ASCEND
Achieving Successful Careers, Exploring New Directions, or ASCEND, is KU Medical Center’s professional development program for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Our mission is to provide strategic career training, resources, and opportunities for experiential and elevated learning, preparing KUMC students and postdoctoral scholars for successful careers after their KUMC training.
The ASCEND program continues to evolve with a robust framework for professional development. For 2024-20025 academic year, the program introduces a structured system of "professional milestones" designed to enhance students' competencies across five critical growth pathways.
The ASCEND program's introduction of professional milestones aims to provide a structured pathway for students to demonstrate their growth and proficiency across essential professional domains. By participating in these workshops and earning milestones, students will not only enhance their skill sets but also bolster their academic transcripts and professional resumes.
Graduate students can earn professional milestones that will be noted on their transcripts. Post-graduate scholars will receive a certificate of completion for each growth pathway they complete.
Focus: Assess your skills, interests, and values to explore diverse career options, build and expand your network, and prepare for the job market.
Milestone Criteria: Complete 4 workshops to earn milestone or certificate
Examples: Workshops on resume building, career exploration, and personal branding
Focus: Develop skills to conduct high quality research and scholarship more effectively and responsibly.
Milestone Criteria: Complete 4 workshops to earn milestone or certificate
Examples: Workshops on authorship, ethical conduct in research, and funding your research
Focus: Building written and oral communication competencies to effectively engage in professional environments.
Milestone Criteria: Complete 4 workshops to earn milestone or certificate
Examples: Workshops on presentation skills, writing professional documents, and networking strategies
Focus: Learn how to collaborate, lead, and contribute effectively within a team to achieve meaningful objectives.
Milestone Criteria: Complete 4 workshops to earn milestone certificate
Examples: Workshops on team collaboration, mentorship, conflict resolution, and managing cross-cultural teams
Focus: Devise wellness and goal-setting strategies to achieve personal and professional success.
Milestone Criteria: Complete 4 workshops to earn milestone or certificate
Examples: Workshops on time management, defining personal and professional goals, and achieving work-life balance
Earning Professional Milestones & Certificates
Eligibility: Students earn milestones by completing 4 workshops within a designated growth pathway.
Tracking: The Office of Faculty Affairs and Career Development will monitor and track milestone progress.
Milestone Limit: Students can earn up to 5 milestones or certificates, one per growth pathway.
Completion: Students may earn milestones at their own pace. Both live and recorded workshop attendance contribute toward milestone & certificate achievement. There will be workshops offered in each growth pathway each semester. Students could finish their requirements in one semester or stretch out over the course of the academic year. All milestones must be completed by the end of the academic year. No credits for workshops attended will be carried over to the next academic year.
Access: Workshop recordings remain accessible for content review for the duration of the academic year. Credit toward the growth pathway milestone or certificate can only be earned for one week following the workshop.
Milestone Summary: A brief virtual participant questionnaire will follow each workshop to record participation and assess learned skills. Completion of this survey is required within two weeks of the workshop to receive credit towards transcript milestone or certificate.
Contact Us
Suggest a topic for a future workshop
For further information on workshop schedules and milestone tracking, please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs and Career Development.
Jenny Laffey
Director, Faculty Affairs and Career Development
Office of Academic & Student Affairs
jlaffey@kumc.edu
Cell: 515-720-8313
Dejanique Anzures
Administrative Assistant
Office of Academic & Student Affairs
danzures@kumc.edu