Mentoring Program

Goal: To cultivate professional relationships and encourage networking and engagement among the members of the chapter and the local neuroscience community

Eligibility: Current SfN DCMA members

* This program is a volunteer program.

Criteria and guidelines for participation in the program:

Mentors should:

· Be able to commit time and effort required to meet the mentee’s goals

· Possess excellent listening, communication, and feedback skills

· Provide strategies, guidance, and counsel to mentees to achieve their objectives

· Provide unbiased, honest, and constructive feedback and advice

· Check on mentee(s) periodically for progress

· Be respectful and professional

· Conduct mentor-mentee engagements within professional boundaries

· Meet with mentee(s) at least four times a year

Mentees should:

· Set realistic goals, objectives in a specific area

· Be willing to work towards learning, improving, and growing in specified area(s)

· Check in with mentor periodically

· Be respectful and professional

· Conduct mentor-mentee engagements within professional boundaries

· Meet with mentor at least four times a year

· Access potential career paths using Science’s Individual Development Plan (IDP) https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/

Mentors and Mentees should:

· Use the agreed upon method of communication

· Set up a regular schedule to check in on the progress (at least four times within a year)

· Specify a duration of the mentor-mentee relationship (preferably one year)

· Establish an initial agreement specifying objectives and conduct progress assessments

· Fill out the enrollment forms, progress reports, final evaluations

If you are interested in volunteering as a mentor or looking for a mentor, fill out "Mentor Enrollment Form" or "Mentee Enrollment Form".

Our mentoring program coordinators will conduct a short interview with potential mentors before we match mentors and mentees based on mutual goals, interests, and availability.

If you have questions, email us at sfn.dcma.professionaldevelopment@gmail.com.

Resources:

Article from the Chronicle of Higher Education: Why don't we teach our PhDs to be mentors?

Create a map of your ideal mentoring network

Looking for a virtual mentoring relationship outside of your lab or SfN DCMA? Try the National Research Mentoring Network.

SfN's resources: "How to Find the Right Mentors and Ask for Career Advice" and "Best Practices for Mentoring Relationships".

Other resources: InterSECT Job Simulations: https://intersectjobsims.com/library/