Graduate Student Support Structure

All students are supported by access to centralized resources that serve their professional development and personal needs. The Center for Biomedical Career Development, initiated under an NIH BEST (Broadening Experience in Scientific Training) Award, provides innovative co-curricular activities, extracurricular programming, career development workshops, confidential career counseling, and feedback on annual Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to all Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences students. The Center is led by Dr. Cynthia Fuhrmann, a national leader in the IDP concept for PhD scientists (and co-founder of myIDP) and building capacity for evidence-based practices in PhD career development. In their third year, students are formally introduced to career exploration and receive instruction in the preparation of an annual IDP. All PhD students at or above their third year of training are required to create and submit an IDP in the Fall semester annually, timed to complement the annual GSBS advising cycle, until graduation. Students should discuss their IDP with their thesis advisor, TRAC and other mentors they develop the year’s plan and as they progress toward their goals.