Week of February 5th, 2024

Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Graduate Program & PDF Newsletter

Useful information for Graduate Students & PDFs in Pathology and their Supervisors.

EVENTS NEXT WEEK (see below for more information) :

February 6th - UBC G+PS: Staying on track in Grad School Series Register

PaSA: PATHOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION (pasa@pathology.ubc.ca)

Find Us: Twitter @UBCPathologySA| Instagram @ubcpasa|Facebook at UBC Pathology Students Association

SLACK: https://join.slack.com/t/pathologystud-ogs6617/shared_invite/zt-1arrr1g5h-cGsWP~ZuDFOGwJcuh4wxDA

Events:

PaSA is thrilled to announce an upcoming online event focused on providing invaluable insights into the PhD comprehensive examination. Mark your calendars for March 6th from 4-5pm, where Dr. Helene Cote will kick off the session with an in-depth review of how the comp exams work and what students can expect. Following Dr. Cote's presentation, we have an incredible panel of students (Lindsay Pallo, Fang Fang Li, and Juhee Oh) lined up to share their first-hand experiences, feedback, and expert tips on conquering the comps. Plus, we'll have an open floor for questions, ensuring you leave with all your queries addressed. Don't miss out on this opportunity to ace your comps—register now and secure your spot! Sign up here.

Meetings:

PaSA invites everyone to join the next PaSA Meeting which will be held on Tuesday, February 13th at 4:30pm via Zoom. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://ubc.zoom.us/j/63631399673?pwd=OUwrMEY3L0s0NEJjMjVqVnZhRndIZz09 

Meeting ID: 636 3139 9673
Passcode: 628541

GRADUATE STUDENTS & PDFS

Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies:

Your feeback requested - Graduate & Postdoctoral Learning Environment

As part of ongoing quality improvement of the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s graduate and postdoctoral education programs, the Evaluation Studies Unit (ESU) has been asked to conduct an evaluation of the quality of the learning environment.

By now you should have received an email from ESU containing a link to the Graduate & Postdoctoral Learning Environment Survey.

You are encouraged to participate in this survey as your feedback is used to improve the quality of the learning environment for current and future students and trainees. The last time this survey was conducted (2019), the Faculty of Medicine made significant changes because of the results, including hiring a dedicated embedded counsellor to support FoM graduate students, and introducing many other wellbeing-related initiatives.

Your survey responses will be kept confidential and will not be associated with your name or any other information that could be used to identify you. Individual responses will not be identified in the reporting of this survey data, or at any other time.

This survey opened on January 23 and will close on 13 February 2024.

GradUpdate In this issue: Cover Letters, Telling Your Research Story, Captivating your Audience, Writing Retreat for Research Masters, Integrating Generative AI into Your Research and Scholarship, Love Data Week, Inclusive Teaching, and more.

Waiting for Motivation? Do this Instead!
Staying on Track in Grad School Series
Online | Tuesday, Feb 6 | 1 - 2:30 pm

Register

Cover Letters
Online | Tuesday, Feb 13 | 4 - 5 pm

Register

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition that assists current graduate students with fostering effective presentation and communication skills. Participants have just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research project to a non-specialist audience. This year’s competition dates have been set for 2024:

• Open Heats: Tuesday, March 5, from 3 – 5 pm or Thursday, March 7, 10 am – 12 pm
• Students from any discipline are welcome to present in the Open Heats. These are particularly helpful for students whose programs are not hosting heats. We’d love to see participation from Arts and Education!
• Semi-finals: Tuesday, March 12, 10 am – 12 pm and 3 – 5 pm, in-person (with online option)
• Final: Thursday, March 14, 5 – 7 pm, Thea’s Lounge (with online option)

Students are welcome and encouraged to book a 20 min personal presentation feedback session. Even if they are just considering presenting, this can help shape their 3MT! Jan 25 - Mar 6, various dates and times. Register.

Faculty of Medicine:

The Faculty of Medicine are excited to announce the annual event Building the Future- Research Trainee Day and Lecture Series! This event will bring members of the Faculty of Medicine together to share and learn the diverse and innovative research work of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

GENERAL ATTENDEE REGISTRATION (Deadline: February 29, 2024)

• Registration is now open for all! To register, please click HERE.

If you have questions regarding this event, please contact  med.gradpostdoc@ubc.ca.

Professional Development:

The Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research (CJUR) is currently seeking highly articulate and self-motivated graduate students and researchers from all fields to join our journal’s review board.

Reviewers will have the opportunity to give feedback on student submissions and help in deciding whether a submission moves to publication.

More Information and Registration Form https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3qRafhhqu6JZvp4.

UBC Library Research Commons Newsletter - January

UBC Library Public Events -  “Introduction to Git and GitHub” February 21, Register

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Program Updates:

Comprehensive Examination

We thank-you for your efforts to respond to our Comprehensive Examination Survey circulated in November.  The Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Committee reviewed the results which overwhelmingly indicated that the topic choice needs more flexibility.  In response we have developed a new 2-stream approach:

*NEW* Choosing a Stream: Students must choose from 2 streams for their Comp Research Proposal topic; either STEP (Strategic Translation and Extension of Project), or LEAP (Lateral Exploration of Alternate Project).

For the STEP stream the student will determine a comprehensive exam topic that is either a future-cast project, (i.e. a follow-up project stemming from findings/anticipated or expected outcomes of their existing PhD project), or a side-line project, (i.e. a project that may expand on a component or single aim of the student’s current proposal project), that addresses an original hypothesis that builds on the student’s current proposal.

For the LEAP stream the student will select a comprehensive exam topic outside their immediate thesis topic that addresses an original hypothesis distinct from the student’s thesis topic. This option is similar to the comprehensive exam format in place prior to 2024.

Updated information can be found on our website: PhD Comprehensive Exam, Forms

Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies:

Deadline Reminder for Spring 2024 Graduation

PhD:

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2024 - Last Day for Final Doctoral Oral Examination

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024* - Acceptance of final, approved doctoral dissertation by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

MSc:

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2024 - Last Day for Final Master's Oral Examination

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024* - Acceptance of final, approved master's thesis by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

* It normally takes a minimum of five business days for your thesis to be reviewed after you submit it to cIRcle. Please plan ahead for this and check your email in case you are asked to make corrections. Your submission is not complete and you will not meet deadlines until your thesis has been approved, and you have received an official email receipt.

Student Support Services

Grad Student Support Group

In-person | Wednesdays, Jan 10 - Apr 3 | 3 - 4:15 pm Register

Awards

Friedman Award for Scholars in Health

The Friedman Award for Scholars in Health is open to any UBC graduate student or medical resident studying in the area of health. ‘Health’ is interpreted very broadly, and includes health promotion and disease prevention, mental health research, laboratory sciences related to medicine or health, public health, health services research, or any area intended to impact human health. Applicants do not need to be studying in a health-related degree to be eligible to apply.

Awards of up to $50,000 each will be granted for 6 to 12 months of study outside of Western Canada. Friedman Scholars are expected to travel to other areas of Canada and the world to seek new perspectives, initiate new collaborations with experts in their fields and be exposed to different cultures. The award amount will be at the discretion of the adjudication committee.

Application Deadline: 13 March 2024 at 4:00 pm PT

For further information about this award opportunity, including eligibility requirements and application procedures, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/friedman-award-scholars-health.

PALM Trainee Virtual & In-Person Conference Graduate Awards

The PALM GPS Program invites applications for PhD graduate students to present their work at international conferences. Each virtual award will be valued at ~$250.00 each and each in-person award will be valued at ~$1,000.00. The awards will be split over 2 cycles; cycle 1 for January through June, and cycle 2 for July through December.  More information including eligibility and the application are included here.

Cycle 1 application deadline: April 1, 2024

Indigenous Graduate Fellowships

Each fellowship provides a stipend of $18,200 per year for doctoral students or a stipend of $16,175 per year for master’s students. And as a reminder, effective from the 2023-2024 academic year onwards, the IGF is also offering opportunities for (i) Indigenous PhD students in their fourth year to apply for a fifth year of funding and (ii) research master’s and PhD students to apply for research funding.

Deadline: February 16, 2024

More information

Professional Development

Graduate Instructional Skills Workshops

Check out additional upcoming ISWs.

Course Opportunities

Recommended Course Opportunities:

PATH 548L (3 CREDITS)  - EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN & CONSIDERATIONS FOR DATA  COLLECTION, PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

(Runs Apr – June) This course will provide students with insight about study design, data collection, data presentation, data analysis, and data interpretation. Course Coordinators: Dr. Helene Cote & Dr. Andrew Roth

Course Objectives:

• Design a study and an analysis plan
• Identify sources of error, variability, and bias
• Present data transparently and informatively
• Perform simple statistical analyses using statistical software
• Read the scientific literature critically
• Know when and how to interact with a biostatistician

If you would like to register, please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator Heather Cheadle.

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS

Awards

A comprehensive List of awards for PDF's can be found here: https://www.postdocs.ubc.ca/awards-funding

Applying for funding

Please visit Funding Opportunities for a listing of funding opportunities that may be available to you.

Some funding opportunities require institutional endorsement of applications. Unless otherwise specified, please follow the procedures outlined in the UBC Signature Policy: Application for Research Funding.

Support for Postdocs

For the most up-to-date information pertaining to postdoctoral fellows, visit the PDFO website where you will find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to appointments, immigration, professional development, Tri-Agency funding, and more.

The PDFO has transitioned all upcoming professional development events to an online format. Information about upcoming professional development sessions can be found on the PDFO website. Additional online PD resources can be found on the PDFO website.

SUPERVISORS

Graduate Student Stipends

The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Graduate Program is proud to be a leader in attracting domestic and international students to our Program due to our world-class supervisors, expert instructors, and high success in obtaining external scholarships. We recently conducted a review of the annual take-home salary of our students and were encouraged to discover that on average, our students are taking home just over $32K per year, with a median of $30K, excluding TAship income or the annual GSI money from the Program.

While the official minimum stipend is forced on hold at $26K until UBC advises otherwise, we are encouraging our supervisors to consider an unofficial minimum stipend of at least $28K for incoming and continuing students as of April 1, 2024. The reason for this change is the increased cost of living in Vancouver, and the need to offer stipends that are in line with those offered by other UBC programs and other Universities in Canada. At UBC we are in direct competition for students from graduate programs like Medical Genetics, Biochemistry, and Cell & Developmental Biology. All of these programs have minimum stipends higher han ours ($28K - $32K).

International Students: Considerations regarding increased financial requirement for study permits

Regular study permit applicants: Applicants can use various options to show proof of funds to meet the $20,635 + tuition + travel costs, such as bank account statements, award letters issued by UBC, receipts from deposit payments etc. If a research program were to issue an award letter totaling $40,000 to an applicant, the applicant can reference the award offer in their letter of explanation to IRCC with details about the amount of the first year tuition fees, the cost of flight ticket plus living cost of $20,635 to ensure visa officers understand they meet the minimum financial requirement (if that is the case).

Postdoctoral Fellows seeking Positions

We are posting potential student CV's on our website on our Students Seeking Supervisors page. If you are looking for students, please feel free to review the CV's and check back here often.  Among our posted CV's we have strong students from Canada and other countries, including students from McGill,  SFU, U of Ottawa, UCSD, ICD, and UBC who are looking for Supervisors.

If you are contacted by a strong student, but are unable to recruit them, please ask the student whether they would like their CV added to our website and refer them to the Graduate Program Coordinator . 

PROGRAM COORDINATOR & GRAD ADVISOR CORNER

👀 Please explore our Program Website for guidance, including  tips on planning your MSc Examination here.

🍵WEEKLY Program Coordinator Virtual Open Office Hours* - If you need advice, have an issue, or just want to chat, Heather will be hosting a one-hour virtual open office every week on Thursday from 1:00am - 2:00pm . Feel free to stop by here: 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://ubc.zoom.us/j/62812937886?pwd=Q0V2eGtJNTVidnJiSU5pVkQ3R2tFQT09

Meeting ID: 628 1293 7886
Passcode: 680021

I am also available in-person in my office at UBC Hospital Koerner Pavilion in room G109A on Mondays.

PALM Student Representatives:

If you know someone who wants to receive this newsletter, advertise an event, or if you have any ideas for how to improve the newsletter, let us know at heather.cheadle@pathology.ubc.ca . We are always accepting content including photos for upcoming newsletters -- just email us!