2026 National Postdoc Appreciation Week!

STOP BY * PICK UP * CONNECT

Stop by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) OR the Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs (BPP) offices to pick-up your 2026 NPAW swag, enjoy coffee and cookies, and connect with fellow postdocs and administrators. Then get ready for the exciting week of events!

2026 NPAW giveaways will be available for pickup. 

Location:

• Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs - John Morgan Building, M102 (mezzanine floor)
• Office of Postdoctoral Affairs - College Hall, Room 205

No Registration Required

Kick off 2026 National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) as board members of the NPA dive into issues facing the postdoctoral community today, while keeping one eye toward the past and another toward the future. Leaders at institutions that house postdocs and postdoctoral scholars themselves will honor and celebrate the hard work being conducted today by researchers, explore the adversity faced by many, and imagine positive changes the future can bring through intentional collective efforts.

Moderator: Andrea Pereyra, M.D., Ph.D., assistant director of postdoctoral life design, Johns Hopkins University; chair, NPA Board of Directors

Panelists: Florencia Anunziata, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego; chair, NPA Postdoc Council; Pallabi Bhowmick, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate, Human Factors and Aging Lab, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; vice chair, NPA Postdoc Council; Wesley D. Marner II, Ph.D., director of engagement, education, and equity, Morgridge Institute for Research; NPA Board of Directors; Robin Colomb Sugiura, M.A., director of postdoctoral training, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Stanford University; NPA Board of Directors

Location: Virtual

Registration: Click to register

NAVIGATE * STRENGTHEN * BECOME INDISPENSABLE

Taking on a postdoctoral fellowship prepares you to conduct exceptional research as you move toward an independent career path. This keynote is designed to help you navigate the workplace dynamics that shape your professional reputation, relationships, and everyday experience at work.

Join Wharton Lecturer and Workplace Dynamics Speaker Ana Welsh as she shares the unwritten rules that help professionals become Indispensable by making work easier for others and for themselves.

Through relatable stories, practical strategies, and interactive reflection, you'll learn how to:

• Develop an Indispensable mindset and perspective.
• Strengthen your Signature Self™ - the professional identity you're intentionally creating.
• Manage up with confidence and navigate mentor relationships effectively.
• Depersonalize different personalities to strengthen collaboration and communication.
• Give and receive feedback in ways that build trust and credibility.

Whether you're collaborating in the lab, contributing to research, or preparing for what's next, you'll leave with practical tools you can immediately apply to strengthen your professional reputation and become the kind of colleague and collaborator others trust, respect, and seek out to work with.

About the speaker:

Ana Welsh is a Wharton Lecturer and Workplace Dynamics Speaker who helps high-performing professionals become Indispensable in today's evolving workplace. Before launching her speaking and coaching practice, she spent a decade as a Vice President within a high-growth healthcare organization, helping scale Schweiger Dermatology Group from two to 93 offices while building an award-winning culture and significantly reducing employee turnover.

Today, Ana serves as a Lecturer at the Wharton School, where she teaches Business Communication for Impact, a required sophomore leadership course that prepares students to communicate effectively, build influence, and navigate the interpersonal dynamics of the modern workplace.

In addition to teaching at Wharton, Ana partners with organizations across healthcare, higher education, finance, and technology. She has delivered professional development programming for researchers and PhD trainees at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and works with organizations including Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Comcast, Lincoln Financial Group, Incyte and WSFS.

Through her engaging, story-driven approach, Ana equips audiences with the unwritten rules that strengthen professional identity, workplace relationships, and long-term career success.

2026 NPAW giveaways will NOT be available for pickup 

Location: Abramson Research Center (CHOP), 123 ABC (virtual option available)

Registration Required: Click to register

Co-sponsored by the Graduate Career Consortium and National Postdoctoral Association

Graduate students and postdocs are often asked to mentor undergraduate students, summer interns, rotation students, or research assistants while simultaneously making progress on their own research and career goals. Mentoring can be rewarding while providing an opportunity to develop leadership and teaching skills. However, mentoring can also be challenging, especially when done at the wrong time or without necessary boundaries, appropriate training, and support from your principal investigator.

Mentoring From the Middle is a three-part workshop series designed for doctoral students and postdocs. The series provides practical strategies for building productive mentoring relationships, supporting learning, and addressing problems before they become unmanageable. The goal is to help you find balance between being a supportive mentor and protecting your own time, research, and professional development.

We highly encourage attendance at all three sessions; there is no charge for attendance.

Speaker: Sharon Milgram, Ph.D., founder, Sharon Milgram & Associates; former director, NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education

UNIT I. Setting the Stage For Success
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | 12:00-1:00 PM ET (virtual)
In this webinar, we will explore factors to consider in advance of mentoring a student and discuss how to engage with interns through the onboarding and orientation process. Communication related to research projects, boundaries, and expectation setting will be discussed within the context of psychological safety and belonging in the mentoring relationship and group.

Location: Virtual

Registration: Click here to register

Empowering Your Postdoc Experience: A holistic approach to identifying and advocating for your career and professional development needs

This workshop will introduce the "Postdoc Pillars of Support" within the Supporting the Whole Postdoc Toolkit framework. Participants will complete a needs assessment to identify areas where they will benefit from more support and learn about available resources.

Speakers: Heather Dillon, career and professional development program manager, Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Affairs, Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, University of California, San Diego; Amber Ismael, Ph.D., senior program manager, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; Peter Myers, Ph.D., associate director, postdoctoral education and partnerships, Washington University in St. Louis; Karena Nguyen, Ph.D., assistant director of postdoctoral services, Georgia Tech; Elizabeth Salm, Ph.D., director, graduate and postdoctoral training & development, Georgetown University

Location: Virtual

Registration: Click here to register

RELAX * UNWIND * RECHARGE

Sponsored by Proteintech

Join us for a relaxing morning to help you unwind and recharge mid-week. A light breakfast and coffee will help you recharge, while certified therapy dogs from Comfort Caring Canines will help get you over that Wednesday morning hump and ready to face the rest of the week! 

2026 NPAW giveaways will be available for pickup. 

Location: McNeil Building, 2nd floor atrium

Registration Encouraged: Click to register

COOL-OFF * SOCIALIZE * CELEBRATE

Come cool off and enjoy a variety of Philly favorites, including ice cream, water ice, and pretzels, at the annual NPAW social! It's a great opportunity to meet fellow postdocs, catch up with friends, and celebrate National Postdoc Appreciation Week.

2026 NPAW giveaways will NOT be available for pickup 

Location: Curie Blvd (Stellar-Chance/ Blockely Hall), (rain location - KRB 14th, floor)

Registration Encouraged: Click to register

NETWORK * EXPLORE * BUILD

Connect with former Penn and CHOP postdocs who have successfully transitioned into a variety of career paths beyond their postdoctoral work. These informal networking conversations are a chance to hear firsthand about their career journeys, ask questions, and gain insights into different industries, roles, and career transitions. Each virtual conversation is 1:1 and 20 minutes.  Sign up for for a maximum of 3 sessions to help you expand your network! 

You can sign up for a maximum of 3 sessions. Once you have selected your time slots, you must press “register” in the top right corner of the Handshake event page. If you need to cancel your registration, select “Unregister” from the menu on the right. Please note that unregistering will cancel your event registration and remove you from ALL scheduled time slots. Once you are unregistered, you can re-register for other times/people.

For any questions or issues with registering for sessions, please contact Dr. Joseph Barber at Penn Career Services (barberjo@upenn.edu)

Location: Virtual via Handshake

Registration Required: Click to register (via Handshake)

REST * DE-STRESS * RECHARGE

Step away from the lab and into relaxation. Enjoy a soothing massage chair experience designed to help you de-stress, recharge, and prioritize your well-being.

Location: College Hall, Room 214

Registration: First Come, First Serve (NO REGISTRATION)

EAT * DRINK * ENJOY

Enjoy great food and good conversation at the NPAW barbeque! 
All postdocs are invited to attend this annual tradition. 

2026 NPAW giveaways will be available for pickup. 

Location: CHOP Colket Translational Research Building (CTRB) Lobby

Registration Encouraged: Click to register

REST * DE-STRESS * RECHARGE

Step away from the lab and into relaxation. Enjoy a soothing massage chair experience designed to help you de-stress, recharge, and prioritize your well-being.

Location: John Morgan Building, Room M100

Registration: First Come, First Serve (NO REGISTRATION)

EAT * DRINK * ENJOY ... some more! 

Come wrap up NPAW 2026, and start your weekend off right, at the annual closing reception and happy hour.  

2026 NPAW giveaways will NOT be available for pickup. 

Location: Penn Live Arts, Class of 1994 Studio Lounge 

Registration Encouraged: Click to register