ISBD Early Mid-Career Committee

The purpose of the ISBD Early Mid-Career Committee (EMCC) is to provide a forum dedicated to fostering the requisite skills and experience necessary for the establishment of a productive career in research/clinical practice focused on advancing understanding of or improving outcomes for those with bipolar disorder and related conditions.  As such, the committee aims to support those in the first half of their career trajectory.  For a video from founding co-chair Dr. Georgina Hosang on the EMCC from the 2023 Chicago Meeeting, see below

This support may take the form of developing peer-to-peer activities, educational courses, linkage with senior mentors, or any other activity which promotes the career objectives of ISBD’s early mid-career membership and other early-mid career professionals outside of the Society who may eventually wish to join its ranks.  The Committee is addressing critical challenges and opportunities relevant to this group, including, for example, securing grant funding, making connections with others working in the field and receiving guidance and mentorship, fostering work-life balance, and any other challenges or opportunities that may be identified by the committee in the pursuit of its goals, which are outlined in the Committee's publications in Bipolar Disorders - An International Journal of Psychiatry and Neurosciences referenced below.

At this time, we are pleased to offer

• Grant funding opportunities for EMCCs on the EMCC Resource page,
• A pair of webinars on mentoring recorded for our 2022 Virtual Meeting on the EMCC Professional Development page, and
• A link to a Google Form for those senior members of the Society interested in signing up to be mentors for EMCs in the Society.

PUBLICATIONS

The Early Mid-Career Committee of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders: Aspirations and goals.
Rebekah S. Huber, Katie M. Douglas, Sarah H. Sperry, Fabiano A. Gomes, Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen, Ni Xu, Georgina M. Hosang
21 December 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13269

One of the Committees first initiatives was to conduct a needs survey of early and mid-career researchers, and the result of this survey were also published in the Bipolar Disorders Journal and are available through open access support provided by the ISBD.  You can click on the link below to access this paper.

Barriers to and facilitators of success for early and mid-career professionals focused on bipolar disorder: A global needs survey by the International Society for Bipolar Disorders.
Sarah H. Sperry, Katie M. Douglas, Olivia M. Dean, Gabriel R. Fries, Fabiano A. Gomes, Georgina M. Hosang, Emma Morton, Bronya Sandorffy, Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen, Ni Xu, Rebekah S. Huber
30 June 2023, https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13365

Another anticipated deliverable from the needs survey, and the impetus to conduct the survey, is the identification of initiatives that the ISBD EMCC would like to pursue in order to support those junior colleagues looking to establish a career in the field of bipolar disorders.  These initiatives are described in an official manifesto paper and several accompanying commentaries that have been submitted to Bipolar Disorders.  

ISBD EMCC MANIFESTO PAPER

Supporting career development for early- and mid-career professionals working in the bipolar disorder field: Key initiatives to be implemented by the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Early- and Mid-Career Committee
Katie M. Douglas, Sarah H. Sperry, Olivia M. Dean, Gabriel R. Fries, Fabiano A. Gomes, Joanna Jimenez-Pavon, Emma Morton, Rachel H.B. Mitchell, Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen, Norma Verdolini, Ni Xu, Georgina M. Hosang, Rebekah S. Huber
15 April 2024, https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13416

As of Spring 2024, this document outlines specific initiatives which the Early Mid-Career Committee will prioritize based on the global need survey results above and subsequent polling at the ISBD 2023 Chicago conference, including post-conference follow up.  You will already see some of these initiatives being actioned at the ISBD conference, while others will materialize on this website.  The commentaries below expand on the domains covered by the manifesto paper and provide additional details on these initiatives. 

MANIFESTO COMMENTARIES

Fostering Networking Opportunities and Creating a Community of Early and Mid-Career Clinicians and Researchers in the International Society for Bipolar Disorders
Fabiano A. Gomes, Rebekah F. Huber, Sarah H. Sperry, Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen
https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13410

From Knowledge Gaps to Career Opportunties: The Early- to Mid-Career Committee's Impact on Increasing Resources for Bipolar Disorder Professionals
Joanna Jimenez-Pavon, Olivia M. Dean, Georgina M. Hosang, Katie M. Douglas, Rebekah S. Huber, Rachel H.B. Mitchell
https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13395

The critical role of mentorship in academic career development: A commentary on proposed initiatives by the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Early Mid-Career Committee
Gabriel R. Fries, Sarah H. Sperry, Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen, Emma Morton
https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13422

In our 2023 Conference in Chicago we sat down to record a video with founding EMCC Co-Chair Dr. Georgina Hosang to discuss the EMCC: Past, Present and Future, which is included below and provides a glimpse into the activities of the Committee circa 2023.  We encourage those junior colleagues interested in establishing themselves as bipolar disorder researchers and clinicians to return to these pages frequently for support, encouragement and resources to help you on your way.  To get the most out of these resources, please considering joining ISBD as a member.