The Advocacy committee serves as a bridge between the postdoc community and BWH leadership. We collect and analyze information on employment conditions and benefits of postdocs; seek adequate benefits for its members commensurate with the level of education and skill demonstrated by the Ph.D., including a health plan, parental leave, child-care, disability insurance and retirement plan; seeks recognition for postdoctoral fellows as members of the campus community with a distinct set of contributions and needs, and works to provide a voice in BWH decisions that affect postdoctoral fellows.

The Advocacy committee also helps to update and provide feedback on the BWH Postdoc Policy, which provides minimum guidelines for postdoctoral fellows across the institution, including guaranteed paid time off, expected availability of PI mentoring, and annual salary increases during the Annual Career Conference.

Members of this committee engage with other local, regional and national organizations that have missions that are relevant to the postdoctoral experience, such as the National Postdoctoral Association and Boston Postdoctoral Association, in order to involve the BWH PDA in the broader discussion on how to improve the postdoctoral experience. The Advocacy Committee discusses policies that affect postdocs and how to bring on change to current policies within the institution.