Amplifying Voices: Investigating a Cross-Institutional, Mutual Mentoring Program for URM Women in STEM

Virtual Undergraduate Research Experiences: More Than a Pandemic Stopgap

“…Indeed, virtual engagement has recently been shown to be an effective platform for a similar purpose for URM STEM female faculty. 8 …”

“…Indeed, virtual engagement has recently been shown to be an effective platform for a similar purpose for URM STEM female faculty. 8 Thinking pragmatically, we do recognize that despite our successes in 2020 with a small group of digital mentees, any wider implementation of similar programs would have to be designed thoughtfully in order to avoid propagating existing inequality of access. 9 Existing disparities in access to the internet and digital technology, which are significant even in the US, 10 would mean that virtual research will still be out of reach for some students; to make these opportunities truly equitable, labs may need to consider additional steps to remedy technology access disparities, such as loaning trainees a lab laptop and wifi hotspot.…”

Codeveloping and implementing an Indigenous mentoring program for Native American faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“…These studies have demonstrated positive impacts on mentees learning about institutional cultures, promotion and tenure processes, pertinent career advice (Tran, 2022), research and scholarship activities, such as successful grant proposals and publications (Yun et al, 2016) and peer review of internal and external proposals (Guessous, 2015). A further benefit is the creation of networks of supportive colleagues (Peterson et al, 2020; Williams et al, 2020; Yun et al, 2016) and gaining empowerment skills, enabling them to handle conflicts that arise at work and better negotiate for their workplace needs (Peterson et al, 2020). Faculty mentoring programs developed for historically excluded racial and ethnic groups have used several mentoring structures.…”

“…During the past 2 decades, some academic institutions and medical schools developed and implemented mentoring programs to advance careers of faculty from historically excluded groups (Bean et al, 2014; Beech et al, 2013; Sorcinelli & Yun, 2010; Tran, 2022; Williams et al, 2020; Yun et al, 2016), especially Indigenous populations (Brown et al, 2024; Walters et al, 2019). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized mentoring as a critical tool for fostering a vibrant and competitive workforce in the STEM fields (Guessous, 2015; Peterson et al, 2020), and biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences (Sorkness et al, 2017). Existing Indigenous-focused efforts include a grouping of NIH-funded programs through University of Washington’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, which focus on HIV-related, substance use, and health disparities research and training among Indigenous predoctoral and early career scholars and retention of Indigenous faculty in biomedical research (Walters et al, 2009, 2016; Walters & Simoni, 2009), and the Indigenous Faculty Forum, delivered through the Oregon Health & Science University’s Northwest Native American Center and University of Hawai’i’s Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence, which provides a 1-day structured course for Indigenous faculty in academic medical centers (Brodt et al, 2019).…”

The Impact of COVID-19-Prompted Virtual/Remote Work Environments on Employees’ Career Development: Social Learning Theory, Belongingness, and Self-Empowerment

“…It's just like the distance put things off. Peterson et al, (2020), found that a "virtual mutual mentoring model was an effective way of creating a cross-institutional community of personal support" (p. 328). This prior research finding is consistent with social learning theory's focus on role modeling situations and employees being motivated by the reward of having personal support.…”