National Postdoctoral Association
Several members of the TAC have memberships and are active in the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). In addition, APS continues to be a Sponsoring Society member of the NPA. In March 2006, the NPA asked APS for comments on a proposed document entitled "Recommended Postdoctoral Practices and Policies for Professional and Disciplinary Societies." A draft response was written and sent to members of the TAC for comment. Based on those comments, APS was able to send a response along with a letter from President Doug Eaton on short notice.
TAC Trainee Survey
In 2004, the TAC conducted a Trainee Survey to determine what each segment of APS trainees (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, new investigators) saw as important issues that the Society could begin to address. The results of that survey have been directing many of the Committee's activities these past two years. They have been shared with the APS Council, provided valuable input at the Strategic Planning Meeting, and have been shared with the Education, Careers in Physiology, Women in Physiology, and Porter Physiology Development Committees, as well as with the APS Membership and Marketing Departments. The TAC feels it is important to re-survey trainees every three to four years to ensure Committee efforts are on target for trainees at the various stages of their careers. The report on the first survey results will be published this year in The Physiologist.
Trainee Advisory Committee Symposium, Experimental Biology 2006
The first Trainee Symposium was co-organized by Rudy Ortiz and Ryan Bavis and held at EB 2006. TAC member Sean Stocker was one of the speakers at the session entitled "Transition from Postdoc to Jr. Faculty: Surviving the Initial Years." The session was very well attended and the presentations received very high ratings from the participants, as indicated by the feedback results below.
The 2007 Trainee Symposium will be titled "Multiple Career Paths for a Physiologist: Understand Your Options and How to Get There." It is being organized by Erica Wehrwein, Jennifer Pluznick, and Sean Stocker. The TAC will coordinate with the Women in Physiology and Career Opportunities in Physiology Committees, as both of those Committees would like to plan complimentary sessions in coming years.
Trainee Email Newsletter
The TAC sends out a trainee email newsletter to keep all interested trainees advised of relevant APS and other news, notice of award opportunities, postdoctoral position openings, articles of special interest to trainees, etc. Milton Hamblin and Sean Stocker work with APS staff to develop the content, ensure the newsletter comes out on a monthly basis, and provide content relevant to the Committee charge. Originally the newsletter was issued every two months, but the subcommittee decided that the general-style newsletter was too long to be effective. They proposed using topic newsletters to make them easier to read and prepare. The Committee agreed, and the new topical newsletters were launched in 2006. For the past two years, Hamblin and Stocker also have developed a special e-newsletter issue containing a list of all relevant career sessions for trainees at the EB meeting. Each Committee member distributed the special list via their section listservs as well as the trainee listserv. The list was very well received as indicated by comments and emails from trainees as well as regular APS members.
Trainee Web Page
The Committee developed a trainee web site that includes links to relevant materials on the APS web site, as well as elsewhere. The site was finalized this fall and went live in January 2006. The TAC asked for and was granted a main navigation button link from the APS Home Page to the trainee page (http://www.the-aps.org/trainees); this means the link is available from any page on the APS website. The TAC plans to revise and update the website as needed to keep Trainees informed about Society programs and trainee-relevant issues.
Web-based Professional Skills Courses
With support from the NIGMS Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) division the APS is developing live, web, and CD-ROM short courses that focus on critical professional skills areas. Each course will include a strong focus on the interaction of racial/ethnic background and culture with the development of these skills. Students who complete the course(s) will: improve their performance in specific professional skills areas; increase their understanding of how these skills can impact career opportunities and advancement in biomedicine; increase their understanding of how diversity issues, especially cultural influences and background experiences, can interact with the development of professional skills targeted by the course; and increase their knowledge of resources and materials that can further assist in their development of these key professional skills.
Although direct oversight of the project resides with the Education Committee, the Trainee Advisory, Career Opportunities in Physiology, Porter Physiology Development, and Women in Physiology Committees are actively involved in the project, particularly through the project's Advisory Board.
New Member Packets
The TAC is concerned about the lack of publicity on the many trainee programs APS has for its trainee members. Toward that end, APS staff is developing a trainee brochure outlining APS programs and initiatives for trainees that can be used at the APS booth and as a mailing to new or prospective members. In addition, the Committee recommended that information about APS trainee programs and resources be sent to all new trainee members (especially the TAC and Career Opportunities in Physiology web sites and trainee listserv) and be made available to all prospective trainee members.
Award for Best First-Author Publication by a Graduate Student in APS Journals
At its fall meeting this year, the TAC plans to begin work on a proposal for an award to recognize the best first-authored paper in an APS journal by a graduate student.
Sections and Trainees
The TAC wants to encourage all the APS sections to develop or expand their trainee activities. At the fall meeting, the Committee will develop a plan to allow sections a means for sharing information on new or existing programs, activities, and awards. Items could be included such as the Cardiovascular Section's Trainee Day, the Renal Section's best APS paper award, and the Neural Control and Autonomic Regulation Section's trainee session at EB. The TAC plans to initiate this discourse by adding relevant information to the TAC website.
Trainee Representation on Committees, Sections, Chapters
APS has made trainees a valuable part of its organization with the establishment of the TAC and its support of this Committee's efforts to help trainees through programs and resources. The TAC would like to see trainees included in more levels of Society governance to continue that precedent. APS Sections already include their TAC representative on the Section Steering Committees, and the Cardiovascular Section has even initiated its own Cardiovascular Trainee Committee. The TAC would like to see more of the committees add a trainee member to its membership. Many of the committees have already made efforts to add a trainee and the TAC looks forward to seeing other committees doing so as well, if appropriate.