July 8, 2005

Hasan named director of Office for Research Career Development

Tayyaba Hasan, PhD, of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, (below) has been named director of the new Office for Research Career Development (ORCD), part of the MGH Center for Faculty Development. Established to meet the needs and concerns of the hospital's growing research community that have been identified and discussed over the past four years, the ORCD began operation July 1.

"We have felt we needed a very specific focus on programs to meet the particular needs of our basic researchers — both MDs and PhDs," says Nancy Tarbell, MD, director of the Center for Faculty Development. "Tayyaba has come up through the ranks to become a full Harvard professor — a huge accomplishment — and has served on many committees addressing issues for women and for the PhD community, including leading the Harvard Medical School Joint Committee on the Status of Women. She understands the challenges facing both young postdocs and senior investigators, and we know her work will add a depth and breadth to what we will be able to offer our research faculty."

Hasan adds, "The overall mission of the ORCD will be to work for better recognition of the contributions made by basic scientists and to provide this faculty group with a clear and transparent pathway towards promotion and career development. It will seek to enhance communication and collaborations within the research community. One of our priorities is to strategize, with input from the research community and Human Resources, on the development and the rollout of a career development policy for postdoctoral research fellows, who play a critical role in the successful conduct of research at the MGH and in whose careers the hospital's leadership is highly vested."

For more information about the ORCD, which will be located in Bulfinch 370-F, call (617) 643-2589.