NRMN leads in a celebration of National Mentoring Month
By Alexis Short
The new year commenced with National Mentoring Month, a time dedicated to acknowledging the pivotal role of mentorship in research excellence. Guided by their mission to foster diversity, inclusion and equity within the biomedical workforce, the National Research Mentoring Network Resource Center (NRMN-RC) led a series of activities throughout the month. These plans were crafted to disseminate resources, cultivate a sense of community and honor the mentor-mentee relationship that is instrumental in advancing scholarship across science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM) fields.
Kicking off National Mentoring Month
Dorota Stankowska, PhD, receives a mentoring award from NRMN-RC Principal Investigator, Jamboor Vishwanatha, PhD.
As a way to build engagement with their nationwide digital platform “MyNRMN,” the NRMN-RC initiated the month with a call for their community to share mentoring goals and mentorship success stories. This social media challenge invited followers to share experiences in creative ways. Subsequent posts highlighted participants’ gratitude for their mentoring relationships.
On January 11, the NRMN-RC organized a Twitter/X chat to share resources and engage followers through questions about mentoring experiences. The chat sparked conversation with many social media users adding the hashtags of #MentorshipJourney, #ResearchMentoring and #NRMNmentoringMatters.
The NRMN-RC and the Institute of Health Disparities at the University of North Texas Health Science Center also celebrated mentors and the progress the community has made in teaching and developing mentoring innovations with an awards ceremony on January 24, 2024. This inaugural Mentoring Ceremony honored 72 faculty members who have significantly contributed to the development of NRMN over the years. This event expressed gratitude for their invaluable support in mentoring, mentor training and impact as catalysts for positive change within the community.
To learn more about the work of the NRMN-RC, read the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) Legacy Series Q&A with NRMN-RC Principal Investigator, Jamboor Vishwanatha, PhD, “Making mentorship an important institutional initiative.”
Sharing Digital Courses and Publications
A recent addition to NRMN’s resource catalog is a series of eight mini courses designed for undergraduate student researchers, "Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.” These were co-developed with California State University Long Beach’s (CSULB) Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) program and consist of asynchronous training modules and videos covering topics essential to the graduate school application process. Participants in these courses will learn about the graduate school application process, understanding a PhD, factors to consider when applying for graduate programs, tips for selecting programs, and information about what to do if they don’t get into programs after their first applications.
In addition to launching these new resources, the NRMN also highlighted their library of publications and articles about effective mentoring. Be sure to visit the My Courses catalog on the NRMN website. Course topics include grant writing, scientific communication, research skills, enhancing mentoring relationships and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in a virtual environment.
Highlighting Mentoring Actions Webinar
Another highlight of the month was an NRMN Webinar, “Mentoring Action Items,” featuring Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Traci M. Murray, a distinguished Scientific Advisor for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Division of Extramural Research in the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
LCDR Murray delved into strategies for initiating meaningful mentor-mentee relationships, navigating challenges and maximizing the impact of mentorship. She covered how to build a supportive network for professional growth, steps for engaging your ideal mentor and ways to foster diversity and inclusion in mentorship endeavors.
“If you want a mentor to help you meet goals, of course the first step is that you need to identify what your goals are. They can be short term, like things you want to accomplish in the next three to six months or they can be long term goals like things you want to do in the next three to five years. Maybe you want to change your career, to go to grad school, go back to school, get a certification, etcetera,” she explained.
Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Traci M. Murray, Scientific Advisor for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Division of Extramural Research in the National Institute on Drug Abuse
Finding a mentor can feel like a daunting task, but Murray shared ideas for how to begin. "Mentors are role models, and people doing things you're interested in. Think about who you look up to, who's doing the thing you really want to do. Maybe they have your dream job, maybe a similar lived experience. Look around. You may have several potential mentors, if you just take a look,” she said.
For a link to the webinar, please email Alexis Short, alexis.short@unthsc.edu.
Wrapping up with #ThankYourMentor Day
The NRMN-RC, in collaboration with other DPC programs, participated in the hashtag campaign, #ThankYourMentor day. BUILD mentors and mentees were encouraged to share their thoughts on topics such as:
- What is the best part about being a mentor?
- What is something valuable that your mentees have taught you?
- What personal strengths has your mentor brought out in you?
- Has your mentor ever helped you through a struggle? How so?
Posts featuring mentors and mentees in biomedical science careers celebrating mentoring were shared across social networks. Check out the DPC’s LinkedIn blog post, “Celebrating Mentorship in STEMM” for highlights from this campaign.
As a final wrap-up, the NRMN team posted a recap of the month and encouraged ongoing engagement in mentorship. Visit the NRMN website for a list of activities and a reflection on the month.
The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
Grow Together.