How do you get the most out of mentoring, as a mentor or a mentee? That was the focus of our recent Ask Me Anything, which featured insights from UCSF community members with deep mentoring experience—from early-career faculty to student advocates.
Guest Participants
- Matt Kutys, PhD, Assistant Professor in Cell and Tissue Biology. Dr. Kutys is a junior faculty member building a research program and teaching in SOD courses. He brings the dual perspective of having recently been a trainee and now mentoring four graduate students and a research associate.
- Francesca Aloisio, PhD, a recent Biomedical Sciences graduate. She has led mentoring improvement initiatives, participated in mentoring workshops, and mentored many undergraduate and high school students interested in STEM.
- Diane Barber, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology. Dr. Barber has mentored more than 30 trainees and coordinated mentoring programs in her department for over 15 years.
Q&A Highlights
Cambria Chou-Freed:
What role did mentorship by faculty vs. mentorship by peers play during your Ph.D. (and now as a postdoc)? Do you have any advice on how to establish a diverse network of mentors?
Francesca Aloisio:
Thanks for asking this great question, Cambria! It touches on one of my absolute favorite topics -- horizontal peer-to-peer mentorship, an essential component of my graduate journey. Of course, vertical mentorship from a PI or other faculty members in your department can be wonderful for scientific and career development. However, sometimes the best guidance and advice comes from the peers who are in the midst of similar training journeys right alongside you. Surrounding myself with a network of supportive peers at UCSF with student groups such as Scientists For Diversity was essential for combating imposter syndrome, maintaining resilience, and working together to address campus issues that we cared about. Further, one of the most rewarding experiences during my PhD was being a member of the HHMI Gilliam Fellows network that extended beyond UCSF to include peer mentorship from students at other institutions. As I begin the next postdoctoral chapter of my career, I am actively seeking out ways to continue to build a strong peer network such as being a member of the postdocs union, applying to fellowships that include an active network of fellows, and taking on involved roles in postdoc groups affiliated with professional societies (such as ASCB's COMPASS). Any way to connect to peers (in your lab, at your institution, and beyond) contributes to your overall mentorship constellation in ways that are beneficial in both the short and long term.
Sunita Mutha:
From your experience, what are some common mistakes that mentors make in the mentoring relationship and how can we avoid those?
Diane Barber:
Thank you Sunita. A challenging aspect of mentoring is balancing guiding vs directing and knowing when each is needed and how to communicate each effectively. Mentoring a more junior trainee often tips the balance more toward directing, but over time guiding becomes more important, not just for the mentor-mentee relationship but for the career development of the trainee. Another challenging aspect of mentoring is tailoring approaches with regard to the mentees’ background and life experiences. This requires genuine conversations between a mentor and mentee to allow them to work as a team effectively and when addressing challenges.
Sunita Mutha:
What is your experience and perspective on the importance of gender concordance (mentor and mentee sharing the same gender) in a mentoring relationship?
Francesca Aloisio:
Hi Sunita! So many thanks for your question. As a woman-identifying researcher, I have experienced mentor-mentee relationships that involved both men and other women. Certainly, there are some benefits to sharing the same gender with a mentor, such as their immediate understanding of and sensitivity to gender-based issues in academia. However, sharing a gender with your mentor does not guarantee a perfect mentorship dynamic. I think the best predictor of an effective mentorship relationship is one where both parties are willing and able to meaningfully communicate about gender-based issues in academia, regardless of gender identity. I have found the best way to establish a constructive rapport with a mentor or mentee about sensitive issues (related not only to gender but to any other identity) is to ask a question about their personal experience first and seek out a starting point based on shared understanding. Then, using that common ground as a springboard, finding a way to highlight your personal experience in relation to theirs usually yields effective and meaningful discussion on both ends of the dialogue.
Sunita Mutha:
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give a mentee and mentor on how best to prepare to make the most of the mentoring relationship?
Matthew Kutys:
Thanks for your question Sunita. I recommend establishing open communication and expectations early - even before agreeing to the relationship! This includes not only expectations for day-to-day mentoring on research projects, but also how conflicts will be handled, mentoring feedback will be obtained and integrated, career development will be prioritized, etc. That way there will be no surprises or ambiguity down the road. Each of my trainees has a standing weekly meeting that serves as an open forum to discuss any of the above topics. We also conduct semi-annual IDPs to make sure career goals and mentoring strategies are aligned.
Devin Babauta:
What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of being a mentor? What major differences have you noticed between mentoring PhD students and health professional students?
Diane Barber:
Devin - many thanks for your questions. As I responded to Burin, I get incredible rewards from seeing mentees acquire enthusiasm and engagement in thinking about and trying to address a biological problem. It's that sense of wonderment that has kept me engaged with research and mentoring for 30 years. With regard to possible differences between PhD and DDS students, if anything it's mostly that PhD students have had more research experience - either during their undergraduate or post-grad years, but that merely highlights the career path they've chosen. With that experience they sometimes think more broadly about current problems in biomedical sciences. In contrast, professional students bring clinical relevance to a problem, which is their contributing strength. With regard to curiosity and acquiring new skills and independence I don't believe there are differences between PhD and engaged professional students.
BM:
Any advice for students currently applying to post-graduate/residency programs on how to seek out or assess mentorship opportunities at the schools we are considering?
Francesca Aloisio:
Hi there! Thank you for asking this question -- application season is in full swing and I'm sure others have similar questions in mind too. As a recent PhD graduate, my experience might not be perfectly aligned with that of a recent professional graduate. However, some commonalities in our experience might be the willingness of current trainees at your prospective institutions to connect with you about this. In short, never hesitate to send a cold email! Current trainees love to communicate with interested applicants and they tend to offer honest feedback about their experience too. Send a quick message to the program coordinator asking if they might put you in touch with current trainees who were/are involved in mentorship activities. Then, reach out to those trainees with a quick paragraph describing of who you are, how you got their contact, why you value mentorship, and what mentorship opportunities you'd hope to have access to in a prospective program. Finally, ask if they might be willing to share their knowledge and experience with you. Make sure to offer to set up a phone call or Zoom if they would prefer to communicate that way instead (as some people might tend to be more honest in a forum that isn't in writing). Best of luck with your applications!
Burin Thanasuwat:
What has been your favorite part of your job? And do you have any recommended strategies to balance giving enough support for your mentees while allowing for enough independence to pave their own way?
Diane Barber:
Burin - thank you for your questions. As I hope you experienced when you were a mentee with our group for a D1 summer research project, one of my favorite aspects as a mentor is observing a mentee acquire a sense of enthusiasm and engagement in research and thinking about current problems in biomedical sciences. Highlighting this is your decision to pursue a research fellowship after your DDS. With regard to balance, I believe strong mentoring instills confidence in a trainee to take risks and backs that up with encouragement and support if the risk is not successful. Taking risks is key to new discovery. And strong mentoring includes developing a trainee's path to independence by encouraging and supporting independent thinking and approaches to investigating a biomedical question/problem, which often enhance the entire research team and generates new directions to explore.
TerriHD:
What has been the most unexpected benefit you've experienced in a mentoring relationship, either as a mentor or mentee?
Matthew Kutys:
Hi Terri! Thanks for your question. I would have to say that mentee feedback on my mentorship has been a welcomed and unexpectedly powerful tool in shaping my approach to mentoring. In the lab, I emphasize an individualized mentorship approach and I encourage critical input on that approach from my trainees. So far, this feedback has been uniquely insightful and instrumental in developing my mentoring strategies.
