Mentoring Framework

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The Department of Medicine (DOM) mentoring program will supplement the existing CHM Tenure System Mentoring program activities and ensure that our faculty are assisted in achieving their career goals.

More information about the CHM Tenure System Mentoring program here: http://www.chmfacultyaffairs.msu.edu/


Framework for Development of Department Mentoring Program1,2
Our program will contain the elements outlined below. Although it will be the mentee’s responsibility with input as necessary from the division chiefs and Vice Chair for Research (VC4R) to assemble his/her committees, create a development plan, arrange meetings with mentors and report on progress, both the Division Chiefs and the department Office for Research is responsible for ensuring that these steps are all taken:

  1. Description of mentors and mentor responsibilities:
    1. Size – Large divisions should strive to create mentoring committees comprised of at least two and up to four senior faculty, possibly including one from another department. Small divisions may have to adopt a less formal approach that relies on a more on 1:1 mentoring.
    2. Frequency of mentoring meetings – every 2 months at a minimum, with possible additional 1:1 meetings with individual mentors as needed
    3. Mentoring should encompass both strategies to success at work and broader career planning
  2. Developmental plan for mentee – should include short and long term goals and specific tasks to accomplish over next year
  3. Reporting expectations – decide on when/how/what will mentee report to mentor or to mentoring committee
  4. Evaluation of mentoring:
    1. How will mentee progress be evaluated by mentors? To be determined by the mentor.
    2. How will the division chief/ VC4R evaluate the progress of the mentee?
    3. Evaluate performance of mentors: This will be done with by the division chief/VC4R
    4. Evaluate overall effectiveness of department mentoring program
    5. Incorporate mentor and mentee activities into the annual faculty performance evaluation process

 

Responsibilities of the Mentoring Program Director, DOM Vice Chair of Research3
The Vice Chair will be charged with implementing a structured research mentoring and career development program for junior faculty that is consistent with the department’s strategic plan.
Specific responsibilities will include:

  1. Identifying senior faculty to serve as mentors
    1. Review with the DOM Advisory Committee the expectations of the DOM Division Chiefs responsibilities:
      1. identify junior faculty for the program,
      2. identify division faculty mentors,
      3. assist in the program review annually
  2. Ensuring that targeted junior faculty are successful in forming advisory committees if applicable
    1. Research
      1. Ensure the new faculty member has the appropriate introductions and contact persons including other colleges, basic science departments, access to networks and distribution lists (MSU community faculty) and appropriate information about conference presentations and grants/awards
      2. Extension Education –  ensure that new faculty have appropriate introductions and access to networks and resources in the community and organization. Support faculty development activities. Assist in creating a community of geographically dispersed tenure unit members.
    2. Service – do not overload with departmental committees, and assist in choosing appropriate university committees. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/about/msue_leadership http://msue.anr.msu.edu/program/info/extension_health_research  http://msue.anr.msu.edu/topic/info/food_health
  3. Performing ongoing data collection to assess effectiveness of mentoring activities
  4. Preparing an annual summary of mentoring activities and their impact on faculty
  5. Recognizing and rewarding senior faculty for outstanding mentorship

The division chief/VC4R can greatly facilitate the success of the mentoring program by encouraging the active participation of senior faculty in mentoring efforts and by educational efforts among the faculty to overcome possible biases.

Responsibilities of the Principal Research Mentor4
This mentorship role is focused on facilitating development of the independent research and/or creative scholarship activities of the mentee. It is essential that the mentor have expertise or in-depth insight into the mentee's area of research or scholarly focus. Meetings take place every 2 month at the minimum. For research-intensive junior faculty members, the Principal Mentor (above) will often be a central research mentor. Coordinate with the Division chief on responsibilities 1-4 listed above.
Refer to the Mentoring worksheet for additional information (attachment).

Responsibilities of the Mentees, Junior Faculty5
Although the ultimate responsibility for career advancement rests with the mentee, DOM’s mentoring program is designed to provide assistance and guidance. Among the responsibilities of the mentee are the following:

  1. With input from mentor, create an Individual Development Plan (attachment) that includes:
    1. Long-range (three year) goals and short-term (one year) goals
    2. Specific tasks that will lead to goal achievement, particularly in the short-term
  2. Identify other applicable faculty for guidance and assistance with input as necessary from the Division Chief/VC4R and appointed Principal Faculty Mentor
  3. Review services available Grant Application Development and Pre-Review – see below
  4. Arrange meetings with mentor
  5. Report to mentor every two months at the minimum on progress, providing evidence of the successful completion of articulated tasks and goals
  6. Take responsibility, be an active agent and judge of appropriate course of action for career advancement

Grant Application Development and Pre-Review6
The mentee is responsible to review the services available from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, Proposal Preparation, Proposal Services, Collaboration, Writing Resources and Funding Resources and on the DOM’s Resources for Researchers and CHM website, research Please note internal and local foundational funding sources include DOM Seed Funding (DSF), and MSU internal funding and CTSI Pilot Funding. A charge for mentors and mentoring teams for research-intensive junior faculty is to review and critique research development award and grant applications prior to submission. This should be done with sufficient lead time for the mentee to make deliberate and meaningful changes in the application, which are inevitably required.
It is the mentee's responsibility to draft the application with a time line that allows this, and to arrange review by the mentoring team. She/he should work closely with the principal mentor and research mentor(s) in this process. One way to do this is to begin well in advance with planning discussions regarding specifics of the grant or award target, preliminary data, and provisional aims, followed by a "chalk talk" presentation outlining the anticipated significance, innovation, and approach to specific aims of the proposal. (Note that "significance," "innovation," and "approach" are three of the five core criteria in the new NIH review system. Organization of a draft research proposal may not always be best accomplished by this structure – i.e. if the application is going to a different funding agency – but this structure will often be useful, and it will be essential for K08, K23, and R01 applications.) Following the "chalk talk," the junior faculty member and team then develop a time line for progress to the final application that is rigorously adhered to. It is essential that the mentee, mentor, and mentoring team be responsive to a strategic approach to timing and submission. The timeline should include early review of application requirements with the College Pre-Award office and should also accommodate MSU Sponsored Programs Administration review requirements – issues that most junior faculty are unfamiliar with.

As part of this mentoring program the College Pre-Award Office will provide support for preparation of new K08 and K23 applications and K to R transition applications and will work together with the mentee and mentor(s) to help prepare these proposals. The Office for Research will also help with post-award requirements and grants management, including preparation of progress reports.

The Department of Medicine recognizes that grant and award proposal drafting and review, and each of the other aspects of the mentoring program, will require a significant commitment of time and energy by the mentor and mentoring team members, together with the junior faculty member.

Individual Development Plans (IDP)7
Refer to the IDP for complete information (attachment).

Resources
1 Luz, C.C. (Ed.) (2011). Faculty mentoring toolkit: A resource for faculty, mentors and administrators at
Michigan State University (NSF ADVANCE Grant #0811205). East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University.
References
2 adapted from http://icahn.mssm.edu/about-us/services-and-resources/faculty-resources/handbooks-and-policies/faculty-handbook/faculty/faculty-development
3 adapted from https://faculty.wsu.edu/mentoring/ 
http://icahn.mssm.edu/about-us/services-and-resources/faculty-resources/handbooks-and-policies/faculty-handbook/faculty/faculty-development
4 adapted from http://research.utah.edu/mentoring/department-programs/medicine.php
5 adapted from https://faculty.wsu.edu/mentoring/ 
http://icahn.mssm.edu/about-us/services-and-resources/faculty-resources/handbooks-and-policies/faculty-handbook/faculty/faculty-development
6 adapted from http://research.utah.edu/mentoring/department-programs/medicine.php 
7 from https://mentoringresources.ictr.wisc.edu/MenteeIDPTemplates , specifically, IDP from UCDavis.pdf   and UC Davis Mentoring Worksheet.pdf  

 

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