Establishing Effective Mentoring Networks: Rationale and Strategies
Helen Christou,
Nameeta Dookeran,
Audrey Haas,
Christy Di Frances,
S. Jean Emans,
Maxine E. Milstein,
Kathy E. Kram,
Ellen W. Seely
Affiliations
Helen Christou
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital; Director of the Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program
Nameeta Dookeran
Addiction Medicine Physician, Herrington Recovery Center and Rogers Memorial Hospital
Audrey Haas
Executive Director, Office for External Education, Harvard Medical School
Christy Di Frances
Senior Program Manager, Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, Brigham and Women's Hospital
S. Jean Emans
Mary Ellen Avery Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Chief, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital; Faculty Director, Office of Faculty Development, Boston Children's Hospital
Maxine E. Milstein
Administrative Director, Office of Faculty Development, Boston Children's Hospital
Kathy E. Kram
Richard C. Shipley Professor Emerita, Questrom School of Business, Boston University
Ellen W. Seely
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Director, Clinical Research, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Vice-Chair for Faculty Development, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Introduction Mentoring networks constitute an effective mentoring model in academic medicine and significantly add to the traditional dyadic mentor-mentee relationship. There is an unmet educational need for medical faculty to recognize the importance and characteristics of effective mentoring networks and to develop tools and strategies to appraise and construct strong, individualized mentoring networks. Methods An interactive educational session on developmental mentoring networks for physicians and scientists in an academic environment was designed. This session can be presented as part of a series on mentoring topics or as a stand-alone module. Results Using preassigned readings and a mentoring network mapping exercise, participants were able to describe their current mentoring relationships and identify strengths and opportunities for enhancing their effectiveness. Conclusion A structured educational session is a useful approach towards advancing the ability of academic mentors to help create optimally effective mentoring networks. The learning environment is enhanced by the interactive nature of the session when used in an interdisciplinary cohort of faculty participants.
