Leveraging a collaborative consortium model of mentee/mentor training to foster career progression of underrepresented postdoctoral researchers and promote institutional diversity and inclusion

Abstract

Changing institutional culture to be more diverse and inclusive within the biomedical academic community is difficult for many reasons. Herein we present evidence that a collaborative model involving multiple institutions of higher education can initiate and execute individual institutional change directed at enhancing diversity and inclusion at the postdoctoral researcher (postdoc) and junior faculty level by implementing evidence-based mentoring practices. A higher education consortium, the Big Ten Academic Alliance, invited individual member institutions to send participants to one of two types of annual mentor training: 1) "Mentoring-Up" training for postdocs, a majority of whom were from underrepresented groups; 2) Mentor Facilitator training-a train-the-trainer model-for faculty and senior leadership. From 2016 to 2019, 102 postdocs and 160 senior faculty and administrative leaders participated. Postdocs reported improvements in their mentoring proficiency (87%) and improved relationships with their PIs (71%). 29% of postdoc respondents transitioned to faculty positions, and 85% of these were underrepresented and 75% were female. 59 out of the 120 faculty and administrators (49%) trained in the first three years provided mentor training on their campuses to over 3000 undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs and faculty within the project period. We conclude that early stage biomedical professionals as well as individual institutions of higher education benefited significantly from this collaborative mentee/mentor training model

Addressing structural mentoring barriers in postdoctoral training: A qualitative study

“…This [46,47]. However, large effects of mentor trainings were not reported by the postdocs in our focus groups.…”

Grant application outcomes for biomedical researchers who participated in the National Research Mentoring Network’s Grant Writing Coaching Programs

“…SETH predominantly enrolled investigators working at collaborating institutions funded by the NIH’s Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) network, Institutional Development Award (IDeA) network, and Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program. The second variation was CAN (Committee on Institutional Cooperation Academic Network), developed at the University of Chicago and funded by a supplement grant from the NRMN [ 23 ]. CAN invited its participants from member universities of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, with a focus on enhancing the faculty-readiness of URM postdoctoral fellows (although junior faculty were also included when appropriate).…”

Building and sustaining mentor interactions as a mentee

“…Trust, an open environment for discussions and confidentiality on what can or cannot be discussed outside the relationship are key elements of mentee-mentor interactions. The concept of empowering mentees to be active and equal participants in mentor-mentee relationships, also referred to as 'Mentoring Up', has been recently advocated [2,11]. Yet strategies for selecting mentors, maintaining working interactions with them, managing conflicts and avoiding undesirable interactions are often left unaddressed in research environments [1,12,13].…”

“…Early-career researchers (ECRs), such as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research staff and junior faculty members, work in competitive academic environments and must navigate research, teaching, service and management duties as well as multiple career transitions. Mentorship can improve the mentee's academic experience, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction [1,2]. Mentorship is voluntary formal or informal guidance provided by a more seasoned person (mentor) to a less established person (mentee) to facilitate the mentee's career choices and professional development.…”