A critical transition point for entry into the professoriate is a postdoctoral experience. In the STEM and biomedical science fields, one or more years of work as a postdoc are increasingly required for advancement into tenure-track faculty positions, but according to recent NSF data only 8.3 percent of postdoctoral scholars in those fields were from underrepresented backgrounds. Furthermore, underrepresented postdocs are not entering tenure-track faculty positions in sufficient numbers, especially at research-intensive institutions. During this webinar, we will explore known barriers to minority postdoc success as well as the efficacy of national programs designed to advance them to the professoriate (e.g. NIH IRACDA). Speakers will also highlight successful regional programs, such as the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity. The webinar will conclude with information about a proposed action item to partner with national stakeholders to evaluate the impact of diversity programs on postdoctoral scholars.

1. Supporting Minority Postdocs
Tuesday, April 18, 1:00-2:00pm Eastern Time
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Coalition of Urban-Serving Universities

2. Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce Webinar Series
Tuesday, April 18, 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET

3.  If you cannot hear the audio,
check the “Audio” pane on
the control panel. You can
use your speakers or dial-in
using your telephone.
 You may ask questions at any
time using the chat box.
 Handouts

4.  Webinar series on Diversity
in the Biomedical Research
Workforce
 Share findings from the
USU/APLU/AAMC report
(July 2016)
 Upcoming webinars:
www.uuhealth.org/our-
work/upcoming-events

5.  Collaborative effort of APLU/USU and
AAMC, supported by NIH
 70 experts from 28
universities/academic medical centers
 Identify research actions for
improving evidence
 Examined four areas:
 Diverse Faculty Hiring and
Advancement
 Leadership, Organizational Change,
and Climate;
 Diverse Student Success;
 Recruitment and Admissions

6. Frances Leslie, Ph.D.
Vice Provost and Dean,
Graduate Division,
University of California,
Irvine

7. What are the barriers to minority trainee
success?
7
Supporting Minority Postdocs
• Psychological factors, such as science identity and
teamwork/leadership self-efficacy are important predictors
of commitment of graduate students and postdoctoral
scholars to a science career (Chemers, et al., 2011)
• Some studies also suggest that women and minority
scientists’ interests in research careers are more tied to
altruistic values (Gibbs and Griffin, 2013; Thoman et al., 2014) Thus, helping
early stage graduate students to identify the societal
impacts of their research may help to retain them in the
pipeline.
• Lack of adequate financial support can negatively impact
degree attainment and interfere with research (Sowell et al, 2015)
• There is a need for mentors that understand the unique
needs of URM trainees (Pfund, 2015)

8. The postdoc phase is a critical point in
the transition
• Interest in faculty careers at research-intensive universities declines as
training progresses, especially for those from minority backgrounds.
Suggests that there are aspects of the environment or nature of faculty
work that cause qualified URMs to choose other career paths (Gibbs et al.,
2014; 2015)
• Only 5 -10% of US native postdocs in STEM are URM
(Gibbs et al., 2016; https://nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/)
– In the life sciences, elite male faculty labs that produce a large proportion of the new
assistant professors in the field are also known to employ fewer women trainees
(Sheltzer and Smith, 2014)
– As recently emphasized by several national studies, postdoctoral positions, which are
almost obligatory as the next step for graduate students interested in pursuing a
research career, are low-paying and temporary in nature, with little opportunity for
mentoring and professional development (National Institutes of Health, 2012; National Academy
of Sciences, 2014). This may dissuade dissuade URM scientists, who often have higher
debt load (Malcolm & Dowd, 2012), and women who may wish to start a family.
8

9. Barriers to faculty diversity
• Whereas URM PhD graduates in biomedical sciences grew more
than 9-fold from 1980–2013, the number of URM assistant professors
in basic biomedical science departments grew only 2.6-fold (Gibbs et al.,
2016)
• Simulations demonstrate an uncoupling of URM PhD production and
faculty hiring, and predict that increased faculty diversity will only
occur with increased transition of candidates onto the market and
their subsequent hiring (Gibbs et al., 2016)
• We must therefore ensure the proper types of support (e.g. funding,
mentorship and sponsorship) to allow URM postdocs to effectively
progress to independence (Valantine et al., 2016). We must also make
faculty work environments attractive and supportive for URM and
women scientists
• We must ensure that faculty recruitment, evaluation, and retention
processes support scientists from all backgrounds (Gasman, 2016)
9

10. Relevant action group recommendations
• Partner with national stakeholders to evaluate the impact
of diversity programs for postdocs on the institutions
participating in such programs, and the impact on larger
barriers facing URM postdocs.
• Pilot the use of applicant diversity statements at 10
research-intensive universities
• Conduct a national study to determine the extent of use
of evidence-based practices for faculty hiring
• Convene faculty focus groups to identify key
determinants of URM faculty retention and advancement
in the biomedical sciences
10

11. UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship
Program (PPFP)
• Established in 1985
• Provides up to two years of postdoctoral salary and benefits and
provides $5,000 towards research and professional development
• PPFP also provides a hiring incentive, in the form of 5-years of
salary, for fellows hired in tenure-track positions within the UC
system
• Successes of the program
– As of 2016, 693 postdocs have participated in the program
– 61% have gone on to tenure-track positions, 45% of those positions were within the UC system
– Former PPFP fellows account for 10% of the total hiring of faculty from underrepresented groups in
the UC system
• Program has now expanded to the Universities of Michigan and
Colorado
11

12. Kathleen Flint Ehm, Ph.D.
Director, Office for the
Integration of Research,
Education, and Professional
Development and Director,
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs,
Stony Brook University

13. Advancing Women, Advancing Science:
Postdocs and the Academic
Career Pipeline
Kathleen Flint Ehm
Director, IREP Office and
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Stony Brook University
Supporting Minority Postdocs Webinar
April 18, 2017
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

14. Ph.D.
Academic Tenure Track
Postdoc
The PhD Academic Career Pipeline
i.e. the incredible shrinking tenure track
• More and more PhDs head to other career
paths, for many reasons
• How can we reduce barriers that cause
postdoc women to exit more than men?

15. Contributing Factors
• Early-Career vs. Family Formation
– Women cite issues related to children for opting against
TT professor track1
• Dual-career challenges
– Postdoc women more likely than men to make career
concessions for partner2
• Gender bias in hiring and work environment
– Letters of recommendation3 & hiring decisions4
– Sexual harassment5
• Limited family-friendly benefits for trainees
– 53% postdoc employees have no paid maternity leave6
SOURCES: [1] Goulden, Mason & Frasch (2009), “Staying Competitive Patching America’s Leaky Pipeline in the
Sciences.” [2]Martinez et al. 2007, EMBO; [3] Madera, Heibl & Martin 2009; [4] Moss-Racusin et al. 2012;
Reuben et al. 2014.; [5] St Johns et al. 2016; [6] Pregnant Scholar Project 2017,
www.thepregnantscholar.org/parents-in-the-pipeline/

16. Additional Factors
• Isolation and lack of status
• “Postdoc clock” vs. “Biological clock”
– “Long enough, but short enough”
• Low salaries
– Finances linked to: Childcare, mortgages,
immigration, dual-career decision-making
• International issues
– Geographic & visa limitations
SOURCE: Ehm & Johnson-Phillips 2012. From PhD to Professoriate:
The Role of the Institution in Fostering the Advancement of Postdoc Women.
National Postdoctoral Association.

17. • Implement recommended postdoc policies
– Take “postdoc clock” into consideration with
hiring, part-time and term limit decisions
– Pay reasonable salaries
– Consider “permanently” hiring your own
postdocs, which can help “dual-career”
geographical constraints.
• Programs like UC Presidential Fellows, Carolina
Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity
– Include postdocs in any institution-wide
assessment of climate for women
What Can Institutions Do?

18. • Enhance family-friendly benefits
– Develop clear maternity/parental leave guidelines
• Limit case-by-case determination
• Standardize pregnancy accommodation
• “Notify” don’t “ask permission”
– Identify paid maternity leave and replacement
funding
• Example: Supplemental staff support during leave
• OR bridge funding for extending a postdoc’s tenure
without penalty to the PI
– Discounts or subsidies or pre-tax benefits for
childcare expenses
What Can Institutions Do?

19. • Incentivize mentorship
– Reward as part of core activities
– Structured mentoring and mentor training
programs
• Foster career planning
– Particularly helpful with dual-career planning
– “Maternity” IDPs can minimize the effect of
parental leave
What Can Institutions Do?

20. Sibby Anderson-
Thompkins, Ph.D.
Director of Postdoctoral
Affairs, University of
North Carolina at Chapel
Hill

22. Mission of the Carolina Postdoctoral
Program for Faculty Diversity
• Prepare underrepresented racial
and ethnic scholars for faculty
careers and the tenure process.
• Develop scholars for possible
tenure-track faculty
appointments at UNC and other
research universities.
• Provide “protected time” for
scholars to focus full-time on
research.
STEM scholars pictured on right: Lydia Abebe, 2014-2015, Department
of Environmental Sciences & Engineering; Sharonda LeBlanc, 2014-
2016, Department of Chemistry; and Robbie Burger, 2015-2017,
Department of Biology

23. Program Overview and Fellow Expectations
• Two year fellowship
• Stipend: $47,476
• Benefits: Research allowance, relocation, laptop & medical
• Attend annual retreat, monthly professional development
meetings & socials
• Meet with department chair and faculty mentor(s)
• Teaching is not a requirement-limited to one course per
academic year
• Postdoctoral appointment subject to UNC Postdoctoral Scholar
Policies

24. Mentoring Philosophy of the Carolina
Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity
A Multi-Tiered Mentoring Model for Tenure Track Success
CPPFD multi-tiered mentoring structure includes:
• CPPFD Program Leadership
• Cohort Peer Mentors (URM postdocs)
• Career Counselors and Coaches
• Department Chairs and Faculty Mentors
• Institutional Leader Mentors
• External Mentors (CPPFD Alumni)
Llewellyn-Williams C, Johnson VA, Deloney LA, Thomas BR, Goyol A, Henry-Tillman R (2006) The POD:
A model for mentoring underrepresented minority faculty. Academic Medicine 81(3): 275-279.
Carolina
Postdoctoral
Fellow
CPPFD
Program
Leadership
Cohort Peer
Mentors
Career
Counselors
and
Coaches
Department
Chairs and
Faculty
Mentors
Institutional
Leader
Mentors
External
Mentors
(CPPFD
Alumni)

25. CPPFD Annual Retreat, Monthly Professional
Development Programs, and Mentoring Lunches
Some of the topics and events include:
 Annual Fall Retreat
 Making the Most of the Fellowship
 Individual Career Development Plan
 Navigating the Ivory Tower
 Inside the Search Committee
 Negotiating the Offer
 Tenure Track‐ How it Works
 Navigating Departmental Politics &
Relationships
 Communicating Your Science
 Finding Funding
 Grantsmanship
 Personal Branding
 Creating a Strategic Plan for your
Research and Writing
 Identity and Intersectionality in the
Academy
 National Center for Faculty Diversity &
Development Webinars*
 Center for Integration of Research,
Teaching, and Learning Communities
(STEM)*
*Additional resources available to CPPFD through Institutional
Memberships

26. At a Glance:
CPPFD Facts & Figures
73%
7%
2%
15%
1%
1%
1%
African
American/Black
American Indian
Asian American
Hispanic/Latino

27. CPPFD Impact on STEM Faculty

28. Faculty at 46 Colleges and Universities
32 Full Professors and Distinguished/Endowed Professorships
1 University President

29. Institutional Investment to Advance
Faculty Diversity: Dr. Smith
• Carolina Postdoctoral
Program for Faculty
Diversity
– Dr. Smith’s Stipend:
$47,476 (Minus
Department Contribution,
$8000)
– Health Insurance Coverage:
($4,310)
– Research Support: $2000
– Two Year Appointment
– Total: $91,572
• UNC Targeted Hire
Program
– Dr. Smith’s Salary Per Year:
$75,000
– Four Years
– Total: $300,000
$391,572

30. Key Partners
UNC Targeted
Hiring Program
• Managed by the Office of the
Executive Vice Chancellor and
Provost to further campus goals
for a more diverse faculty.
• Program provides up to full-
salary for a period of up to 4
years.
• There is no maximum salary for
this Program; however it is
dependent upon the availability
of funds at the time of
application.
• After the initial four years, the
hiring unit assumes fully the
support of faculty member
hired.
• Provides university-wide
leadership in creating and
sustaining a diverse and inclusive
environment.
• Advocates for promoting
diversity and inclusion, shaping
University diversity related
policies, and executing
University diversity goals.
• Supports the University’s
mission by leading efforts to
conceptualize, assess, and
cultivate diversity and inclusion.
Provost’s
Targeted Hiring
Program
Chief Diversity
Officer

31. UNC Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
What is Working:
Our Formula
Carolina
Postdoc
Targeted Hiring
Program
Minority Hire
Waivers
Demographics:
61% were women,
85.4% were URM
faculty.
2009 to 2014
Of the 103 from these
three processes:
81.6% were recruited
into tenured and tenure
track positions.

32. Jessica Faupel-Badger,
Ph.D., MPH
Director, NIGMS
Postdoctoral Research
Associate (PRAT) Program,
National Institutes of
Health

33. NIGMS Institutional Research and Academic
Career Development Award
(IRACDA/K12) Program
Jessica Faupel-Badger, PhD, MPH
Program Officer, NIGMS

34. IRACDA Program Features
• Structured, institutional postdoctoral training programs
developing research and teaching skills
• Scholars must be within 2 years of receipt of PhD and are
supported for 3 years
• Multiple mentor model (i.e. research mentor, teaching mentor,
IRACDA program director, and others)
Research
Intensive Partner
75%
Research
25%
• Pedagogy
• Teaching
• Other Skills

35. Active IRACDA Programs

36. Career Outcomes Assessment
• IRACDA program started in 1999 with 2 awards, now 22
awards and over 450 alumni
• Examine current employment of IRACDA alumni (1999-
2014) using NIH databases and public sources, with
emphasis on academic careers and institution type

37. IRACDA Alumni Are Diverse
IRACDA Alumni
(n=496)

38. IRACDA Alumni Career Outcomes
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
academic
faculty
government
research
industry
research
science non-
research
health
professional
non-science
IRACDA all alumni (1999-2014) N=391

39. Academic Institutions Employing IRACDA
Alumni
%
n=285
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Associates Baccalaureate Masters Doctoral
Research
Universities
Research
University
(High/VH) and
Medical School

40. Demographics of IRACDA Alumni in
Academic Positions by Institution Type
N=72 N=141
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Research Intensive
Institutions
All Other Institution
Types
Unknown/Withheld
Well-Represented
Under-Represented

41. IRACDA Alumni Outcomes
• IRACDA alumni reflect diversity of
biomedical research talent pool
• >70% in academic research and teaching
positions
• Hold academic positions in a diverse
array of educational institutions

42.  Please submit questions through the chatbox

43.  Contact info:
◦ Julia Michaels, Project Manager
◦ jmichaels@aplu.org (202) 478-6071
◦ http://www.uuhealth.org
 Next webinar…
Improving Campus Climate for Diversity and
Inclusion
Wednesday, May 17, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern
Time