Please register for our annual JIN-CARE dinner and awards event on Thursday, January 15, 2026!

What: JIN-CARE (Junior Investigators Network – Career Advancement and Research Exchange) night, complete with dinner and awards!

When: Evening of Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 4:30-7:30pm

Where: Doubletree by Hilton, ‘Canterbury Room’, 4727 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803

Why: To network, mingle, eat, and celebrate our accomplishments from 2024

Who: All JIN members, new and old

REGISTER HERE.

Meeting Agenda:

• 4:30pm-5:30pm: Networking and Appetizers
• 5:30pm-6:30pm: Focus Groups – Leadership will step out so junior investigators can speak freely
• 6:30pm-7:30pm: Dinner, Awards, and Networking

Seats are limited, and early registration is strongly encouraged!

Seema S. Sonnad Mentor of the Year Award

We are also asking for nominations for the Seema S. Sonnad Mentor of the Year Award.
Please go to the registration link to nominate your favorite mentor.  Attendance at the event is not required to submit a nomination.

Please provide your nominee’s name and share why you believe they should be acknowledged.  Feel free to highlight the qualities they exhibit that showcase their exceptional mentorship.  You may nominate anyone you feel is an extraordinary mentor for you; they do not have to be a Primary PI.

To help with your decision, below are some of the criteria that may make a good mentor:

• Helps to set concrete goals and helps you achieve these goals
• A good listener who also communicates clearly
• Provides honest feedback that is not demeaning
• Does not micromanage through unrealistic expectations and demands
• Defines people by their strengths and potential rather than limitations
• Respects their trainees as a peer rather than a cheap pair of hands

Past Recipients:

• • 2016 – Melinda Duncan, PhD, University of Delaware
  • 2017 – Andy Kolb, MD, Nemours Children’s Health
  • 2018 – Claudine Jurkovitz, MD, MPH, ChristianaCare Health Services
  • 2019 – Anne Kazak, PhD, Nemours Children’s Health
  • 2020-2022 – hiatus due to COVID-19
  • 2023 – Melissa Alderfer, PhD, Nemours Children’s Health
  • 2024 – Susan D. Smith, PhD, RN, ChristianaCare Health Services

Use the below link to register and/or nominate a Mentor of the Year!

https://www.de-ctr.org/redcap/surveys/?s=CX8TDE9TMEFPWE7A

We hope to see you there!

Questions?  Contact Mentoring@de-ctr.org.