will discuss leveraging virtual platforms to execute an interviewing plan that will help you land that dream job. We’ll look at how to craft and deliver stories before, during, and after the interview, how to adjust different elements of a virtual experience (such as light and sound), and how to look professional on camera. We will also go over how to deliver an oral presentation—such as a job talk or a colloquium—using virtual methods to indicate your knowledge, expertise, enthusiasm, and collaborative nature.

Archived Video

Presenter Bio: Alaina G. Levine is an award-winning entrepreneur, STEM career consultant, professional speaker, TEDx speaker, science journalist & corporate comedian. Her book, Networking for Nerds (Wiley, 2015), beat out Einstein (really!) for the honor of being named a Top 5 Book of 2015 by Physics Today. As President of Quantum Success Solutions, LLC, she is a prolific speaker & writer on career development & professional advancement for engineers & scientists. She has delivered over 750 webinars & speeches for clients in the US, EU, Mexico, Canada, Africa, Asia, & South America (including over 100 gigs in 2020), & has written over 425 articles in publications like Science, Nature, Scientific American, National Geographic News Watch, & Smithsonian. She also writes “Your Unicorn Career”, a careers column for ScienceCareers about finding your professional bliss. Levine authored two online courses for Oxford University Press on career development & entrepreneurship, is a consultant, speaker, & writer for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, & served as the event manager for an international conference on phononics. As a career coach and consultant, she has helped 1000s of clients in diverse fields, professions, industries, and regions create and land their own Unicorn Career. She holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics & anthropology & a certificate in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona, & studied at the American University in Cairo as a US Department of Defense Boren Fellow.