choosing the right mentor

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Choosing the Right Mentor and the Right Academic Job Digestive Diseases Week James L. Madara, MD Sara & Harold Lincoln Thompson Distinguished Service Professor & Dean Biological Sciences Division & The Pritzker School of Medicine Vice President for Medical Affairs May 18, 2005 University of Chicago

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Page 1: Choosing The Right Mentor

Choosing the Right Mentor and the Right Academic Job

Digestive Diseases Week James L. Madara, MDSara & Harold Lincoln Thompson Distinguished Service Professor & DeanBiological Sciences Division & The Pritzker School of

MedicineVice President for Medical Affairs

May 18, 2005 University of Chicago

Page 2: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 2

Finding the Right Mentor: Characteristics of Mentors

•Share interests and projects1

•Chemistry

•Define expectations of the mentoring relationship2

•Provide availability and accessibility2

•Recognize mentees’ independence and are generous in providing credit for their contributions2

•Remain open to mentees’ concerns about performance, collegial interactions, and the workplace environment2

1. Medical College of Wisconsin Mentor Program. Accessed at http://www.mcw.edu/display/router.asp?docid=1130, April 11, 2005.2. UC Davis School of Medicine: Mentoring Program Guide for Selecting a Mentor and Establishing a Mentoring Relationship. Available at http://med-acaffairs.ucdavis.edu/development/Mentor_Guides.htm

Page 3: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 3

Finding the Right Mentor: Why a Mentor Is Needed

•Navigating a new environment

•Translating academic heritage (promotions, etc)

•Intellectual sounding-board

•Compass reference at times of confusion

•A champion of your career

•Protection of an investment (from an institutional/dean’s perspective)

Page 4: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 4

Finding the Right Mentor: How to Find the “Right” Mentor

•Understand your aspiration for a mentor

•Evaluate the mentors– Are they available, successful, approachable, well

connected both within and outside the institution, and willing to invest time in you?

•Recognize that more than one mentor may be needed

•Explicitly state your role in the mentoring relationship and your recognition of the mentor’s contributions to your career development (conversation not interview)

UC Davis School of Medicine: Mentoring Program Guide for Selecting a Mentor and Establishing a Mentoring Relationship. Available at http://med-acaffairs.ucdavis.edu/development/Mentor_Guides.htm

Page 5: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 5

Finding the Right Mentor: What the Mentor Provides

•Constructive and timely feedback1

•Monitor mentees’ academic process2

•Direct mentees to appropriate channels for resolving and advancing professional issues2

•Advocate for mentees and provide professional exposure2

•Alert mentees to appropriate career opportunities in education, skills workshops, funding, etc2

•Seriously review mentees’ academic product1. Medical College of Wisconsin Mentor Program. Accessed at http://www.mcw.edu/display/router.asp?docid=1130, April 11, 2005.2. UC Davis School of Medicine: Mentoring Program Guide for Selecting a Mentor and Establishing a Mentoring Relationship. Available at http://med-acaffairs.ucdavis.edu/development/Mentor_Guides.htm

Page 6: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 6

Finding the Right Mentor: What You Owe Your Mentor

•Meet regularly in a fashion which honors his/her style and schedule

– Share aspirations and challenges– Aim for a professional, collegial

relationship (not an emotionally needy one)

•Seek continuous feedback

•Be nondefensive

•Take initiative

Page 7: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 7

Finding the Right Academic Job: Wants and Direction

•What is most fulfilling to you

•What are the actual cadences of such careers

•Think of the 35-year period of the career but:

– Recognize flexibility in our field

•Identify and evaluate those who have established like careers

Page 8: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 8

Finding the Right Academic Job: How to Think About Risks

•Many advise broad training– “Buys” insurance– However: Less focused and

longer duration

•Do you know what you love?– If not, try to define ASAP– If so, go with it

•Principle: In biomedicine, career “insurance” may simply lower your chances of being immersed in what you love. Don’t worry that if you are not broadly trained, you will risk driving a cab—it’s not going to happen.

Page 9: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 9

Finding the Right Academic Job: Setting Goals

•Immerse yourself (But recognize: marathon, not

sprint)

•Most careers are a blend of planning and the stochastic

(Be attentive to opportunity)

•Realistically appraise personal elements and consequences

(Be proactive in taking account of such)

Page 10: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 10

Finding the Right Academic Job: Setting Goals (continued)

•Trust instinctual senses

•Search for those at the institution being considered who have like aspirations, career phenotypes

(Are they successful? Are they attractive colleagues?)

•Identify potential mentors

Page 11: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 11

Finding the Right Academic Job: Importance of the Department Chair

•Does the Chair value your career type? (Attention to actions, objectivity here)

•Does the Institution reflect the Chair’s values?

•Has the Chair had a career phenotype like that you aspire to?

•Do those of your career phenotype do well in the setting?

Page 12: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 12

Finding the Right Academic Job: Importance of the Department Chair (continued)

Page 13: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 13

Finding the Right Academic Job: Importance of the Department Chair (continued)

•Is the “job description” defined? (If not, is that due to your vagueness)

•The “Madara rule” (If two people are hit by a bus…)

•What if leadership is turning over soon? (Risk exists, analyze institutional

nature)

Page 14: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 14

Finding the Right Academic Job: The Package

• Resources: Not just money and space (Intellectual resources often overlooked, often are the most important)

• Time resources: Is there a plan to use it well and a fertile environment for such (If not, it will dissipate)

• Salary: AAMC data exist– Benefits: Not the deciding factor/not to be overlooked– At-risk component: Who decides and how?– Malpractice: Is this in your P&L? Is investigation so “taxed”?– Clinical: Is there a reasonable period of protection?– Research: What are the salary recovery expectations?

• Space (investigative): – Dry—more predictable– Wet—400 to 1000 sq ft

• Policies of space distribution• Meaning to you

– Consider Cores

Page 15: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 15

Finding the Right Academic Job: The Package (continued)

• Nonsalary $:– Dry—computation sufficiency/variable– Wet—$300K to $1 million over 3 to 4 years

(± unrecovered salary accounts partly for wide spread)

• Other:Clinical versus Basic Science Departments– Access to students– Record of Postdocs– Access to training grants– Cores

• PhD:– Clinical versus Basic Science Departments

(Evaluate Institution, remember Madara rule)

– AAMC data exist

Page 16: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 16

Finding the Right Academic Job: Job Search Process

• First Visit: View as first date (Focus on fit, not detail)

– Importance of seminar– Recognize interview/interviewee mix– Help set up day(s)– Bidirectional analysis of colleagues– Meeting the PM challenge– Follow-up

• Second Visit: Now we’re serious– Try to identify the “closet”– Resources (often Chair at visit’s end)– Negotiation

• Prepare overview• Know why a resource is needed• Think “business plan,” get it right the first

time• Recognize your accountabilities

– Ask for mentoring committee• Never exclude significant other(s) from this

visit• Evaluate personal elements (housing,

schools)

• Other– A pre-first visit– A third visit

Page 17: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 17

•Differences in Academic Medical Centers

– When you’ve seen one, you’ve seen one

– Applies to promotions

•Study criteria for evaluation/promotion

– Attend workshops if given– Reality test published criteria

•Be pro-active– ie, Letters of support required in five

years? Is there a Departmental seminar series?

Finding the Right Academic Job: Understanding the Future

Page 18: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 18

•Other: Women and underrepresented minorities

– Assure the environment is healthy; is there a venue for fellowship

– Watch out for over-participation in administrative areas (What you need trumps what others need in this area; good citizenship does not require that you do more than others)

•Other: Adapting to a new environment– Be flexible; when “closet” opens, expect it– Begin with benefit of doubt extended to others– Assure there is enjoyment; life is too short

Finding the Right Academic Job: Understanding the Future (continued)

Page 19: Choosing The Right Mentor

Digestive Diseases Week, May 18, 2005 James L. Madara, MD 19

Summary

•Academic Careers: a good choice

•Success requires your input:– Not just in clinical care/research– In identifying mentoring system– In biasing toward promotion– In displaying pragmatism and practicality

•Put yourself in others’ shoes:– Your Chair– Your colleagues, particularly during tense

times– Your significant other