Connect Wherever Possible

People often ask me what I like most about being a professor. While there are many rewarding aspects of being a PI, such as directing your own research program and training the next generation of scientists, I find travel to be the most enjoyable. This hasn’t always been the case. As a young adult, I dreaded travel and used to count down the number of days until I returned home. I think the change happened as a result of attending scientific conferences where I could learn the latest advances and meet others with similar interests. These days I attend many meetings to catch up with friends and hear the most recent breakthroughs in hematology research.

 

Most work related travel for trainees and early career investigators involves attending scientific conferences. These are important events that let you present your work, get helpful feedback, and extend your connections. Unfortunately, with decreases in funding and travel restrictions enacted by some institutions, in-person attendance at scientific conferences is being significantly curtailed. How do you prioritize which meetings to attend? My advice is to always go to those meetings in which you have been invited to present your data, as these offer the best opportunity to showcase your work, make a positive impression, and identify new collaborators. When resources are limited, consider attending other meetings virtually if that is an option. This way you learn the latest developments in the field; you can always follow up with speakers afterwards to ask questions and propose collaborations.

 

Another way to maintain connections is to host speakers at your institution. This is a great way to get to know scientists in your field. If your institution is cutting back on speaker invitations, perhaps you can try instituting virtual visits which include a seminar and meetings with faculty and trainees.

 

During my many years in Chicago, I helped organize a quarterly hematopoiesis meeting, which was open to everyone in the city with an interest in hematology. I recommend forming a similar group in your city to foster interactions and collaborations.

 

Finally, although conferences provide an ideal venue for networking, meeting others doesn’t have to take place in person. Feel free to use other forms of communication to reach out to colleagues whose research interests you. Most scientists are excited to discuss their research and hear about new discoveries. No matter what form, interacting with other scientists is an important and rewarding experience.

 

 Blog post contributed by John Crispino, PhD of the ISEH Publications Committee.

Please note that the statements made by Simply Blood authors are their own views and not necessarily the views of ISEH. ISEH disclaims any or all liability arising from any author's statements or materials.