Guest Blogger: Andrea Naranjo Erazo, PhD: Co-director, NIH Academy on Health Disparities and Research Ethics Coordinator, OITE

I grew up with a strong desire to be perfect. Always getting A’s, never getting in trouble, and caring deeply of what others thought of me. This was also reflected in my early paintings, where I placed great attention to details, and captured landscapes perfectly.

Every day we experience a myriad of emotions. Our emotional day can be steady or fluctuate between moods, depending upon many internal and external variables. These variables may include the amount we slept, hunger level, stress at home or work, as well as many others. There are times we become stuck emotionally and are unable to break out of an unhealthy cycle. If we are in a “bad” mood or negative frame of mind, we tend to focus our attention inward. It is important to differentiate a bad mood from depression.

Rejection is something we will all deal with at some point in our lives. Unfortunately, this sentiment – meant to give us perspective and a sense of common humanity in our struggle – isn’t one we readily soak in when we’re the person who’s been turned down by our dream job or denied admissions to the medical or graduate school on which we’ve hung the fate of our future. Instead, when dealing with rejection, we often forgo the more helpful, deliberate practices of self-compassion, for our less helpful modus operandi: self-doubt, rumination about what we should have done differently, and worry about the future.

From the Archive: original post from Jan, 2012

With the new year, the season of setting resolutions has begun.  But how can you work toward achieving a goal without letting it completely take over your life? Some goals – research projects, graduate/medical school – can feel all-consuming. It can be easy to get lost in the hustle and feel burnt out along the way. In fact, many report feeling burned out after achieving a long-term goal because instead of a break, there is another new achievement to strive for. For example, after graduation comes a job search and after a job comes a striving for a promotion.

Thorough preparation is essential in advance of any industry job interview to ensure that you perform at the highest level possible.  Making sure that your resume is in order, that you have accessed available sources to obtain vital information both on the company and the person who will be conducting the interview and practicing your responses to anticipated questions are all key to completing a successful interview.  One additional step that is just as important, but often times overlooked is preparing a set of questions to ask of the interviewers to help you determine whether the company and the work environment are right for you.

Post Written By: Adeline Kerviel, PhD, Detailee at OITE

Emotions can sometimes interfere with daily life, personal and career goals, or relationships. Developing strategies to help regulate these emotions can help us adapt and grow through setbacks: to make us more resilient.

The holidays are approaching and believe it or not, this is a great time to reach out to your network. The holiday season and an upcoming new year are the perfect excuse to reach out and extend greetings and updates. One of the most common questions about networking is “How can I effectively maintain a connection?” Most people know the importance of keeping the lines of communication open and warm; however, many lament the fact that it can feel awkward, and they don’t know exactly what to say.

If you are applying to graduate programs, we highly encourage you to watch this video from OITE Director, Dr. Sharon Milgram. In this talk, she details many aspects to help you draft a compelling and successful statement.

Post Written By: Adeline Kerviel, PhD, Detailee at OITE

The third unit* of the OITE workshop “Becoming a resilient scientist”, presented by Dr. Sharon Milgram, focused on self-advocacy and assertiveness. She shared the idea that “Assertiveness is a learned skill built on the foundation of resilience”.