The postdoctoral program at Penn State College of Medicine is designed to support the training and education of postdoctoral scholars and fellows; to promote postdoctoral research accomplishments across the University; and to foster a sense of community among scholars.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs helps meet all these goals through a variety of resources, workshops and programs.
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Resources for Postdocs
Data and Dine is the annual postdoctoral research symposium of Penn State College of Medicine. The event, open to the entire College of Medicine community, features poster sessions and networking opportunities that highlight the research accomplishments of postdoctoral scholars.
Save the Date
The 18th annual Data and Dine event will be 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 12, 2020, at University Conference Center.
Registration is required. Both faculty and postdocs must register.
Abstract Submissions
Postdoctoral trainees across the College of Medicine are welcome to submit abstracts for Data and Dine.
Best Postdoctoral Scholar Award
Part of the Data and Dine event is the presentation of the Bond and Bradley Best Postdoctoral Scholar Award.
Submit a Nomination for Best Postdoctoral Scholar
For Details
For more information on Data and Dine, email Becky Moyer in the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at postdocs@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
University Policy HR68 Postdoctoral Appointments outlines the terms and conditions of postdoctoral scholar and postdoctoral fellow appointments.
The Professional Development Program is designed to:
- Help each postdoctoral fellow develop skills and acquire tools needed to excel as a scientific professional
- Provide knowledge regarding rules, ethics and policies governing research
Professional development training is done in two parts.
CITI Online training
Penn State participates in the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative, or CITI. This tool is used to provide mandatory online training in the responsible conduct of research, or RCR.
- Training must be completed within three weeks of first day of employment at the College of Medicine.
- Multiple language formats are available.
- Important: Certificates of completion must be downloaded and emailed to Becky Moyer in the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (postdocs@pennstatehealth.psu.edu) upon successful completion.
There are two courses offered in CITI:
- RCR basic course: This course is required for postdocs who have had no prior RCR training and includes sections on authorship, collaborative research, conflicts of interest, data management, financial responsibility, mentoring, peer review, plagiarism, human subjects research, research misconduct and animal research.
- RCR refresher course: This course is for postdocs who have taken RCR training previously at Penn State or another U.S. institution and covers authorship, collaborative research, conflicts of interest, data management, mentoring, peer review, human subjects research, research misconduct and animal research.
See how to create a CITI account or tie an existing CITI account to Penn State.
Professional Development Workshop Series
The other component of the Professional Development Program is a workshop series on “Lab Management and Research Survival Skills.”
Postdocs must attend at least eight workshops. The one-hour workshops are held monthly, and are intended for a culturally diverse trainee group.
Attendance will be recorded, and a certificate will be provided upon completion.
The format is small-group discussions between trainees and faculty. Case studies from a research laboratory setting will be selected and presented for discussion each month by the trainees, and will focus on the unique roles of postdocs as laboratory personnel.
Participating faculty will include postdoctoral mentors and general research faculty at the College of Medicine. A number of topics are covered, including scientific rigor and reproducibility.