The Office of Training and Diversity (OTD) serves the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) trainees in Maryland and Montana, including Postdoctoral, Visiting and Clinical Fellows; Medical Students; Postbaccalaureates; Graduate Students; and Summer Interns. Outreach and recruitment are also key endeavors, with the goal of recruiting outstanding, competitive candidates for DIR training positions. Wendy J. Fibison, Ph.D., M.H.Sc., is the Associate Director, and the office has a staff of four. OTD manages seven annual programs: NIAID's Annual Fellows Workshop; Intramural NIAID Research Opportunities (INRO); the OTD Sponsorship Program; the Summer Internship Program; and the Grant Writing Seminar Series (5 seminars),offered twice a year; the monthly Career Options Seminar Series; and the OTD Exchange Program for Maryland and Montana fellows. The 11th Annual Fellows Workshop was held April 7, 2017 on the NIH Bethesda campus, Science is Evolving, Are You? Exploring New Frontiers in Biomedical Research. The keynote address was given by NIAID's Scientific Director, Steven M. Holland, M.D. In addition to plenary speakers, there were two panel discussions: Science Communications: The Challenges of Engaging the Public and Turning Research into Interventions that Improve Health. A special skills development session, Communication and the Captivated Audience was offered by the Shakespeare Theatre Company. A highlight of the workshop was the bestowing of the 9th NIAID Outstanding Mentor Award on Barney S. Graham, M.D., Ph.D. This award was developed to recognize the mentor who is dedicated to sharing knowledge, fostering excellence in research, and inspiring fellows. A committee of fellows followed a blind selection process to identify the awardee from many outstanding nominations. Intramural NIAID Research Opportunities (INRO 2017), NIAID's centerpiece for outreach to populations underrepresented in biomedical research, was held for the 15th year. Twenty-two talented students were selected from a highly competitive national pool, to attend the annual 4-day program of scientific lectures, interviews with potential mentors and lab tours. The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr., gave the keynote address at the evening program. Current trainees participated in all aspects of the program, giving presentations and providing peer-mentoring for the visiting students. Fifteen alumni interested in additional training or career positions, also attended. As of September, 10 students accepted training positions. Several students are planning to return in FY18. Three alumni accepted training positions, and two are actively pursuing career positions. Since INRO was started in 2003, 315 outstanding students have participated in the program, and an average of 55% students have accepted at least one training position. The Summer Intern Program provides research experience in DIR labs for 8 to 12 weeks. Intern Orientation sessions included guidelines for the intern experience, as well as a research integrity case discussion. New this year was a weekly Summer Seminar Series, featuring DIR Principal Investigators. Four students were video taped and these clips will be used for outreach and education. Seventy-three percent of the Maryland interns presented their research at the annual NIH Summer Intern Poster Day. This was the highest participation level since the program began. The OTD Summer Diversity Program was fully subscribed with 6 trainees at different educational levels. In addition to entry interviews, two Brown Bag Lunches were held focusing on: Responsible Conduct in Research; Generational Diversity, with guest speaker, Denise Crute, M.A. A Grant Writing series (4 seminars) was offered twice. A monthly Career Options seminar series was held, featuring NIAID alumni in a variety of career positions. The Price is Right: Budgeting Your Science was a half-day workshop designed to enhance trainees' understanding of how research funding works at all levels. Two Women in Science events were held. Other programmatic offerings included Orientation sessions for all new trainees. Interview practice sessions were held for trainees preparing for medical or graduate school interviews, or job interviews. The OTD Exchange Program was established for fellows in 2015 to foster collaborations among Maryland and Montana labs, enhance scientific understanding, and broaden exposure to career opportunities. The program supports activities such as: visiting labs to learn new scientific approaches; conducting informational interview and attending activities to enhance professional and career development. One RML postdoctoral fellow was selected to spend 5 days in Maryland, which included attending the 11th Annual Fellows Workshop. One Maryland fellow was selected to spend 5 days at RML, which included attending the 2017 Vector-Borne Viruses Symposium. For the seventeenth consecutive year, under the leadership of Elizabeth Fischer and Anita Mora, RML scientists teamed with local Montana middle schools to present an Introduction to Research program for seventh and eighth grade students. The objectives are to broaden the student definition of a scientist by providing diverse role models with varying interests and skills; and to encourage interests in becoming scientifically literate citizens whether they choose a career in traditional sciences or in fields ranging from politics, to journalism, to business. To date the BRASS program has involved 300+ volunteers and reached nearly 800 Montana students. Many past BRASS participants have gone on to pursue careers in science because of their experience in this program. A manual for teachers is being developed. Three NIAID fellows team taught a basic immunology course for undergraduate seniors and graduate students at the Catholic University of America in the fall 2016. They organized the curriculum, examinations, and evaluation. OTD projects which support the Institute's diversity mission were continued this year: the OTD Sponsorship Program; the Brown Bag Lunch Series; and the Tracking Project. Competitive trainees from populations underrepresented in biomedical research were again sponsored by OTD. This program was fully subscribed in 2017, with 35 trainees receiving stipends and health insurance. Fourteen former trainees hold career positions within NIH and FDA. To foster a network of current and former trainees, a LinkedIn group was created by Dr. Wendy J. Fibison, adding a digital approach to providing former trainees information about NIAID opportunities and resources, and to enlist them as ambassadors for OTD programmatic outreach. NIAID is well positioned to meet its diversity goals in the near future by recruiting these young researchers back to the Institute as research positions The Fellows Advisory Committee comprised of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, was convened for the eighth year. At monthly meetings, the members make recommendations to enhance the DIR learning environment, explore new programs to support the trainees' career development, and discuss issues related to the DIR experience. This committee plans the annual fellows workshop, determining the theme, format, and agenda; inviting speakers; hosting attendees at the retreat; and reviewing the program evaluations. The process is concluded with recommendations for the following year. The Marketing Database, a diversity resource developed by OTD, was revised and expanded. With nearly 12,000 entries, this is a valuable recruitment tool for DIR's training and scientific positions. It is used for the INRO program, as well as for promoting NIAID and NIH open positions. An expanded fellows tracking system was instituted, providing more complete information on career paths of NIAID's fellows.
