Jan 4, 2019
What is the value of investing in and encouraging mentoring relationships? As you look at the progress you’ve made in your career, can you point to a mentoring relationship that made a significant impact on your development? Leading the charge and championing mentoring relationships at the University of Chicago is Dr. Valerie Fako Miller.
Dr. Fako Miller is the Assistant Director of Postdoctoral Affairs in the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago. She was a postdoc at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the National Cancer Institute where she served as the liaison between NIH fellows and training directors of NIH institutes. Dr. Fako Miller also served as President of the Bethesda chapter of the Association for Women in Science. She received her Ph.D. in pharmacology from the Indiana University School of Medicine after getting her Masters and Bachelors in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
One of the best ways to invest in the next generation of leaders
in our country is to pour resources into programs that focus on
mentoring relationships. While some disciplines have robust
mentoring programs, others are just getting off of the ground.
Following the facts, key leaders like Dr. Valerie Fako Miller are
leading the way as they seek to empower and encourage postdoc
researchers and other young professionals.
At the University of Chicago, in the Biological Sciences Division,
Dr. Fako Miller and her team follow mentorship curriculum from the
National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). NRMN works to implement
and disseminate innovative, evidence-based best practices to
improve mentoring relationships at institutions across the country.
If you want to go deeper with the fantastic work that NRMN is
doing, make sure to check out the link in the resources section at
the end of this post.
There is no question that we are in the middle of a polarizing
political climate. The problem is, how do we find a wavelength that
both sides can use to open the lines of communication? From attack
ads to misinformation, the way forward won’t be found by sticking
to the same tactics that got us into this mess. The climate may be
troubling, but there is hope, innovative leaders are hard at work
encouraging and equipping young scientists with tools to bridge
these divides.
In her work at the University of Chicago, Dr. Fako Miller is
witnessing some excellent progress in the area of science
communication. She says that a significant number of postdoc
researchers are jumping in and flexing their science communication
muscles. Recently, postdocs planned and led a symposium that
featured a keynote address and a workshop centered on science
communication at the University of Chicago. Hopefully, the more
these young leaders learn how to communicate their research and
expertise in effective ways the greater our chances are for an
engaged and receptive audience.
Get the full conversation between Mark and Dr. Fako Miller by
listening to this enlightening episode of When Science
Speaks.