One year ago today, the Behind the Microscope podcast was born. After a great year full of of exciting interviews, new friends and connections, and much growth, we've been reflecting on where we've been and where we're headed next.
Early in our training, we had discovered that there was much to learn outside of the formal curricula of our training programs. We quickly gained appreciation for the critical lessons learned outside the classroom and away from the lab bench through conversations and mentorship relationships with faculty and advanced trainees. In reflecting on the value of the skills acquired and lessons learned in these informal interactions, and in hopes of continuing to learn in this way, we wanted to find a way to uncover this ‘hidden’ curriculum and make it more accessible for all trainees.
To pursue this mission, we began by transforming our conversations into durable resources. Behind the Microscope was born as a podcast, consisting of an online interview series that endeavored to record and distribute career advice from physician-scientists, researchers, and mentors to the wider scientific community. Through this platform, we seek to provide a window into the people and the process of ‘doing science’--a view of ‘science behind the scenes.’
Now, after one year (today!) of recording and sharing our podcast interviews, we’re expanding to include a new avenue to go ‘Behind the Microscope,’ in addition to our usual podcast episodes. Going forward, our window into the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of science will also include written perspectives and resources for career exploration and professional development. By expanding our platform to include a blog, we hope to include, amplify, and promote many more voices than our podcast would otherwise allow. As an executive production team, we will share our own experiences and reflections, but more importantly, we look forward to hearing directly from you and creating a lasting dialogue about life ‘behind the microscope.’
On the blog, you can expect content about careers as scientists and physician scientists and about the process of training and achieving success in these careers. We hope our blog will be a strong resource for trainees, an opportunity to reach out to interested students, and a place for interactive discourse between mentors and trainees. In seeking to be a place of true conversation, we welcome inquiries about contributing to the blog from students, trainees, scientists, physician scientists, administrators, and educators. If you are interested in contributing, please contact us using our contact form or by emailing us at behindthemicroscope.blog@gmail.com.
In the coming weeks, we’ll begin publishing on our blog, and we hope you’ll read along. Happy Birthday, Behind the Microscope, and welcome to the Blog!
Carey Jansen, Bejan Saeedi, Joe Behnke, and Michael Sayegh
BTM Executive Production Team
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