The Office of Education delivers workshops, programs, and individualized opportunities to a population averaging 320 trainees, including postdoctoral, visiting, and research fellows; clinical fellows and medical students; graduate students; and postbaccalaureate and technical fellows, as well as summer trainees. The activities include, typically: public speaking workshops, job interviewing, writing and editorial services, grantsmanship workshops, career presentations and counseling, teaching opportunities through the NICHD Becoming an Effective Scientist course for postbacs and skills workshops and a training program with the University of Maryland, and management programs. An annual retreat for fellows and graduate students is held for up to 100 people each spring to address scientific developments and careers, which includes fellow presentations and a poster presentation by each attendee. The program is developed and run by a fellow-student steering committee. Among the office's accomplishments from the past year: Dr. Yvette Pittman continues in the Office of Education as Associate Director. A former NICHD postdoctoral fellow, she developed our TmT (Three-minute Talks) competition, now in its second year and conducted this year together with NIDCR and NHGRI. Dr. Kathryn Tabor in the laboratory of Dr. Harold Burgess received the first place award. The office has developed an online Annual Progress Review for fellows, to be launched in September 2015, which will track scientific and career development and progress; APRs will be provided for BSC site visits, and the new system has report-generating capability. The database of NICHD alumni from 2008 to the present has been updated, which has led to an expansion of our Linked In alumni group. In June 2015, the Division of Intramural Research gave its eighth Mentor of the Year awards to Karl Pfeifer, Ph.D., investigator; and Chad McCormick, Ph.D., fellow. Twenty-eight FARE awards were made for the 2016 competition. A Fellows Intramural Grants Supplement (FIGS) continues to recognize and stimulate grant applications among fellows, and the Fellows Recruitment Incentive Award (FRIA) continues to support investigators who recruit postdocs from populations traditionally underrepresented in science. The NICHD Scholars program, in its fifth year, includes one MD/PhD student conducting his thesis research in the institute, one continuing postbaccalaureate fellow, and three new postbacs. The Scholars program focuses on developing talent and supporting trainees' academic and career progression. The NICHD Connection monthly newsletter published its 63rd issue in August 2015 and reaches all members of the intramural division and our alumni.
