Executive Vice Dean Keith Yamamoto announced today the appointment of Abigail Kroch, PhD, as the new Director of Postdoctoral Education for the School of Medicine. Dr. Kroch will continue the work of the previous directors, Tracy Kress and Samara Reck-Peterson. Among her responsibilities will be to further develop the curriculum in order to assist UCSF postdoctoral fellows in their career development. She will also assist in the organization and management of the Scientific Leadership and Laboratory Management course, as well as administer the Sandler Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and the Dean's Postdoctoral Prize.

Dr. Kroch is particularly interested in advocating for greater resources for UCSF postdoctoral fellows, including facilitating interactions between faculty and fellows, and developing a support system that improves interactions between postdocs within departments and across the University.

Dr. Kroch is a postdoctoral fellow studying transcriptional regulation by steroid receptors in the Yamamoto lab and will continue her research while serving as the Director of Postdoctoral Education.

Dr. Yamamoto also recognized and thanked Tracy Kress, PhD, noting that "she served superbly as the Director of Postdoctoral Education since November 2006." Dr. Kress is currently completing her postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Christine Guthrie and will be pursuing an academic teaching and research career.

See also: Office of Postdoctoral Education