The following event is open to all UBC Faculty of Medicine Postdocs! RSVP with your name and affiliation ASAP to avoid disappointment! 
PDA Social Event: Kits Beach BBQ
When: Saturday 20 June 2015 (1 PM)
Where: Kits Beach
(On the grass at the intersection of Maple St & McNicoll Ave)
Bring along your own food and drinks and celebrate summer with a beach BBQ on Saturday 20 June (1 PM). If you are keen to join, sign up here.
Children and partners are welcome.
Please contact Britt if you have any questions.
You can add this event to your Google Calendar by clicking on the button below. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the entire calendar, with all our events, here!
3 Minute Postdoc Slam: Meet our featured speaker!
PRESENTATIONS (4 – 6 PM): Room LSC3 (theatre)
RECEPTION (6 – 8 PM): Room 1510
Join us for our 3MPS 2015 event on 21 May! No RSVP required. We have presentations from over ten UBC postdocs who are all eager to share their research with you. Snacks and refreshments will be served. We are also very excited to announce our invited speaker, Dr. Jeremy Hirota, who will be be giving a special presentation on the importance of science communication at the event! Please read his short biography below. We look forward to seeing you there!
Dr. Jeremy Hirota
I’m an Assistant Professor in the Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine at UBC. On the science side of things: I’m interested in understanding how the air we breathe triggers immune responses in our lungs, and how these can lead to the development or worsening of chronic lung diseases like asthma and COPD. I use a combination of clinical studies, animal models, and cell-based experiments to generate robust data that can be used for drug development or inform policy makers to protect the quality of air we need to breathe each day. On the communication side of things: At the midpoint of my postdoctoral training I became interested in communicating my research more broadly than to just specialist journals and conferences. I wanted to give back more to the people that fund the research we do. One step I took was to enrol in the MSFHR/SickKids workshop on Knowledge Translation which was a positive experience. The next significant step I took was completing the Banff Centre’s Science Communication workshop in the summer of 2014, directed by Jay Ingram of Discovery Channel fame and his partner Mary Anne Moser (Beakerhead.com). I feel like I’m just getting started – and I look at each opportunity to speak as a chance to learn from the audience and start a dialogue.
Follow me on twitter: @jeremyhirota
Connect with me on linkedin
You can add this event to your Google Calendar by clicking on the button below. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the entire calendar, with all our events, here!
3 Minute Postdoc Slam 2015
PRESENTATIONS (4 – 6 PM): Room LSC3 (theatre)
RECEPTION (6 – 8 PM): Room 1510
We are pleased to announce that our annual 3MPS is back! Engage the audience and tell us about your research in exactly 3 minutes, using one static slide (and props if you wish)! Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook accounts, for announcements regarding a special guest presenter.
If you would like to present at the event, please sign up by 7 May. Space is limited, so sign up soon! Snacks and refreshments will be served and there are cash prizes for the best presentations. If you do not want to present, please still join us as an audience member! Please contact The PDA if you have any questions.
You can add this event to your Google Calendar by clicking on the button below. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the entire calendar, with all our events, here!
POSTDOC SOCIAL: The Irish Heather Wed 29 April
Get to know your fellow postdocs over a pint and some grub on Wednesday 29 April at 7pm at The Irish Heather. If you are keen to join, sign up here by Friday 24 April so we can book a table. Significant others are welcome. Contact Britt if you have any questions.
You can add this event to your Google Calendar by clicking on the button below. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the entire calendar, with all our events, here!
New President’s First Message
Dear colleagues and friends,
I am so honored to begin my term as President of the UBC-Postdoctoral Association (PDA). First and foremost, I would like to thank our outgoing President, Grace Lee, for her commitment, passion and enthusiasm over this last year. Under her leadership, the PDA has made some leaps and bounds, especially with regards to increasing professional development opportunities for postdoctoral fellows and research associates, and increasing the visibility and reach of the PDA within UBC and beyond. She will join the ranks of many wonderful past-Presidents, and I am so grateful that many of them still reside in Vancouver and will allow me to count on their counsel during my term.
As preparation for my term as President, I served the PDA executive committee as co-VP-Social this past year. Through this position, I have been involved in planning, advertising and executing our annual research and academic events, in addition to numerous networking events to foster interaction and collaboration among postdoctoral fellows and associates. Specifically, together with the PDA, we planned and organized the annual “3 Minute Postdoc Slam” and “UBC Postdoc Research Day”, as well as a Whistler ski trip, kayaking trip, hike in North Vancouver and many other fun socials on and off campus. This has provided me firsthand experience with all of the successful events the PDA organizes annually. However, just because the PDA was successful this past year doesn’t mean we should rest on our laurels. In the upcoming year I plan to introduce several new initiatives to contribute to the UBC PDA’s mission to foster community and networking for postdoctoral fellows, provide a forum to discuss important issues and provide a voice to communicate those issues to the UBC Postdoctoral Fellow’s Office, and provide more professional development opportunities. I am looking forward to creating an exciting calendar of events with the PDA executive team in the coming weeks!
In closing, on behalf of all UBC postdoctoral fellows, I would like to extend many thanks to the outgoing PDA officers. It has been a pleasure working with each of you this past year. Libin Abraham – thank you for your efforts in providing more teaching opportunities for postdoctoral fellows, Raj Kannan – for your leadership with the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS), Kelly Sakaki – for your efforts in increasing our readership with the PDA newsletter, Gesa Volkers – for keeping us all on track with the finances and for ensuring PDA events ran smoothly, and Elisa Wong – my partner in crime as co-VP-Social this past year – I have had a great time planning and attending PDA events with you. Lucky for all of us, many of our outgoing PDA officers will remain part of the executive team this term.
I would also like to welcome our new PDA leaders! Yun Zhang will take over VP-Operations, Farzam Fotovat for VP-External, Galen Wright for VP-Communications, Nima Mohtaram for VP-Finance, and Britt Drögemöller for VP-Social. I would also like to welcome all of the individuals who have already expressed interest in joining the PDA executive team. I have heard so many great ideas from each of you already, and I look forward to a productive and fun year ahead!
Finally, I would like invite all of you to join the PDA executive committee as a volunteer. PDA membership is open to all UBC fellows and associates. All members of the PDA executive team are invited to attend meetings with the PDA officers, share their ideas and get involved in planning and organizing our events, and advocate for postdoctoral fellows and associates at UBC. Please contact us if you want to be involved!
kindest regards,
Miranda Kirby, PhD
President, UBC Postdoctoral Association
Join us for our AGM and vote!
Express your voice and vote for your new leaders! Nominations for executives positions are now closed, and we are delighted to have a shortlist of bright and talented candidates. Read about our candidates by clicking the names below.
- Miranda Kirby for President
- Chris Rider for VP-Operations
- Libin Abraham for VP-Operations
- Yun Zhang for VP-Operations
- Farzam Fotovat for VP-External
- Galen Wright for VP-Communications
- Nima Mohtaram for VP-Finance
- Britt Drögemöller for VP-Social
Meet our candidates on April 1st, 2015 and cast your vote to elect our new leaders!
Location: UBC Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Room 1330
We will then discuss:
- results from the on-site vote
- social and educational events
- preliminary calendar of events for 2015 – 2016
- communications, outreach, and advocacy
Everyone welcome. Please come and meet your new executive team!
Message from the President: “It has been an honor and a privilege. But this is not goodbye.”
I want to begin by saying it has been a pleasure to have served as president of the UBC PDA over the last year, and I am proud to have done so with such a dedicated executive team with a deep commitment to this association. This is my last The Buzz message to you as the PDA President. At the AGM that announces the results of our election on April 1st, 2015, I will hand over my role to the named successor, who will then serve the next year in leadership. For this last message, I want to communicate my thoughts about my time as President and tell you about some important accomplishments during my tenure.
I have faced some challenges, but overall, the PDA is heading into a very exciting and transformative period in its history. As an organization, the PDA has undergone tremendous growth this past year. Our current subscription to our newsletter stands at 191; up from 56 at this time in 2014. Our Facebook page following has experienced a 124% growth, and postdoctoral associations or societies from other institutions have begun to notice us and reach out to us.
We have offered many new benefits for our members, including professional development seminars on pursuing careers in academia and industry with a bend towards personal branding, and two workshops on financial literacy to learn how to make the most of what we earn as postdocs. We have expanded the content of our website with useful slides and audio or video recordings of our professional and educational events, and an option to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Perhaps one of our greatest milestones was adopting a clear mandate to reach out to and engage with postdocs in the arts and humanities, engineering, and other non life science departments. The UBC PDA represents all UBC postdocs and research associates. Our advocacy work and events should include everyone in this broad community.
This past year also saw a terrible tragedy, with the loss of our colleagues and friends, Stephanie Grothe and Neil Mackenzie. As members of the UBC Varsity Outdoor Club, a fundraising campaign was set up for them where the proceeds went to the Search and Rescue community in British Columbia.
In the coming weeks we will see new faces among the PDA Executive Team, as the election comes to a close at the end of the month. I am confident that our new leaders will provide outstanding leadership in their roles for external relations, marketing and communications, and advocacy.
In closing this farewell message, I want to say that it has been a privilege and pleasure to have served as the UBC PDA President from 2014-2015. I wish to publicly thank my executive team members for their willingness to serve this association, and for the postdoc volunteers who undertook important work to ensure the smooth running of our academic events.
My appreciation goes to the devoted leaders from the Postdoctoral Fellows Office. Rachel Fernandez is our Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, whose enthusiasm and keen sense of humor brought a personalized meaning to faculty relations. Hourik Khanlian is ever enduring as Manager of Human Resources and Postdoctoral Affairs, not to mention one of the most compassionate HR managers I know. Jen Tooley, our past HR and Postdoctoral Affairs Assistant, has been a blessing to us, and as she moved on to new adventures, she has been thoroughly missed. We welcomed Sarah Henderson in her position, who is an amazing example of organizational talent. I appreciate all the work these individuals have done in support of postdocs and our association.
For providing knowledge and leadership at our various events and workshops, I want to acknowledge Michael Gold, Brian Duff, Nilly McCaffery, Ryan Howe, Alphil Guilaran, and the team at the Financial Literacy Counsel.
Finally, I want to thank all of you for supporting the UBC PDA and me during my term of office. I am proud of having served such a great community of young professionals. This is not goodbye – I feel I still have unfinished work, and will be providing leadership for hands-on workshops in entrepreneurship. For the immediate future, I will serve as Past-President and look forward to supporting the new leadership team. I give you my best, and wish you all tremendous success in whichever way you define it.
With warmest regards,
Grace Lee
www.drgracelee.ca
Elections 2015: Call for Nominations!
The UBC Postdoctoral Associations is now accepting nominations for the 2015-2016 Executive Committee.
Run for the PDA Postdoc Executive and grow as a leader!
Benefits of leadership as a PDA Executive:
- Develop leadership and management skills
- Gain experience running an organization
- Enrich your postdoctoral experience
- Improve your networking and communication skills
- Serve your postdoctoral community
- Gain valuable professional and personal development
Download the UBC PDA nomination form here. Complete and return to ubc.postdoc@gmail.com along with a recent photo of yourself and a 100-200 word profile statement about yourself and your visions and goals for this position.
Nomination deadline: Monday March 23rd, 2015.
Online voting: Tuesday March 24 to Tuesday March 31, 2015.
Results announced: Wednesday April 1st, 2015
Executive positions open for election (click to read role descriptions):
The UBC PDA President shall:
Act as the public face of the PDA to:
- speak on behalf of the PDA at orientation and wherever appropriate
- understand the needs of PDA members and ensure equal representation across departments
Be responsible for meetings of the PDA Executive members to:
- chair and set the agenda for meetings
- ensure proper operation of the meetings
- take minutes at meetings, or designate a member to do so
- manage copies of the minutes, agendas, and any other materials
Be responsible for the execution of decisions by the PDA Executives
Lead the Annual General Meeting and PDA Elections
Work together with the VP-Communications to:
- direct content for communication to members of the UBC postdoc community
- manage and update the website
- respond to emails
- direct the advertisement of PDA events.
Work together with the VP-External to:
- collaborate and communicate with the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars
- raise awareness of postdoctoral issues and find avenues of support
Work together with the VP-Social to create a calendar of social events and ensure a broad outreach.
Work together with the VP-Operations to:
- ensure liaising with the UBC Postdoctoral Fellows office and Deans office
- representing the PDA during meetings with UBC faculty, staff and administrators
- coordinate the Executive Members of the PDA
Work together with the VP-Finance to:
- ensure responsible stewardship over the annual budget when planning events
- being aware of outflow and inflow
The UBC PDA VP-Operations shall:
- Organize professional development activities for post docs.
- Set up regular PDA meetings via doodle polls and arrange suitable venues on/off campus
- Organize non-social UBC-PDA events
- Attend and participate in meetings of the PDA executive members
- Assist in all PDA executive members plan.
- Perform duties of the President, in the event of absence or illness of the President
The UBC PDA VP-External shall:
- Raise the voice of UBC postdoctoral fellows at regional and national platforms through participation and dialogues with the Canadian Association for Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS-ACSP)
- Build and promote alliance with various BC industrial sectors to create opportunities for researchers outside academia
- Work with CAPS-ACSP to create and sustain dialogue with legislators to acknowledge the role of postdoctoral fellows and research associates to Canadian economy
- Address or raise awareness for issues relevant to postdoctoral fellows and research associates
- Work with the UBC PDA executive team to ensure smooth running of the organization and liaise with its partners
The UBC PDA VP-Communications shall:
- Be responsible for the development of the communication strategy
- Manage communication activities that promote, enhance, and protect the PDA’s brand reputation
- Manage the PDA’s email account and email listserv
- Work with the President in planning content for the PDA newsletters
- Work with the President to recognize internal and external communications opportunities
- Work with the President in managing communications on the PDA’s Facebook page and Twitter
- Exercise judgment to prioritize media opportunities, and prepare presentations and other supporting material as needed during events
- Work with the team to maintain and continuously improve the PDA website
- Promote events
- Support the communications needs of the PDA and the Postdoctoral Fellows Office
The UBC PDA VP-Social shall:
- Attend and participate in the biannual PDA orientations
- Advertise the PDA to the new postdocs
- Deliver the “Getting to Know Vancouver” talk
- Organize a social for postdocs after the orientation
- Plan, advertise and execute regular social and networking events for postdocs, including the annual:
- Whistler trip (organize to/from Whistler and reserve accommodation at the UBC lodge)
- “3 Minute Postdoc Slam” competition (assist all PDA executive members plan)
- “UBC Postdoc Research Day” (assist all PDA executive members plan)
- Christmas party (venue reservation and run games e.g. “white elephant”)
- Other outdoor activities including hiking and kayaking trips
- Attend and participate in meetings of the PDA executive members, which include booking public venues on/off UBC campus
The UBC PDA VP-Finance shall:
- Be a Postdoctoral fellow residing in the Life Sciences Institute (due to budget restrictions)
- Oversee correct use and spending of the UBC PDA budget and liaise with Life Science Institute (LSI) admin staff
- Help organize events (3-Minute Postdoc Slam, Postdoctoral Research Day, seminars in general)
- Serve as the LSI Postdoc representative on the Life Sciences Institute Steering Committee (meets once a month)
PDA Seminar Series: Financial Literacy for Postdocs Feb 17th
We are continuing our financial literacy seminar series! The Financial Literacy Counsel Inc. of Vancouver is back again for the second portion of the financial literacy seminar for postdocs! This seminar is applicable to Canadian and international postdocs from all disciplines.
*There will be no promotion of any financial institution or their products.
Food and beverages will be provided.
INSTRUCTORS:
Alphil Guilaran
Executive Director, Financial Literacy Counsel
Samuel Raharjo, RHU
Bob Wang, BCComm CPA (2015)
Jay Kiew, BA
Principals, Legacy Bookkeeping Ltd.
Ryan Howe, JD
Business, Wealth Preservation & Intellectual Property Law
Alexander, Holburn, Beaudin + Lang
PART 2: Intermediate
Financial Literacy 502
February 17, 2015
4:30 – 6:00 pm
Location: Student Union Building (SUB) Room 209
We will explore financial, tax, and legal strategies to help keep more of what you earn.
In this session you will learn:
- Safeguarding your intellectual property
- Tax planning beyond your postdoc:
- Employee/ Tenured professorship
- Contractor/ Self Employed/ Incorporated
- Wills, estates, and family law