Interested PDA Positions: Chair & Vice Chair
Jeevan Nammi
Tell us about yourself.
I am a postdoctoral research fellow in Endocrinology at UAB and an MPH candidate in Population Health. My work focuses on metabolic and liver disease, and my experiences at UAB have strengthened my interest in research, mentorship, and building connections across disciplines. I enjoy bringing people together, supporting fellow trainees, and creating opportunities for collaboration and professional growth. I hope to bring that same energy and commitment to serving and strengthening UAB’s postdoctoral community through the PDA. What is your vision for the PDA? My vision for the PDA is to make it a platform that every postdoc at UAB feels they can access, participate in, and benefit from. I would like to build stronger connections across departments by creating an informal communication network, such as a PDA WhatsApp community, where incoming postdocs can connect with current trainees, learn about departments and the UAB work environment, and have a peer network from the beginning of their journey. I also want the PDA to help postdocs connect beyond their individual labs. There is tremendous expertise across UAB, but we may not always know what our fellow postdocs are working on. Creating opportunities to share research interests, find collaborators, exchange knowledge, and support one another could lead not only to stronger research but also to stronger professional relationships. Most importantly, I want to bring a greater sense of unity to the postdoctoral community. Being a postdoc is an important but often demanding stage of our careers, and I believe the PDA should help ensure that we do not go through it in isolation. My goal is to create a community where we support each other, grow together, and also genuinely enjoy our journey at UAB.
Describe your leadership experience, service activities, and involvement with associations like the PDA.
My leadership and service experience has largely grown through mentorship and peer support. I actively mentor medical students and junior postdoctoral fellows, both within my department and across other departments, helping them navigate research, professional development, and the challenges that come with transitioning into a new academic environment. These experiences have taught me the importance of being approachable, listening to others, and connecting people with the right resources and opportunities. Through my own experience as a postdoc, I have also recognized that many trainees are not fully aware of the PDA, its leadership, or how to reach out and become involved. I see this as an opportunity to make the PDA more visible and accessible. If given the opportunity to serve, I want postdocs to feel that the PDA leadership is easy to approach, responsive to their concerns, and genuinely connected to the community it represents.
If elected to your chosen position, what initiatives or activities would you like to implement?
If elected, one of my first priorities would be to create a more connected and accessible postdoctoral community at UAB. I would like to establish an organized communication platform, such as a PDA WhatsApp community with department- or interest-specific groups, where postdocs can easily connect, ask questions, share opportunities, and welcome incoming fellows. I would also like to create a research and collaboration network where postdocs can share their areas of expertise and research interests, making it easier to identify potential collaborators across departments. Another priority would be increasing the visibility and accessibility of PDA leadership through regular informal meetups, open forums, or office-hour-style sessions where postdocs can directly share their ideas and concerns. I would also encourage peer mentorship, particularly connecting incoming postdocs with those who have already navigated UAB and Birmingham. Finally, I want the PDA to be about more than professional development. I would like to organize social and community-building activities that allow us to meet outside our individual labs, build friendships, celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and enjoy our time at UAB. My goal would be for every postdoc, regardless of department or background, to feel that they are part of one connected UAB postdoctoral community.