NINDS's Building Up the Nerve

Latest Episodes:

All About Grants: Discovering Strengths to Advance Your Research Career (Part 2) Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

Listen in for the second of two special guest episodes of NIH's All About Grants podcast! In this episode, host Dr. David Kosub invites NINDS's Building Up the Nerve co-host, Dr. Marguerite Matthews, and the Director of the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce at the NIH Office of Extramural Research, Dr. Ericka Boone, continues conversations unveiling the "hidden curriculum" of scientific training. They share experiences and perspectives on how personal growth and professional development intersect, setting a plan to identify your strengths, reiterate the importance of engaging your network, the power of communication, and much more.
The first guest episode featured Building Up the Nerve's other co-host, Dr. Lauren Ullrich: https://www.buzzsprout.com/558574/13505607

Resources
All About Grants
Inside Cancer Careers
Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

"Building Up the Nerve" to Develop your NIH Training Application - Live at Neuroscience 2023! Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Are you attending the Society for Neuroscience's Annual Meeting Neuroscience 2023? If you are, join us for a live episode of Building Up the Nerve in the form of a professional development workshop.
"Building Up the Nerve" to Develop your NIH Training Application will take place Monday, November 13th, 2023, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM ET at the Washington Convention Center, room 207B. All Neuroscience 2023 attendees are welcome.
This interactive workshop will prepare graduate students, postdocs, junior faculty, and their mentors to apply for NIH funding. We will have a panel with advice on strategies from successful awardees and reviewers, then you'll have a chance to ask questions of NIH staff and former podcast guests in small group discussions.
Add this event to your meeting planner: https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/10892/session/401
Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E10: Demystifying Scientific Careers Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In our final episode of the season, we talk about careers outside of academia, with a focus on how to find what jobs exist, how to prepare for these jobs, and what to know when you transition.
Featuring Joanne Kamens, PhD, Senior Consultant, Diversity North Group; Kip Ludwig, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Ekemini A. Udofa Riley, PhD, Founder & President, Coalition for Aligning Science.
Resources

AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF): https://www.aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowships
Association for Women in Science (AWIS): https://awis.org/
MassBio: https://www.massbio.org/
Introducing the Vitae Researcher Development Framework to employers 2011
Blogs written by Dr. Joanne Kamens:
- Developing Transferable Skills During Science Training
- 5 Uncommon Ways to Gain Career Skills During an Uncommon Time
Podcast with Dr. Joanne Kamens:
- What is a Peer Mentoring Group? Part 1: Joanne Kamens with iBiology
Webinars with Dr. Joanne Kamens:

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E9: Demystifying the Mid-Career Faculty Stage Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 9, we talk about succeeding as mid-career faculty, including challenges mid-career faculty face such as maintaining funding, advancing in your career, and balancing internal service expectations.
Featuring Rebecca Shansky, PhD, Professor, Northeastern University; Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, Professor, Chief Vision and Values Scientist, Duke University; and Francisco Barrera, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Resources

BRAIN Initiative® Multi-Council Working Group: https://braininitiative.nih.gov/about/multi-council-working-group
“Hidden curriculum for mid-career faculty” by Terry McGlynn: https://smallpondscience.com/2022/07/18/hidden-curriculum-for-mid-career-faculty/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E8: Demystifying the Early Career Faculty Stage Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 8, we talk about succeeding as junior faculty, including starting a lab from scratch, balancing all aspects of the job, and how to manage tenure expectations.
Featuring Ishmail Abdus-Saboor, PhD, Assistant Professor, Columbia University; Katie Wilkinson, PhD, Professor, San Jose State University; and Jack Lipton, PhD, Professor, Michigan State University.
Resources

Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) (R35): https://nigms.nih.gov/Research/mechanisms/MIRA
Resources from the 2022 “Maintaining a Neural Network: Transforming Mentorship Workshop”: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/news-events/events/maintaining-neural-network-transforming-mentorship-workshop
NIH Glossary: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/glossary.htm
NIH Early Stage Investigator Resources: https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-stage/index.htm
Support for Research Excellence (SuRE): https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/about-funding/types-research-support/research-project-grants/support-research-excellence-sure-program-r16
NIH Research Enhancement Award (R15): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r15.htm
University of Washington BRAINS program: https://brains.uw.edu/
Big 10 Academic Alliance: https://btaa.org/
Books:
- At the Helm: Leading your Laboratory by Kathy Barker
- Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, Second Edition from HHMI: https://www.hhmi.org/science-education/programs/resources/making-right-moves
- The Grant Application Writer's Workbook for NIH: https://www.grantcentral.com/workbooks/national-institutes-of-health/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E7: Demystifying the Tenure-Track Faculty Application Process Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 7, we talk about applying for a faculty position, including preparing your application, negotiating, and the accepting or re-applying process.
Featuring Kimberly S Williams, Assistant Professor, Spelman College; Lucas Cheadle, Assistant Professor, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; and Erin Stephenson, Assistant Professor, Midwestern University.
Resources

NIH Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (RISE) Program (R25): https://nigms.nih.gov/training/RISE/Pages/default.aspx
NIH Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA) (K12): https://nigms.nih.gov/training/careerdev/Pages/TWDInstRes.aspx
ABRCMS: https://abrcms.org/
Future PI Slack community: https://futurepislack.wordpress.com/
BRAINS (R25): https://brains.uw.edu/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

All About Grants: What We Have Heard from Early Career Researchers (Part 1) Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Listen in for the first of two special guest episodes of NIH's All About Grants podcast! In this episode, host Dr. David Kosub invites NINDS's Building Up the Nerve co-host, Dr. Lauren Ullrich, and the host of National Cancer Institute's Inside Cancer Careers, Oliver Bogler, for a conversation on what they've learned from early career researchers through their podcasts.
The next guest episode features Building Up the Nerve's other co-host, Dr. Marguerite Matthews!
Resources
All About Grants
Inside Cancer Careers
Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E6: Demystifying Clinician-Scientist Careers Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 6, we talk about conducting research as a clinician-scientist, including the different paths to research as a clinician and what a clinician-faculty position can look like.
Featuring Erika Augustine, MD, Associate Chief Science Officer, Kennedy Krieger Institute; Edjah Nduom, MD, Associate Professor, Emory University; and Audrey Brumback, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Austin.
Resources

NINDS Institutional Awards for Clinician-Scientists, such as T32 and K12 Programs: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/training-career-development/institutional-grants
- For example, Dr. Augustine is on the leadership team of the Child Neurologist Career Development Program-K12 at Kennedy Krieger Institute: https://www.kennedykrieger.org/cncdp-k12
NINDS Career Development Awards: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/training-career-development/career-development-awards
OPEN Stage Webinar: Clinician Scientist Clinic – Overview of NINDS Funding Opportunities and Q&A: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/news-events/events/open-stage-webinar-clinician-scientist-clinic-overview-ninds-funding-opportunities-and-qa
NIH Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education: https://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/training/index.html
The World Wasn’t Ready for You by Justin C. Key: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-world-wasnt-ready-for-you-justin-c-key?variant=41016598036514

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E5: Demystifying the Postdoctorate Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 5, we talk about succeeding as a postdoc, including what graduate students need to know about what to ask during a postdoc interview, how to develop independent lines of research, and when to know it’s time to enter the job market.
Featuring E. Mae Guthman, Postdoctoral research fellow, Princeton University; Rapheal Williams, Postdoctoral fellow, University of Washington; and Mai-Anh Vu, Postdoctoral fellow, Boston University.
Resources

Parent K99/R00 NINDS webpage: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/training-career-development/postdoctoral-fellows/nih-pathway-independence-award
Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group on Re-envisioning NIH-supported Postdoctoral Training: https://acd.od.nih.gov/working-groups/postdocs.html
NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2023: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-23-076.html
NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (skip the postdoc): https://commonfund.nih.gov/earlyindependence
Loan Repayment Program (LRP): https://www.lrp.nih.gov/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E4: Demystifying Doctoral Training Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 4, we talk about succeeding in graduate school, including finding mentorship, performing research, and applying for funding.
Featuring Maya Gosztyla, Ph.D. Candidate, The University of California San Diego; Cellas Hayes, Postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University; and Shekinah Phillips, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Resources

Individual Development Plan (IDP) resource
DSPAN F99/K00 tips
NIH RePORTER (use this to connect with other students that received the grant you’re applying for!)
NINDS Advancing Diversity R25 Programs, including the UAB Neuroscience Roadmap scholars
NIH funded Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success (SPINES)
NIH Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative ENDURE
Written by Maya Gosztyla:
- How to find, read and organize papers
- How to manage your time as a researcher
Scholarships/awards:
International Brain Research Organization
Black in Neuro

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

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