The Academy of Medical Sciences National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme Moira Whyte Head of Department of Infection and Immunity University of Sheffield

My Career to date…… 1978St Bartholomews Hospital Medical College 1981 Intercalated BSc in Anatomy, St Thomas Hospital Medical School 1984 Qualified MB BS 1985 SHO Hammersmith Hospital 1987Registrar in Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases 1988Meeting two men in the bar………… MRC Training Fellowship in neutrophil biology 1994 Wellcome Advanced Fellow, ICRF, London 1996 Professor of Respiratory Medicine, Sheffield 1989MRC Training Fellowship in neutrophil biology 1994 Wellcome Advanced Fellowship, ICRF, London 1996 Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Sheffield

But it didnt seem like this at the time

Career Ambitions 1970 – 1978To be a doctor Neurology Geriatrics, possibly academic 1988……Academic Respiratory Medicine

What were the decision points? 1985-Which SHO post to apply for? 1989-My supervisor is moving to Edinburgh 1993-My second supervisor is moving to Nottingham 1994-My husband is offered a job in Sheffield Who helped me to respond to these situations? Mentors whom I trusted to give me wise and (relatively) disinterested advice

Mentoring is an evolving relationship Different people at different stages of your career Your boss evolves into your mentor You never stop wanting a mentor

My experience as a mentor (1) Mentor to 2 Clinician Scientists and 1 Clinical Lecturer via the Academy of Medical Sciences Scheme Allows the trainee to have an appropriate match for both their specialist area and their broad research area Provides advice that includes the bigger picture

My experience as a mentor (1) We meet at least once a year, use telephone and All have a fundamentally good relationship with their supervisor But tensions can arise from Different personalities Different career stages Perceived conflicts of interest Differing views on the next career stage

The supervisor/trainee relationship usually works well But there can be tensions………

My experience as a mentor (2) Academic Training Programme Director for NIHR ACFs/CLs South Yorkshire Programme All ACFs/CLs have a mentor from the clinical academic staff Works well at this level to have someone locally Many of the issues quite generic at this stage However, great benefits from wider networking regionally and nationally Meeting your peer group, exchanging experiences

My experience as a mentor (3) Academy of Medical Sciences/Medical Research Society Clinical Research Champion Promoting academic careers Organising informal networking events Being available for advice

Conclusions Mentoring is what you make of it Not a box to tick when you start a new post You need your mentor sometimes more than others, but keep the relationship alive You will become a mentor sooner than you think!

Background The Academy of Medical Sciences is an independent body in the UK representing the whole spectrum of medical science. Our mission is to ensure better healthcare through the rapid application of research to the practice of medicine. Our Fellows are the UKs leading medical scientists from hospitals and general practice, academia, industry and the public service.

One of the Academys strategic goals is to: Campaign for the development, protection and promotion of careers for academics in the medical sciences and encourage good practice in training and development.

National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme Nurturing future leaders is one of the Academys key objectives. Our mentoring and outreach scheme provides direct support to clinical academics in training. Established in 2002 and supported by the NHS National Institute for Health Research and NHS Education for Scotland.

Portfolio of support activities mentoring for Clinician Scientist Fellows and Clinical Lecturers. Peer mentorship groups for pre-doctoral clinical academics. Mentor development workshops for Academy Fellows, senior academics and post-doctoral scientists. A bi-monthly information e-bulletin for all medical researchers registered on the Academys scheme

How to achieve a balance between research and clinical commitments. Career planning and job applications. Personal development through the acquisition of skills such as leadership and negotiation. Setting up effective networks and collaborations as well as the effective management of students and staff. Support provided through mentoring:

Mentoring and Outreach events Regional meetings and events bring together academic trainees, senior academics and other key representatives from the wider medical science community. Interactive sessions provide trainees with the opportunity to: Understand how to use mentoring. Hear from funders about fellowships and grants Learn about policy developments Engage in open debate. Hear inspirational talks. Establish effective networks amongst peers and colleagues. Upcoming events include: Glasgow – Monday 16 November Academia, industry and the NHS: collaboration and innovation – London – Friday 27 November Please for further details and to

Feedback from trainees I found the meeting with my mentor very useful and beneficial. X is a really nice person and was seemed genuinely interested in helping me. It was a really good meeting, I had a chance to reflect on academic training and mentoring as well as rubbing shoulders with the giants! It was great to hear everyone's stories about the specific difficulties they had come up against, as well as all the things they had managed to achieve, and to get tailored advice on how to manage all this. I am very grateful that we have all been put in touch like this.

Portfolio of support activities Advice and guidance on academic careers and mentoring at AMS/MRS Clinical Research Champions Scheme to promote academic medicine to medical students and foundation year trainees. Visiting Lecturer Programme – Academy Fellows present inspirational keynote lectures to medical students and postgraduate researchers.

Grants and prizes Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers £30K over two years, to support research costs Application deadline: Early March 2010 UK/Middle East Exchange Fellowships Opportunities for medical scientists to spend up to four weeks in another country Application deadline: 8 January 2010 Clinician Scientist Fellowship scheme Foulkes Foundation Medal

Further information about the scheme can also be found on the careers website: Contact details and further information For more information, or to register for the National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme, please contact Sally Lukins: The Academys National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme is supported by the NHS National Institute for Health Research and NHS Education for Scotland.