Sign Up as a Mentor

Are you interested in serving as a mentor for PUMP? Using the link below, you can fill out your career stage and areas of expertise. You will be added to our list of expert mentors that may be contacted when a mentee submits a request! 

You do not have to have completed your doctoral degree to serve as a mentor. Anyone who is prepared to help someone who is in an earlier career phase is welcome! For example, while most mentors we expect will be mid-career and beyond, older graduate students may be able to offer mentorship to younger graduate students submitting early grants or conference presentations, and younger graduate students can still offer incredibly valuable mentorship to undergraduates and postbaccalaureate students applying to graduate school.

Signing up as a mentor will not immediately result in mentorship requests; on the google form linked below, you will indicate your willingness to serve as a mentor, and answer about your areas of expertise that you would feel comfortable responding to mentees' requests on. Facilitators will reach out to you as requests come in that match your area of expertise, and just like a normal peer-review request, if you are simply overburdened by other service at the time you receive the request, you can decline it and provide mentorship on a future request.

Before continuing, PLEASE READ OUR CODE OF CONDUCT. The button to sign up as a mentor can be found at the bottom of this page. 

PUMP Code of Conduct

By agreeing to the following code of conduct, mentors and mentees agree to abide by the American Psychological ethics code. In addition, we ask for mentors and mentees to abide by the following code of conduct. If the facilitator board is made aware of violations of the code of conduct, action will be taken, as outlined in section “Standard Operating Procedure for Responding to Misconduct Complaints” below. Mentors and mentees must be at least 18 years of age to participate in this program. 

Confidentiality:

Confidentiality is essential to building a respectful and trusting mentor-mentee relationship. Both mentors and mentees are expected to uphold the highest standards of discretion. All participants are expected to exercise good judgment and respect boundaries.

Mentors acknowledge they are bound by the same confidentiality standards that would be expected from an NIH grant or manuscript review. Mentors agree to keep all personal, academic, and professional information shared by the mentee private, unless given explicit permission to share or if there is a concern for the mentee’s safety or well-being.

Mentees acknowledge they are sharing information/data of their own accord and have the authority to do so.

Intellectual Property and Credit:

We recognize the potential for challenging situations to arise regarding intellectual property and credit. The baseline expectation is that mentors signing up will not receive authorship. However, students can offer their mentor co-authorship if they deem the mentor’s contributions to rise to that level and/or feel they have established a long-term collaborative relationship with this mentor. The mentor should not expect or request this. CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) may serve as a useful guide for evaluating contribution levels.

We would, however, strongly recommend acknowledgments of the mentor, for example, in the acknowledgment section of a published manuscript only in the context of a manuscript mentorship request. This becomes murky in the “informal” mentoring track. It should be clearly communicated to mentors that the informal track is not a place to “give out ideas” that would lead to questions about intellectual ownership; this track is designed to help guide mentees in their own ideas, and the mentor should not “give out ideas” unless they are comfortable with forfeiting intellectual property. 

Mentors should not request or expect authorship or intellectual credit without sufficient contribution.

Mentees should appropriately recognize and acknowledge mentors’ contributions (e.g., via an acknowledgement section, authorship if a mentor serves as a contributing co-author)

Acknowledgement of Power Differentials:

The PUMP mentorship program is committed to cultivating an environment of respect. A power differential will likely exist in all mentor-mentee pairs, so communication that encourages transparency about power differentials is recommended. Furthermore, we strongly condemn mentors who misuse their power. Power differentials have the potential to impede mentee growth and create a risk of exploitation. Mentor-mentee relationships created through PUMP should emphasize transparency and open communication to ensure positive interactions.

Mentors should provide support and guidance to mentees without asserting authority or dominance.

Mentees should feel capable of voicing any concerns.

Should inappropriate conduct occur, we encourage mentors and mentees to notify PUMP so appropriate action can be taken (e.g., removing mentor/mentee privileges).

Statement Against Harassment and Misconduct:

PUMP disapproves of all forms of harassment (e.g., discriminatory, sexual, verbal, personal, power, etc.) and misconduct.  PUMP is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, respectful, and professional environment for all participants. Any behavior that contradicts these values, such as harassment/misconduct, will not be tolerated. Violations of this, whether from mentors or mentees, will be addressed in a timely manner by PUMP administrators. Appropriate actions will then be taken. We acknowledge that commitment to these principles has the potential to ensure a supportive experience for everyone who participates in PUMP. 

Mentors and mentees acknowledge that inappropriate, unprofessional, or harassing behaviors may result in removal from PUMP’s network. Mentors and Mentees will refrain from inappropriate, unprofessional, and harassing behaviors.

Ghosting/non-responsiveness:

Mentors who are a part of PUMP are expected to maintain consistent communication with their mentees. This entails meeting the mentee’s request (informal or formal) in a timely manner. Thus stated, it is important to not abruptly cease communication with the mentee unless discussed and agreed upon. Likewise, mentees should respond to mentor communications consistently and within a reasonable timeframe. If mentorship goes beyond PUMP’s platform, it is recommended, but not required, that both mentors and mentees develop a communication plan to maintain regular communication. This will ensure that both parties engage in effective communication and collaboration, thus fostering growth in the mentor-mentee relationship.

Guidance on creating a communication plan: 

1. 1. Form of communication (i.e., Zoom, email, etc.)

   2. Set goals

   3. Set a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly plan to meet.

   4. Address concerns early on in a respectful manner.

Mentors and mentees agree to maintain a reasonable rate of response (~1 week), attend meetings as agreed upon (or provide appropriate notification if unable to honor meeting commitments), and clearly communicate about expectations and timelines.

Adverse Events and Liability

PUMP serves as a forum to facilitate connections between mentors and mentees. We are not responsible nor liable for any unexpected adverse events that may occur because of mentor-mentee interactions. Mentees and mentors participating in this program should acknowledge and accept that PUMP will not be accountable for such events.

Regardless, we value your feedback and any concerns that you may have. The section below outlines the standard operating procedure for responding to misconduct complaints. Mentees will be able to submit their evaluation of their mentor. Further, mentees are encouraged to notify PUMP so appropriate action can be taken. Mentors will have an opportunity to provide feedback about the PUMP system and the facilitators; further, mentors are encouraged to contact PUMP administrators if their mentee acts inappropriately.

Standard Operating Procedure for Responding to Misconduct Complaints

Our main goal is to maintain a safe and supportive environment for mentees and mentors. If you have experienced misconduct as a mentee, please submit a report to the website. The PUMP facilitators will review the written report that the mentee submitted and then initiate an internal review process within PUMP.

To the extent possible, confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained. However, there may be situations in which total anonymity is not possible. For example, if a mentor only has 1 or a handful of mentees, it may be obvious who is making the report. In these instances, the reporting individual will be notified of the limitations of anonymity and steps will be taken to protect the reporting individual and honor their wishes. If the mentee wishes to retract their complaint due to anonymity concerns, the PUMP facilitator board will work with the mentee to make sure they are protected and that the issue will be unlikely to occur again.

Our internal review consists of the following:

First, we will begin this process with a confidential discussion with the aggrieved mentee to understand their experience with their mentor and how they would like to proceed with their concerns or submitted complaint(s).

Second, we would then communicate with the mentor to address the concerns/complaints that the mentee raised.

Third, a thorough investigation will be conducted, and one of three outcomes will be selected for the mentor:

1. Formal warning: Mentors who commit a first offense will receive a written warning regarding their behavior. Furthermore, we will clearly outline what we expect the mentor to change. Some behaviors (e.g., sexual harassment, abusive behaviors) would supersede the warning step and go directly to suspension and termination of the mentorship.

2. Suspension: Mentors will be temporarily suspended from mentoring through PUMP. 

3. Termination of Mentorship: If the internal reviewers deem the misconduct severe, mentors will be terminated from serving as mentors through PUMP. 

These outcomes will be dependent on the nature of the misconduct.

Tips for Being an Effective Mentor

1. Listen actively: Listen carefully to what the mentee is communicating without interrupting.

2. Set clear expectations: Carefully define the goals and objectives of the mentor-mentee relationship.

3. Offer Guidance, not Answers: Help your mentee find their answers/solutions rather than providing them.

4. Share experiences: Relate professional and personal experiences with your mentee.

5. Encourage Self-Reflection: Help your mentee reflect on their own growth and experiences.

6. Celebrate Successes: Celebrate and acknowledge your mentee’s achievements.

7. Offer Resources: Provide feedback and suggest books, readings, and other resources to help aid in their development.

8. Be Patient: Growth and development take time; be patient.

9. Seek Feedback: When possible, try to ask for feedback on your mentoring to help improve your own mentoring effectiveness.

10. Provide Honest Feedback: Provide constructive feedback and praise when suitable.

11. Promote independence: Help the mentee by guiding them to develop their own problem-solving skills.

12. Provide Emotional Support: When applicable, offer encouragement and understanding if the mentee is having a difficult time during their own trajectory. 

13. Adapt to the Mentee's Needs: Aim to be flexible and tailor your own mentoring approach to ensure it fits your mentee’s needs.

14. Build Confidence: Try to encourage and support your own mentee by helping them build their own self-esteem.