Effective communication between the University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Denver/Anschutz) postdoctoral association (PDA) and our broader postdoc community is vital to engage and advocate for our fellow postdocs. Creating an effective communication signal-to-noise ratio, however, is frequently a challenge. Data collected in our recent survey of postdocs at CU Denver/Anschutz (160 respondents, 50 percent of current postdocs) indicated that 41 percent of our postdoc community feels only “slightly connected” to other postdocs on campus and only five percent feel “very connected.” Additionally, our survey revealed an unmet need for a platform in which postdocs can share information and resources with one another, as most are currently only seeking resources from their immediate colleagues. Thus, we wanted to explore an alternative method of communication and measure its potential to strengthen the connection among postdocs on campus. To increase the sense of community among our postdoc population and to more effectively communicate with postdocs on-campus, we are employing the social media platform Slack to create a forum where postdocs can (1) seek resources (e.g., reagents, equipment) and (2) discuss broad questions and topics about life as a postdoc at our institution. We have employed Slack within our executive council over the last year to great success, and are excited about the potential that this program can provide as we roll it out to the larger postdoctoral community this fall. We are eager to share more information about these programs, and data on their successes, with the NPA community.
