Ever Better Mentoring

Co-sponsored by UR Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and URSMD Office for Faculty Development

Each month, October-April, we offer a module and a one-hour monthly seminar* to facilitate your academic mentoring skills, in which you can work with others who are also mentoring. These sessions are designed for ease of use and respect your professional time constraints. These sessions contain video and written case scenarios. Additional resources will be provided to help you mentor better. We strongly encourage you to reflect on the case material and use your mentoring experiences when responding to the questions and discussions. We have found that both seasoned and inexperienced mentors can deepen their mentoring skills and philosophy through this process. 

*One-hour Zoom seminars on different topics in academic mentoring held the third Tuesday of the month, 4:00pm - 5:00pm. 

1.0 CME credit per session attended. If all seminars are attended, 7 CME credits will be awarded with a Certificate of Completion of the Ever Better Mentoring seminar.

Mentoring Competencies

   Component 1: Aligning expectations

   Component 2: Promoting professional development

   Component 3: Maintaining effective communication

   Component 4: Assessing understanding

   Component 5: Mentee self-efficacy (new competency)

   Component 6: Fostering independence

   Component 7: Navigating mentoring networks (new competency)

MODULE 1: Communication Skills | OCTOBER

Effective communication is critical for any relationship, including mentoring. 

MODULE 2: Aligning Expectations and Team Science | NOVEMBER 

Clear expectations are essential for productive academic relationships. These two cases illustrate the importance of ongoing communication around expectations for both mentees and mentors. 

MODULE 3: Promoting Professional Development | DECEMBER

In many settings, the department chair or division director is the default mentor and is also responsible for promoting professional development.  

MODULE 4: Alternative Mentoring Models | JANUARY

Mentoring traditionally occurs between an older, experienced leader who shares knowledge and expertise with a younger protégé. Newer mentoring models include peer, near-peer, and group mentoring that complement traditional mentoring by extending a senior mentor’s time while still providing professional and social support.

MODULE 5: Mentoring for Resilience | FEBRUARY

Resilience is a critical quality that all academics need for career longevity. Mentors can promote this quality in their proteges through counseling and role modeling.

MODULE 6: Personal Issues and Mentor Responsibilities | MARCH 

Attending to a protégé’s professional development is often complicated by personal issues. Mentors are called upon directly or indirectly to help their proteges with non-academic issues. Reflect on how you would approach these sensitive personal matters.

MODULE 7: Protect and Support a Transition to Independence | APRIL 

The overall goal of the mentor-protégé relationship is to inform, guide, and foster independence.

 The case scenarios and pre-reading/ review are in the Blackboard Ultra course for which you will be enrolled when you register. It also tracks student progress.

There are seven modules containing a total of nine cases. 

• Each case has “test” questions. Please, view/read each scenario and answer all the questions. There are supplemental materials in the learning modules section and references in a separate folder. Click “save” to save your responses to the questions as you proceed through the course. You can go back and revise or add responses until you have thoroughly answered the questions to your satisfaction. Please save your responses before exiting the online course. 
• Remember, do not include personal identifiers such as faculty, students, or department names. However, you are encouraged to use pseudonyms.

Zoom Seminar Module Learning and Discussion

One-hour seminar, 4pm-5pm on the third Tuesday of the month

We will view and discuss case scenarios in small breakout groups and share our thoughts on the diverse approaches to mentoring effectively, with an opportunity to share perspectives and experiences about mentoring. By engaging with others who mentor, you will also learn new ways to approach familiar problems and difficulties with others who have these challenges.

EVER BETTER COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Director: Camille Anne Martina, PhD

Course Description

This course presents the foundational components of mentoring within an academic context for those who mentor graduate school, PhD, and master’s degree candidates, clinical research faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and early career research faculty. We will explore everyday mentoring contexts using case-based problem scenarios and ask you to respond to questions after viewing/reading the case. The course also provides the foundations for further studies and approaches in mentoring that are essential for academic health professionals.

Course Aims and Objectives

• Short-term aim: Students will be able to define, describe, and apply the foundational components and competencies of effective mentoring.
• Long-term aim: Students will continually reflect, learn, and apply mentoring skills.

Learning Objectives

1. Acquire effective communication skills
2. Develop and promote skills for working in and with diverse interdisciplinary scientific teams. 
3. Facilitate an equitable and informed transition to independence
4. Promote professional development opportunities
5. Align mentor/protégé expectations 
6. Promote and model work-life balance
7. Promote and model academic resilience

Course Policies and Expectations

This is an online seminar. To be successful and get the most value out of this course, we encourage you to be reflective, thoughtful, and explicit in your written responses and discussions, and when appropriate, provide examples. 

*To attain CME credits and a certificate of completion, students must complete module assignments and attend the Ever Better one-hour seminar. 

Materials and Access

All materials you will need are in this Blackboard seminar course. 

Assignments and Grading Procedures

Attend the seminar and engage in the discussion of your chosen module(s). The Blackboard course has seven modules (including 9 case studies total). You will receive 1.0 CME credit for each Module attended for a total of 7.0 CME if all are attended, along with a a Certificate of Completion of the Ever Better Mentoring seminar.

For questions, please contact Course Director, Camille Anne Martina, PhD

Applications for 2025-2026 are now closed.