EACARE continues to expand to meet its mission of providing professional support for young scientists at the RI-MUHC
Source: RI-MUHC
The world of research is not always easy to navigate, particularly for young scientists. To address this issue, a group of young researchers at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has been building a new support network.
As the EArly and mid-CAreer REsearchers network (EACARE) celebrates its first anniversary this month, the founders can be proud of their accomplishments. They have assembled a highly qualified and diverse leadership team of eleven members, including clinicians, entrepreneurs, researchers from a variety of scientific domains, and RI-MUHC alumni working in the biomedical industry. Pooling their experience in a range of training and career choices, members of the EACARE leadership team have one mission ─ to help young scientists realize their career goals.
With the enthusiastic support of Dr. Rhian Touyz, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the RI-MUHC, EACARE launched in 2022 to help meet the career development needs of postdoctoral fellows as well as early- and mid-career research associates and research assistants at the RI-MUHC. In its first year, the new network has focussed on outreach and built strategic collaborations.
In co-hosting four successful events to date for young researchers seeking career options and mentorship, EACARE leaders worked closely with the Desjardins Centre for Advanced Training and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion teams at the RI-MUHC.
“These events reinforced our aim of equipping young scientists with resources to advance their careers, while also stimulating reflection and discussion on relevant issues,” says Ruben Lopez Salazar, one of the founding members of EACARE and a postdoctoral fellow at the RI-MUHC.
“The events focussed on hurdles faced by women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the STEM fields, as well as approaches to becoming a scientific entrepreneur, and tools to help shape an ideal career trajectory,” adds Augusto Montezano, another founding member and a research associate at the RI-MUHC. “It was wonderful to see how these events fostered connections among researchers and facilitated valuable mentorship opportunities.”
While continuing outreach efforts, EACARE is now developing a mentorship program designed to empower emerging and mid-career researchers who wish to advance their careers. EACARE also plans to survey the research community at the RI-MUHC, seeking input on events, topics and tools that could truly shape the professional trajectories of its emerging scientists.
Interested to know more, share an opinion or participate in EACARE? Postdoctoral fellows, research associates, research assistants and other early- to mid-career researchers at the RI‑MUHC are encouraged to write to info@eacare.ca and follow EACARE on Linkedin, X (Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
September 12, 2023
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