What Matters in Mentoring? Effect of Mentor Cultural Awareness on Mentee Outcomes

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will serve as a national hub for research mentor and mentee training for the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) recently announced by the National Institutes of Health as part of a national Diversity Program Consortium.

The NIH will award the Diversity Program Consortium nearly $31 million in fiscal year 2014 funds to develop new approaches that engage researchers, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences, and prepare them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce.

The UW has led the nation in developing, evaluating and disseminating evidence-based curricula to train research mentors and mentees in establishing effective mentoring relationships. Because of its dedication and a decade of existing work done at the university, the UW has been awarded $2.2 million by the NIH to establish the NRMN Mentor Training Core. The overall award to develop and support NRMN is $19 million over five years.

The UW Mentor Training Core will provide career-stage appropriate training for mentors and mentees. The approach is tailored to foster the persistence and success of a diverse group of biomedical researchers, with a specific focus on deepening the alignment and impact of these mentoring relationships. The evidence-based activities included in this core are designed to facilitate trusting mentoring relationships that support underrepresented minority scholars as they navigate their education.