Before embarking on her journey to pursue a career in academic medicine and research, Gamble-George felt the need to do more with her brain science doctorate. So, she began her American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a public health emergency. For Gamble-George, the AAAS STPF in the executive branch at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research institute in the world, would be a life-changing experience.
Since 1973, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annually selects doctorate holders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines at different career stages for their Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF). These fellowships span all branches of the U.S. federal government and provide countless opportunities to learn about and engage in federal policymaking processes. Joyonna Gamble-George, Ph.D., who pursued neuroscience pre-doctoral training at Vanderbilt University, had future hopes of working as an independent academic scientist and developing new drug therapies to treat people suffering from anxiety and depression. But, before embarking on her journey to pursue a career in academic medicine and research, she felt the need to do more with her brain science doctorate. So, she began her AAAS STPF fellowship, a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a public health emergency. For Gamble-George, the AAAS STPF in the executive branch at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research agency in the world, would be a life-changing experience.
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS ARE A SCIENTIST’S TREASURE
During graduate training, postdoctoral scholars develop the ability to quickly understand new subject matters and organize and communicate complex information to a wide range of audiences. Gamble-George utilized these skills as a project scientist in the Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS) within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). She led the federal scientific efforts for a research project-cooperative agreement (U01), called the ImPlementation REsearCh to DEvelop interventions for People Living with HIV (PRECluDE) consortium. The consortium extends over 12 U.S. geographical areas at more than 30 healthcare organizations and comprises five multidisciplinary research teams. It uses strategies to address barriers to the scale-up and application of guideline-based interventions in community and clinical settings to prevent, treat, and control cardiopulmonary and mental health comorbid diseases and disorders among people living with HIV (PLWHIV). The existing HIV care continuum does not include guideline-based care for these comorbid diseases and disorders prevalent among PLWHIV. The consortium aims to address this public health problem.
| Other skill sets postdoctoral scholars have in their arsenal from their doctoral academic experiences include collaborating on research projects, facilitating group discussions, conducting meetings, and navigating complex hierarchical environments. |
Gamble-George is also involved in the trans-NHLBI HIV/AIDS Program Team. The NHLBI HIV/AIDS Program coordinates and leads all HIV-related research, training, and education programs on heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. Through this program, she used her writing skills to review administrative supplement applications related to HIV/AIDS research priorities. These skills, along with interpersonal and leadership skills, became instrumental when Gamble-George was selected to chair an objective review committee similar to an NIH study section for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Office of Minority Health. She led grant review panelists in evaluating the technical aspects of grant proposals detailing a three-year-long $40 million initiative – the National Infrastructure for Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 within Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities (NIMIC). The NIMIC will create a nationwide network of community-based organizations to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in racial and ethnic minority, rural, and socially vulnerable communities.
Other skill sets postdoctoral scholars have in their arsenal from their doctoral academic experiences include collaborating on research projects, facilitating group discussions, conducting meetings, and navigating complex hierarchical environments. Gamble-George applied these skills when she served on two trans-NIH Special Populations Research Forum (SPRF) working groups to develop recommendations that address disparities in morbidity and mortality among underserved and COVID-19 vulnerable populations. Her work led to serving on the SPRF Clinical Research Recommendations Committee to facilitate a systematic review on evidence-based strategies that increase the inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities in clinical research. She even collaborated with other working group members, such as those in the NHLBI Women’s Health Working Group (WHWG) and the NHLBI All of Us Research Program, to author several publications, including their graphic illustrations. These publications included a commentary on racial inequities in heart failure care, a review on hypertensive disorders, the leading cause of maternal mortality and stillbirths in the United States, in pregnancy, and a paper on HIV-related stigma included in AIDS and Behavior.
STEPPING OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE IS WORTHWHILE
Gamble-George was trained to be a cellular and molecular neuroscientist. She has studied the intricacies of how emotions, memory, and decision-making processes work in the brain to develop treatments and improve our understanding of various diseases and disorders. Yet, as an AAAS STPF, she has learned that being put in positions outside of her comfort zone or knowledge expertise can allow her to make a real difference in society.
Gamble-George experienced many firsts as an AAAS STPF. For one, she led a competition, the NHLBI Hope for Sickle Cell Disease Challenge, to inspire the next generation of STEM pioneers and increase awareness about sickle cell disease (SCD). The Challenge stimulated students to use STEAM (A refers to the arts) to create digital health education tools that solve a major public health problem-myths about SCD in public, using evidence-based information about SCD. In addition, her knowledge across medical, technology, and education domains allowed CTRIS to expand the Challenge for outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving institutions (HSIs) and to students that majored in the humanities and social sciences.
Secondly, she experienced the administrative side of the U.S. research enterprise. Gamble-George helped develop a research funding opportunity on familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic disorder that leads to premature heart disease. Additionally, she served on the planning committee for a workshop on implementation research in low- and middle-income countries and small island developing states and as a moderator for a workshop on behavioral economics. Among several other new experiences, Gamble-George also conducted grant portfolio analyses to identify research gaps and opportunities.
In Gamble-George’s opinion, these experiences made her a more well-rounded individual. She learned more about herself (especially her strengths, weaknesses, and passions), became more adaptable to change and challenging work environments, enhanced her creativity, and expanded her professional network. To this end, Gamble-George suggests that applying your expert skill sets acquired during your doctoral and post-doctoral training is a vital asset for your personal growth and professional development. It can also help you advance public health initiatives to better society at different ecological levels.
Joyonna Gamble-George, Ph.D., M.H.A., is a health scientist and AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Institutes of Health and an associate editor of The POSTDOCket.
*This article was published in the December Issue of the POSTDOCket (Issue: 4, Vol: 19, Month: December), the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) newsletter which covers news items and features of interest to the postdoctoral community.
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