Read the following five articles including publications from the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Coordination Center and the NRMN Science of Mentoring, Networking, and Navigating Career Transition Points (U01) awards.
Researchers from the National Research Mentoring Network Resource Center examined data from the MyNRMN platform to explore biomedical career transitions. The open access article, called “Examining Educational and Career Transition Points Among a Diverse, Virtual Mentoring Network” was published on April 4, 2024 in the Journal for STEM Education Research.
Abstract:
Given the differences in trajectory for under-represented minorities in biomedical careers, we sought to explore how a virtual mentoring program, the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), and its platform (MyNRMN), may facilitate transitions in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) pipeline. The purpose of this study was to describe how the size of an MyNRMN member’s mentoring network and level of engagement correlate with academic and career transitions. We examined MyNRMN platform user data from March 2020 to May 2021 (n = 2993). Logistic regression estimated the odds of a career or academic transition related to NRMN mentoring network size and engagement, while adjusting for confounders. Among active MyNRMN users for the one-year period, 5.2% (n = 155) had a positive transition. In the adjusted logistic regression model, users with more engagement on the MyNRMN platform (201 + points) had significantly higher odds of a positive transition (aOR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.14, 4.22) compared to those with 1–50 NRMN Points. Network size was not statistically significant. This study shows an association between being active within a virtual mentoring network and positive educational and career transitions in the STEMM pipeline. Active engagement in a virtual mentoring network may have benefits for mentees who aspire to join the STEMM workforce.
SF BUILD principal investigator Leticia Márquez-Magaña, PhD, explores asset-based approaches that make science socially transformative.
Abstract:
For science to be socially transformative it must be anti-deficit, meaning it must oppose efforts aimed at correcting perceived deficiencies in individuals. Instead, asset-based approaches are needed that recognize and value cultural strengths instead of framing them as deficits to be masked. Such approaches foster inclusive and innovative research that better yields equitable solutions for populations burdened by structural racism.
Read the full open access article, “Anti-deficit is anti-racist and transformative.”
Phase II of the Diversity Program Consortium broadened the National Research Mentoring Network to include the Science of Mentoring, Networking, and Navigating Career Transition Points that tested evidence-based approaches. Eleven projects were funded, including Career Advancement and Culture Change in Biomedical Research: Group Peer Mentoring Outcomes and Mechanisms at Brandeis University with Linda Pololi, MD as principal investigator.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this randomized control trial deeply immersed medical school faculty in a facilitated group peer mentoring process to test faculty vitality and career advancement. Analysis demonstrated the approach to be highly effective for all demographic groups of faculty.1, 2
This research has resulted in two evidence-based opportunities for broadly impacting medical school faculty success.
The first is the C-Change Mentoring and Leadership Institute for Mid-Career Faculty. As C-Change fellows, participants will work closely with a group of peers from different academic institutions. This Brandeis University yearlong course will convene in person for four two-day quarterly intensive and enjoyable meetings.
Secondly, the validated C-Change Faculty Survey© assesses the institutional culture and the professional experiences of faculty in academic medicine and the health sciences. The survey assesses the extent of vitality, relationships, professionalism, feelings of being valued and belonging, inclusion, respect, race, ethnicity and gender equity, mentoring, valuing diversity, antisexism, antiracism skills, and change agency for equity. The survey provides an assessment framework for inclusive excellence. The validated C-Change Faculty Survey has been used by institutions across the country, and by the NIH in studies including the NIH FIRST Program and is available for use by institutions.
For more information about the C-Change Mentoring & Leadership Institute, please visit the program website or email ccchange@brandeis.edu.
For more information about the C-Change Faculty Survey, please visit the survey website or email cchange@brandeis.edu.
1 Pololi LH, Evans AT, Brimhall-Vargas M, Civian JT, Cooper LA, Gibbs BK, Ninteau K, Vasiliou V, Brennan RT. Randomized controlled trial of a group peer mentoring model for U.S. academic medicine research faculty. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2023;7(1):e174. doi:10.1017/cts.2023.589
2 Pololi LH, Evans AT, Civian JT, McNamara T, Brennan RT. Group peer mentoring is effective for different demographic groups of biomedical research faculty: A controlled trial. PLOS ONE. 2024;19(3):e0300043. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0300043
The Mentoring Institute at the University of New Mexico hosted the 16th Annual Mentoring Conference in Albuquerque from October 23 - 27, 2023. Conference papers, including the following from the DPC’s National Mentoring Research Network, were published in The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching, Volume 7, Special Issue 16.
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.
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