Postdoctoral Association
Established in 2003, the Weill Medical College Postdoctoral Association is an independent organization run by and for the college's 300+ postdocs. The Association is dedicated to advocating on behalf of the postdoctoral community and to providing regular opportunities for scientific and social interaction among postdoctoral trainees throughout the college and tri-institutional community. With advice and support from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Postdoctoral Association worked successfully to establish stipend standards based on the NIH guidelines, gain representation on the General Faculty Council (the College's governing body) and the Joint Faculty and Postdoctoral Advisory Committee, initiated monthly happy hours and a weekly film club, and held the first-ever postdoc research day on October 14, 2005.
With Advice and Support from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Postdoctoral Association:
- Worked to successfully establish stipend standards based on the NIH guidelines
- Has gained representation on the General Faculty Council and the Postdoctoral Advisory Committee
- Organizes Postdoctoral Research Days
- Initiates monthly social events
- Attends the National Postdoc Association Annual Meeting
- Continues to work to address issues and concerns of the postdoctoral community
Postdoc Email List
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs maintains a list of email addresses; this list is used to distribute regular announcements of interest to the postdoctoral community (e.g. discounted Broadway tickets, Postdoctoral Association-sponsored events, and funding and job opportunities). Please send your name and Weill Cornell Medical College email address to postdocaffairs@med.cornell.edu if you wish to be added to the list.
Postdoctoral Association Executive Committee
Below is a current list of the members of the Executive Committee. Feel free to contact them with any questions or concerns you may wish to have addressed by Administration.
Executive Members:
Amanda Sadacca (President)
Amanda Sadacca is the current President of the WCMC Postdoctoral Association. She is a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Dr. Timothy McGraw in the Biochemistry Department. Amanda received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University, and her BA in the Biological Basis of Behavior and Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Here at WCMC, Amanda studies diabetes, specifically the response of adipocytes to insulin and the trafficking of the glucose transporter GLUT4. While Vice-President and acting President of the WCMC PDA, Amanda has initiated surveys to assess the needs and demographics of the postdoctoral community, advocated on behalf of postdocs being evicted from NYP housing, and has led a reorganization of the PDA into topic-specific subcommittees. In addition to her research and work with the PDA, Amanda enjoys cooking, travel, and reading classic literature.
Harvey F. Chin (Vice President)
Harvey Chin is currently serving as Vice-President of the WCMC Postdoctoral Association. He has been a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Frederick Maxfield in the Biochemistry Department at WCMC since 2010, studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of macrophage interactions with lipoproteins in atherogenesis. Harvey received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and his B.A. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. During the last few years, Harvey has been an active member of the WCMC PDA, serving on planning committees for Postdoctoral Research Day and PDA Family Picnics. As Co-Chair of the PDA Institutional Affairs Subcommittee, he has worked closely with the Human Resources Department to develop new orientation programs for Academic Employees of WCMC. Harvey aims for the PDA to be a force to assist postdocs pursue their career goals by providing the best working environments that encourage productivity and camaraderie.
Julia Detert (Treasurer/Secretary)
Julia Detert is the current treasurer/secretary of the WCMC Postdoctoral Association. She came to WCMC in June 2011, and she is a postdoc in the Anesthesiology Department in Dr. Hugh Hemmings lab studying the role of protein phosphatases on brain injury and recovery. Julia received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Behavioral Neuroscience and her BA in Psychology from Winona State University in Minnesota. Since becoming a PDA board member and acting secretary/treasurer, she has worked on reorganizing the structure of the PDA, helped plan social events, and helped plan career and work-life balance events. In addition to her work as a postdoc, Julia enjoys spending time with her young daughter and helping with school activities, volunteering at the zoo, and watching sports, especially baseball.
Committee Members:
Frances Gratacos
Manu Jain
Mayako Michino
Madhumitha Nandakumar
Kwame Osei-Sarfo
Giovanni Passiatore
Ronald Perez
Amanda Sadacca
Alison Urvalek
The monthly Postdoctoral Association meeting is open to all postdoctoral trainees. Feel free to drop by anytime, the schedule is posted on the Event calendar.
