Dr. Raven Baxter teaches inSTEM Scholars and NYU doctoral students to build their brands

Dr. Raven Baxter led the workshop "Create and Communicate Your Brand as a Scientist" on May 7, 2024, at NYU Langone in New York. It was a two-hour afternoon session of the Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences' 2024 DEI Retreat, "Building Community Bonds."

Baxter was one of two special guests at the daylong retreat in the Smilow Multipurpose Room. Her audience was PhD and MD/PhD students at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Three months earlier, on Feb. 22, she gave a similar lesson to undergraduates. In a virtual session titled "Building Your Brand Online," she spoke to second-year Scholars from Howard University and the University of Texas at Arlington. The session was part of inSTEM, a program of the National Science & Technology Medals Foundation.

The two sessions came as scientists were rethinking how they reach the public. In November 2023, the Pew Research Center reported that the share of Americans with a great deal of confidence in scientists had fallen from 39% in 2020 to 23%. In August 2023, a Nature survey of about 9,200 researchers found that 47% had cut their use of X, formerly Twitter. Many had started using Mastodon, LinkedIn, Instagram or Threads.

The inSTEM session matched a goal in the program's published curriculum for the second year, called THRIVE. "Scholars will build an online presence using a platform of their choosing," the curriculum states. The same year asks Scholars to identify strategies for authenticity.

Baxter appears on the foundation's public roster of inSTEM mentors. Her mentor profile says she "aids scientists and scientific organizations in crafting effective and inclusive science communication and brand strategy." Asked there for a personal motto, she answered, "Be your unapologetic self."

The foundation was established in 1990 by George B. Rathmann, the founding CEO of Amgen. It honors laureates of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Its stated mission is "to build inclusive STEM communities across the United States." inSTEM is a four-year support and mentorship network at Howard, UT Arlington and Cal State East Bay. Each cohort has 15 Scholars and a coach, and visiting experts lead workshops.

The Vilcek Institute trains PhD, MD/PhD and master's students. In 2020, NYU Langone named the institute for Jan T. Vilcek, whose research helped lead to the drug Remicade.

Baxter is a molecular biologist who began sharing science online in 2016. She studied science communication for her doctorate at the University at Buffalo, completed in 2022.

The Vilcek Institute and the inSTEM program describe their work on their websites.