Mentoring Resources for Faculty

Mentoring Workshops

The Graduate Program in Life Sciences and Office of Postdoctoral Scholars offers mentoring workshops for faculty involved in mentoring. These workshops are facilitated conversations between faculty on important mentoring topics. Our facilitators have been trained by the Center for the Improvement for Mentored Experiences in Research. These four-week 1.5-hour sessions are offered once every fall, spring, and summer. Additionally, departments and programs can request them for their areas.  Topics include:

• Introduction and Effective Communication
• Aligning Expectations and Assessing Understanding
• Addressing Equity and Inclusion
• Supporting Independence and Promoting Professional Development

For more information, please contact Jennifer Aumiller, MEd, Director, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Career and Professional Development.

Mentoring Compacts

Mentoring compacts can start the conversation between you and a mentee and outline expectations for both parties.  For best results for mentoring compacts, it should be a discussion between both parties about their individual expectations, not a one-size-fits-all document. The AAMC has created some amazing mentoring compacts that can be found at:

• Graduate Student Mentoring Compact: https://www.aamc.org/what-we-do/mission-areas/medical-research/grad-compact
• Postdoctoral Trainee Mentoring Compact: https://www.aamc.org/what-we-do/mission-areas/medical-research/post-doc-compact

Individual Development Plans

Individual development plans are a way to formally check in with a mentee to see how things are going and to give feedback. They are also very useful for the mentee to be able to see what they have accomplished and be able to set goals with you for both research and professional development. Ideally, these would be done at least every six months to a year from the start of the mentor/protégé relationship.

UMSOM Graduate Student Individual Development Plans

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• MBIC IDP for Students Without Mentors
• MBIC IDP for Students with Mentors

Epidemiology and Human Genetics

• EPIHGEN IDP for All Students

Gerontology

• Please reach out to the program coordinator for this document

Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

• MMIC IDP for Pre-candidacy Students
• MMIC IDP for PhD Candidates

Molecular Medicine

• Thesis Committee Meeting Form and IDP
• Thesis Proposal Form and IDP

Neuroscience

• PIN IDP for Students Without a Mentor
• PIN IDP for Students With a Mentor

Physical Rehabilitation Science

• PTRS IDP

Individual Development Plan for Postdoctoral Scholars

Multiple Mentoring Model

Research has shown that mentees can benefit from having multiple mentors, rather than just a dyad-mentoring relationship (a relationship between an individual mentor and a mentee.) Encouraging multiple mentors can help your mentee thrive and create the connections that they need for their professional and research development: https://www.facultydiversity.org/ncfddmentormap

National Academies of Science Engineering and Math Podcast

This resource touches on some important mentoring topics that arise in the mentoring relationship.