Developing a Culture of Mentorship to Strengthen Academic Medical Centers

Scientific Output by Latin American Women in Pediatric Surgical Sciences Over the Past 11 Years: A Bibliometric and Visual Analysis

INTRODUCTION

This academic article discusses the historical underrepresentation of female in science, with a focus on Latin America. It highlights the importance of both technical and non-technical skills in the medical-surgical field, particularly the role of research skills. The study aims to quantify and characterize the scientific output of Latin American female researchers over the past decade, providing insights into the challenges and opportunities in low and middle-income countries.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional bibliometric study was conducted in 2023, focusing on pediatric surgical science journals in Scopus and PubMed. It assessed Latin American female participation, journal details, and interaction networks, using SPSS and Gephi software. The period analyzed was from January 2012 to December 2022.

RESULTS

Between 2012 and 2022, 727 articles with Latin authorship in pediatric surgery were analyzed across 304 journals. Of these, 63.69% had female co-authors. The majority were original articles (53.13%), with contributions from Brazil, Mexico, and Chile. Notable journals included the Journal of Pediatric Surgery and Child's Nervous System. Keywords like Laparoscopy and Cardiac surgery were common. A growth trend in female Latin American publications was observed, despite temporary declines.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights a growing trend in Latin American females' scientific contributions to pediatric surgery from 2012 to 2022, although a gender gap persists. The research mainly consists of primary data studies, with a focus on Brazil and Mexico from public institutions. The Journal of Pediatric Surgery featured prominently, and common topics included Laparoscopy, Cardiac surgery, Liver transplant, Congenital heart defects, and COVID-19.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Group peer mentoring to improve faculty connections and enhance mentoring networks

BACKGROUND

Difficulty finding mentors and forging connections in academic departments can be challenging and became even more so when the COVID-19 pandemic reduced opportunities for informal networking. Even as restrictions on in-person meetings eased, many faculty preferred meetings to remain virtual. Because some of the most powerful predictors of faculty vitality are positive professional relationships and feelings of inclusion and belonging to an institution, attending to faculty needs in this area is important to mitigate undesired lingering consequences.

APPROACH

We created structured peer mentoring groups for our department's physicians and psychologists that meet virtually. Groups span career stages, academic appointments and clinical interests. The purpose was to establish a deeper culture of mentoring, increase feelings of connection to a supportive community within the department, facilitate career planning and enhance the development of skills necessary in academic medicine such as teaching skills, scholarly productivity and personal wellness.

EVALUATION

A survey conducted after the first year of the programme was completed by 70% of eligible faculty (31/45). Ninety-six percent felt the programme had created an inclusive and appreciative culture, 86% met faculty members they had never met before and 79% sought mentoring advice from a colleague they would not usually have interacted with in that manner. All participants appreciated hearing their colleagues' perspectives on topics they do not typically discuss.

IMPLICATIONS

Departmentally based group peer mentoring that spans career stages and interests can facilitate faculty connections and enhance a supportive culture of mentorship.

Mentorship in medicine is a Complex opportunity

Mentorship is now recognized as essential to the personal and professional development of physicians. Over the past decade, it has become a common theme in medical education literature, and through this our understanding of mentorship has evolved. Despite this progress, we believe that the prevailing reductionist view of mentorship is oversimplified and may hinder further advances in this space. Instead, we propose that mentorship be viewed through the lens of complexity theory, positioning it as a prototypical complex adaptive system. This shift in perspective will inform our mentorship interventions and evaluations, and can avoid the disappointment that invariably follows when we apply a simple approach to a complex situation.

Utilizing Complexity Leadership Theory to Promote Faculty Mentorship and Resident Leadership

OBJECTIVE

To create and evaluate a structured combined faculty mentorship/resident leadership program based on complexity leadership theory.

DESIGN

In 2021, a logic model was used to create a 5 part bi-monthly resident leadership series utilizing administrative, adaptive, and enabling components of complexity leadership theory. Each of the 5 sessions had a nationally prominent senior faculty member mentor 3 junior faculty in creation of an interactive workshop that was delivered to resident physicians during scheduled didactics. Validated surveys were used to assess faculty post-mentorship experience and resident self-perception of leadership skills pre-and post-series. Descriptive statistics and 2-way ANOVA were performed; text comments underwent content analysis.

SETTING

A large academic OB/GYN department at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

PARTICIPANTS

Five faculty mentors, 15 junior faculty, and 48 residents participated in this program. All faculty mentors (5/5) and 87% (13/15) of mentees completed the post-mentorship survey. Resident response rate was 60% (29/48) pre-series and 63% (30/48) post-series.

RESULTS

Both mentors and mentees rated the experience favorably (4.62 versus 5.29, p = 0.51). In open-ended comments, enabling components of mentorship process, such as approachability and expertise of the mentors, were most often noted as positive. Both mentees and mentors suggested administrative changes to the experience, such as longitudinal relationships between mentors and mentees. The mean score on the resident leadership questionnaire improved from 3.82 to 3.96 (5-point Likert scale, p = 0.30) with self-reported leadership skills improving in 8/9 domains, although none reaching statistical significance. Open-ended comments revealed that residents also most desired administrative changes in the leadership series, such as increased leadership opportunities and more interactive workshops.

CONCLUSIONS

A structured combined faculty mentorship/resident leadership program formed utilizing complexity leadership theory was positively received. Participants most liked the enabling components of the series, with requested administrative changes in the future.

Gender-based support systems influencing female students to pursue a bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) in Rwanda

BACKGROUND

While Sub-Saharan Africa contains nearly one third of the global burden of disease, it only contains 3.5% of the healthcare workforce. Furthermore, female medical doctors are underrepresented across the continent. Studies show that increasing gender representation in medicine not only bridges this gap but may have a positive impact on patient care. This study explores the support systems influencing female students to pursue medical school in Rwanda, aiming to recommend ways to increase female participation through support systems.

METHODS

This is an exploratory, interpretive study employing qualitative methods. The study was conducted at thirteen secondary schools within two provinces and three universities in Rwanda that offer a medical degree program. Participants were divided into focus groups, including female and male secondary students in science and non-science combinations; teachers of secondary students; female and male students enrolled in medical school; and parents of secondary students in science and non-science combinations. Private and public, mixed and girls-only secondary schools that met the criteria were selected in each province, and all universities offering a medical degree. Participants were selected via random stratified sampling. Thirty-four semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted (28 secondary-level and 6 university-level) and 16 interviews. Data was coded inductively, with common themes identified.

RESULTS

Four main themes were identified as support systems that can either serve as facilitators or barriers to pursuing an MBBS, including teacher support, parental or familial support, financial or institutional policy support, and having access to female mentors or role models.

CONCLUSION

Social support systems are enablers encouraging female students to join medical school. Integrating social support systems in schools and the community has the potential to increase female applicants to medical school in Rwanda.

Mentorship for all in academic medicine

To enable success, Gheihman reflects on the importance of Winderbaum and Coventry's exploration of how to support new doctors in an evidence‐based manner.

Mentoring up for early career investigators: Empowering mentees to proactively engage in their mentoring relationships

Introduction

Effective mentorship is recognized as critical for the professional development of clinical and translational investigators. Evidence-based mentorship training prompted the development of training for mentees at early career stages who are navigating both mentor and mentee roles. The curriculum titled, Mentoring Up for Early Career Investigators, recognizes the importance of building mentee self-efficacy across proactive mentorship skills and competencies.

Methods

Mentoring Up for Early Career Investigators curriculum is based on the research mentor training approach in Entering Mentoring. Pilot implementations of Mentoring Up at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Pennsylvania had positive training outcomes for KL2 Scholars. Subsequently, Mentoring Up was implemented and evaluated at several other institutions. For 26 implementations longer than 4 hours, data were collected on trainee demographics, satisfaction with training, skill gains across mentorship competencies, and the intent to change mentoring behaviors following training.

Results

88% of participants rated the mentee training as valuable. Significant skill gains were reported across all mentorship competencies following training. 77% reported specific plans to change or augment their mentoring behaviors because of the training. The majority aligned with mentorship skill competencies (aligning expectations, effective communications) or mentoring up strategies (voicing needs, setting boundaries, communicating proactively).

Conclusion

Mentoring Up training is effective in advancing mentee skills and promoting strategies to be more proactive in getting their mentoring needs met. Mentoring Up offers an expansion to the suite of mentorship education and resources to support the career advancement of all in the translational science workforce.

Supporting early-career women researchers: lessons from a global mentorship programme

Mentorship is an important contributor to strengthening research capacity among health researchers. Formal mentorship programmes, targeting women mentees can help mitigate some of the gendered power dynamics and can also help early career researchers learn from others' experiences of navigating these challenges. In 2020, the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction at the World Health Organization launched a mentorship programme geared towards early career women researchers. This paper describes the process of designing and implementing a mentorship programme for early career women sexual and reproductive health and rights researchers from low- and middle-income countries including valuable lessons learned vis-à-vis existing evidence. Some of these findings have been incorporated into iterations of the programme launched in 2022. Critical points include: ensuring considerations for language and geographical distribution; allowing mentees to participate in the matching process; providing training and opportunities to network and learn from other participants; offering the support and structure for developing these relationships. Providing women researchers with the tools - through mentorship - to navigate the unique challenges they face in their career journeys, can have a lasting impact on research capacity. Countries and institutions committed to strengthening research capacity need to focus on the holistic growth and motivation of individuals in a way that ensures gender equality.

The Relationship of Mentorship to Career Outcomes in Academic Psychiatry and Psychology: a Needs Assessment

OBJECTIVE

Faculty development is designed to facilitate career advancement of junior faculty but there is limited empirical evidence on how to design an effective program.

METHODS

As a first step in the design of an effective program, a needs assessment was conducted. Participants were faculty members of an academic psychiatry department. Participants completed a quantitative and qualitative survey assessing their experience with mentors, academic self-efficacy, career burnout and satisfaction, academic productivity, and perceived barriers to scholarship.

RESULTS

Eighty percent (N = 104) of eligible faculty members completed the study survey (54% female; 81% White, 10% underrepresented in medicine). Less than half of the respondents (44%) reported having a current mentor. Number of mentors (r = .33; p < .01), mentorship meetings (r = .35; p < .01), and mentorship quality (r = .33; p < .01) were significantly correlated to a standardized measure of academic self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was significantly associated with academic productivity (r = .44; p < .001) and career satisfaction (r = .29; p < .05). The top barriers to scholarship productivity were time and lack of access to resources. Faculty members without a mentor endorsed more barriers to scholarship (p < .001) than those with a mentor. Themes that emerged from the qualitative data suggest that mentorship supports career advancement through coaching and professional development, invitations to collaborate and resource share, networking, and active teaching.

CONCLUSION

Based on the relationship of mentoring to career outcomes, a robust faculty development program needs a formal academic mentorship program to improve career satisfaction and academic productivity.

Exploring individual character traits and behaviours of clinical academic allied health professionals: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Clinical academic allied health professionals can positively impact patient care, organisational performance, and local research culture. Despite a previous national drive to increase these roles, they remain low in number with no clear strategy for growth. Reported barriers to this growth cite organisational and economic factors with little recognition of the challenges posed to individuals. There is a lack of research to help allied health professionals understand the personal challenges of clinical academic training and practice. The aim of this study is to explore the character traits and behaviours of clinical academic allied health professionals to understand the individual attributes and strategies taken to pursue a career in this field.

METHODS

A semi-structured interview study design was used to collect data from aspiring and established clinical academic allied health professionals. Participants were recruited voluntarily through social media advertisement (aspiring) and purposively through direct email invitation (established). Participants were asked about their experience of pursuing a clinical academic career. The interviews were conducted virtually using Zoom and were audio recorded. The data were transcribed verbatim prior to reflexive thematic analysis. Informed consent was gained prior to data collection and the study was approved by the university's research ethics committee.

RESULTS

Twenty participants from six allied health professions were interviewed. We developed five themes: risk and reward, don't wait to be invited, shifting motivations, research is a team sport, and staying the course. Clinical academic allied health professionals demonstrated traits including inquisitiveness, intuition, motivation, and resilience. The source of their motivation was rooted in improving clinical services, conducting research, and personal achievement.

CONCLUSION

Clinical academic allied health professionals describe personal traits of high inquisitiveness, opportunism, motivation, and determination in pursuing their career ambitions. The tolerance of rejection, failure, and risk was considered important and viewed as an essential source for learning and professional development. Future research should concentrate on ways to reduce the over-reliance on individual strength of character to succeed in this field and explore programmes to increase the preparedness and support for clinical academics from these professions.

Mentor training for junior faculty: a brief evaluation report from the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance

To provide a foundation for mentoring, junior faculty participated in a mentor training workshop informed by the Mentoring Clinical and Translational Researchers curriculum. The goal was to develop skills and behaviors that engender more rewarding and inclusive mentoring practices. Attendees responded to baseline and follow-up surveys assessing perceived mentoring skills. Follow-up surveys included closed- and open-ended questions about the value and satisfaction of the training, and intended behavior changes. Junior faculty respondents (n = 39) reported significantly higher overall mentoring skills after the training (t = -2.6, p = 0.012) with a medium effect size (Cohen's D = 0.59). Domains with statistically significant improvement from baseline to follow-up included aligning mentor-mentee expectations and assessing understanding. Thirty-eighty (97%) found the training valuable, and 32 (82%) indicated they would change mentoring-related behaviors because of the training. Intended behavior changes described in open-ended responses aligned with mentoring skills assessed (e.g., aligning expectations). An additional competency domain of evaluating mentoring relationships was also described. A mentor training workshop for junior faculty appeared to contribute to changes in mentoring skills and intended behaviors. Mentor training has the potential to enhance mentorship, which is critical to strengthening a diverse pipeline of clinical and translational science researchers.

An online global survey and follow-up expert groups on the scope and needs related to training, research, and mentorship among early-career addiction medicine professionals

Addiction medicine is a rapidly growing field with many young professionals seeking careers in this field. However, early-career professionals (ECPs) face challenges such as a lack of competency-based training due to a shortage of trainers, limited resources, limited mentorship opportunities, and establishment of suitable research areas. The International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) New Professionals Exploration, Training & Education (NExT) committee, a global platform for early-career addiction medicine professionals (ECAMPs), conducted a two-phase online survey using a modified Delphi-based approach among ECAMPs across 56 countries to assess the need for standardized training, research opportunities, and mentorship. A total of 110 respondents participated in Phase I (online key informant survey), and 28 respondents participated in Phase II (online expert group discussions on three themes identified in Phase I). The survey found that there is a lack of standardized training, structured mentorship programs, research funding, and research opportunities in addiction medicine for ECAMPs. There is a need for standardized training programs, improving research opportunities, and effective mentorship programs to promote the next generation of addiction medicine professionals and further development in the entire field. The efforts of ISAM NExT are well-received and give a template of how this gap can be addressed.

Understanding Quality Improvement and Continuing Professional Mentorship: A Needs Assessment Study to Inform the Development of a Community of Practice

INTRODUCTION

Quality improvement (QI) programming attempts to bridge the gap between patient care and standards of care. Mentorship could be a means through which QI is fostered, developed, and incorporated into continuing professional development (CPD) programs. The current study examined (1) models of implementation for mentorship within the Department of Psychiatry of a large Canadian academic center; (2) mentorship as a potential vehicle for alignment of QI practices and CPD; and (3) needs for the implementation of QI and CPD mentorship programs.

METHODS

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 individuals associated with the university's Department of Psychiatry. The data were analyzed through thematic analyses with two independent coders using COREQ guidelines.

RESULTS

Our results identified uncertainty among the participants regarding the conceptualization of QI and CPD, illustrating difficulties in determining whether mentorship could be used to align these practices. Three major themes were identified in our analyses: sharing of QI work through communities of practices; the need for organizational support; and relational experiences of QI mentoring.

DISCUSSION

A greater understanding of QI is necessary before psychiatry departments can implement mentorship to enhance QI practices. However, models of mentorship and needs for mentorship have been made clear and include a good mentorship fit, organizational support, and opportunities for both formal and informal mentorship. Changing organizational culture and providing appropriate training is necessary for enhancing QI.

Individual and Institutional Factors Contribute to Research Capacity Building for Early-Stage Investigators from Groups Underrepresented in Biomedical Research: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

BACKGROUND

Enhancement of diversity within the U.S. research workforce is a recognized need and priority at a national level. Existing comprehensive programs, such as the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), have the dual focus of building institutional research capacity and promoting investigator self-efficacy through mentoring and training.

METHODS

A qualitative comparative analysis was used to identify the combination of factors that explain the success and failure to submit a grant proposal by investigators underrepresented in biomedical research from the RCMI and non-RCMI institutions. The records of 211 participants enrolled in the NRMN Strategic Empowerment Tailored for Health Equity Investigators (NRMN-SETH) program were reviewed, and data for 79 early-stage, underrepresented faculty investigators from RCMI (n = 23) and non-RCMI (n = 56) institutions were included.

RESULTS

Institutional membership (RCMI vs. non-RCMI) was used as a possible predictive factor and emerged as a contributing factor for all of the analyses. Access to local mentors was predictive of a successful grant submission for RCMI investigators, while underrepresented investigators at non-RCMI institutions who succeeded with submitting grants still lacked access to local mentors.

CONCLUSION

Institutional contexts contribute to the grant writing experiences of investigators underrepresented in biomedical research.

Are researchers in academic medicine flourishing? A survey of midcareer Ph.D. and physician investigators

Introduction

Midcareer research faculty are a vital part of the advancement of science in U.S. medical schools, but there are troubling trends in recruitment, retention, and burnout rates.

Methods

The primary sampling frame for this online survey was recipients of a single R01 or equivalent and/or K-award from 2013 to 2019. Inclusion criteria were 3-14 years at a U.S. medical school and rank of associate professor or two or more years as assistant professor. Forty physician investigators and Ph.D. scientists volunteered for a faculty development program, and 106 were propensity-matched controls. Survey items covered self-efficacy in career, research, work-life; vitality/burnout; relationships, inclusion, trust; diversity; and intention to leave academic medicine.

Results

The majority (52%) reported receiving poor mentoring; 40% experienced high burnout and 41% low vitality, which, in turn, predicted leaving intention (P < 0.0005). Women were more likely to report high burnout (P = 0.01) and low self-efficacy managing work and personal life (P = 0.01) and to be seriously considering leaving academic medicine than men (P = 0.003). Mentoring quality (P < 0.0005) and poor relationships, inclusion, and trust (P < 0.0005) predicted leaving intention. Non-underrepresented men were very likely to report low identity self-awareness (65%) and valuing differences (24%) versus underrepresented men (25% and 0%; P < 0.0005). Ph.D.s had lower career advancement self-efficacy than M.D.s (P < .0005).

Conclusions

Midcareer Ph.D. and physician investigators faced significant career challenges. Experiences diverged by underrepresentation, gender, and degree. Poor quality mentoring was an issue for most. Effective mentoring could address the concerns of this vital component of the biomedical workforce.

Developing a Physician-Led Model for Research Mentorship in Academic Urology

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Quality mentorship is difficult to attain amidst the conflicting demands of academic medicine. In this review, we sought to characterize mentor-mentee relationships and discuss their optimization towards productivity in the research team setting.

RECENT FINDINGS

A high-value mentor, defined by exceptional commitment to both research productivity and mentoring, naturally attracts prospective mentees, who can demonstrate their interest by shadowing and completing delegated tasks. Once fully initiated, the mentee establishes expectations with the mentor, identifies their roles within the research team, and, over time, takes ownership of the mentor-mentee relationship and collaborates with near-peers. Mentorship is a dynamic, reciprocal relationship that enhances career development of both participants. In the research team setting, episodic virtual research meetings and prudent delegation orient the entire team, while the mentor-mentee relationship is upheld by embracing a culture of responsiveness, feedback, and collaboration.

Sailing the boat together: Co-creation of a model for learning during transition

PURPOSE

Medical students' transition to postgraduate training, given the complexity of new roles and responsibilities, requires the engagement of all involved stakeholders. This study aims to co-create a transition curriculum and determine the value of involving the key stakeholders throughout such transition in its design process.

METHODS

We conducted a mixed-methods study involving faculty/leaders (undergraduate/postgraduate), final-year medical students, and chief residents. It commenced with eight co-creation sessions (CCS), qualitative results of which were used to draft a quantitative survey sent to non-participants, followed by two consensus-building CCS with the original participants. We applied thematic analysis for transcripts of all CCS, and mean scores with standard deviations for survey analysis.

RESULTS

We identified five themes: adaptation, authenticity, autonomy, connectedness, and continuity, embedded in the foundation of a supportive environment, to constitute a Model of Learning during Transition (MOLT). Inclusion of various stakeholders and optimizing their representation brought rich perspectives to the design process. This was reinforced through active students' participation enabling a final consensus.

CONCLUSIONS

Bringing perspectives of key stakeholders in the transition spectrum enriches transition curricula. The proposed MOLT can provide a guide for curriculum designers to optimize the final year of undergraduate medical training in preparing students for postgraduate training with essential competencies to be trained.

A Scoping Review of Health Care Faculty Mentorship Programs in Academia: Implications for Program Design, Implementation, and Outcome Evaluation

INTRODUCTION

Formal mentoring programs have direct benefits for academic health care institutions, but it is unclear whether program designs use recommended components and whether outcomes are being captured and evaluated appropriately. The goal of this scoping review is to address these questions.

METHODS

We completed a literature review using a comprehensive search in SCOPUS and PubMed (1998-2019), a direct solicitation for unpublished programs, and hand-searched key references, while targeting mentor programs in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. After three rounds of screening, team members independently reviewed and extracted assigned articles for 40 design data items into a comprehensive database.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight distinct mentoring programs were represented in the data set. The team members clarified specific mentor roles to assist the analysis. The analysis identified mentoring program characteristics that were properly implemented, including identifying program goals, specifying the target learners, and performing a needs assessment. The analysis also identified areas for improvement, including consistent use of models/frameworks for program design, implementation of mentor preparation, consistent reporting of objective outcomes and career satisfaction outcomes, engagement of program evaluation methods, increasing frequency of reports as programs as they mature, addressing the needs of specific faculty groups (eg, women and minority faculty), and providing analyses of program cost-effectiveness in relation to resource allocation (return on investment).

CONCLUSION

The review found that several mentor program design, implementation, outcome, and evaluation components are poorly aligned with recommendations, and content for URM and women faculty members is underrepresented. The review should provide academic leadership information to improve these discrepancies.

A Case for Case Reports: How to Write One and Promote Mentorship, Scholarship and Faculty Development

Introduction Case reports form the base layer of the evidence pyramid, describing new or emerging diseases, side effects to treatments, common presentations of rare diseases, or rare presentations of common diseases. An important scholarly pursuit, writing case reports can be hindered by lack of time, training, and mentorship. Here, we describe a workshop incorporating case writing skills with mentorship opportunities to engage faculty and learners. Methods We designed and implemented a virtual, synchronous workshop addressing knowledge and attitudes on case reports for trainees and academic faculty at distributed sites. Participants discussed the contributions of case reports to the medical literature, key features of successful cases, approaches to writing learning objectives, and how to develop interesting cases into dynamic case reports. Case reports were discussed as a way to mentor learners to disseminate interesting cases as a source of clinical experience and academic productivity. A retrospective pre-post survey was collected two months after the workshop to evaluate its utility. Results Fifteen out of 42 participants responded to the survey. As a result of the workshop, respondents noted improvement in confidence in identifying and writing case reports and identifying and working with mentors or mentees, regardless of level of training or specialty. At the follow-up, seven (47%) respondents had identified a case and 10 (67%) had identified a mentor/mentee to write a case report with. Discussion This workshop, successfully delivered virtually, demonstrates the utility of a brief educational intervention in improving participant confidence in identifying and writing case reports with mentorship.

Implementation and first experiences with a multimodal mentorship curriculum for medicine-paediatrics residents

INTRODUCTION

Mentorship increases trainee productivity, promotes career satisfaction and reduces burnout. Beginning in 2016, our Medicine-Paediatrics residency program developed and implemented a longitudinal mentorship curriculum among trainees. We report initial experiences with that program and discuss potential future directions.

CURRICULUM STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION

We implemented and adapted a peer mentorship model and expanded it to include guest lectures and workshops centred around 13 core topics. Our expanded model included five longitudinal components: (1) peer mentorship; (2) virtual check-ins with residency leadership; (3) focussed didactics and workshops; (4) small-group dinners highlighting different career paths; and (5) dedicated faculty who pair residents with mentors based on common interests. We compared annual survey results on resident satisfaction with program mentorship, using chi-square and fisher's exact tests to assess statistically significant differences pre- (2012-2016) and post-intervention (2016-2020).

RESULTS

We analysed 112 responses with annual response rate varying between 41.2% and 100%. Overall satisfaction with mentorship improved from 57.6% to 73.4% (p = .53), satisfaction with emotional support improved from 63.1% to 71.6% (p = .21), and satisfaction with career-specific mentorship improved from 48.5% to 59.5% (p = .70). Residents reported consistently high satisfaction with peer mentorship (77.8%-100%). The percent of residents reporting they had identified a career mentor increased from 60.0% in 2017 to 88.9% in 2019, which was sustained at 90.0% in 2020.

CONCLUSION

We report our experience in implementing and adapting a mentorship curriculum for resident physicians in a single training program, including transitioning to a primarily online-based platform at the outset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Our results showed a trend towards improvement in resident satisfaction with overall and career-specific mentorship, as well as improved emotional support. Future work is needed using more objective outcome markers among a larger and more diverse group of residents. KEY MESSAGESAmong resident physicians in a single training program, a mix of mentor-mentee dyads, group-based peer mentoring and a structured curriculum has shown promise in improving resident-reported satisfaction with programmatic mentorshipWhile we attempted to adapt the mentorship curriculum to an online platform with the development of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, reported satisfaction in overall mentorship and emotional support decreased in comparison to the prior year, an important focus for future work.

Physician Wellness in Academic Cardiovascular Medicine: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Academic medicine as a practice model provides unique benefits to society. Clinical care remains an important part of the academic mission; however, equally important are the educational and research missions. More specifically, the sustainability of health care in the United States relies on an educated and expertly trained physician workforce directly provided by academic medicine models. Similarly, the research charge to deliver innovation and discovery to improve health care and to cure disease is key to academic missions. Therefore, to support and promote the growth and sustainability of academic medicine, attracting and engaging top talent from fellows in training and early career faculty is of vital importance. However, as the health care needs of the nation have risen, clinicians have experienced unprecedented demand, and individual wellness and burnout have been examined more closely. Here, we provide a close look at the unique drivers of burnout in academic cardiovascular medicine and propose system-level and personal interventions to support individual wellness in this model.

Characteristics and Experiences of Women Physicians and Professionals in NAEMSP

Introduction: One of the six guiding principles of the EMS Agenda 2050 is to foster a socially equitable care delivery system. A specific recommendation within this principle is that "local EMS leadership, educators and clinicians [should] reflect the diversity of their communities." Research has shown that women comprise a minority of emergency medicine services (EMS) field clinicians. In academic settings, women are represented at lower rates among experienced EMS faculty than within Emergency Medicine clinicians or faculty at large. The reasons for these differences are also unknown. Little data exist describing the number or experience of female physicians and professionals in EMS.Purpose: Our objective was to describe the composition and experiences of EMS physicians, researchers and professionals who participate in the Women in EMS group of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP).Methods: We performed a cross-sectional, mixed-methods descriptive study of women belonging to the Women in EMS Committee of NAEMSP. A survey was sent to the 143 members of this group using a list-serve, and the data was collected in Redcap.Results: Seventy-four people completed the survey. Respondents were 96% female, 82% Caucasian, 11% underrepresented minorities (URM), and 7% LGBTQI. Of the 88% that are physicians, 78% are board certified in Emergency Medicine, compared to 55% in EMS. Forty-eight percent reported they received some form of mentorship. Among these respondents, a minority reported female mentorship, which was usually from a remote rather than local mentor (41% vs. 15%). Eighty-three percent of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment in their career, but only 68% reported their workplace culture discourages such behavior. Thirty-three percent of respondents report receiving unequal recognition because of gender. Thematic evaluation of the qualitative responses showed that respondents felt there were fewer barriers to mentorship and professional advancement opportunities in local work versus national engagement.Conclusions: In a survey evaluating representation of female professionals in EMS, participants reported on their career representations, and experiences of gender-based inequity within their EMS career settings. Several opportunities exist to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion for women in EMS based on our findings.

The Nature and Evolution of the Mentoring Relationship in Academic Health Centers

Mentoring has a long tradition in academic health centers, and from an institutional perspective can positively impact retention, wellness, promotion success, work satisfaction, and more. On the individual level, mentorship can provide professional growth and personal satisfaction for both participants. However, mentors may struggle with how to build their mentorship skills, navigating challenges with mentees over time, or if/how/when to conclude a mentor-mentee relationship. Mentees may not understand how to find a mentor, what the nature of that relationship is, or what their role is (what characterizes a "good" mentee). As important as mentorship is, it can be challenging for both to find and maintain a high-quality mentor-mentee relationship. This article reviews the qualities that are most critical in developing a successful mentoring relationship, the longitudinal nature of this relationship, common problems that arise, and the potential rewards that exist for each person involved in the relationship.

Gender Discrimination, Career Aspirations, and Access to Mentorship Among Medical Students in Brazil

INTRODUCTION

Gender-based discrimination (GBD) creates a hostile environment that can affect medical students. Mentorship has been recognized as a mitigating factor for GBD. We aimed to investigate the impacts of GBD on career selection and well-being of medical students in Brazil and to explore access to mentorship among these students.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed using an anonymous survey in Portuguese. The survey was distributed in June 2021 to students enrolled in Brazilian medical schools. It contained 24 questions, including demographics, episodes of GBD experienced by responders and their impact on professional and personal life, and mentorship access.

RESULTS

Of 953 respondents, 748 (78%) were cisgender women, 194 (20%) cisgender men, and 11 nonbinary (1%). Sixty-six percent (625/953) of students reported experiencing GBD, with cisgender women and nonbinary being more likely to experience it than cisgender men (P < 0.001). Responders who experiences GBD report moderate to severe impact on career satisfaction (40%, 250/624), safety (68%, 427/624), self-confidence (68%, 426/624), well-being (57%, 357/625), and burnout (62%, 389/625). Cisgender women were more likely to report these effects than men counterparts (P < 0.01). Only 21% of respondents (201/953) had mentors in their medical schools.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate that GBD is widespread among Brazilian medical students affecting their personal and professional lives, and most of them do not have access to a mentor. There is an urgent need to increase access to mentors who could mitigate the adverse effects of GBD and help develop a diverse and inclusive medical workforce.

Ophthalmology Education Leadership Attitudes Towards Mentorship of Female Medical Students

PURPOSE

Numerous studies have emphasized the influence of gender-specific mentors in medical students' career decisions, but this has not been explored fully in ophthalmology. Therefore, this study evaluated ophthalmology educators' attitudes towards female mentorship, to better understand how this may relate to medical students' career development and training.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A 22-question survey was sent to AUPO Chairs, Program Directors, and Medical Student Educators. The number of female students applying to ophthalmology residency was compared with the number of female ophthalmology faculty using AUPO and AAMC workforce data. Student's t-tests and chi square were used for analyses, all at a threshold significance level of p<0.05.

RESULTS

75 members responded, including 30 of 72 MSEs (41.7%), 34 of 114 PDs (29.8%), and 17 of 135 Chairs (12.6%). Of respondents, 55.4% identified as female and 44.6% as male. Male and female members had 47.9% and 47.6% female mentees, respectively, (p=0.45). However, 21.2% of male and 56.1% of female members agreed that a mentee of the same gender was important, (p<0.01). Furthermore, 13 of 40 female members (32.5%) reported having a significant female mentor themselves vs. 1 of 29 male members (3%), (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Male and female AUPO members reported no difference in female mentees but females were more likely to feel gender-specific mentorship was important, suggesting room for further development of this resource. Expansion of female mentorship in ophthalmology can promote equity in training and help address the lack of female representation in leadership.

Faculty Development for Academic Emergency Physicians: A Focus Group Analysis

Objectives: The objective is to explore academic emergency medicine physicians’ exposure to and needs regarding faculty development.

Methods: We conducted a prospective qualitative study of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine members in 2018 using focus groups selected by convenience and snowball sampling. One facilitator ensured representative engagement and responses were transcribed in real-time by an assistant after obtaining verbal consent. Results were analyzed using a grounded theory approach with a constructivist perspective. Thematic analysis was refined using the constant comparative method.

Results: Sixteen physicians participated in the focus groups, representing a diverse group of perspectives. Six themes emerged about unmet needs in faculty development: knowledge and skills, relationships, specific programs or resources, and professional benefits.

Conclusions: Members of a national academic society identified three areas of focus important to developing academicians in emergency medicine: content for faculty developers, relationship-building among members, and support from the organization as a “professional home.” Academic societies can use this to guide future programming.

What sparks a guide on the side? A qualitative study to explore motivations and approaches of mentors in health professions education

INTRODUCTION

Despite abundant research emphasising the value of mentoring for healthcare professionals, little is known about what motivates mentors. This study aimed to explore what motivated a group of internationally renowned health professions educators to accept informal, international and mostly online mentoring roles, and their approaches to that mentoring.

METHODS

Using a qualitative approach, we interviewed ten global educational leaders, who volunteered to serve as mentors in an initiative implemented by the Association for Medical Education in Europe in 2019, via Zoom. The hour-long interviews, conducted between May and October 2019, were audiotaped and transcribed on Zoom. De-identified transcripts were analysed for key themes.

RESULTS

The key themes identified could be mapped to three categories, Motivations - Why; Approaches - How, and Global and virtual mentoring - What. Themes under motivations included: (1) Nurturing relationships focussed on mentees' growth; (2) Pass on the benefit of one's experience; (3) For one's own continued growth. Themes under approaches included: (1) Provide a safe space; (2) Encourage mentees to take ownership of their professional development. Themes under global and virtual mentoring included: (1) Mentoring across geographical borders is still about relationships; (2) Virtual mentoring is not a barrier to relationship building.

DISCUSSION

Though mentors also saw own growth and ongoing professional development as an important benefit of mentoring, altruism or the desire to benefit others, appeared to be a key motivating factor for them. Finding ways in which to identify mentors who are passionate about strengthening the field in this way - for example through reflective narratives and critical conversations - could be key when implementing mentoring initiatives.

A scoping review of peer mentoring in medicine

BACKGROUND

While studies have demonstrated the benefits of mentoring between junior and senior faculty, the dearth of senior mentors remains a challenge. Peer mentoring arose out of scarcity by creating communities among faculty at similar stages. Although demonstrative studies abound, no synthesis of the literature exists to characterise programme structure, content and impact on faculty.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review of peer mentoring programmes for faculty in academic medicine. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and ERIC for studies of peer mentoring programmes. Two authors independently reviewed the articles and extracted data.

FINDINGS

We reviewed the titles and abstracts of 1513 studies, 75 full-text articles, and selected 19 studies for our review. About half of peer mentoring programmes were department-sponsored. The overall size varied from 3 to 104 participants; most were organised into small groups and met monthly. Fifty-eight percent included a didactic curriculum. Several studies showed an increase in publications, grant funding, retention rates and promotion, in addition to increased personal satisfaction. Qualitative data demonstrated themes of collaboration and mutual support.

DISCUSSION

Programme outcomes were invariably positive with respect to participant satisfaction, and additionally, some studies showed an increase in publications, grant funding, retention rates and promotion. Camaraderie emerged as a strong theme in the programmes.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review of peer mentoring programmes can guide institutions in their efforts to create similar initiatives.

Collaborative faculty development transforms evaluation at a school of osteopathic medicine: an exploratory grounded theory study

Background: Faculty development (FD) initiatives for medical educators must keep pace with educators’ expanding roles and responsibilities in the 21st century to effectively support and guide professional growth. Successful initiatives will be comprehensive and systematic, rather than episodic. Our research explores the impact of a collaborative, individualized, and focused FD program. The purpose of this pilot study is: (1) to describe the innovative design and implementation of the incipient FD program at University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM), San Antonio, Texas; and (2) to present insights from a preliminary process evaluation of the program’s initial launch to inform and facilitate broadscale implementation.      Methods: We used a longitudinal, holistic approach to redesign the UIWSOM FD program to provide evidence-informed and experiential learning for faculty. We performed a process evaluation of the initial iteration of the FD program using an inductive qualitative research approach. We applied principles of constructivist grounded theory to analyze faculty’s responses collected during semi-structured interviews. Results: Three themes emerged from our analysis: communication, advocacy, and reciprocal learning.  We found that effective communication, advocacy for faculty success, and reciprocal value between faculty and program developers undergirded the core concept of authentic engagement.  Faculty’s perceptions of the quality of engagement of those implementing the program overshadowed the quality of the logistics.  Conclusions: Our pilot study identified authentic engagement as critical to faculty’s positive experience of this new FD initiative.  Practical implications for other health professions schools with similar FD initiatives include consideration of the relational aspects.  Future studies should expand the process evaluation to determine key factors driving perceived program success for other skill domains and amongst clinical faculty, and include a long-range outcome evaluation of the fully implemented program.

Instituting a Curriculum for Cardio-Obstetrics Subspecialty Fellowship Training

Maternal mortality is rising in the United States, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause. Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes heighten the risk of cardiovascular complications during pregnancy and the peripartum period and are associated with long-term cardiovascular risks. The field of cardio-obstetrics is a subspecialty within adult cardiology that focuses on the management of women with or at high risk for heart disease who are considering pregnancy or have become pregnant. There is growing recognition of the need for more specialists with dedicated expertise in cardio-obstetrics to improve the cardiovascular care of this high-risk patient population. Current recommendations for cardiovascular fellowship training programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education involve establishing core competency in the knowledge of managing heart disease in pregnancy. However, little granular detail is available of what such training should entail, which can lead to knowledge gaps. Additionally, dedicated advanced subspecialty training in this area is not commonly offered. Multidisciplinary collaborative teams have been shown to improve outcomes in cardiac patients during pregnancy, and cardiovascular fellows-in-training interested in cardio-obstetrics should have the opportunity to participate in and contribute to a pregnancy heart team. In this document, we describe a proposed specialized cardio-obstetrics training pathway that could serve to adequately prepare trainees to competently and comprehensively care for women with cardiovascular disease before, during, and after pregnancy.

Starting a Research Career in Cardiology: Advice for Fellows in Training and Early-Career Cardiologists

Launching an academic career in cardiology can be challenging. Mentorship has long been considered a core component in the academic career advancement of trainees across different disciplines and career stages, including cardiovascular disease. But simply having a mentor may not be sufficient to embark on a successful academic journey in cardiology. In this paper, we share advice on starting a research career in cardiology from both the mentee and mentor viewpoints. These perspectives reflect academic career guidance models developed at the Johns Hopkins Center for Mobile Technologies to Achieve Equity in Cardiovascular Health, which is funded by an American Heart Association Strategic Focused Network grant, to emphasize training. Core principles include encouraging mentees to develop a unique professional identity cultivated by a diverse, collaborative, and effective mentorship and sponsorship team.

Pragmatic Mentoring Strategies for the Busy Surgeon Scientist

OBJECTIVE

The value of research mentorship in academic medicine is well-recognized, yet there is little practical advice for how to develop and sustain effective mentoring partnerships. Gaining research skill and mentorship is particularly critical to success in academic surgery, yet surgeon scientists are challenged in their mentorship efforts by time constraints and lack of education on how to mentor. To address this gap, this study explored the strategies that award-winning faculty mentors utilize in collaborating with their medical student mentees in research.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

For this qualitative study, the authors invited physician recipients of an institution-wide mentorship award to participate in individual, semi-structured interviews during July and August 2018. Following interview transcription, the authors independently coded the text and collaboratively identified common mentoring strategies and practices via a process of thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Nine physician mentors, representing a mix of genders, medical specialties and types of research (basic science, clinical, translational, and health services), participated in interviews. The authors identified 12 strategies and practices from the interview transcripts that fell into 5 categories: Initiating the partnership; Determining the research focus; Providing project oversight; Developing mentee research competence; and Supporting mentee self-efficacy.

CONCLUSION

Award-winning mentors employ a number of shared strategies when mentoring medical trainees in research. These strategies can serve as a guide for academic surgeons who wish to improve their research mentoring skills.

Next Steps: Advocating for Women in Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic surgery is the least diverse of all medical specialties, by both sex and race. Diversity among orthopaedic trainees is the lowest in medicine, and growth in percentage representation is the lowest of all surgical subspecialties. Women comprise only 6% of orthopaedic surgeons and 16% of orthopaedic surgery trainees. This extreme lack of diversity in orthopaedics limits creative problem-solving and the potential of our profession. Women in orthopaedics encounter sexual harassment, overt discrimination, and implicit bias, which create barriers to training, career satisfaction, and success. Women are underrepresented in leadership positions, perpetuating the lack of diversity through poor visibility to potential candidates, which impedes recruitment. Correction will require a concerted effort, as acknowledged by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons leadership who included a goal and plan to increase diversity in the 2019 to 2023 Strategic Plan. Recommended initiatives include support for pipeline programs that increase diversity of the candidate pool; sexual harassment and implicit bias acknowledgement, education, and corrective action; and the active sponsorship of qualified, capable women by organizational leaders. To follow, women will lend insight from their diverse viewpoints to research questions, practice problems, and clinical conundrums of our specialty, augmenting the profession and improving patient outcomes.

Organizational Culture and Effective Leadership in Academic Medical Institutions

In the US, a heterogeneity in archetypes of leadership augments the success of an Academic Medical Institution (AMI) in fulfilling its key missions of clinical service, teaching, training, mentoring, research and scholarship, community engagement, inclusion, and diversity. Effective leadership is profoundly influenced by organizational culture with its dominant foundations in shared attitudes, beliefs, mores, behaviors-scripted and unscripted, as well as explicit and tacit rules and policies that become entrenched in the operational repertoire over time. Modulating organizational culture are an AMI's mission, vision, core and affirmed values, formal governance and its complexity, informal influencers, historical precedent, the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare, regional and institutional socioeconomics, and faculty prototypes. It is paramount that AMIs endeavor to recruit and position leaders whose values align with those of the institution ("cultural fit"). This treatise highlights the crucial influences that affect organizational culture and its interface with AMI leadership and ensure the success of the organization and its leaders.

A Review of Mentorship in Urology: Are We Satisfied?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To evaluate the state of mentorship in the field of urology.

RECENT FINDINGS

Mentorship has been shown to decrease burnout, increase recruitment of underrepresented minority groups, and have a positive influence on the career trajectory of mentees. Approximately half of surgical residency programs have mentorship programs. The current literature supports the idea that formal mentorship programs are successful based on level 1 satisfaction scores. However, studies are sparse and of low quality. Mentorship program success is rarely objectively measured. Structured mentorship programs appear to be beneficial, but require serious planning, evaluation, and ongoing support without which the programs can fail. Future research should be focused on objective and measurable metrics of success.

Impact of Mentorship, by Gender, on Career Trajectory in an Academic Anesthesiology Department: A Survey Study

INTRODUCTION

Mentorship has been identified as a key component of success in business and in academic medicine.

METHODS

After institutional review board approval of the study, an email survey was sent to anesthesiologists in one anesthesiology department to assess mentorship status. A survey link was sent to nonrespondents at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. All participants were deidentified. The identification of a mentor was compared by gender, academic rank, and years of practice.

RESULTS

Among 233 anesthesiologists, 103 (44.2%) responded to the survey. More than 90% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that having a mentor is important to career success. Of the 103 respondents, 31 (30%) indicated they had a mentor. Overall, 84% of the identified mentors were men; however, this percentage differed significantly between men and women respondents (95% versus 60%; P = .03). Characteristics associated with having a mentor included younger age (P = .007), fewer years since finishing training (P = .004), and working full time (P = .02). For respondent age and years since finishing training, there was some evidence that the association was dependent on the gender of the respondent (age-by-gender interaction, P = .08; experience-by-gender interaction, P = .08).

DISCUSSION

Anesthesiologists in this department believed that mentorship led to more academic success. Few women mentors were reported, and women were unlikely to identify a mentor once advanced past an assistant professor rank. Most respondents believed that mentorship was important for overall career success, but only approximately one-third identified a mentor at the time of the survey.

Aligning Student-Faculty Mentorship Expectations and Needs to Promote Professional Identity Formation in Undergraduate Medical Education

BACKGROUND

During professional identity formation, medical students integrate their newly developing professional identities with their longstanding personal identities. Longitudinal mentorship has been shown to aid students in this process. Lack of clear relationship expectations among students and faculty is a barrier to effective longitudinal mentorship relationships.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, survey-based study collected information about experiences from both students (mentees) and faculty (mentors). Surveys focused on collecting participants' attitudes and expectations regarding ideal and actual mentorship experiences. Descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test analyses were used to compare the responses within and between students and faculty.

RESULTS

A total of 234 faculty and 181 medical students completed the survey. There were 187 faculty respondents (79.9%) who had previously mentored students. Faculty who had versus had not previously mentored students differed significantly in their responses on the importance of mentors discussing aspects of their personal lives (71.1% vs. 54.3%, respectively, p = 0.0491), a quality valued by the majority of student respondents. As students progressed through medical school, they expressed increasing needs for personal mentorship and conversations regarding work/life integration and wellness (M1: 12.2%, M2: 18.8%, M3: 29.3%, M4: 51.7%). A minority of students (27% of M3 and 14.8% of M4 students) reported meeting faculty mentors through their clinical year experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Faculty mentoring experience may improve student-faculty value alignment, which may in turn help to address student-identified needs pertaining to personal development and professional identity formation in medical school. By contrasting student-identified mentorship expectations with those of faculty at various stages of mentorship experience, this study lays the groundwork for the formation of more effective longitudinal mentorship programs.

Is authorship by women in Brazilian academic surgery increasing? A five-year retrospective analysis

Women remain underrepresented in 80% of Brazilian surgical specialties, however, women representation within the Brazilian academic surgical literature remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the gender distribution of first and last authors in Brazilian surgical journals. All publications between 2015 and 2019 from the five Brazilian surgical journals with the highest impact factor were reviewed. The first and last authors' names were extracted from each article and a predictive algorithm was used to classify the gender of each author. Authors were further classified by surgical field and geographic region to investigate patterns of female authorship among journals, specialties, and region over the study period. Multivariable logistic regression was then used to identify factors independently associated with female authorship. 1844 articles were analyzed; 23% (426/1844) articles had female first authors, and 20% (348/1748) had female last authors. Acta Cirúrgica Brasileira was observed to have the highest rates for both first and last female authors (37%, 138/371; 26%, 95/370)) and Revista Brasileira de Ortopedia (9%, 48/542; 10%, 54/522) had the lowest rates. Papers with a woman senior author were twice as likely to have a woman first author (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.51-2.58, p≤0.01). Women's representation in medicine is increasing in Brazil, yet women remain underrepresented as the first and last authors in the Brazilian surgical literature. Our results highlight the importance of senior women mentorship in academic surgery and demonstrate that promoting female surgeon senior authorship through academic and financial support will positively impact the number of female first authors.

A system-wide health sciences faculty mentor training program is associated with improved effective mentoring and institutional climate

Introduction

Mentorship is critical for faculty success, satisfaction, and engagement. However, many faculty, particularly underrepresented racial/ethnic (UR) faculty, lack access to high-quality mentoring. In an effort to improve mentoring for all faculty, we developed and implemented a formally structured faculty mentor training program (FMTP) across UC San Diego Health Sciences, which included institutional support, mentorship training, and department/division mentorship programs.

Methods

FMTP impact was evaluated using three primary outcome variables: mentoring quality, mentoring behaviors, and institutional climate. Participants' self-assessed mentoring competencies were measured using validated instruments.

Results

A total of 391 (23%) of Health Sciences faculty participated in FMTP. Participation rate was higher for women than men (30% versus 17%) and highest for UR faculty (39%). FMTP was implemented in 16 of 19 departments. Self-reported mentoring improved for FMTP participants with mentoring quality (p = 0.009) and meeting mentees' expectations (p = 0.01) continuing to improve for up to 2 years after training. However, participants were unsure if they were meeting UR mentees' expectations. FMTP participants were significantly more satisfied with mentoring quality (p < 0.001) compared to non-participants, with the greatest increase in satisfaction reported by UR faculty (38-61%). UR faculty reported improved overall morale (51-61%) and a perception that the environment was supportive for UR faculty (48-70%).

Conclusion

The implementation of a system-wide formal structured FMTP was associated with improved faculty satisfaction, quality of mentoring, and institutional climate, especially for UR faculty.

Correlation Between Enrollment of Students in Mentoring Program and Their Academic Achievements: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Mentoring is a process in which a mentor guides his mentee to achieve specific academic goals and an array of objectives. We conducted this study to detect the correlation between the active participation of the students in the mentoring program and their academic achievements.  Methods This is a comparative cross-sectional study. The data were collected through an online questionnaire. One hundred participants were enrolled randomly in the study. The data included the number of meetings between the mentor and students and their cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Results The response rate was 83.3% (100 students). Fifty percent (n = 50) of the respondents had never met with their mentors while the other 50% (n = 50) had met with their mentors at least once in a semester. For this group, overall, positive response rates regarding the value and effectiveness of the mentoring program exceeded 78%. The correlation between participation in the mentoring program and the academic achievements of students was calculated (R² was 0.007, p-value = 0.757). Conclusions This study demonstrated a non-significant correlation between the degree of involvement in the mentoring program and students' overall academic achievements as students from both sections. Those who were enrolled in the program, and those students who were not, still achieved high scores.

Development of a Novel Mentorship Platform to Foster Relational Mentoring, Empowered Vulnerability, and Professional Identity Formation in Undergraduate Medical Education

PROBLEM

Mentorship is valuable to medical students undergoing professional identity formation. Many institutions lack infrastructure to facilitate the personalized mentoring that supports students' integration of new professional identities with their personal identities and values.

APPROACH

The authors developed a novel mentorship platform called Weave via a multistep, iterative design process, incorporating in-person and survey-based student and faculty feedback. Features of Weave include clear communication of mentorship offerings and expectations, plus opportunities to engage mentors based on professional and personal (identity-based) attributes. Faculty at Harvard Medical School who created a mentor profile within the first 3 months of launch and students who visited the website within the same period were invited to complete usability surveys in February 2019; students were invited to complete impact surveys in August 2020.

OUTCOMES

Fifty-two of 132 invited faculty members (39.4%) and 80 of 185 students (43.2%) completed the usability surveys. Most of these faculty (86.5%) and students (73.8%) reported navigating the website was easy/very easy; 36 faculty (69.2%) created a mentor profile within 10 minutes. Key innovations highlighted by faculty and students were the listing of personal attributes and identities of diverse faculty; centralized, increased access to faculty mentors; ease of use; and provision of clear expectations. Nearly all students who completed the impact surveys agreed that Weave allowed them to connect with a faculty mentor whom they would not have found through other sources and to learn about the dimensions of diverse faculty.

NEXT STEPS

Weave is a customizable online mentorship platform that fosters empowered vulnerability and increases dialogue between medical students and faculty based on professional and personal interests and identities. Weave may be expanded to other mentoring contexts and adapted for implementation at other institutions to help cultivate an institutional culture that values mentoring and to strengthen broader diversity and inclusion efforts.