The document outlines strategies used by the HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows to increase their visibility, including developing strong programming, effectively branding and marketing their message, and building community partnerships within and outside the institution. Some key tactics involved creating quality skills development, career, and networking programs; using multiple communication channels consistently; and forging collaborations across departments to enhance resources and highlight the office's activities. The goal is to establish a recognized role as a valuable resource for postdocs through an engaged institutional network.

1. Strategies
for
Increasing
the
Visibility
of
the
Office
for
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Leigh
Melanson
and
James
Gould,
PhD
Harvard
Medical
School,
Boston,
MA
Web:
www.postdoc.hms.harvard.edu;
Email:
postdoc_office@hms.harvard.edu;
TwiIer:
@HMSpostdoc
2.
Branding
4.
Outreach
Local
Introduc;on
• Postdoc
Office
Consor0um
in
the
Longwood
Medical
Area
• Service
in
the
Community
Building
a
strong
reputa0on
and
gaining
visibility
in
the
community
is
a
challenge
faced
by
most
postdoc
offices.
The
HMS/HSDM
Office
for
Postdoctoral
Fellows
was
established
a
number
of
years
ago
and
has
built
a
strong
founda0on
of
programming.
Despite
major
advances,
our
office
was
s0ll
under-­‐recognized
and
we
sought
to
address
this
by
reexamining
and
strengthening
our
approaches
to
branding,
community
building,
and
outreach.
While
these
strategies
are
rather
obvious,
their
implementa0on
is
not
always
straighJorward.
We
have
con0nued
to
evolve
while
building
credibility
with
postdocs
and
the
academic
community.
By
concentra0ng
our
marke0ng
efforts
on
reaching
postdocs,
departments,
and
faculty,
we
have
begun
to
realize
the
full
poten0al
of
the
Office
for
Postdoctoral
Fellows.
Digital
Print
•
Listserv
•
Website
•
NewsleZer
•
Flyers
•
Posters
•
Handouts
Social
Media
Alumni
•
TwiZer
•
LinkedIn
Na4onal
Consistent
Mission
and
Message
•
HMS/HSDM
Postdoc
Associa0on
•
Career
Discussion
Hour
speakers
•
LinkedIn
Postdoc
Networking
Group
•
Na0onal
Postdoctoral
Associa0on
•
Associa0on
for
Women
is
Science
•
AAAS
and
Scien0fic
Socie0es
Ensure
that
the
office
is
connected
to
the
greater
training
community.
Raising
Visibility
&
Awareness
• Create
quality
programs
that
add
value
to
the
postdoc
experience.
• Broadcast
a
consistent
message
across
diverse
mediums.
Developing
Programs
Outreach
Effec0ve
branding
and
public
rela0ons
requires
delivering
a
coherent
and
focused
message
without
flooding
the
target
audience.
5.
Tools
for
Evalua;on
&
Feedback
• SurveyMonkey
evalua;ons
• Tracking
event
registra;on
Branding
Developing
Programs
• Build
partnerships
and
collaborate
within
the
ins;tu;on.
Branding
Outreach
Community
Building
• Become
involved
with
the
community,
locally
and
na;onally.
• Google
Analy;cs
of
website
traffic
Community
Building
• LinkedIn
Group
Sta;s;cs
• Exit
Survey
Establish
a
strong
founda0on,
build
incrementally,
set
feasible
goals,
compliment
exis0ng
programming
and
focus
on
impact.
•
Faculty
Advisory
CommiVee
• Postdoc
Associa;on
Rou0nely
assess
progress
while
responding
quickly
to
feedback
and
sugges0ons.
1.
Developing
Programs
Skills
Development
•
Publishing,
grantsmanship,
&
collabora0on
•
Orienta0on,
mentoring,
&
management
Career
Development
•
Academic
Job
Search
Series
•
Career
Discussion
Hour
•
Applica0on
material
cri0que
Social
&
Networking
•
Postdoc
Movie
Night
•
Summer
Fun
Series
Offer
0mely
and
prac0cal
programming
that
adds
value
to
the
postdoc
experience
while
evolving
with
the
ever-­‐changing
training
landscape.
Our
strategy
has
been
to
build
programs
in
the
three
key
areas
outlined
above.
3.
Community
Building
Iden0fy
and
connect
with
postdocs
Human
Resources:
How
are
postdocs
hired
and
tracked?
What
is
their
employee
classifica0on?
Are
they
benefits
eligible?
Informa;on
Technology:
Work
together
to
develop
a
listserv.
Create
a
postdoc
database
you
can
access.
Communica;ons:
How
do
they
reach
out
to
the
community?
Do
they
communicate
with
postdocs?
Assess
and
build
resources
for
postdocs
Develop
partnerships
and
collabora0ons
Department
Admin:
Assess
the
level
of
postdoc
support
at
the
departmental
level.
Career
Services:
Establish
rela0onships
with
counterpart
offices
to
enhance
programming
and
support.
Principal
Inves;gators:
Determine
the
resources
available
in
the
lab.
Encourage
PI’s
to
administer
IDP’s.
Departmental
&
Ins;tu;onal
Research
Offices:
Foster
collabora0ons
that
provide
opportuni0es
for
growth
and
skills
development.
Postdocs:
Iden0fy
and
address
gaps
in
training
and
career
development.
Faculty
and
Staff:
Invite
faculty
and
staff
to
par0cipate
in
seminars,
workshops,
and
program
development.
Forge
an
ins0tu0onal
network
that
enhances
and
highlights
the
ac0vi0es
of
the
Office
for
Postdoctoral
Fellows.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Summary
Establish
a
strong
founda0on
of
programming
that
adds
value.
Set
feasible
goals
and
focus
on
impact.
Deliver
a
coherent
and
focused
message.
Forge
an
ins0tu0onal
network
that
enhances
and
highlights
the
ac0vi0es
of
the
office.
Seek
to
strengthen
rela0onships
with
the
basic
science
departments
and
their
administrators.
Ensure
that
the
office
is
connected
to
the
greater
training
community.
Create
forums
that
recognize
the
value
and
promote
the
work
of
the
postdoc
community.
Emphasize
faculty
and
principal
inves0gator
inclusion.
Implement
assessment
tools
to
evaluate
progress
and
respond
to
needs.