UR Mentor LAB 

Lead.Aspire.Build.

 

Facilitator in Training (FIT) Program 

What is UR Mentor LAB?

UR Mentor LAB is a group peer mentoring strategy consisting of small groups of faculty led by a facilitator who meet regularly for mentoring sessions. This model has been shown to effectively promote faculty vitality, career progression, and leadership skills, while also supporting goals of all members of the faculty communities. To make peer mentoring scalable, we will be offering a Facilitator In Training (FIT) program at the University of Rochester modelled after the successful UR Mentor LAB FIT Program at Weill Cornell.

What is the Facilitator in Training (FIT) Program?

UR Mentor LAB FIT is a longitudinal training program running from September 2025 to June 2027 that will teach academic faculty the facilitation skills to effectively lead UR Mentor LAB groups. In Year 1, FITs will first experience the uniquely developed UR Mentor LAB group curriculum, which focuses on career goal clarification and planning, mentoring/coaching, leadership skills and vitality (total of 4 full days). Throughout the year,  FITs will receive ongoing essential facilitation skills training (total of 3.5 days). In year 2, FITs will be paired with a co-FIT, and co-lead a UR Mentor LAB group to deliver 4 days of UR Mentor LAB curriculum. There will be ongoing essential facilitation skills training in year 2. FITs who successfully complete year 1 and year 2 will start co-leading UR Mentor LAB group independently in Year 3.

The training will be led by facilitator-trainers Drs. Swana De Gijsel and Kimberly Bloom-Feshbach who created a facilitated UR Mentor LAB program at Weill Cornell Medical College and have experience in training UR Mentor LAB facilitators, working with principles of inclusion, and helping healthcare organizations to change culture in positive ways. Kimberly and Swana are also facilitators on the faculty with VitalTalk and the Academy of Communication in Healthcare, respectively.

Learning Objectives

1. Develop Effective Facilitation Techniques
   1. Apply basic and advanced facilitation skills to guide peer mentoring sessions.
   2. Use active listening, appreciative inquiry, and storytelling to foster engagement and learning.
   3. Adapt facilitation approaches based on group dynamics and processes.
2. Establish a Safe & Trustworthy Learning Environment
   1. Create inclusive, psychologically safe spaces where faculty and students feel valued and heard.
   2. Set and reinforce collective norms that encourage mutual respect, confidentiality, and constructive dialogue.
   3. Effectively address power dynamics, biases, and resistance within groups.
3. Lead Peer Mentoring
   1. Delineate the principles of peer mentoring and its role in professional development
   2. Lead value clarification processes, create short term and long term goal-setting, vision and skill-building.
   3. Apply concepts of Design Thinking to academic career plan development
   4. Learn group peer mentor negotiation strategies and how to overcome academic/professional challenges.
4. Enhance Group Dynamics & Engagement
   1. Identify and manage different learning styles, personalities, and group behaviors.
   2. Foster peer-to-peer learning by encouraging knowledge-sharing and collaborative problem-solving.
   3. Navigate conflicts and facilitate difficult conversations constructively.
5. Integrate Well-Being & Coaching Strategies
   1. Lead reflective and mindfulness exercises
   2. Apply coaching skills to integrate personal and professional goals.

What is the Commitment? 

• Participate in total of 7.5 days of training in AY 2025-2026
• Participate in 6.5 days of training in AY 2026-2027
• Commit to co-lead a UR Mentor LAB group, 4 full days, in AY 2027-2028 (dates TBD)

What Can You Expect? 

• This training is provided free of charge with the support of the Office of Academic Affairs.
• Learn how to become a (more) effective group facilitator. Deepen your understanding of group dynamics and group process. 
• Learn and teach the unique UR Mentor LAB curriculum
• Gain personal and professional benefits from the group of peer facilitators in training, including increased mentoring and leadership skills, career clarity, deepened meaning in work, and fun
• Participants of prior training have found facilitation skills training to be effective in other areas of their work including patient care, medical education, research and the operating room. 
• A 360-evaluation process, which, if successful, will include Certification as a UR Mentor LAB Facilitator at University of Rochester
• A monetary stipend upon completing all training and facilitation

Why Now?

Currently, our workload is still high, and there's a lot of fatigue. It also seems like now, more than ever, faculty need mentoring for career planning, support, and interaction. We hope that there will be opportunities to make UR Mentor LAB facilitation part of your professional work at the University of Rochester and beyond.

Outline FIT Training

Table 1. Year 1 AY 2025-2026

Table 2. Year 2 AY 2026-2027

Time Commitment

Year 1: AY 2025-2026

1. Participants will receive 32 hours of UR Mentor LAB curriculum
2. Participants will receive 28 hours of facilitation skills training. 
3. Participants will be expected to spend one hour individually on the UR Mentor LAB curriculum prior to each UR Mentor LAB session. Total of 3 hours
4. Participants will be expected to meet in dyads or triads for a minimum of one hour, in person or virtually, to work on UR Mentor LAB curriculum. Total of 3 hours

Year 2: AY 2026-2027

1. Participants co-facilitate 32 hours of UR Mentor LAB curriculum (4 full days)
2. Participants receive 20 hours of facilitation skills training 
3. FITS are expected to spend 1 hour on preparation for each UR Mentor LAB session with their co-facilitator. Total of 4 hours
4. No preparation time for Facilitation Essentials sessions

Year 3: AY 2026-2027

1. Participants will co-facilitate independently a UR Mentor LAB Group (4 full days)