Mentorship and Resources
Mentorship
Strong mentorship is pivotal to the success of the HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellowships programs . A dual mentorship model is followed to ensure that each participating Fellow is provided with regular one-on-one interaction with scientists familiar with the challenges and opportunities intrinsic to multidisciplinary research. Matching to an appropriate primary mentor is discussed during the interview process. Faculty close to the Fellow’s core discipline(s) will be included on their team in order to ensure that they receive appropriate career-related training in their field(s). In some instances, applicants have very specific ideas about who they would like to select as primary and secondary mentors and should indicate as such in their research proposal. Since HCPDS is administered under Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows will need to follow Harvard Chan School’s requirements around completing an initial career development form and subsequent annual reviews.
Resources
Data/Computer Resources: HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows are provided with timely access to data sources, laboratory facilities, and other resources as needed. The HCPDS is home to a population science research platform. The HCPDS also houses a Restricted Data Enclave, certified for the use and storage of level 4 sensitive data. Data managers and analysts are on staff and available to aid fellows in their research efforts. They also offer access to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Secure Environment (FASSE) and Cannon clusters, maintained by FAS Research Computing (FAS RC). These clusters provide full-featured user environments with a wide range of research tools for computationally intensive analyses. They are accessed via a virtual private network (VPN) connection to ensure users can work effectively and securely, whether on site or elsewhere.
Libraries: Since they are considered employees, HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows have access to all of Harvard’s vast resources including its library system that encompasses more than 70 libraries and is at the leading edge of new information technology. The Francis A. Countway Library is located on the Longwood Medical Area Campus and combines the resources of the Harvard Medical School library and the Boston Medical Library. Among libraries serving medical and health-related schools, it is the largest of its kind in the United States.
Affiliated Centers/Programs: HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows may also attend courses, seminars and programs at affiliated Harvard schools and centers: examples include the Institute for Quantitative Social Science, which holds regular conferences and seminars allowing scholars in the social sciences to gather for research seminars in core methods related to causal inference, innovations in health assessment, and general issues related to demographic and population health issues; the Center for Geographic Analysis offers technical training workshops to introduce GIS concepts and teach the basics on how to use GIS software; The Stone Inequality & Social Policy Seminar series at Harvard Kennedy School; Department of Sociology seminar series; and the many offerings at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.