Introduction
My name is Sydney Woods, and I’m a 3rd year PhD Candidate in Neuroscience completing my dissertation in the lab of Dr. Abigail Polter. I wrote this blog post to detail the many opportunities available to students interested in pursuing a science policy career, or just using their research backgrounds to stay more politically involved! These are based on my personal experiences as a neuroscientist- if you have more opportunities or resources for other fields, please reach out to me at swoods21@gwu.edu and I’d be happy to link them at the end!
Opportunities at GWU
The GWU IBS program puts tremendous effort into providing students with career development opportunities that provide insight into a wide range of career paths, such as academia, industry, science policy, etc. As a first-year student, I was able to attend several events with speakers from the science policy field, including the GWU SOBS 2nd annual Werling-Chiaramello lecture featuring Dr. Catherine Young, and the GWU IBS Career Day open to all students featuring Dr. Jaclyn Brennan. Both women discussed their transitions from the research to science policy fields, their completion of science and technology policy fellowships (including the AAAS STPF and the ASME Congressional Bioengineering Fellowship), and advice to interested students. The IBS program also hosts a Fall and Spring Science Career and Professional Development Seminar Series, and in Spring 2023 we heard from Dr. Julia Omotade, a senior science policy specialist from the Association of American Medical Colleges. She discussed her journey from academia to consulting and on to science policy, and she is now adjunct faculty for GW CCAS! So, if you’re interested in hearing more about a career in science policy, keep your eyes peeled for the Career Day and Professional Development speakers.
Advocating on the Hill
Given GWU’s location and involvement in the political climate, I have had several opportunities to get involved in science policy outside the program but right here in DC. This year, I participated for the second time in the Rally for Medical Research, an opportunity sponsored by the AAMC that I first learned about by email from the IBS program. This rally takes place over two days, with the first session being a short training on scientific advocacy and why NIH funding for research must continuously be increased. The second session involves spending a full day on Capitol Hill, meeting with legislators as a group, and sharing our stories as researchers (and clinicians). In my first year, I participated with a group representing North Carolina (my home state). We met with NC legislators in the House and Senate to advocate for increased NIH funding for medical research. This year, I was able to represent DC and meet with Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office and explain some of my dissertation work and why continued NIH funding is critical for the ongoing mental health crisis. During this experience, I was able to gain invaluable skills and education on the inner workings of the policy and advocacy world, something we aren’t fully taught as scientists. If advocating on the Hill sounds like something you might be interested in, I highly recommend signing up for the AAMC Rally for Medical Research, or checking to see when your professional society might be hosting one (for example, SfN, AACR, ACS, ASM, AAI, and ASBMB all appear to have their own hill days/advocacy groups, to name a few!).
Science Policy and Advocacy in Professional Societies
In addition to hosting hill days, many professional societies create other opportunities for young scientists to become involved in science policy and advocacy. This might include programming during annual conferences and meetings, such as career panels, networking, or advocacy events. For example, I attended Society for Neuroscience 2023 here in Washington, DC. During the meeting, I attended an “alternative” career panel, where a woman from the FDA spoke on her science policy journey and provided insight on applying for fellowships (she completed the AAAS STPF), finding mentors in the field, and using the transferrable skills acquired in a PhD in a new career field. This was an incredible opportunity to explore career options outside academia, and I believe this event was the #1 most bookmarked event of the conference! Another science policy opportunity at Neuroscience 2023 was the poster session for the Early Career Program Ambassadors, which is a program SfN offers for early career scientists to meet with policymakers and gain science advocacy skills. This session featured poster presentations highlighting their work during the year, and while I, unfortunately, was unable to attend, I have met several previous members of the ECPA program who have found later success in the policy field.
Lastly, and due to Neuroscience 2023 being held in DC this year, I was able to attend a Congressional Neuroscience Caucus Briefing titled “The Invisible Threat: Understanding, Recognizing, and Treating PTSD.” This event was hosted on the Hill at the Capitol Visitors Center, and all SfN 2023 attendees were welcome to attend with their badge. We heard from an expert panel of speakers on the latest discoveries and research areas in PTSD treatment, and how Congress can play a role in advancing these therapeutic approaches. Excitingly, we also heard from the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus co-chairs, Representative Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) and Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), on how this bipartisan coalition is doing its part to promote a better understanding of how the brain develops, functions, and ages. This experience was invaluable to me to see members of Congress passionate about our research, and I hope that other students take advantage of similar opportunities. For example, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) appears to host several events throughout the year including congressional briefings and annual meeting events related to science policy and advocacy. Additionally, the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) also hosts a Washington Fellows Program, which trains fellows in science policy and advocacy on Capitol Hill.
Getting Involved in a Local Chapter/Organization
During my second year as a graduate student, I began attending meetings and seminars for the DC Metro Area Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN DCMA). They began advertising for a Neuropolicy co-chair position, so I applied and was lucky enough to be selected! During the first six months on the executive board, I collaborated with other members to host SfN DCMA social or professional development events to foster collaboration and communication in the DC neuroscience community. Finally, this October I was able to co-host a career panel titled “From Neuroscience to Science Policy”, featuring two women from Pfizer and MIT Washington who used their PhDs in neuroscience to pursue science policy careers. A fun fact to emphasize the importance of networking: I met both of these women at the National Health Research Forum (which I’ll discuss below)! Several IBS students were able to attend and found the seminar interesting and helpful, which was my hope all along. My best advice and takeaway from the experience thus far is to join a professional group or society based on your research interests. As previously mentioned, I’m speaking from my experience with SfN, but I imagine other professional societies have DC chapters and science policy positions or committees as well.
Research!America and the National Health Research Forum
Another opportunity for all students wishing to get involved is signing up for the Research!America listserv. Research!America is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocacy for science, discovery, and innovation to achieve better health for all. I receive weekly emails with updates on science-related happenings and topics in government, as well as announcements for frequent virtual seminars or in-person events. This year, I had the wonderful experience of attending the Research!America 2023 National Health Research Forum, which I first heard about through email but was actually hosted on campus at GWU! This event consisted of a two-day program, with the first day including several virtual discussions on science policy topics, such as the ongoing mental health crisis and misinformation in science. The second day was a full afternoon in-person event, where we heard from a prestigious array of speakers including Dr. Lawrence Tabak, the current NIH director, and Dr. Nevan Krogran, the Director of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute at UCSF, whose group was the first to obtain constructs for SARS-CoV-2 and thereby assist vaccine development worldwide. Following the panel discussions and speakers, we attended a networking event for participants where I was able to speak with young professionals in the field about their journeys, experience with fellowships (or without), and other opportunities available to me during my graduate degree. Of all the science policy events I attended this year, the National Health Research Forum was by far the most inspiring and most useful to me, and included discussions of science and technology across disciplines (click HERE to watch recordings of the presentations). I highly recommend checking this out, or other Research!America events in the future!
Other Opportunities- JSPG and NSPN
As you’ve gathered by reading this far, there are many opportunities out there to get involved in science and technology policy! Although I don’t have personal experience with these organizations, I have heard great things from others in the field about the Journal of Science Policy and Governance and the National Science Policy Network.
The Journal of Science Policy and Governance (JSPG) is a non-profit organization and open-access, peer-reviewed publication dedicated to elevating students and early-career researchers in bolstering their research and writing credentials in science policy. Anyone in their early scientific career is welcome to submit an article for publication, which can be crafted in a variety of formats, such as policy memos or briefs, op-eds, and other policy papers. Topics can range widely from AI and data science to drug development and STEM education, so authors are encouraged to write about policy areas they’re passionate about. For those who are interested, JSPG also offers a year-long Ambassador Program where graduate and undergraduate students can apply to work on an array of projects while strengthening their writing and communication skills. Fun fact: our very own Claire Charpentier Moran is currently a JSPG Ambassador for the 2023 cohort!
The National Science Policy Network is an association of individuals and local chapters that provides education and training in Science Policy, Communication, Advocacy, Diplomacy, Equity, and Inclusion. Their committees and programs regularly host events and workshops, writing workshops, and more to expand your knowledge, portfolio, and resume. GW has an official NSPN chapter, the GW Science Policy Hub (or SciPolHub), that was founded in 2019 by another GW graduate, Jaclyn Brennan! I am unaware whether the chapter is currently active, but there are several resources available on their website as well.
Looking Forward
There are several science and technology policy fellowship opportunities accepting recent PhD graduates, including the most well-known, the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF). This is a year-long placement of scientists and engineers in the federal government to learn first-hand about policymaking and contribute their scientific and analytical knowledge. Many of the speakers and other scientists I’ve mentioned in this post are previous AAAS STPF fellows, and they have access to an extensive professional network. AAAS STPF receive a generous stipend (89K-116K + health insurance), and are well-prepared for a variety of professional careers upon completion of the program. To my knowledge, there are several new state-level fellowship opportunities available so I would definitely recommend looking into those as well!
As a final thought, I would love to speak with anyone in the program interested in science policy to hopefully build a stronger network at GW. Further, if anyone has more science policy opportunities please send me a message at swoods21@gwu.edu, and I’d be happy to add them as additional resources below. Thanks for taking the time to read and I hope this is helpful! Shoutout to Carissa and Brita for helping me put this together 🙂
About the Author
I was born and raised in the small town of Lexington, North Carolina, known for its famous Lexington-style Barbecue. I attended North Carolina State University (Go Pack!), where I received a B.S. in Human Biology and a minor in Political Science. I also received an M.S. in Neuroscience from East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, where I obtained my first research lab experience and decided to apply for PhD programs. As I mentioned, I’m currently a 3rd year PhD candidate in the Polter Lab. We are using electrophysiology, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and mouse behavioral assays to assess the circuit and synaptic-level effects of stress and adversity. Broadly, my project will focus on how early life stress affects the development of serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nuclei and their involvement in controlling social behaviors, such as social interaction and social dominance. Outside the lab, I currently serve as an executive board member and social chair for the GWU Student Organization for Biomedical Scientists (SOBS). I also serve as Neuropolicy Chair for the DC Metro Area Chapter of SfN. In my free time, I enjoy reading and going to book club, attending concerts and art events in the city, and relaxing with my cat, Sansa!
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