A-45 Closing the Gap in the Neuropsychology Pipeline Via Mentorship Focusing on African American Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1086-1086
Author(s):  
Anny Reyes ◽  
Willie F McBride ◽  
Kendra Anderson ◽  
Valencia Montgomery ◽  
Courtney Ray

Abstract Objective A core mission of the Society for Black Neuropsychology (SBN) is to increase the representation of neuropsychologists, students, and scholars from diverse backgrounds. As such, SBN developed a 12-month mentoring program for trainees at all levels. The SBN Mentorship Program includes four components: mentoring where mentees are paired with a mentor based on interest and needs; professional development webinars; application materials resources; virtual social hours. Methods First, a call for mentors and mentees was distributed via SBN’s and related listservs and social media. Second, pairings were based on mentee training level, clinical/research interest, needs (e.g., applying to doctoral programs, cultural competency, securing funding), and additional preferences (e.g., matched on the same racial/ethnic background, sex/gender, geographical location). Surveys will be distributed at 6-months and upon completion of the mentorship program to evaluate pairings, webinars, and overall impact of the program. Results A total of 60 mentors from diverse backgrounds and different levels of training enrolled. Thirty-five underrepresented minority (URM) trainees were matched with mentors based on their level of training, interest, and needs. The mentee cohort comprised of undergraduate/post-baccalaureate (30%), masters (5%), and doctoral students (60%), and post-doctoral fellows (5%). The cohort was approximately 77% female and all mentees identified as an URM in academia (URM: 85.7% Black, 14.3% Latinx). Conclusion Mentorship programs represent a vital but often overlooked component of trainee success. Mentorship programs sponsored by organizations such as SBN can help increase the number of URM students in neuropsychology and provide the mentorship needed to navigate barriers URM students often encounter in academia.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipmala Das ◽  
Asitava Deb Roy ◽  
Alka Rawekar

BACKGROUND Mentorship programs are becoming increasingly common in undergraduate medical education all over the world. However, very few medical colleges are running mentorship programs in India. A mentorship program was introduced in our college for the first year MBBS students to help them cope up with the stress of the new environment. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to evaluate the mentorship program with regard to its efficacy, utility, limitation and potential for improvement after successful completion of one year of the program. METHODS It was an observational analytical study including 143 mentees and 15 mentors conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital for five months from November 2019 to March 2020. Two sessions of FGD were carried out involving 7 students in each session. One session of FGD was conducted involving 7 mentors. The feedback was collected with a pre validated questionnaire containing 10 questions (8 close ended and 2 open ended). Feedback of closed ended questions were obtained by using a 5-point Likert scale (1 to 5) where 5 indicated ‘Strongly Agree’ and 1 indicated ‘Strongly Disagree’ RESULTS Most of the mentees (86.7%) and mentors (66.7%) mentioned that mentorship program is necessary for the welfare of the students. However, it was also noted that better communication and frequent meetings can improve the outcome of the program. CONCLUSIONS Mentorship program is deemed essential, however, a well-structured framework and dedicated time from both mentors and mentees will make the program more successful. This type of feedback evaluation is however important to validate such program.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-318
Author(s):  
Rosma Indriana Purba ◽  
Ratna Setyowati Putri ◽  
Donna Imelda

A mentorship program is cost-efficient and effective ways to get employees engaged and empowered. The program enables developing talent and increases productivity across the organization. The executive team of Sekolah Pelita Harapan has grown a strong desire to help equipping educational leaders to be effective in their role as educators. It is founded on the belief that an excellent candidate having a background of experience in education and showing strong potential for further leadership development can benefit enormously through the opportunities that mentorship can offer. Through several models of teacher development programs, it was finally confirmed that the mentoring program was an excellent way to develop the teacher's performance. Keywords: mentoring, job shadowing, active application, dialogue, professional reading, self-reflection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S367) ◽  
pp. 124-127
Author(s):  
Anna Voelker ◽  
Caitlin O’Brien ◽  
Michaela Deming

AbstractThe SciAccess Initiative (“SciAccess”) is dedicated to advancing disability inclusion and diversity in STEM education, outreach, and research. In this paper, the authors present an overview of accessible STEM programs run by the SciAccess Initiative, including an annual conference, international working group, and space science mentorship program for blind youth. Recommendations for creating accessible mentorship programs and networking events, both virtually and in-person, are detailed so that these inclusion-focused efforts may be replicated by others.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Maul

Universities in sub-Saharan Africa currently struggle to maintain adequate faculty and resources to take on Ph.D. candidates. Expanding enrolment in recent decades has not been met with improvements in university facilities, and neglect from development agencies has made it difficult for the higher education sector to meet the demands of the knowledge economy. As a result African graduate students have few opportunities to pursue postgraduate study in the region and sub-Saharan Africa’s brain drain persists. In order to address the lack of opportunity for graduate study, the Professors without Borders program has been developed. Professors without Borders is a mentorship program, whereby graduate students in sub-Saharan Africa are partnered with professors and academics at universities in industrialized nations and the students are mentored during the course of their degree. The program aims to promote internationalization among universities as well as facilitate development. This report examines the motivation behind the program and its potential for success. The literature review on higher education in sub-Saharan African summarizes the problems facing the sector but indicates the potential for higher education to contribute to economic growth. In addition, the reception of the Professors without Borders idea among African universities indicates unanimously that such a mentorship program would be very much welcomed and beneficial to African Ph.D. students. The experience of a similar program known as BrainRetain by the Irish-Africa Partnership provides insight into the challenges and logistics of making such a mentorship program successful and sustainable.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. E566-E572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickalus R Khan ◽  
Pamela L Derstine ◽  
Andrew J Gienapp ◽  
Paul Klimo ◽  
Nicholas M Barbaro

Abstract Mentorship can be a powerful and life-altering experience during residency training, but there are few articles discussing mentorship models within neurosurgery. In this study, we surveyed US neurosurgical department mentorship practices and linked them to resident outcomes from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), including resident survey responses, board pass rates, and scholarly activity. A 19-question survey was conducted from October to December 2017 with the assistance of the Society of Neurological Surgeons. De-identified data were then obtained from the ACGME and correlated to these results. Out of 110 programs, 80 (73%) responded to the survey and gave informed consent. The majority (65%) had a formal mentorship program and assigned mentor relationships based on subspecialty or research interest. Barriers to mentorship were identified as time and faculty/resident “buy-in.” Mentorship programs established for 5 or more years had superior resident ACGME outcomes, such as board pass rates, survey results, and scholarly activity. There was not a significant difference in ACGME outcomes among programs with formal or informal/no mentorship model (P = .17). Programs that self-identified as having an “unsuccessful” mentorship program had significant increases in overall negative resident evaluations (P = .02). Programs with well-established mentorship programs were found to have superior ACGME resident survey results, board pass rates, and more scholarly activity. There was not a significant difference among outcomes and the different models of formal mentorship practices. Barriers to mentorship, such as time and faculty/resident “buy-in,” are identified.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo E Velásquez ◽  
Moises A Huaman ◽  
Kimberly R Powell ◽  
Susan E Cohn ◽  
Shobha Swaminathan ◽  
...  

Abstract We surveyed awardees of the Minority HIV Investigator Mentoring Program (MHIMP) of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Most reported clinical specialization in infectious diseases or HIV medicine (86%), and all but 1 (95%) are engaged in medical/health sciences research. The MHIMP helped retain early-career minority investigators in HIV/AIDS-related research.


10.28945/4148 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 471-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L Geesa ◽  
Kendra Lowery ◽  
Kat McConnell

Aim/Purpose: In this paper, we examine how first-year education doctoral (EdD) students in a peer mentoring program may be supported in the academic and psychosocial domains to increase timely degree completion, decrease attrition, and improve the EdD program for students and faculty. Background: EdD students often face unique trials based on academic, social, professional, and personal challenges that arise during their degree program. The paper addresses how peer mentoring programs may help students overcome these challenges while completing their EdD program. Methodology: To investigate the effectiveness of a peer mentoring program for students, we focused on a single case study of an EdD peer mentoring program with 11 first-year EdD students who participated in the program. Using mixed methods, we collected and analyzed data from pre- and post-surveys, individual interviews, and a focus group. Contribution: Few studies about peer mentoring programs for EdD students exist. This study is unique because it focuses on first-year EdD students’ perspectives and, unlike other studies on peer mentoring programs, peer mentors are defined as graduates of the EdD program or current EdD students who are further along in the program. Whilst many studies of peer mentoring recommend peer mentoring for new students, our findings suggest that in the case of EdD students, extended or later peer mentoring may be more beneficial. Findings: From the quantitative and qualitative data results, five themes related to mentee perspectives of the benefits of EdD peer mentoring program emerged: 1) receiving academic advice and program support; 2) focusing on the future; 3) receiving emotional support and work-life balance advice; 4) having an experienced and relatable mentor; and 5) needing more mentoring to derive benefits. While mentees reported positive feelings about the mentoring program, many expressed that they did not yet have a need for mentoring. Considering that most mentoring studies focus on early program mentees, these results present the possibility of a need for extended or later-program mentoring. Based on the data, we identified a need for additional research which focuses on determining the correct timing for EdD students to begin peer mentoring program since students take coursework during their first year and have not begun work in the dissertation phase of the program. Recommendations for Practitioners: Sustainability of peer mentoring programs can present challenges based on the time and needs of mentees, mentors, and faculty. Doctoral faculty should evaluate the benefits of an EdD peer mentoring program for mentees on a regular basis to ensure that the program effectively supports and guides mentees to degree completion. Recommendation for Researchers: Literature and research on the evaluation, impact, and value of peer mentoring programs for EdD students and first-year doctoral students are limited. Researchers could study further the perspectives of mentees in an EdD peer mentoring program throughout their degree program from taking coursework to writing a dissertation. The benefits of early-program mentoring in comparison to later-program mentoring could be investigated further. Impact on Society: Providing mentoring opportunities to EdD students may help them overcome academic, social, and emotional challenges, and in turn, allow more education leaders to successfully complete their EdD and use their education to improve their school communities. Future Research: Future studies should examine other options of mentoring programs for first-year EdD students and EdD students who completed their EdD coursework and are working on their dissertation. Longitudinal studies are also needed to track mentees’ progression throughout the program.


Author(s):  
Shavonne Shorter

This chapter discusses recommendations for how colleges and universities can institute formal mentorship programs between Black students who have the aptitude and/or interest to become professors and Black faculty. Recommendations about concerns that mentors should address have been crafted based on the expressed needs and desires of Black students from the work of Shorter (2014). The chapter will detail the types of activities the program should include such as learning more about expected job responsibilities. The chapter also discusses intended outcomes associated with the program, the ultimate being an increase in the numbers of Black students that become professors. The chapter concludes with recommendations to expand the program's scope to include all underrepresented minority students.


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