Career development events featuring experts in the field on a specific topic area. Some events are organized by the Student and Postdoc Committee. Events may be live webinar, or pre-recorded events.
March 31, 2021, 12:00-1:00pm ET
“#MeToo”
The #MeToo movement has brought to the fore seemingly endless stories of unwelcome and inappropriate sexual remarks or physical advances. No sector of society appears to be spared, including biomedical research fields. Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows can be especially vulnerable to sexual harassment, but it occurs in workplace and conference settings as well. The field of epidemiology has not been spared. The purpose of this webinar is to recognize sexual harassment in our field, consider the consequences, and identify corrective ways forward. In advance of the webinar, we will survey SER members (anonymously) with simple questions related to sexual harassment (e.g., have you experienced sexual harassment as a graduate student, in your workplace, at a professional meeting; male->male; male->female; female-female; female->male?). We’ll present the percent of respondents who experienced sexual harassment according to context. We will ask respondents if they’d like to have their story shared anonymously; if so, they will be invited to submit a brief story of their experience. Drs. Werler and Nembhard will select 2-3 stories, which they will read aloud (protecting anonymity). Those who submit stories will be informed in advance that, although all stories are important, only 2-3 stories will be selected for sharing due to time restraints.
PAST EVENTS:
November 4, 2020, 12:00-1:00pm ET
“Practicing Consequential Epidemiology: The Work of CDC’s Disease Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)”
Please join us for SER’s first collaborative webinar with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Global Disease Detectives! Hosted by Dr. Eric Pevzner, the Chief to the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Program, join us to learn about this world-renowned applied epidemiology fellowship program of the elite disease detectives! Following an overview of the program by Dr. Pevzner, two CDC EIS Officers will present their work. This will be an exciting look into the world of the famous Global Outbreak Detectives! The presentation is sponsored by the SER Membership and Nominations Committee and will be moderated by SER Member and Epidemiologist, Dr. Mike Jackson (CDC EIS Alum, 2008-2010). Following the presentations, the panelists will be available for questions about the program.
This event is sponsored by SER’s Membership & Nominations Committee
HOST
Eric Pevzner, PhD, MPH
CAPT, U.S. Public Health Service
Chief, Epidemiology Workforce Branch
Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
SER MODERATOR
Michael L. Jackson, PhD, MPH
Associate Scientific Investigator
Kaiser Permanente
CDC EIS Officer (2008-2010)
SER Member, Since 2011
GLOBAL DISEASE DETECTIVES
September 16, 2020, 12-1pm ET
“Strategies for Successful Remote Mentor-Mentee Relationships”
The importance and feasibility of mentorship from afar extends beyond current social distancing guidelines. Accordingly, this upcoming webinar focuses on the makings of successful mentors as well as mentees. Our panelists are eager to pass on their combined decades of experience remoting guiding trainees to early-stage scholars. Topics include expectation-setting, workflow management, and collaborations. Registering will give participants an opportunity to anonymously submit queries beforehand.
PANELIST
Anne Marie Jukic, PhD, MSPH
Investigator
National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences
Epidemiology Branch
PANELIST

Senior Associate
Dean of Research
Professor
Ohio State University
PANELIST
Maureen A. Murtaugh, PhD, RDN
Professor
Division of Epidemiology
Department of Medicine
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Population Health
PANELIST
Martha Werler
Professor and Chair of Epidemiology
Boston University
School of Public Health
President, SER
MODERATOR
Kendra Sims
Doctoral Candidate
Oregon State University
September 9, 2020, 12-1pm EST
“CSTE Applied Fellowship Program“
Please join us for SER’s first, collaborative webinar with The Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Applied Epidemiology Fellowship (AEF) Program! Hosted by Amanda Masters, the Deputy Director for Governance, Strategy and Support Program (CSTE), join us to learn about this Applied Epidemiology Fellowship program! This unique fellowship program is designed for recent master’s or doctoral level graduates in Epidemiology (or a related field) whom are interested in public health practice at the state/local level. Following an overview of the program, two CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellows will present their research. Following the presentations, the panelists will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding the program.
This event is sponsored by SER’s Membership & Nominations Committee
HOST
Amanda Masters, MPH
CSTE Deputy Director of Governance
Strategy and Support
CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellows
MODERATOR
August 19, 2020, 12:00pm – 1:30pm EDT
“Networking, the Job Market, and the Pandemic”
This upcoming professional development panel addresses early career advancement during the unique constraints posed by 2020. Professionals from government, industry, and academia will reflect upon their own winding career paths and discuss the state of the pandemic job market, opportunities and challenges. Participants will then have an opportunity to ask about remote networking advice and job search strategies. Registering will give participants an opportunity to anonymously submit queries beforehand.
PANELIST
Adan Z. Becerra, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Associate Program Director for Clinical Research
Department of Surgery
Rush University Medical Center
PANELIST
Stephen E. Gilman, ScD
Senior Investigator and Chief
Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch
Division of Intramural Population Health Research
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development
PANELIST
Jennifer Rider, ScD, MPH
Associate Director, Outcomes Science & Services
PANELIST
Rulla Tamimi, ScD
Weill Cornell Medicine
(Interim) Assistant Professor
of Population Health Sciences
Division Chief of Epidemiology
Associate Director
of Population Science
Sandra and Edward Meyer
Cancer Center
July 29, 2020, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT
“Health equity during the COVID-19 pandemic: urban-rural dimensions”
Sponsored by the SER Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee, this upcoming SERexpert event will explore the differential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural and urban communities in the US. Speakers will describe the impact of COVID-19 on rural and urban communities, challenges to confronting the virus and inequities in who is impacted within and between these settings. Given the differences in population density, access to health care and population demographics a focus on rural and urban communities will help highlight the dimensions of inequity exacerbated by COVID-19.
This event is sponsored by SER’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee
PRESENTER
Mary Bassett
Harvard University
PRESENTER
Carrie Henning-Smith
University of Minnesota
MODERATOR
May 13, 2020
Grant writing for early career epidemiologists, part III: Funding opportunities from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The last in the three-part series on grant writing for trainees will highlight some non-traditional funding opportunities. Foundational grants are among the lesser known alternatives to those offered by governmental agencies, and are available to researchers at various career stages and often to non-U.S. citizens. During presentations of their projects as well as attendee Q and A, a panel of interdisciplinary researchers will be able to speak to the unique considerations involved in obtaining funding from private agencies.
This event is sponsored by SER’s Student and PostDoc Committee
PANELIST
Max Aung, PhD, MPH
University of Michigan
School of Public Health
PANELIST
Brittney Butler, MPH
Ohio State University
College of Public Health
PANELIST
Magdalena Cerda, DrPH
New York University
School of Medicine
MODERATOR
Kendra Sims, MPH
Oregon State University
February 19, 2020, 12-1pm EST
Grant Writing for Early Career Epidemiologists, Part II:
“Jumpstarting a career-building research project (pre-doctoral perspective)”
The second in the three-part series on grant writing for trainees will focus on pre-doctoral level fellowships. Three recent recipients of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31) will briefly present on the training plans accompanying their dissertation project, before answering attendee questions. Learn how professional and personal experiences can inform the process of formulating research ideas, ways to leverage institutional resources as well as mentorship, and approaches for incorporating feedback.
This event is sponsored by SER’s Student and Postdoc Committee
PANELIST
Alexis Reeves, MPH
PhD candidate in Epidemiologic Science at the University of Michigan. Read more
PANELIST
Joëlla Adams, MPH
PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. Read more
PANELIST
Mary Willis, MPH
PhD candidate in Environmental and occupational Health with a minor in Biological Data Science at Oregon State University. Read more
MODERATOR
Kendra Sims
Doctoral Candidate in Epidemiology at Oregon State University.
September 11, 2019, 12-1pm EST
“Grant Writing for Early Career Epidemiologists, Part I: Writing Your Own Postdoctoral Training Grant (Fs and Ks)“
Join us for the first in a 3-part series about grant writing for trainees! This webinar will focus on topics relevant to NIH postdoc Fs and Ks: general application requirements, submission timelines, and recommended resources. Our panel includes current and prior awardees, along with an experienced mentor. After describing their own experiences, the panelists will answer any questions you have about the process.