Mentors

The Georgia CTSA TEAMS Program is only made possible by the support of our mentors. In addition to traditional 1:1 mentors, this program is supported by learning community mentors and content experts. Information on each role is noted below.   We are actively recruiting mentors and content experts to join this inaugural program. 

Benefits

Learning community mentors and 1:1:

  • Make a career changing difference for someone else
  • Shareyour expertise 
  • Helpa junior scientist be successful
  • Developa rewarding relationship
  • Learnnew developments & directions in science
  • Buildyour network

Content Experts:

  • Share your expertise with your colleagues
  • Gain experience facilitating small groups
  • Network with colleagues across the Georgia CTSA
  • Receive recognition for your contributions at program completion 

Eligibility

Learning Community Mentors & 1:1 Mentors:

Mid-to-senior level faculty with strong research track records, extramural funding, and (if possible) some evidence of mentoring skills/development of others.

Content Experts:

Mid-to-senior level faculty with expertise in areas identified as essential to academic success. Topics include but are not limited to providing feedback, managing a team, grant writing, and creating your personal brand.

Time Commitment

Learning Community Mentors & 1:1 Mentors: Approximately 2 hours per month for learning community mentors and 1 hour per month for the 1:1 mentors over the 9-month program, plus 1-2 hour virtual training and attendance at various program events.

Content Experts: 1-hour meeting no more than 3x per academic year.

Responsibilities & Expectations

Learning Community Mentors:

  • Act as the primary mentor for a small group of 4-6 fellows. Learning Community Mentors will work with their small group to map out the topics of discussion over the course of the program. As needed, learning community mentors will select content expert(s) to lead session(s) and will serve as a facilitator. Learning Communities should meet monthly for 2 hours.
  • Attend program kickoff and graduation; participation in mid-year event strongly encouraged.
  • Complete 1.5-2 hour real-time, virtual training module.
  • Work with mentoring coordinator to set schedules for the learning community.

1:1 Mentors:

  • Guide and support an individual fellow.
  • Attend program kickoff and graduation; participation in mid-year event strongly encouraged.
  • Complete 1.5-2 hour real-time, virtual training module.
  • Meet at least one hour per month (remotely or in-person) with your assigned 1:1 fellow.

Content Expert:

  • Serve as a content expert during learning community meeting(s).
  • Encouraged, but not required to attend the in-person kickoff, mid-year session, and graduation ceremony.
  • Present 1-3 virtual or in-person sessions annually.

Application and Selection Process

Faculty interested in serving as a learning community mentor, 1:1 mentor, or content expert should submit an online interest form. The application period for mentors is now closed. Please contact Lauren.James@emory.edu with any questions. 

Apply to be a Mentor

Mentors Toolkit

At the foundation of every successful mentoring relationship is goal setting.  Having your mentee create and share their goals can help focus your interactions and create tangible outcomes for both parties.

No matter how you define your goals, aligning expectations is critical to the success of all mentoring relationships. These tools will help you clarify expectations, achieve goals, and establish agreed-upon guidelines for you and your fellow(s).

Remember, it is important to regularly discuss if you and your fellow are still in alignment!

Tools developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research

 Tools developed by

  1. University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research

Are you a good mentor? Do you make yourself available to your mentee? Do you provide guidance and constructive feedback? Are you willing to share your knowledge and expertise? Do you celebrate your mentee's victories? 

Understanding your strengths and weaknesses as a mentor will assist you in being the best mentor to your mentee. Georgia CTSA TEAMS mentors are encouraged to read Nature’s Guide for Mentors and take the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA), a validated tool designed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

Additional mentor self-reflection templates are listed below:

After you have done some self-reflection, it is important to know what will be expected of you from your mentee.

Additional articles on how to be an effective mentor are listed below:

Tools developed by

  1. University of California-Davis
  2. Indiana University School of Medicine
  3. Jason DeMers, Inc.
  4. University of North Carolina
  5. Kelly Ann Rockquemore - Inside Higher Ed

Communication is one of the key factors that determine the success of a mentoring relationship. Being a good communicator will not only improve your mentoring experience, but it will also be useful in many other aspects of your career.

Learn more about how to develop effective communication skills and listening skills by viewing the tools listed below:

Tools developed by

  1. Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
  2. University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
  3. Psych Central
  4. Ian Brownlee

Are you experiencing any conflict within your mentor-mentee relationship? Are you having trouble matching the communication style of your mentee? Is your mentee placing inadequate effort towards building a strong relationship? Are you seeking guidance on how to constructively address the issues you may be facing with your mentee?

Here are a few resources to help resolve mentoring challenges that arise:

Also, remember you can always contact the program coordinator or director to discuss any concerns that you have about your mentoring relationship!

Tools Developed by

  1. Oregon Health & Science University, School of Medicine
  2. University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
  3. Raymonda Burgman

Science is becoming more and more team-based! Translational scientists play a key role in many aspects of science, ranging from basic science, to clinical trials, to the development of public health initiatives. Watch the Role of Translational Scientists or read The Fundamental Characteristics of a Translational Scientist from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to learn more.

Working in an interdisciplinary team can be challenging. The thought of bringing together people from different backgrounds and careers can be intimidating.  Here are tips and resources on how to make this concept a successful possibility:

Not only do you want to create an interdisciplinary team, but you want to create a high functioning interdisciplinary team. Read 5 Ways to Build a High-Performance Team featured by Forbes.

Did you know the Georgia CTSA celebrates Team Science by awarding Team Science Awards of Distinction?View Team Science Awards criteria.

Tools developed by

  1. Carrie Bader and Margarete Jaeger from Pacific University
  2. Nancarrow, S. A., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., & Roots, A. (2013). Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work. Human resources for health, 11, 19. doi:10.1186/1478-4491-11-19

Diversity, Diversity, Diversity! Science is science - so sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender and culture shouldn’t matter, right? Wrong! Scientists from different backgrounds, different races or ethnicities, and different career paths can have very different perspectives. They may ask different questions, have different methodologies, and offer different techniques. All these differences equate to better science!

The first step to address diversity is understanding your biases, especially unconscious biases. Try out these self-assessment tools listed below to learn more about uncovering sources of bias thoughts and behaviors.

Next, check out these videos, Mentor Training to Improve Diversity in Science2 and Mentor Training to Improve Diversity in Science1 developed by the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) to provide training on the enhancement of culturally sensitive mentoring.

Another helpful resource is Creating and Maintaining High-Performing Collaborative Research Teams: The Importance of Diversity and Interpersonal Skills featured by The Ecological Society of America.

Tools developed by

  1. Love Has No Labels
  2. Anti-Defamation League

Relational boundaries are important in a mentoring relationship. Once these boundaries are set it is crucial that both the mentee and mentor respect and abide by them. To find out how to set boundaries, take a look at Setting Boundaries in Mentoring Relationships developed by the NIH.

If you need clarity on what constitutes harassment, please see the U.S Department of the Interior article: What are Discrimination, Harassment, Harassing Conduct and Retaliation?

For more information on relational boundaries and harassment, please view the following resources listed below:

Tools developed by

  1. American Psychological Association
  2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
  3. Des Moines University

Tools developed by

  1. Robert Lefkowitz
  2. University of California San Francisco
  3. Columbia University
  4. University of Michigan