Education & Training
Building a pipeline of talent through outreach, mentorship, and an investment in bright young minds; with Bold Science // Global Impact Campaign support, we will:
- Secure sustainable funding for Wistar’s core education and workforce development programs
- Expand the continuum of Wistar educational programs to create a diverse, inclusive life sciences talent pipeline
Bold Achievements
With more than $52 million raised to date, the Bold Science // Global Impact Campaign for Wistar is already having a transformational impact on the Institute. Outlined below are some of the bold Education & Training achievements made possible through Campaign support thus far.
- Endowment of Biomedical Research Technician Apprenticeship Program
- Expanded core educational cohorts, including Biomedical Technician Training program, high school program, and college programs
- Newly-launched International Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Expansion of our state-of-the-art Training Laboratory
Bold Opportunities
We invite you to be among the visionary donors to the Bold Science // Global Impact Campaign for Wistar. Campaign contributions will propel the Institute’s Education & Training forward through strategic investments in the following areas:
Available endowment and naming opportunities include:
- Endowed Dean of Biomedical Studies
- Endowment for High School Initiatives
- Endowment for Biomedical Technician Training
Biomedical research knows no borders. Scientific exchanges across institutions around the world enrich knowledge, accelerate the pace of discovery, and facilitate the development of new cures.
With funds raised from the Bold Science // Global Impact Campaign, The Wistar Institute will establish a Global Studies Program to coordinate and formalize the Institute’s international educational and workforce development programs as well as global postdoctoral trainee recruitment efforts under a single umbrella.
Building our presence on the global academic stage and piloting our training initiatives abroad will:
- infuse Wistar with a rich, diverse ecosystem of scientific minds;
- broaden the impact of our efforts to cultivate a pipeline of diverse talent in the life sciences and
- multiply the opportunities for more advanced collaborations with Wistar laboratories in the areas of joint research, shared patient material, and clinical trial partnerships.
The vision for the new Global Studies Program includes:
- Strategic recruitment to expand oversight & administration of global academic endeavors and partnerships.
- Existing & expanded international Ph.D. programs and partnerships.
- Extending Wistar’s highly successful Biomedical Technician Training (BTT) workforce development program overseas.
- Enhancements to the International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
Postdoctoral researchers are a critical part of the biomedical research engine, and we are fortunate that many come from around the world to train at The Wistar Institute. Postdocs have obtained their terminal degrees, typically a Ph.D. or an M.D., and are pursuing an outstanding training experience to advance their careers, while contributing to the research efforts and advances of their hosting laboratory. Postdoctoral positions are not permanent and are on a defined time-limit of up to five years.
Postdoctoral fellows at Wistar carry out cutting-edge biomedical research in a world-class facility and benefit from mentorship from leaders in the field, a collaborative research setting, impactful training opportunities, and a competitive salary and benefits package.
International Postdoctoral Fellowships at Wistar support a foreign-born postdoctoral researcher studying immunology, cancer research, and/or vaccine biology who, by virtue of their international citizenship, is not generally eligible for federal institutional training grants and other sources of funding available to American citizens, so these Fellowships represent special opportunities for these early-career scientists to contribute their knowledge to the research community in the U.S.
Wistar’s ability to attract and support a cadre of exceptional, diverse, and talented postdoctoral fellows is critical to our continued success in conducting transformative biomedical discoveries to advance improvements in human health and save lives.