Department of Cancer Biology: Postdoctoral Training, Policies and Guidelines.

Wake Forest University PostDoctoral Affairs Page

The Department of Cancer Biology (the Department) recognizes that postdoctoral training is an essential component of our departmental function and that the research performed by postdoctoral fellows is a critical aspect of our scientific productivity.  To provide an optimal postdoctoral training experience for our fellows, we have adopted the following Guidelines that will be applied to all postdoctoral fellows in the Department.

1. DEFINITION OF A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW.

• the appointee was recently awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.) in an appropriate field; and

• the appointment is temporary; and

• the appointment involves full-time research or scholarship; and

• the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a scientific career as an independent investigator in an academic environment or an equivalent position in industry or government; and

• the appointee works under the supervision of a faculty member or a senior scholar; and
• the appointee is expected to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship, which were obtained during the period of the appointment.

2.  POLICIES CONCERNING POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS.

I. Appointment Status.
All postdoctoral fellows should be appointed on a temporary (annual) basis with the overall intention that a research fellowship should not exceed five years, except under special circumstances (these might include illness, child birth or a need to conclude a project which is at an advanced stage). The first appointment should be for a one or two year period, with annual reappointment thereafter. If a postdoctoral fellow has spent part of the training period at another institution, then the total training time at all institutions generally should not normally exceed six years.  A postdoctoral fellowship in intended to be a training position to be followed by a move to an independent investigator position elsewhere and should not be viewed as a prelude to a guaranteed permanent position at Wake Forest University.

When a faculty member makes a firm offer of appointment to a postdoctoral fellow, a letter should be written to the candidate prior to commencement of duties. This letter should set forth the basic terms of appointment including the period of appointment (dates of appointment), the stipend level, all included benefits and a statement that the fellow's appointment is subject to all University policies. If the appointment is renewed or extended, that action should be documented by a letter, which includes the foregoing information. The candidate should be required to return a countersigned copy of each letter of appointment or renewal indicating acceptance of the terms set forth. The letters (countersigned copies) and signed agreement should be placed in a permanent file kept in the Department.

II. Remuneration.

It is the policy of the Department that the minimum salary for a postdoctoral research fellow should normally be equal to that paid by an NIH NRSA fellowship for an equivalent number of years of experience (with appropriate development and productivity). A mentor proposing to hire a postdoctoral fellow who has been employed for a number of years in an area not relevant to the current research activities may negotiate a level of support commensurate with the postdoctoral fellow’s skills and background. 

If a postdoctoral fellow obtains his or her own extramural support by successfully competing for a NRSA or private foundation fellowship and is therefore no longer required to receive salary support from the mentor’s grants, the Department’s policy is that the postdoctoral fellow may be eligible to receive a one time bonus payment equal to up to 10% of his or her salary if the mentor has sufficient funds to provide this bonus. 

The appointment letter does not guarantee salary support. In the event that financial support for a postdoctoral fellow is reduced or terminated by an action outside the control of the preceptor, the postdoctoral fellow may face the loss of his/her salary if there are no other financial resources within that laboratory. It is rare that a preceptor would have less than 3 months warning of this upcoming situation, and the postdoctoral fellow should be apprised of the problem at the earliest possible time so that alternative plans can be developed in a timely fashion.

III. Evaluation of Performance.

Reappointment and salary level for the upcoming year are determined annually by the preceptor. Reappointment should reflect the performance during the previous year. Fellows who are not going to be reappointed should be given reasonable time (at least three months advance warning) to arrange for alternative plans. The preceptor is encouraged to outline, in writing, all expected performance benchmarks to the postdoctoral fellow at the beginning of the appointment. This might include the laboratory requirements (1) for authorship, (2) for determining priority of research projects, (3) for ownership of projects and, importantly, (4) for lab policy on taking projects with the fellow when he/she leaves the laboratory as well as patent rights and the laboratory  rules and policies regarding ownership of data. In addition this might include expectations for the rate of development of independence and individual responsibility for the ongoing research work.

IV. Faculty Responsibilities for Mentoring and Evaluation of Postdoctoral Appointees.

In view of the role of the fellow as a trainee, the faculty responsibilities are an extension of those provided for graduate student trainees, though with an obvious emphasis on the development of independence. Mentoring can involve detailed advice and assistance in the development of a specific research project, but in addition mentoring should include education in research protocol issues such as ethics, conflicts of interest, and outside consulting. The mentor’s responsibilities include the following:

• Develop a mutually established and definable named project.
• Obtain sufficient laboratory funding to sustain the research program.  In the event that the mentor’s funding is not sufficient to maintain the research program, the mentor should inform the postdoc of the situation as soon as possible so that the postdoc can obtain alternative training opportunities. 
• Encourage presentation of the postdoc’s work internally and externally with due recognition.
• Provide career guidance and set realistic career goals (see Career Development Guidelines, below).
• Meet regularly to discuss project and career progression.
• Provide formal annual review of project/ career progress.
• Apprise themselves of departmental and University policies and guidelines regarding postdoctoral appointments.
• Inform postdocs of all mandatory training sessions.

Career Development Guidelines.

The faculty mentor should provide assistance and guidance to the postdoc as they acquire the skills necessary for a successful scientific career.  The mentor should facilitate the following:

• Postdocs should manage their own project, which should lead to first author publications.  It is not appropriate for postdoctoral fellows to behave or be treated as technicians, they should be involved in all aspects of the project including planning and interpreting experiments.
• Postdocs should learn chosen scientific discipline/field and develop the required technical skills to be successful in their field.  This includes, but is not limited to, remaining current with the relevant literature and advances in technology.
• Postdocs should learn ancillary skills including writing, public speaking and networking. The faculty mentor should provide constructive criticism, e.g. on presentation skills.
• Postdoctoral fellows will be expected to present their work at least once each year to the Department in a Research in Progress seminar.  They are also expected to participate in the yearly Departmental retreat and should attend and present their work at national scientific meetings on a regular basis- ideally once a year.
• Postdocs should write up research work for publication. 
• Postdocs should apply for extramural support, e.g. NRSA postdoctoral fellowships, DoD Cancer Research program fellowships, private foundation fellowships etc.  The faculty mentor should provide an adequate description of the training program that the fellow will undertake for these applications and should provide editorial guidance and help with the preparation of the proposal.  The mentor should not write the proposal, which should be solely the work of the fellow.
• Mentors should encourage postdocs to participate in the review of journal articles.

V.                 Obligations of the Postdoctoral Fellow.

Postdoctoral fellows have certain obligations to their mentor, the laboratory in which they are working, the Department, the grantor whose funds support them, and the University. These obligations include but are not limited to:

• the conscientious discharge of their research responsibilities
• conformity with ethical standards in research;
• compliance with good laboratory practice including the maintenance of adequate research records, and due observation of University standards regarding use of isotopes, chemicals, infectious agents, animals, and the like;
• observation of appropriate guidelines regarding human subjects if applicable;
• open and timely discussion with their mentor regarding possession or distribution of materials, reagents, or records belonging to their laboratory, and any proposed disclosure of findings or techniques privately or in publications;
• collegial conduct towards coworkers and members of the research group including sharing data with laboratory colleagues and preceptor;
• compliance with all applicable University policies. All data and research records generated in University laboratories remain the property of the University.

VI.        Departmental activities.

The Department views the postdoctoral fellows as an integral part of the department, values their participation in the activities of the department and is concerned that their views regarding departmental issues should be heard.  To this end, all Cancer Biology postdoctoral fellows will be invited to participate in a twice yearly meeting with faculty representatives.  We encourage postdoctoral fellows to use this opportunity to raise issues of concern with the faculty and provide input into ways to improve the training experience for postdocs, opportunities for career advancement and other departmental issues.  In addition, postdoctoral trainees are expected to attend and participate fully in the departmental retreat, the regular Research in Progress meetings and departmental seminars.  The Department will make every effort to arrange that postdocs meet outside seminar speakers for example by having postdocs meet the speaker for lunch.

VII.  Misconduct and Grievance Issues.

In the event that a postdoctoral fellow believes that he/she has suffered a grievance which might negatively impact their career, they should follow the procedures below to have the grievance investigated and if proven, to provide a possible means of rectification. First, if possible, the postdoctoral fellow should discuss the issue with his/her preceptor and solicit advice. If the issue of contention involves the preceptor, the postdoctoral fellow should contact the department chair or another senior faculty member and discuss the issue informally. If the chair or faculty member feels that sufficient cause is present he/she may request a written account of the grievance and can, if desired, act directly or appoint a committee of professors to recommend how to deal with the issue. In the event that the postdoctoral fellow disagrees with the advice from the department, he/she may formally appeal to the Dean of the Medical School who will be the final arbiter.  These arrangements do not affect University policies on sexual harassment, which should be applied if the postdoctoral fellow believes that such harassment has occurred.