Npa Announces New Cohort Of Impact Fellows: Six Remarkable Postdocs Hailing From Underrepresented Communities Form Fourth Impact Class

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 7, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) today announced the members of its fourth class of scholars in its signature program designed to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the postdoctoral community and beyond. The six fellows in the NPA’s 2024-2025 IMPACT Fellowship Program (“IMPACT”) are postdoctoral researchers representing diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and geographies.

Image caption: National Postdotoral Association.

“We are thrilled to welcome this new cohort of remarkable individuals who are not only striving to reach their full potential but committed to lift up one another along the way,” commented Thomas P. Kimbis, J.D., executive director and chief executive officer of the NPA. “By strengthening themselves through the IMPACT Fellowship, they position themselves as leaders within their fields, their communities, and society.”

IMPACT was launched in 2021 to empower postdoctoral scholars from underrepresented backgrounds to build skills, understand strengths, and develop networks. Competition for seats in the fourth year of the program stayed consistently strong with last year, with nearly one hundred applicants from across the country for only six positions. This year’s selectees are early-career professionals in fields ranging from evolutionary biology and mechanical engineering to climate science and organizational leadership.

Fellows begin this month with a 16-month program that allows them to recognize and build upon their strengths, learn from their peers, network with experts, connect with IMPACT alums who have already completed the program, and gain additional mentors, allowing them to advance confidently in their careers. IMPACT Fellows also use the knowledge, tools, and resources they gain from the program to implement innovative activities or initiatives at their institutions that amplify the impact of the fellowship as they contribute back to home communities.

“We are just beginning to grasp the full reach and impact this program has on both IMPACT Fellows and their communities,” said Caleb McKinney, Ph.D., MPS, chair of the NPA board of directors. “In the right environment, a small cohort of diverse leaders like this one builds capacity to positively affect thousands.”

• NPA IMPACT Fellows, Class of 2025:
• Kati Kish Bar-On, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Helen Wagner Coello, Ph.D., Florida International University
• Ramisa Fariha, Ph.D., Brown University
• Hager Kowash, Ph.D., University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Tracie McCargo, Ph.D., The Chicago School / Harvard Extension School
• Colette Ngana, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University

IMPACT is made possible through the generosity of its sponsors, who have included the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Charles River Laboratories, Columbia University, Gallagher Insurance, LS-PAC MODELS Center, the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of Chicago, and the National Science Foundation. The NPA is seeking additional sponsors to support underrepresented communities of scholars, promote their own diversity goals, and advance discussion and action in areas needing critical attention.

Learn more: https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/page/IMPACTProgram.

Academic institutions, companies, and nonprofit funders wishing to engage with the NPA can read more about available sponsorship opportunities – https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/store/ListProducts.aspx?catid=839646.

About National Postdoctoral Association:

The NPA is a national charitable and educational nonprofit association headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, that seeks to improve the postdoctoral experience by supporting a culture of inclusive connection. Individuals seeking to support NPA and its charitable mission, please visit https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/page/donate.

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News Source: National Postdoctoral Association

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