This event is over. This page is an independent historical summary. It is not the official meeting site, and there is nothing to register for.
| Event | NIGMS TWD Program Directors' Meeting |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 18–21, 2017 |
| Venue | Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Posters | More than 100 |
| Themes | Program evaluation, workforce diversity, modernizing predoctoral training, career paths, NIGMS priorities |
What was the 2017 TWD meeting?
The 2017 TWD Program Directors' Meeting took place June 18–21, 2017 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland, and drew more than 100 poster presentations from training programs. It was the third biennial meeting in the series that began with Chicago in 2013.
What was discussed?
NIGMS's own summary afterward listed these threads:
- Training and evaluation. New approaches to training, plus a workshop on evaluation techniques for programs that need to show outcomes.
- Workforce diversity. Efforts to widen participation in biomedical research.
- Modernizing predoctoral training. An emphasis on scientific rigor and reproducibility, career and skills development, and inclusive training environments.
- A new T32 announcement. NIGMS described plans for a new predoctoral T32 funding opportunity, then expected in fall 2017.
- Career research. Data on the career paths of recent STEM PhDs, and how educational research and career theory can help students build interest in research careers.
- Institute priorities. Including expansion of the MIRA award and NIGMS's new responsibility for the SEPA K–12 science education program.
What came out of it?
The predoctoral T32 overhaul previewed here shaped NIGMS training grants for the next decade, with expectations for rigor training, individual development plans and inclusive environments written into the announcement. In July 2026 NIGMS announced another round of changes: from the January 25, 2027 due date, predoctoral applications move to the Parent T32 and must fit one of eight program areas. The T32 profile explains both rounds.
The same year, a separate 2017 Postdoctoral Preparation Institute was held for postdocs in August. This page is an independent summary, not the official meeting site.