Educational Programs for Trainees: SID Retreats for Young Investigators
SID Resident Retreat: The SID Retreat format was developed as a proactive method to engage young dermatology trainees in academic careers by bringing them together and giving them information needed to make career decisions before they were recruited for clinical careers. The first Resident Retreat for Future Academicians was held in 2000 for approximately 30 first-year Dermatology Residents, and has evolved over the past decade.
The two-day program format gives attendees the opportunity to hear about the collegiality and intellectual freedom that academic life offers. They are also introduced to others with similar interest in order to network. Post-meeting surveys are administered each year-suggestions are incorporated into subsequent programs.
SID PhD Retreat: In recent years, the SID has stepped up its efforts to engage young PhD investigators. The SID is launching a PhD Retreat in conjunction with the resident retreat that will takes place Tuesday night/Wednesday afternoon prior to the SID meeting (May 8-9, 2012). The Faculty will include Early Career and Senior Investigators working in a variety of labs and academic institutions. This new program will work in parallel with the long-standing Resident Retreat. One of the primary goals of adding this new program is to facilitate interaction between investigators in order to foster the establishment of multi-disciplinary collaboration.
Timing is Everything: The placement of the Retreats at the time of the SID annual meeting allows attendees to establish connections with each other, and to other meeting attendees. These social networks foster collegiality, collaboration, an appreciation for productive interactions. Sustained exposure to the entire spectrum of dermatologic research will influence the trainees as they make their career decision, and fuel their interest in pursuing this area of science.
Fostering Multi-Disciplinary Teams: As the organization representing the vast majority of those involved in basic and clinical research on Dermatology and the biology of skin, the SID is uniquely positioned to provide Retreat attendees with access to the thought leaders of the specialty. The diverse mix of MD, PhD and MD/PhD scientists and clinicians attending the SID meeting is dependent upon access to this community to maintain a successful career in research.