The ICTR Mentor Training team is dedicated to developing, evaluating, and disseminating evidence-based curricula to train research mentors and mentees in establishing effective mentoring relationships. Effective mentoring is a cornerstone of career development for scholars in many fields, including clinical and translational researchers.
Working with UW partners, the ICTR group tailored existing curriculum to be specific for training and evaluating mentors for biomedical researchers. Between 2009 -2011, the ICTR-led team collaborated with 15 other CTSA sites, to adapt the Entering Mentoring curriculum developed earlier at UW-Madison for training research mentors of clinical and translational researchers. This adapted curriculum was tested via a randomized control trial. This trial established a positive effect on both mentors and mentees and led to publication of a training manual and peer-reviewed manuscripts describing the findings.
As part of this effort, a Research Mentor Training Web site was published to provide open access to curricula, assessment tools, and resources relevant for mentors and mentees, as well as for those who would like to implement mentor training.
In 2014, NIH awarded $2.2 million to UW-Madison to serve as the national hub for Research Mentor Training within the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). NRMN is part of a broader NIH Diversity Program Consortium. Leaders of the NRMN Mentor Training Core include the ICTR Mentor Training team, and additional experts from UW and other institutions (listed below). Other institutions participating in NRMN include Boston College and Morehouse School of Medicine (Administrative core), University of North Texas Health Science Center (Mentorship & Networking core), and the University of Minnesota (Professional Development core).
The five leaders of the NRMN consortium work together and also partner with over 30 professional scientific societies and numerous colleges and universities, including 20 historically Black colleges and universities, a consortia of Hispanic-serving institutions, organizations supporting tribal colleges, numerous minority-serving organizations, and NIH-funded centers.
Members of the NRMN Mentor Training Core Leadership Team
UW-Madison
Christine Pfund, PhD, Director, PI
UW SMPH Department of Medicine, UW ICTR, Wisconsin Center for Education Research
Janet Branchaw, PhD, Assoc Director, Co-I
UW School of Education Department of Kinesiology, director of WISCIENCE
Angela Byars Winston, PhD, Co-I
UW SMPH Department of Medicine
Christine Sorkness, PharmD, Co-I
UW School of Pharmacy and UW ICTR senior associate executive director
Other Institutions
Stephen Thomas, PhD, Associate Director, Co-I; University of Maryland
Richard McGee, PhD, Co-I; Northwestern University
Sandra Quinn, PhD, Co-I; University of Maryland
Anne Marie Weber-Main, PhD, Co-I; University of Minnesota
Return to main ICTR Mentoring page