Mentor/Mentee Responsibilities Marc Moss, MD Objectives Identify - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mentor/Mentee Responsibilities

Marc Moss, MD

Objectives

• Identify key characteristics you should look for in

a good mentor

– Or develop in your present relationship

• Describe mentor and mentee expectations
• Work through three cases

– Effective communication – Aligning expectations – Fostering independence

Key features of a mentor

• Scientific expertise
• Enthusiasm
• Passion for science
• Sensitivity
• Respect/Integrity
• Unselfishness
• Support for other than
• ne’s own
• Good communicator
• Asks good questions
• Good listener
• Appropriate initial project
• Connected/networking
• Funding and resources
• Available: open door policy
• Inspiration
• Optimism
• Balance direction and self

direction

• Good work/life balance
• Understands funding issues
• Good ideas
• Collaborative
• Senior enough

Natures’ guide for mentors Nature 2007; 447: 791

My abbreviated list

• Unselfish: Are they willing to give away ideas?
• Integrity: Do you trust the person?
• Funding: Do they have the money?
• Seniority: have they mentored others successfully?
• Initial Project: Is it do‐able? Is the project publishable

almost no matter what?

• Initial Project: Is there a back up plan? Do not put all you

eggs in one basket: diversity to some extent.

• Career Development: Is there a well defined career path

that is different (can be related) to your mentor?

• Career Development: Avoid getting involved with

industry related research.

Questions to ask your potential mentor?

• Do you have the funding to pay for my research?
• Is my research project differentiated enough

from your (mentor’s) research?

• Do you have the time to serve as my mentor?
• Talk to their present trainees.

Skills you need to learn as a mentee

• Understand the science
• Basic skills you will need

to perform the research

– Might need external support

• How to write scientifically
• How to deal with

rejection

• How to work with others
• How to give an oral

presentation

• Learn the rules of

academic medicine

• How to get the most out
• f the environment
• Get to where you want to

be

– You have to know where you are going

Mentor #1: Alex Stellar, MD, PhD

 Professor of Medicine in your department  International reputation /numerous accolades in your field of research  PI : 2 R01s and a P50 grant  Leads a well‐equipped laboratory:

 2 post‐doctoral PhDs  3 laboratory assistants  2 graduate students  1 post‐doctoral MD fellow – all of whom are men

 In the past 10 years: lead or first author on 30 peer‐reviewed publications

 top‐tier journals that have significantly impacted the field

 His prior trainees report:

 extremely intelligent, driven, expects excellence from his laboratory members, with a bit

• f a quick temper

 You have attended his seminars and find him to be an excellent speaker who easily engages the audience with his research findings

• Dr. Stellar as Mentor: what might affect his

mentoring practices?

 “International reputation” = much travel, less time on campus

 How will he communicate with you?  Will he review your grants/manuscripts in a timely fashion?

 Lack of “middle authorship” on important papers=

 lack of collaborative spirit?

 Features of the laboratory

 Numerous on‐going projects

 How will you carve your own independent research niche?  Will you be subsumed into the “bad lab project” as a co‐investigator forever?

 All‐male lab environment

 If you are a woman, you could (potentially) feel outnumbered and somewhat misunderstood

Mentor #2: Harriet Jung, MD

 Assistant Professor of Medicine in your department  Funding:

 completed a mentored award (e.g. K23)  Revising an R01 application that is topically in line with your research interests

 Co‐investigator (not PI) for multi‐center RCT in the critically ill  Faculty member for 6 years

 first author : 3 peer‐reviewed publications , 2 reviews, case reports in journals germane to your field  No senior author publications  Completed MSCR 2 years ago

 Impressive local reputation

 Outstanding clinical acumen, excellent teacher  Adored by medical students, housestaff, and her patients  Others who have worked with her describe her as

 “completely devoted to her patients, but a bit disorganized”

 You worked with Dr. Jung in the hospital on a clinical rotation where you found her enthusiastic and engaging

• Dr. Jung as Mentor: what might affect her

mentoring practices?

 Unlikely she has prior “track record” of training research mentees at your level

 Limited mentoring “tool box” that she has to help you succeed  How reliant is she on her own mentor?

 Will her clinical responsibilities interfere with your mentoring?

 Limited publication record

 no time to write/too tired to write?

 Perception that she’s “disorganized”

 Is she overwhelmed with trying to balance clinical/research duties?

 Given the similarity of your proposed research and her current research, how will an independent career path be assured for either of you?

 Who would be first author/senior author on collaborative publications?

Mentor #3: Jeffrey Parfait, PhD

 Associate Professor of Medicine  not a member of your department  Recognized national leader in your field of research of interest  Support:  Current R01 funding  Completed 2 prior R01’s as PI  NIH‐supported core facility director  Laboratory comprised of :  2 research assistants  1 post‐doctoral PhD  3 post‐doctoral MD fellows  Solid publication record in last 10 years  15 lead‐ or first‐author publications in high or top tier journals  You have met him briefly via a mutual administrative committee  He very reserved, person of “few words”

• Dr. Parfait as Mentor: what might affect his

mentoring practices?

 Mentors external to your department might not be as knowledgeable regarding important factors in your personal career development pathway

 Differences in promotions criteria

 He is a non‐clinical person (PhD); if you are a clinician/MD

 Does he understand/support the necessity of your clinical time?  Expectations of your basic science knowledge might be unrealistic  Will he understand that your passion for research is inspired by clinical experiences, and will your project reflect that passion?

 Laboratory/workplace issues:

 People in lab are “like you”, i.e. trainees

 Share time with the mentor given their junior status

 Do your personalities mesh?

Identifying Key Features in Potential Mentors

Mentor Characteristic #1 Dr. Stellar #2 Dr. Jung #3 Dr. Parfait Background/expertise to help you develop ideas for projects PI: Yes Lab personnel: can assist with day‐to‐day mentoring PI: Limited, but clinical research/ MSCR experience Her mentor as co‐mentor? PI: Bench based Expertise of core facilities Resources Yes, very stable funding No pending funding Running out? Time Overseeing a lot of people Lots of clinical responsibilities Lab and core responsibilities Ability to collaborate Likely both MDs and PhDs, international colleagues Local collaborators Clinical collaborators Potentially still dependent on her mentor’s collaborators Expertise from outside your dept, those who use core Networking skills Probably excellent Limited Probably good Senior status Yes‐Professor No‐Asst Prof Yes‐Assoc Prof Role model “Classic academician” Hard working, serious demeanor The “triple threat” Fun and enthusiastic “Professor Parfait, PhD” Reserved, quiet

All are important considerations, but does having any/all of them ensure that the mentor will have “best mentoring practices” once you start working with him/her?

Keyser DJ et al , Acad Med 2008; Sambunjak D et al, JAMA 2006; Burnham EL & Fleming M , Clin Trans Sci 2010

Additional Key Features of the Ideal Mentor

aka “Best Mentoring Practices”

Mentor Characteristic #1 Stellar #2 Jung #3 Parfait Editorial support with prompt feedback Has the skills, ? time Limited skills Has the skills, ? time Accessibility and open communication ?? ?? ?? Positive working environment Provide positive feedback ?? ?? ?? Commitment to the mentee Puts interests of mentee above their own ?? ?? ?? Foster independence ?? ?? ?? Advocate and help with networking ?? ?? ?? Career guidance ?? ?? ?? Integrity ?? ?? ?? Unfortunately, much more difficult to assess these features second‐hand, without working directly in the mentor’s environment

Keyser DJ et al , Acad Med 2008; Sambunjak D et al, JAMA 2006; Burnham EL & Fleming M , Clin Trans Sci 2010

More than one mentor?

Someone needs to take responsibility for you The mentors have to work well together Different models of co‐mentoring junior‐senior different skill sets

Role of Research advisory committee

• Get outside perspective on research

– Not “too” close to the project

• Evaluate mentor‐mentee interaction
• Help with career development as necessary

• Dr. Marcher, a researcher in immunology, is completing her second year as a

KL2 scholar and hopes to qualify for a third year of support. Dr. Marcher is also in year three of a tenure track position in Geriatrics.

• Her primary research mentor has advised her to apply for three

grants over the next six months, one of which is a new RFA with a submission deadline only a few weeks away. This plan also seems to align with the KL2 Program expectations for scholar performance. However, Dr. Marcher’s department chair has expressed concern about her lack of publications in the past year and its potential negative impact on her tenure review.

• The chair advises Dr. Marcher to focus less on grant writing in the

next six months and devote more time to writing and getting a few manuscripts submitted from a recently completed study.

• Dr. Marcher understands the chair’s perspective, but her research mentor is

strongly advising that she procure grants to equip her lab and demonstrate sufficient progress towards becoming an independently funded investigator for the KL2 Review Committee.

• Dr. Marcher suspects that her primary mentor and department chair have

not communicated regularly with one another about a strategic plan for her career development.

Maintaining effective communication

• What is the core issue or problem in this

situation?

• What are some of the challenges for mentees

communicating with multiple mentors?

• What is the role of the mentee to maintain

effective communication?

Aligning Expectations

• Dr. Ben Bento is beginning the second year of his research fellowship. To date, Dr.

Bento has enjoyed working on his mentor’s research project, but he is becoming anxious that he has not yet started an independent research project.

• Every time he tries to bring up his concerns with his mentor, it seems his

mentor never has enough time to have a discussion focused on Ben’s research

• goals. This situation is becoming frustrating for Ben as he likes his mentor and

he understands that the past few months have been extremely busy for his mentor (meetings, grant deadlines, death in the family). Ben is reluctant to annoy his mentor yet he knows the clock is ticking. Ben on his

• wn started to work on some cell signaling mechanisms, but is worried that this

project is too divergent from his mentor’s research. Ben feels stuck? How did he get in this situation? What should he do?

Aligning expectations

• How do you establish and communicate your

expectations of your mentee?

• How do you find out what expectations your

mentee has of you and for their research experience?

• What tools are available to help align

expectations?

Expectation of mentor

• Meet regularly and frequently with the mentee

– One hourly meeting per week

• Mentor develop with the mentee, clearly delineated

goals, expectations, and benchmarks

• Mentor will attend meetings and seminars when the

mentee presents

• Content of exchanges between mentor and mentee are

subject to the expectations of professional confidentiality.

Expectation of the mentee

• Acknowledge that I have primary responsibility for the

development of my own career

• Develop a mutually defined research project with my mentor

that includes well‐defined goals and timelines

• Perform my research activities conscientiously, maintain good

research records

• Respect all ethical standards when conducting research
• Show respect for and will work collegially with my co‐workers
• Endeavor to assume progressive responsibility and

management of my research projects.

• Seek regular feedback on my performance and ask for regular

formal evaluations.

Effective Communication: Mentoring Worksheet

Develop a contract between mentor(s) and mentee

• www.aamc.org/postdoccompact

Mentor Name Objectives What I can offer Outcomes Timeline

• Dr. SAILS

Understand how to manage multi‐ site research projects Grant writing, review manuscripts Establish a clinical trial Enroll first patient

• Dr. Klein is very excited about the grant proposal he is writing

to NIH. The proposal builds upon research he has been conducting as a K‐scholar in the laboratory of Dr. Janco.

• Dr. Klein feels strongly that the proposal clearly describes

the logical next steps in the project as well as relates the research to his previous clinical work. When Dr. Klein meets with Dr. Janco to discuss the grant proposal, he is surprised to discover that Dr. Janco is less than enthusiastic about the proposal.

• Dr. Janco informs Dr. Klein that the proposal is too closely

aligned with Dr. Klein’s current work and its future direction. He says that the proposal needs to be reworked, focused on a different, more independent direction of research.

• Dr. Klein leaves the meeting frustrated, disappointed, and

unsure how to proceed.

Fostering independence

• What is independence?
• How can you tell if independence is achieved?
• How to build mentee confidence, establish

trust, and foster independence?

• What are the benefits and challenges of

independence?

Benefits of Fostering independence

• Affirmation of your ability to train other

researchers

• Increase capacity in your research field
• Increase creativity and research related to your

field

• Authorship on joint publications
• Increase capacity and skills in your research

group

• Broadening diversity within your research group

Challenges of Fostering independence

• Expense – Does the mentee have the funds to

mentor?

• Time needed to mentor effectively
• Issues of intellectual property
• Slow the progress of the research

– Quicker to just do it yourself

• Mentee is going to get credit for the

grant/ideas

Conclusions: Mentoring matters

• Discrete criteria can be used in the selection of mentors for

clinical translational research

– There is a formula for success

• Do your homework prior to selecting a mentor!

– Some criteria typically associated with “good mentors” are relatively easy to ascertain – Other criteria that indicate “best mentoring practices” may be more difficult to evaluate prior to developing a working relationship

• Mentor training may represent a method to ensure a good

mentoring toolbox for mentors of the future Look into the CCTSI mentoring training courses

Area of research

• You will be defined (to some extent) by the

type of research you do.

– Make sure it is interesting to you – If you do asthma research, when you go to the ATS meeting you will be associated with the asthma groups and assemblies – Make sure that is okay to you. – Not quite as true for basic science

• Peter Henson: ARDS research when I was a fellow.

Mentor #4: Dr. Star

 Professor of Medicine in your department  International reputation /numerous accolades in your field of research  PI : 2 R01s  Leads a well‐equipped laboratory:

 2 post‐doctoral PhDs  3 laboratory assistants  2 graduate students  1 post‐doctoral MD fellow – all of whom are men

 In the past 10 years: senior author on 30 peer‐reviewed publications

 top‐tier journals that have significantly impacted the field

 His prior trainees report:

 Don’t know just moved to your University

 You have attended a seminar and find him to be an excellent speaker who easily engages the audience with his research findings  Go to meet with him

 He just received a great score on another R0‐1 grant and he says you can have Specific Aim #2 on the grant