An entire community of scientists has been overlooked and underserved, according to a recent study of a joint committee of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. The study*, issued last fall, recommends that postdoctoral fellows should receive better pay, benefits and mentoring, as well as enjoy a more clearly defined status—not just for humanitarian reasons but for the health of the science enterprise in the United States.   continued...

* Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers: A Guide for Postdoctoral Scholars, Advisers, Institutions, Funding Organizations, and Disciplinary Societies (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2000). A Web site that links to the report’s text and related resources is at http://www.nationalacademies.org/grantprograms.html.

	A Supportive Boss

Photo: Fred Mertz

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Reprinted from the HHMI Bulletin,
July 2001, pages 24-27.
©2001 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

"Most postdocs I know would like to put away for retirement and save, but it's just not an option."
Mary O'Riordan,
president of the Berkeley Postdoctoral Association