Attending the NIEHS Division of Intramural Research (DIR) retreat this year has been a truly revitalizing experience. Over two days, principal investigators, directors of core facilities, senior postdocs, staff scientists, and others stepped away from our offices to forge and reinforce connections among the various groups and branches within the division.
The retreat started with a series of talks by branch chiefs, who showcased their respective branches' strengths and visions for the future. These presentations raised awareness of the exciting new research areas being pursued. Additionally, branch chiefs had the chance to introduce the different groups within their branches. It was remarkable to see such a solid institutional program covering a broad spectrum of topics, from population studies to the mechanistic understanding of environmental impacts on human health.
The latter half of the first day was devoted to further discussions on enhancing our research program. Following an intense debate in focus groups, the conversation continued respectfully and constructively into the late afternoon in a general session.
The final day centered on tenure tracks, offering each of us an opportunity to present our research programs and provide an overview of our projects and the tools we employ. The presentations led to insightful Q&A sessions. We concluded the retreat with an open discussion about its future, reaching a unanimous agreement on increasing the frequency of these meetings.