Hollie Swanson Professor, Department of Pharmacology and … to Launch … · Hollie Swanson....
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Hollie Swanson Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Director, Women’s Executive Leadership Program
Transcript of Hollie Swanson Professor, Department of Pharmacology and … to Launch … · Hollie Swanson....
Hollie SwansonProfessor, Department of Pharmacology
and Nutritional SciencesDirector, Women’s Executive Leadership
Program
B.S. Chemistry, South Dakota State University M.S. Food Science, Oregon State University Ph.D. Nutrition/Toxicology, Purdue University Post-Doc Biochemistry, Michigan State University Post-Doc Pharmacology, Northwestern University
Work HardPlay Hard
Plan
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Ok-this is Jeff Tuttle of the Dillinger Escape Plan-----this guy has a plan, presumbably. Spend time thinking about exactly where you want to go. Who you want to be. What you want to be doing or what you do not want to be doing. What makes you smile. What kind of people you want to be surrounded by. Then focus on a strategic plan of how you are going to get there.
Work Together
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I am really impressed by what you have started here-you have created a community of individuals with a common interest, post-doctoral community. Find ways to keep this going and make it valuable for all of you. Dream big. Reach out to faculty members and administrators to help you with specific requests. For example, what about hosting some type of job fair? Collectively, we have contacts with a large number of professional contacts and alumni. How can we best use this resource? Could you set up informational interviews? A virtual job fair? Join up with U of Louisville and U of Cinncinitti?
Stay Curious
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One of our best attributes is our willingness to learn-being excited about new ideas Curious people are fun to be around By asking questions-you show an interest in others and can develop common ground
Take Calculated Risks
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Don’t try to get over your fear. It will provide you with the adrenaline that you need for doing your best. Pick something you would love to do, but are scared to do. Accept that you will be afraid and then do it. A solid scientific foundation can be applied to a wide variety of careers. Don’t be afraid to explore them. When President Capilouto first started here at UK, he came to my office and asked me if I would lead a university-wide strategic planning committee that would change the course of this university. Did I know that I would be meeting weekly with him for several months? That I would be presenting to his executive cabinet and the Board of Trustees? That I would be doing a radio interview with him? If I had known all that when I said yes, I may have let fear get in the way. Instead, I said, “Great, I would love to do that-I have never done strategic planning”.
Seek Out New Experiences
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Which leads us to this. It was a challenge, but a terrific experience. I applied all of the skill sets that I had honed as a scientist. I already knew how to approach complex problems, how to collect and analyze data, how to lead a team and how to present my findings to a variety of audiences. It was a new experience, but there were enough similarities with what I already knew that I had the confidence that I needed to succeed.
Ask For Help
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Ask for help. One thing that never ceases to surprise me is that if you have a really good idea-people will want to help you. Consider your skill sets, ask what areas you may need to develop further, how this may contribute to what others are trying to do and find people who will help you. For example, many national professional societies are looking for ways to encourage and include younger members. When I was on a program committee, not too long ago, a former student of one of my dissertation committee members contacted me. She wanted me to help her get a symposium approved and presented at our national meeting. I co-chaired it with her-we developed the symposium together, I helped her recruit prominent speakers and helped with the logistics. She contributed most of the ideas. We presented two symposias-it gave her national recognition and the experience of working with national leaders in our discipline. For the society, she started a professional development track that was much needed –it was a win-win for everybody.
WRITE
Write
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In addition to your professional writing, find opportunities for writing for a variety of audiences. First, have something to say. Then find an audience that aligns with you interests. Consider newsletters for your department, a community group or a nonprofit. What about a blog? If your department has a website-ask your chair if you could contribute a regular blog describing interesting research in your discipline. Are there opportunities for writing for a scientific society? Letters to the editor?
Be A
Realistic Optimist
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The old joke is “I’d be a pessimist, but it would never work”. The leadership scholar John Gardner says that “ the future is created by highly motivated people, by enthusiasts, but men and women who want something very much or believe very much.” But we need to find a balance between our hopes and dreams versus our realities. Huge hard to meet hopes can often lead to disappointment. One way to find that balance is to never lose sight of what we already have-to be appreciative.
Enjoy the Ride
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One piece of advice I would give my post-doc self is to relax, enjoy the ride, things will work out okay. I spent too much time thinking that I would probably never get a job. Guess what? I got a job. My post-doc friends all got jobs. What I remember now is the crazy stuff we did. Like as a group of postdocs and graduate students, taking this student from Amsterdam to the drive in movies on a cold Michigan night in June. We were in our parkas, had our lawn chairs and coolers and nobody watched the movie. He laughed the whole time and kept saying “this is great”.
