Administration– Dean's Office

Postdoctoral Training

Mission and Goals

Our mission at Stanford University School of Medicine's postdoctoral training program is to provide the professional guidance that allows postdoctoral scholars to develop into independent scientists.

We envision a postdoctoral training program providing scholars with a high quality, individualized research training experience under the direct supervision and mentorship of individual Stanford faculty. We will foster an environment respectful of the roles of postdoctoral scholars in the medical school's success and resulting in individual career opportunities appropriate to the quality and reputation of the School.

We support our mission and the fulfillment of this vision through the following goals:

Strategic Assessment

The medical school's postdoctoral training program is considered to be among the strongest in academic medicine. The relatively small size of the School of Medicine and its postdoctoral program and the extraordinary strength of its research faculty contribute to the program's international reputation for selectivity and excellence.

The location of the medical school on the Stanford campus adjacent to both a major teaching hospital and a flourishing research park provide the program with unique opportunities for individualized cross-disciplinary and translational research training. The University's commitment to novel research collaborations, as evidenced by the Clark Center and the planned joint Department of Bioengineering, further distinguishes the Stanford postdoctoral training program from its peers. The numerous science and technology enterprises in the region benefit the program through enhanced spousal employment options as well as post-training career opportunities for postdoctoral scholars. The current and future excellence of the medical school's postdoctoral training program is directly linked to the strength of our faculty and our ability to take advantage of the scientific and intellectual resources around us.

However, the medical school's postdoctoral training program faces a number of immediate challenges. Most significant are economic factors associated with the relatively high cost of living in the Stanford area and the modest compensation programs available to postdoctoral scholars. The medical school risks losing the best, most highly recruited postdoctoral scholars to peer research-intensive medical schools in less costly areas or to higher paying industry programs due to the economic imbalances in the local environment. Of particular concern are the costs of housing and childcare in the Stanford area.

In addition to economic threats, the medical school's postdoctoral training program must address the risks of scientific and professional complacency that often accompany prolonged success. The medical school needs to resolve chronic issues in which inconsistent mentorship programs, individual isolation, and unstructured career counseling over time will erode the program's standing among potential scholars.

The medical school's postdoctoral training program enjoys a well-deserved international reputation for excellence. To sustain and enhance our reputation, we must act on opportunities and correct deficiencies.

Strategic Initiatives

Our mission and vision for postdoctoral training will be pursued through focused and coordinated initiatives in the areas of total compensation, postdoctoral diversity, mentoring and advancement, and career development.

To achieve our goals of an environment supportive of postdoctoral excellence, we will address the following initiative:

To achieve our goals for a diverse postdoctoral population, we will address the following initiative:

To achieve our goals for role recognition, we will address the following initiative:

To achieve our goals for program quality support and individual choice, we will address the following initiatives:

To achieve our goals for career development, we will address the following initiative:

Prioritization and Implementation

The further development, prioritization, and implementation of these initiatives will be pursued under the direction and coordination of the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Training in coordination with the University's Committee on Graduate Admissions and Policy (C-GAP).

Of the seven initiatives proposed for postdoctoral training, six have been prioritized for development and implementation in FY2001-2002 and FY2002-2003. These priority initiatives reinforce the importance of postdoctoral program quality to the success of the Medical School.

Total Compensation and Postdoctoral Scholar Quality and Diversity Projects

Develop and achieve an institutional standard for "total compensation" for postdoctoral scholars through:

The committee on postdoctoral affairs, working in collaboration with the Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, will explore options for mitigating the recruitment and quality of life effects of the high costs of housing and limited inventory of available housing in the area. Among the options to be considered are direct housing subsidies to individuals, site-specific lease subsidies, and the subsidy or underwriting of new housing developments.

The Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs will work with University managers to develop options and costs for postdoctoral scholars' benefits program improvements. Programs under consideration include childcare and dental benefits.

The Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs will work with University managers to develop options and costs for modified and new childcare programs for postdoctoral scholars. Among the options to be considered are direct childcare subsidies to qualifying individuals, expansion and subsidization of current childcare programs, and the development of new childcare facilities designated for postdoctoral scholars.

The Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education, and Postdoctoral Training will develop new medical school requirements for minimum compensation levels for postdoctoral scholars. Included within these guidelines will be a reaffirmation of the medical school's prohibition on the use of volunteer postdoctoral scholars.

The committee's goal is to have recommendations and costs available for consideration by the medical school within the FY2003 budget process.

Develop programs to establish Stanford as a national leader in the postdoctoral training of under-represented minorities.

Programs on postdoctoral scholar diversity will be developed in coordination with the Associate Director for Graduate Education and other related Medical School initiatives.

The associate director for graduate education position will be filled by the fall of 2002. Initial new graduate student recruitment programs will be developed and proposed in FY2002-2003.

Role Recognition Projects

Develop a uniform job title for postdoctoral scholars, reflecting their contributions as professionals and scientists and their roles as trainees.

The Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs will work with University managers and the University Provost to establish a designation.

Resolution of this initiative is targeted for completion within FY2001-2002.

Develop an organizational structure to appropriately support the training and professional development needs of clinical fellows.

A review and evaluation of the medical school's clinical fellows programs and populations will be undertaken through a committee on clinical fellows. The committee will develop recommendations on organizational responsibility for the clinical fellows population, organizational responsibility for training program elements and quality, and near-term measures to mitigate any significant issues identified.

The committee will make its recommendations to the Dean by fall 2003.

Program Quality Projects

Develop guidelines for faculty mentoring of postdoctoral scholars.

The Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Training will develop new medical school requirements for maximum durations of postdoctoral training at Stanford. As part of this effort, faculty guidelines will also be developed for good practices in postdoctoral scholars' mentoring.

The goal is to issue new guidelines immediately with compliance required by September 2002.

Career Development Projects

Coordinate with the Office of Graduate Education to initiate a Career Center and professional development program with knowledgeable and helpful professional staff.

The Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Services will work with the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Director of Finance and Administration for Student Services to develop a plan and budget for a joint Professional Development and Career Center, providing career counseling and placement services for biosciences graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.

The professional development center is targeted for development and activation during FY2002-2003.

Projects To Be Scheduled

The remaining Postdoctoral Training strategic initiatives will be pursued, following the activation of the priority initiatives, as resources and opportunities permit. These remaining initiatives include:

Website: http://postdocs.stanford.edu/

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