Effective mentoring is a key component of the education and training of clinical and translational researchers. ICTR strives to provide a supportive environment to our scholars and trainees, as well as their mentors, that includes research mentoring to foster growth throughout one’s professional career pathway. Our introductory Mentor and Mentee Resources are framed around the four phases of the relationship: Selection, Alignment, Cultivation, and Closure. Please see below to access in depth resources associated with each phase.
ICTR is also a leader in the development of mentoring resources and specialized training curricula across the biomedical, translational, and clinical disciplines. Members of our mentoring team have developed, tested, and disseminated nationally recognized workshops for mentor and mentee training throughout the CTSA consortium. These initiatives are part of a larger coordinated NIH effort to diversify the biomedical research workforce.
More questions? You can contact us at mentoring@med.wisc.edu.
Our research mentor and mentee training curricula are available on the UW-Madison Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) website.
There you will find:
- A menu of training services along with instructions on how to request a training
- Curricula for all career stages, undergraduate through senior faculty
- Guidance and considerations on implementation
- Customized evaluation services through the CIMER Assessment Platform (CAP)
Our UW-Madison team leads the Coordination Center of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). NRMN is part of a broader NIH consortium serving mentors and mentees that strives to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce.
This report and its complementary interactive guide offer insights on effective programs and practices that can be adopted & adapted by institutions, departments, & faculty members.
Key Publications
Resources for Each Phase of the Mentoring Relationship
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Selection for Mentors
Selection Phase Resources
The selection phase begins by taking the time to gain clarity about your motivation to mentor as well as the strengths, goals, and areas of development of your potential mentee. The more information you can gain and share in investigatory meetings with potential mentees the better the ultimate fit will be. Review the material below to set yourself up for a successful match.
Including:
- Questions to ask yourself before you begin
- Mentee selection
- Downloadable resources and relevant readings on Selection
Alignment for Mentors
Alignment Phase Resources
The Alignment phase is where formal and informal mentoring can part ways, where early conversations about goals, roles and timelines get fleshed out and, in a more formal approach, written down for future assessment and revision. Taking the time early in the mentoring relationship to articulate, align, and document scientific and relational expectations is an investment in developing trust, effective communication and shared goals. Discussions with your mentee should include compatibility of learning and communication styles, expectations around progress, and intentions of oversight or supervision.
Including:
- What to Align
- Alignment Process
- Signs of Misalignment
- Downloadable resources and relevant readings on Alignment
Cultivation for Mentors
Cultivation Phase Resources
In the Cultivation phase, the mentor and mentee follow through on the expectations and timelines outlined in the Alignment phase, modifying the specifics as the relationship plays out. Mentoring teams become fully assembled with clearly defined roles relating to the scientific and career development needs and goals of the mentee. For you as a mentor, the cultivation phase means tailoring opportunities to your mentee that foster their growth and then providing the encouragement and agreed upon resources that empower them to succeed and become more independent.
Including:
- Assessing understanding & supporting mentee learning and development
- Maintaining effective communication
- Communicating ethics
- Mentoring across differences
- Managing mentoring challenges
- Assessing the mentoring relationship
- Downloadable resources and relevant readings on Cultivation
Closure for Mentors
At all phases of the mentoring relationship, both you and your mentee should feel motivated and confident that each is contributing toward shared goals. Once the mentoring relationship has served its purpose and the long-term goals are achieved, or it becomes clear that those goals are not going to be met, it is helpful to have a framework or set of conditions in place for when the association should change or end.
Including:
- Preparing for Closure
- Relevant Readings on Closure
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Selection for Mentees
Selection Phase Resources
The selection phase begins by taking the time to gain clarity about your strengths, goals, and areas of development. The more information you can communicate in investigatory meetings with potential mentors the better the ultimate fit will be. Review the material below to set yourself up for a successful match.
Including:
- Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
- Finding a mentor
- Assessing fit
- Building a mentor team
- Downloadable resources and relevant readings for Selection
Alignment for Mentees
Alignment Phase Resources
The Alignment phase is where formal and informal mentoring can part ways, where early conversations about goals, roles and timelines get fleshed out and, in a more formal approach, written down for future assessment and revision. Taking the time early in the mentoring relationship to articulate, align, and document scientific and relational expectations is an investment in developing trust, effective communication and shared goals. Discussions with your mentor should include topics such as compatibility of learning and communication styles, expectations around progress, and intentions of oversight or supervision.
Including:
- What to Align
- Alignment Process
- Signs of Misalignment
- Downloadable resources and relevant readings on Alignment
Cultivation for Mentees
Cultivation Phase Resources
In the Cultivation phase, the mentor and mentee follow through on the expectations and timelines outlined in the Alignment phase, modifying the specifics as the relationship plays out. Mentoring teams become fully assembled with clearly defined roles relating to the scientific and career development needs and goals of the mentee. For you, this phase means leveraging the strengths outlined in the Individual Development Plan (IDP), as well as cultivating your areas for growth, and communicating your needs as they change; it means seizing opportunities as they arise and following through with intentional action.
Including:
- Maintaining effective communication
- Mentoring across differences
- Managing mentoring challenges
- Assessing the mentoring relationship
- Downloadable resources and relevant readings on Cultivation
Closure for Mentees
At all phases of the mentoring relationship, both you and your mentor should feel motivated and confident that each is contributing toward shared goals. Once the mentoring relationship has served its purpose and the long term goals are achieved, or it becomes clear that those goals are not going to be met, it is helpful to have a framework or set of conditions in place for when the association should change or end.
Including:
- Preparing for Closure
- Relevant Readings on Closure
Mentoring Team
Christine Pfund
Position title: Director, NRMN Coordination Center | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
christine.pfund
Christine Sorkness
Position title: Senior Associate Executive Director, Workforce Development
Email:
sorkness
Taylor Ajamian
Position title: Administrative Specialist, NRMN | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
tajamian
Emma Dums
Position title: Research Analyst, NRMN | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
edums
Stephanie House
Position title: Researcher, NRMN | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
house2
Melissa McDaniels
Position title: Scientist, NRMN | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
mmcdaniels
Fátima Sancheznieto
Position title: Associate Researcher, NRMN | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
ruiz9
Lisette Serrano
Position title: Grant Coordinator, NRMN | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
lvserrano
Kim Spencer
Position title: Researcher, NRMN | Mentorship Initiatives, ICTR
Email:
kcspencer2
Emily Utzerath
Position title: Associate Director, NRMN | ICTR Mentorship Initiatives
Email:
emily.utzerath