PSC Training Trivia

1)      How long has the Population Studies Center existed?

The PSC is one of the oldest population centers in the United States, with a distinguished 60-year record of domestic and international research and training in population dynamics. The Center administers a large training program for both predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars.

2)      What personal hobby is the current PSC Director famous for? Hint: It’s a super sweet hobby!

Sarah Burgard is famous for her baking. Join us for our Coffee Chat on Dec. 12 at 10 (or pop into the director’s bay all day at ISR-Thompson 2116) for PSC’s annual cookie swap. Coffee chats are informal monthly events (2nd Tuesdays at 10) open to all at ISR and are a chance for building community.

3)      Which important ISR DEI presentation series is often co-hosted by PSC’s Brown Bag Series?

The ISR Inclusive Research Matters Series signals ISR’s transparent and deliberate commitment to examining the role of inclusion in the research process. The idea for the seminar series arose from discussions within the DEI Educational Programs Working Group focusing on the role of inclusion in research methodology.

4)      Which NIH institutions support the PSC Training Program?

Support for our training program is provided by grants from The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and The National Institute on Aging (NIA). Funding from the University and endowments to the Center also support PSC predoctoral and postdoctoral training activity.

5)      Who is the current PSC Training Program Director, and in what other leadership roles has our Training Program Director served?

Jeff Morenoff is the PSC Training Program Director and was the PSC Director prior to Sarah Burgard. He is also a long-standing PSC mentor and one of the PIs for our NIH training grants!

6)      How many faculty members are directly affiliated with the PSC Training Program?

Over 50 UM faculty are directly affiliated with the PSC Training Program. PSC Training faculty come from many different departments and disciplines across the university and serve as demography research mentors for PSC graduate student trainees and postdoctoral fellows.

Our training faculty is composed of multi-disciplinary researchers with well-funded projects, on some of the most central data collection projects for studying population dynamics. Our program has a record of mentoring and placing trainees in leading academic and governmental research positions.

Our goal is to cultivate the next generation of population health scientists for careers spent integrating knowledge, theory, and tools from economics, public health, public policy, and sociology to collect and analyze the data needed to address policy and health-relevant trends in population processes.

7)      How many current PSC Training Faculty members participated as trainees in the PSC program themselves?

These 9 PSC Training Faculty members participated in the training program themselves:

Predoctoral alumni: Bill Axinn, Margaret Hicken, Sasha Killewald, Colter Mitchell, Kristin Seefeldt, Arland Thornton

Postdoctoral alumni: George Alter, Yasamin Kusunoki, Melvin Stephens