Johns Hopkins University (JHU) requires that all postdoctoral fellows have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and meet at least once a year with their primary mentor/PI to discuss their IDP short-term and long-term training and career goals, milestones, career development resources and mentoring expectations. All postdocs are required to verify IDP compliance annually through the School of Medicine online IDP Tracking System. The JHU policy on IDPs can be found here. 

An IDP provides a communication process for both the postdoc and the PI to work together to:

• Identify short- and long-term career goals and discussion of time frame for fellowship completion
• Define milestones for expected scholarly contribution, including authorship of publications, grant writing, presentations, etc.
• Determine the postdoctoral fellow's progress in development of relevant skills
• Identify professional development resources that may be beneficial for the fellow

Key Resources

Though the postdoc and PI are free to customize their own IDP formats, we strongly recommend using the following resources:

• AAAS my IDP

• Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Suggested Template

IDP Completion and Submission of Signature Form

Postdoctoral fellow will receive an email with a link to their IDP completion form. Once logged in to the IDP tracking system, you can view the IDP completion form that lists the five main topics to be covered in your IDP meeting with your mentor/PI. After you meet with your mentor/PI to discuss your IDP, please complete the form by checking ALL of the boxes and adding your signature. Note: there is no specified IDP format: postdocs and their PI/mentors have flexibility in determining the format that will work best for them. Once you sign and submit the online form, it will be automatically forwarded to your primary PI/mentor for signature. You will receive email confirmation that your IDP verification is complete once your PI/mentor signs the electronic IDP completion form.