About

The PGSAO supports postdocs by: 

• Providing symposia, seminars, a retreat, and editing services so postdocs can: 
  • Establish a career plan and meet their goals.
  • Successfully compete for extramural fellowships and educational grants.
  • Enhance their writing skills for successful manuscript and journal article publication.
  • Learn the skills necessary to transition from training to a long-term career, such as networking, resume preparation, interviewing and negotiation.
   
• Providing information about the Boston area through written and online materials.
• Offering a postdoc guidebook that covers frequently asked questions at Dana-Farber.
• Working with Dana-Farber Human Resources to maintain minimum salary standards and benefits.

For more information, please email Jennifer Molina or call 617-632-4223.

Resources and services

The Postdoc and Graduate Student Affairs Office offers the following services to the community of postdocs and graduate students at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute:

Workshops and seminars for professional development include:

• Manuscript Writing
• Lab Management
• Careers Beyond the Bench
• Grant Writing 101
• CV Preparation and Interview Techniques
• Balancing a Family and a Research Career
• Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Rights

Postdoc and Graduate Student Lounge/Resource Center (Smith 347), where students can:

• Use a computer workstation
• Find information about upcoming programs at Dana-Farber, throughout the Harvard community, and in the Boston area
• Relax and socialize, take a break, enjoy a cup of coffee, watch TV

One-on-one science editing services for:

• Grant applications
• Fellowship applications
• Scientific manuscripts
• Cover letters, curriculum vitae, and resumés

Joining Dana-Farber

Dana-Farber has a variety of departments and a diverse research focus. The best way to identify postdoctoral openings is to check the job listings through our employment opportunities page or check the postings in the major peer reviewed journals like Cell, Science, or Nature, where our researchers may post their open positions.

In addition to contacting investigators directly, we encourage you to post your research interests to the Dana-Farber research community. ROAD – or the Research Opportunities at Dana-Farber online database – provides a centralized place for Dana-Farber faculty and staff to review individuals whose interests match the needs of their lab or department.

• Before you arrive 
• For non-U.S. citizens 
• Occupational health 
• Orientation 
• Research Fellows 

Before you arrive

You will likely receive an unofficial offer letter from your hiring principal investigator that can include your start date, salary and responsibilities. You must also receive an official offer letter from Human Resources (HR).

Before you can be hired at Dana-Farber, an HR research recruiter must review your job application and curriculum vitae and issue a formal HR job offer letter. If you have not received such a letter you should contact HR to ensure that the appropriate processes have been completed.

Once your application has been reviewed and approved, HR will issue an official offer letter via email that will include a link to additional required paperwork, including a health history form.

If your start date is less than three weeks away and you haven't received your official offer letter packet, you should contact Human Resources at 617-632-3052 and speak the recruiter who handles your department.

For non-U.S. citizens

If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will need to have a visa. Dana-Farber cannot pay you for work done before your visa has been issued. All applications must be processed through Human Resources. Visa applications can take from three weeks to six months.

Please email Lorraine Barnes or call her at 617-632-3052 for a visa application.

Social security number

Anyone who receives money from Dana-Farber sources must have a Social Security Number. Social Security Number Applications (Form SS-5) are available at Social Security Administration Offices throughout the area.

The closest Social Security Administration Office to Dana-Farber is at 10 Causeway Street, Room 148 1st Floor, Boston, MA, 02222. Phone: 800-772-1213.

If you are in the United States on a non-immigrant visa, you will need to bring the following with you when applying for a Social Security Number:

If you need further information or assistance, please email Lorraine Barnes or call her at 617-632-3052.

Occupational Health

Before you begin work at Dana-Farber, you must meet with a member of the Department of Occupational Health Services (OHS) to review your health history. This information might be needed if you develop a health care problem at work and are unable to communicate your health history. It also will help the OHS staff evaluate whether you have a health problem that might pose a risk to Dana-Farber patients or other staff members. HR will schedule your OHS appointment for you.

Please let the OHS staff member know if you have had a TB test that was positive in the past. If not, a TB skin test will be conducted at the time of your visit to determine if you have been exposed to TB in the past.

You will need to return to OHS two to three days after the TB test has been placed to determine if it is positive. If you have had a positive TB skin test in the past, or have a positive test at the time of your visit, the OHS staff member might ask you to have a chest X-ray taken to determine if you have active TB.

You cannot attend orientation without OHS clearance.

Orientation

New Employee Orientation is held every Monday in the Jimmy Fund Auditorium (Tuesday morning if Monday is a holiday). You must attend orientation to begin working at Dana-Farber, regardless of your funding source.

The recruiter who handles your hiring department will schedule your attendance for you. You must present your OHS clearance at the check-in table in the Auditorium before attending the session.

You will attend a full-day orientation. Please arrive in the Jimmy Fund Auditorium at 8:45 a.m. The Jimmy Fund Auditorium is located in the Jimmy Fund Building at the intersection of Binney Street and Jimmy Fund Way across from the main hospital entrance.

During orientation, you will learn about the values, mission, and culture of Dana-Farber. You will also get information about employment policies, procedures, and employee benefits.

You'll have a one-hour lunch break and be given a gift card to use for lunch at the Dana-Farber cafeteria. You can also find take-out options at the Longwood Galleria Food Court.

Public parking is available at the Longwood Galleria Garage on Longwood Ave.

Lab safety training

This session is required for all staff working in a lab. New staff members, including sponsored staff, co-ops, and volunteers are required to complete a health screening and have approval from OHS before attending this session.

Dana-Farber ID

Everyone must wear an ID badge for access to all Longwood Medical Area buildings. New employees must complete their health screening at OHS. Once they receive OHS clearance, new employees need to attend Orientation, where they will be issued a temporary ID badge that is valid for one week. Research staff must also attend Lab Safety Training.

Research Fellows

Postdoctoral fellows are granted the academic title of Research Fellow in their academic appointing department. The academic appointment and title provides you with a Harvard University ID badge and privileges associated with officers of Harvard University.

Your academic appointment as a Research Fellow is an annual appointment that commences at the time of your arrival and is renewable on July 1 of each year to end on June 30 of the following year or until your postdoctoral training is completed.

Please check with your individual business office to complete the Harvard ID application process as soon as possible so that you receive your ID in a timely manner.

This appointment is merely the conveyance of an academic title. Although Research Fellows working in the Medical School's affiliated hospitals and institutions may have an HMS appointment, they generally are not paid by Harvard. Salary and benefits derive from Dana-Farber.

eCommons Access

Click on New User Registration at www.ecommons.med.harvard.edu/. You need your Harvard ID to complete this process and then you will be given a unique user ID and will be allowed to choose a password that can be used to access eCommons, MyCourses and the Digital Library.

Meeting with your mentor

In the first week of work you should make an effort to schedule office time with your mentor to discuss the short and long term goals of your position. You should clarify that you would like to know what is expected at the end of one month, six months and one year. You may also want to inquire as to what the review process is like for your individual lab. This is an extremely valuable chance to get to know the expectations of your mentor and how best to meet those expectations.

Online Resources

Browse the links below for information on living in Boston and for research and career resources.

Living in Boston

New to Boston? Here are some local resources to help you find your way.

Housing

The Boston Globe's real estate information 

Craigslist's online posting service 

Harvard Real Estate Services 

Partners Healthcare Housing Board 

Neighborhood Information

Boston neighborhood maps on Wikipedia 

Information about different neighborhoods in the city of Boston 

Boston Police Department crime statistics 

Transportation

MBTA schedules and maps for buses, subways, commuter rail, boats 

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (driver manual, renew or replace a license, pay a citation, vehicle registration, etc.) 

Shuttles in the Longwood Medical Area  

SmartTraveler's real-time road information in and around Boston 

Zipcar car-sharing service 

Airports

Local airports: Boston Logan, Worcester, Hanscom Field  

Health clubs

Beacon Hill Athletic Club 

Boston Sports Club 

Curves Gym for women) 

Fitcorp (Dana-Farber discount) 

http://www.fitcorp.com/ 

Gold's Gym 

HealthWorks fitness center for women 

YMCA of Greater Boston — locations throughout Boston area 

http://www.ymcaboston.org/ 

World Gym 

Telephone companies

AT&T 

RCN 

Sprint 

T-Mobile 

Verizon 

City and regional information

The Boston Globe newspaper  

Visit New England tourism guide 

Schools

Boston Public Schools 

Private school listings on about.com 

Grocery stores

Find a Shaw's or Starmarket grocery store near you 

Whole Foods Market (organic and fresh food) 

Trader Joe's (culinary unique organic store) 

In case of emergency

In the United States, it is standard to dial 911 to get the police call center. You will need to be able to report the location and state the type of emergency.

Research and career resources

Research resources

Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center 

Funding sources

NIH Grants and Funding Opportunities 

Other funding sources

Community of Science (COS) Funding opportunities 

Howard Hughes Medical Institute 

IRIS Database of Grants 

National Cancer Institute funding 

American Cancer Society 

American Heart Association 

American Lung Association 

Arthritis Foundation 

Cancer Research Foundation of America (clinical research) 

Helen Hay Whitney Foundation 

Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund 

Leukemia Research Foundation 

Life Sciences Research Foundation 

National Academies Fellowships for Minorities 

Database of grant and fellowship opportunities 

National Science Foundation 

HMS Foundation Funds 

Grant writing

Board of Life Sciences 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (database of all federal programs available to state and local governments) 

Columbia University's site on grant writing 

National Network of Libraries in Medicine: Grant Writing Resources 

NIH Grant Tips 

National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease Grants Tutorial 

Glossary of funding and policy terms and acronyms 

NIH Grant Review Process 

National Cancer Institute Quick Guide to Grant Application 

Links to grant writing tips 

Guide to books and guides for grant writing 

Postdoc and Grad Student Association (PGA)

The Postdoc and Grad student Association (PGA) at Dana-Farber was founded in February 2005 by a group of postdoctoral fellows with the guidance and support of the Postdoc and Graduate Student Affairs Office (PGSAO). The PGSAO supports PGA initiatives by serving as a liaison between the postdocs/grad students and the Institute.

The PGA aims to build a strong postdoctoral and grad student community with the ultimate goal of improving the postdoc and grad student experience at DFCI on several levels (e.g.: scientific, professional, social, etc.) through training, mentorship and organized activities. Postdocs and grad students who have their primary appointment at DFCI are automatically members of the PGA.

• The PGA Post 
• Definition of a Postdoc or Research Fellow 
• PGA mission and principles 
• PGA Bylaws 
• Goals of the PGA 
• PGA Meetings 
• PGA committee leadership 

The PGA Post

The PGA Post is a newsletter written by and dedicated to Dana-Farber postdocs and graduate students.

• May 2011 
• January 2011 
• July 2010 

Definition of a Postdoc or Research Fellow

The DFCI definition of a research fellow (or postdoc) is based upon the common elements of the definitions of FASEB, AAU andSigma Xi. A DFCI postdoctoral fellow or research fellow:

1. Has been awarded a PhD or equivalent terminal postgraduate degree* in an appropriate field
2. Has a Harvard University academic appointment that is
   • temporary (not intended to exceed five years)
   • substantially full-time research** or scholarship
   • viewed as preparatory to a full-time research or academic career
    
3. Works under the supervision of a faculty member at DFCI
4. Is expected to publish the results of his/her work performed during the period of the appointment.

This definition applies to individuals whose primary appointment is at DFCI, including individuals with the current DFCI titles of research fellow,research associate, stipend research fellow or sponsored research fellow, irrespective of funding source. It does not apply to individuals who have DFCI campus privileges but have their primary appointment at Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health or a Harvard-affiliated institution that is not DFCI.

Postdocs at DFCI fall into one of the three funding categories:

1. Funded postdocs are paid through funds which are administered through the Institute (e.g., NIH Training Grant or RO1)
2. Stipend postdocs are paid through outside funds that are channeled through the DFCI payroll system (e.g., Fellowships)
3. Sponsored postdocs are paid from an outside source not administered through DFCI Payroll (e.g., funds from home institution or a fellowship administered directly to the postdoc)

*A postgraduate degree is defined as someone whose most advanced degree is either a:

• PhD from any country
• MD from the U.S,
• Postgraduate MD from any country
• An undergraduate MD degree with subsequent postgraduate training, such as a completed residency or a postdoctoral fellowship. In this case, the date of the degree is considered to be awarded the date when the subsequent training was completed.

**Full time research may include research in a clinical field but not a "Clinical Fellowship" that is part of a clinical accreditation program.

PGA Mission and Principles

The mission of DFCI PGA is to address the needs and concerns of individuals affiliated with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute who hold a doctoral degree but are not tenure-track faculty, and grad students.

The DFCI PGA will support and advocate for postdoctoral fellows and grad students at DFCI in all aspects of their professional research training and career development.

Members will strive to promote interactions among DFCI postdocs and grad students on an academic, social and cultural basis, while assisting the PGSAO in this endeavor.

The PGA will act as a liaison between the postdoc/grad student populations at large and the PGSAO to represent postdoc’sand grad student’s interests.

All actions of DFCI PGA shall be undertaken without discriminationon the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability.
 

PGA Bylaws

The PGA bylaws were assembled by the PGA to give a defined structure and organization to our association.

Since our inauguration, the PGA (with help from the PGSAO) has achieved several initial important objectives such as: annual postdoc retreat organization, salary equalization for postdocs,invitation of guest speakers for the Seminars in Oncology series, establishment of bylaws for our association, establishment of a Postdoctoral Advisory Committee, launch of a functional website for postdoc events, ice-cream socials, and participation in the National Postdoc Association meetings. However, still muchwork needs to be done in order to improve the situation for our postdocs. As such, the PGA has defined a set of goals that we hope to achieve in the next few years.

Goals of the PGA

1. Organization of an annual retreat for postdocs and grad students
The PGA leadership will continue to organize this valuable eventand attempt each year to increase the participation by DFCI postdocs and grad students.

2. Seminars in Oncology
We hope to continue the opportunity to invite and host speakers for the Seminars in Oncology series, and get more postdocs andgrad students to participate in the selection and hosting of speakers.

3. Fundraising
The PGA hopes to establish and maintain relationships with the DFCI Development Office in order to obtain independent financial support to fund PGA-sponsored events.

4. NPA meeting
The PGA should maintain its presence at the National Postdoc Association(NPA) meetings and continue interactions with the NPA.

5. Periodic review of the PGA by-laws
The PGA should examine and revise our by-laws on a regular basis in order to reflect the changing needs of the PGA.

6. Increase active participation in the PGA
The PGA should continue to provide information about our associationto new and existing postdocs in order to encourage their involvement within the PGA.

7. Network with other LMA/Boston postdoc associations
We should establish strong relationships with other postdoc associations within the Boston area so that we can learn how to speak with a collective voice for issues that matter to us as a population.

8. Equalization of salary and benefits
The PGA should be active in the fight for better and equal pay and benefits regardless of funding source or status of postdocs. All postdocs should be treated equally.

9. Fellowships and travel awards
The PGA should build a relationship with the Development Office to fund PGA initiatives such as internal fellowships and travel awards.

10. Postdoc survival guide
The PGA is in the process of establishing a postdoc survival guide to be given to new incoming postdocs as a means to ease their transition to the Boston area and how to effectively navigate DFCI.

11. Alumni network
Using the postdoc Web site, we should develop a database of DFCI alumni who are willing to interact with current DFCI postdocs to help with career guidance and networking.

12. Child care
The PGA should fight for more inexpensive daycare for the DFCI postdoctoral community.

13. Mentoring
The PGA should have an active role in the establishment of an appropriate mentoring program.

14. Postdoctoral Advisory Committee
The PGA should be actively involved with the postdoctoral advisory committee which guides the priorities of the PGSAO.

PGA Meetings

The PGA meets every first Thursday of each month at 12:30 p.m. in the postdoc lounge (Smith 347). Your active participation is more than welcome! If you would like to participate in the PGA, please come to one of our meetings, or email any of the committee chairs listed below.

PGA committee leadership for 2011

Click on individual names to email a committee member directly.

PGA Co-Chairs:

Isabel Chico-Calero
Aaron Thorner 

Newsletter Committee

Xuguang Chen, Chair
Christine Nguyen, Chair
Benjamin Haibe-Kains
Arun Pores Fernando
Vinodh B. Kurella
Subhashini Sadasivam
Aaron Thorner 

Seminars Committee

Konstantin Knoblich, Chair
Suhu Liu
Shenghong Yang 

Social Committee

Soroosh Radfar, Chair
Lijun Liu
Tobias Otto
Cuiyan Zhang
Sarah Walker 

Retreat Committee

Isabel Chico-Calero, Chair
K. Amy Chen
Melissa Merritt
Ye Xu