Boston Postdoctoral Association
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The Boston Postdoctoral Association (BPDA) is a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization based in Massachusetts, USA, aiming to support postdoctoral researchers (postdocs) in and around the area of Boston, Massachusetts.[1][2] It is the largest 501(c)6 postdoctoral association and largest regional postdoctoral association, with approximately 10,000 members.[3][4] Its primary goals are to advance causes related to advocacy, career development, communication, and social activities for Boston-area postdocs.[4] Its members are affiliated with at least 19 universities or institutes in the region, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham & Women's Hospital, and others.[5] The BPDA has also provided articles [6][7], discussion [8][9], and data [10][11] for scholarly publications and scientific societies in representation of postdocs and postdoctoral issues, and has collaborated with the National Institutes of Health's Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group for postdoctoral training reform.[12] [13]
Origins and structure[edit]
The BPDA began as a grassroots postdoctoral organization in 2013, from a small group of volunteers across a limited number of Boston-area institutes.[14][15][4] The unincorporated organization grew rapidly to include close to 10,000 postdocs from at least 19 institutes and universities.[4][16] The BPDA was incorporated by then-President Dr. Ian Mahar of Boston University, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2019 and as a 501(c)6 nonprofit in 2020.[1][4] The BPDA is operated by volunteers from its community, forming the Officers (President, Treasurer, Clerk), Board, and members.[2][17] It also operates through four committees, run by Chairs: Advocacy, Career Development, Social, and Public Affairs.[17] The current President is Dr. Esra Yalçın, of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital.[18]
Advocacy[edit]
The BPDA Advocacy committee serves to identify and respond to issues affecting well-being and occupational conditions for postdocs in the Boston area. It maintains a public database for postdoctoral salary, benefits, employment, and resources information.[19][10] The BPDA has also provided postdoctoral salary data[20][11] for publication [6], and discussion regarding postdoctoral issues and advocacy.[14][8][9] In 2019 the BPDA conducted the largest regional postdoctoral survey to date, and presented the resulting findings at the 2021 National Postdoctoral Association conference [21] These findings include indications of insufficient salary relative to housing costs (with the average postdoc "under housing stress" [22] and ≥10% "severely cost burdened" [23]), high levels of stress and low life satisfaction, particular difficulties for postdoctoral parents and immigrant/international postdocs, and a large gender discrepancy in mentorship between male- and female-identifying postdocs.[21][24]
In 2023, the BPDA was invited[25] by the National Institutes of Health to represent postdocs at the first Listening Session of the ACD Working Group for postdoctoral reform, titled, "Role, Duration, Structure, and Value of the Academic Postdoc, Including Impacts on Underrepresented Populations"[13], which was incorporated into the ACD's report, "NIH Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Re-Envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training".[12] The BPDA subsequently worked with Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL) on advocacy relating to academic training reform.[26]
Political involvement[edit]
During the 2021 Boston mayoral election, the BPDA wrote open letters to the final two candidates, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaiba George, advocating for representation of Boston postdoctoral issues.[27] After meeting with senior campaign staff in response [28], the BPDA later endorsed candidate Michelle Wu [29][30], who eventually won the mayoral election.
Career development[edit]
The BPDA Career Development committee aids postdocs in developing career-oriented skills and knowledge, identify employment opportunities, and connect and network with prospective employers [4][31]. From 2017 to 2019, the BPDA also ran large annual symposia aimed at career development and related topics, known as the Boston Postdoctoral Association Symposium on Careers and Collaboration in Science (B-SoCCS) [32][33], in tandem with institutional affiliates and partners.
Communications[edit]
The BPDA’s communications to postdocs and institutions are largely overseen by its Public Affairs committee, and include a regular newsletter, website, a Slack hub with over 1,000 members, email distribution list, and Facebook and Twitter accounts.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 IRS BPDA nonprofit profile
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 IRS BPDA 501(c)6 status letter
- ↑ Bankston, A.; McDowell, G. S. (2017). "Estimates of BPDA numbers from F1000 Research publication". F1000Research. 5: 2690. doi:10.12688/f1000research.10086.2. PMC 5130071. PMID 27990268.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 IRS 1024 form filing
- ↑ "Boston-area University and Institutional Affiliates".
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 F1000 Research article on FLSA and BPDA
- ↑ McDowell, Gary (11 June 2015). "Letter to AAAS journal Science regarding postdoctoral issues, published in The Winnower". The Winnower. doi:10.15200/winn.141141.10013.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gewin, Virginia (October 2016). "Nature article profiling BPDA representatives and postdoctoral issues". Nature. 538 (7626): 543–545. doi:10.1038/nj7626-543a.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nature article regarding postdoctoral advocacy and the BPDA
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 F1000 publication of BPDA data
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Future of Research organization article on BPDA advocacy materials
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 NIH Advisory Committee Report
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 NIH Advisory Committee Listening Session
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) profile of BPDA
- ↑ National Postdoctoral Association profile of BPDA
- ↑ "Boston-area University and Institutional Affiliates".
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 BPDA Organization
- ↑ "Esra Yalçın Presidential announcement".
- ↑ "Boston Postdoctoral Benefits Database".
- ↑ BPDA FLSA data
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 BPDA survey results presentation at NPA meeting
- ↑ "USDA criteria for housing stress". Archived from the original on 2008-06-16.
- ↑ "HUD criteria for severe cost burden". USA Today.
- ↑ "BPDA survey results summary".
- ↑ NIH Invited Speaker Recommendations
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "Open letter to Mayoral candidates, BPDA".
- ↑ "Michelle Wu campaign response to open letter".
- ↑ "BPDA endorses Michelle Wu".
- ↑ "BPDA press release for endorsement of Michelle Wu".
- ↑ "Career Development Workshop".
- ↑ "B-SoCCS".
- ↑ "Genetics Society of America announcement for B-SoCCS".
External links[edit]
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