1. Career Planning and Mentoring
Lari Wenzel, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Faculty Development, School of Medicine
Professor of Medicine and Public Health
Associate Director, Population Science and Cancer Control
University of California, Irvine

2. What color is your parachute?

3. Have you defined your career priorities?

4. The Color of My Parachute

7. What is a Mentor?
From the Greek description by Homer: “Wise and trusted counselor”
Left in charge of the household while Odysseus went on his travels.
Someone who takes a special interest in helping another person develop into a successful professional

8. UCI Graduate Division Mentors provide … Support and respect
Guidance and advice – reliable and professional
Linkage to academic and campus resources
Linkage between training and career
Role modeling upholding highest ethical standards

9. Different Types of Mentors
Cartoon from Alexander Dent:

10. Finding a Mentor
Your dissertation advisor is one mentor, but not necessarily the only one
You can and should find additional mentors
Other mentors can be faculty, postdocs, other students, or anyone whom you respect and trust

11. Choosing a Mentor Interest in the research
Compatibility with the mentor’s personality
Are students in the group happy and enthusiastic about their research?
How long has it taken previous students to finish?

12. Choosing a Mentor
There are many different types of groups and personalities
Senior professor with a large group
New assistant professor still setting up
Consider what type of situation suits your needs

13. Character is higher than intellect … A great soul will be strong to live, as well as to think
Ralph Waldo Emerson

14. Obligations of the Mentor
A commitment to the student’s development
Teaching how to be a researcher
Providing regular feedback
Career preparation
“Sponsorship” – advocate and move you into the right networks and established collaborations
Connections matter

15. Why do Connections matter? Warner et al. JGIM 2015
Disconnection, isolation, exclusion related to productivity and advancement
Network of productive colleagues strong predictor of research pubs, productivity, retention, advancement and career satisfaction
Is intra-organizational connection associated with probability of promotion or attrition?

16. Why do Connections matter? Results
Coauthor network: individual’s reach is distinct number of other faculty within two co-authorship “hops” i.e., person’s coauthors and coauthors of coauthors –
or # of faculty an individual can easily “reach” because they have either directly collaborated on a publication or have a colleague in common
Junior faculty with > intr-org coauthor network in 2008 were more likely to be promoted and less likely to have left the institution by 2012

17. What should mentors know?
Millenials are the drivers of the work/life balance in the US
Shrinking pool of skilled labor and changing family structures necessitate faculty career flexibility
Flexibility decreases burnout and attrition
First RO1-type grant now age 40>

18. Culturally Aware Mentor Training National Research Mentoring Network - UCSF
Identify how cultural beliefs, worldviews and identities influence mentoring practices
Recognize how cultural diversity can impact research mentoring relationships
Acknowledge impact of conscious and unconscious assumptions, privilege, stereotype threat, and biases in the mentor-mentee relationship
Use culturally responsive mentoring principles as a guide in talking about cultural diversity matters with mentees

19. Mentors as Leaders Julie Freischlage, MD UC Davis Dean of School of Medicine
Change is the new and improved normal
Take actions to
Ask all people what they think
Anticipate and initiate change
Challenge the status quo
Create instead of react to change
Lead rather than follow
Protect what is good
Look for gifts in each challenge. If it is not going well, is it you?

20. Co-PIs:
Barbara Endemaño Walker, UCSB
Susan Carlson, UCOP
Rebecca Lewison, SDSU
John Crockett, SDSU
Valerie Leppert, UC Merced
Susan Carter, UC Merced
Amanda Quintero, CSU Channel Islands

21. Team Science
Definition: interdisciplinary, collaborative scientific research among two or more researchers in which team members integrate their perspectives and methods in a single research endeavor.
Increasingly the norm with exception of arts and humanities
(Wuchty et al. 2007; Englander 2014)
Solve most complex and intractable scientific and social problems
Accelerate scientific and technological innovation, and provide a mechanism for translating scientific research into practices and policy
(Uzzi et al. 2013).

22. Teams science impacts on career and institution
TS projects garner more funding
TS projects yield greater publication productivity
TS projects yield higher impact publications
Strong network of collaborators and co-authors is critical to a more productive and successful academic career
(Hitchcock et al.1995; Bozeman & Corley 2004; Bland et al. 2005; Haslam & Laham 2009; Haller & Welch 2013; Seibert et al. 2014).

23. Team science and diversity
Diversity on teams has positive effects on creativity, innovation, and productivity
(Hong & Page 2004; Woolley et al. 2010; Bear & Woolley 2011).
Scientific research enhanced when informed by diverse (and thus often broader) viewpoints and research questions
(Margolis & Fisher 2003)
Women and URM scientists have made scientific discoveries because of their particular gendered and racialized perspectives experiences
(Melo-Martín & Intemann 2010)

24. Freeman, R. B., & Huang, W. (2014). Collaborating with people like me: Ethnic co-authorship within the US (No. w19905). National Bureau of Economic Research.
By examining the ethnic identity of authors in over 2.5 million scientific papers written by US-based authors from 1985 to 2008, we find that … The greater homophily is associated with publication in lower-impact journals and with fewer citations. Meanwhile, papers with authors in more locations and with longer reference lists get published in higher-impact journals and receive more citations.

25. However…
Women and URM scientists are less likely to participate in team science collaborations, and their participation in these networks develops later in their careers
(Kyvik & Teigen 1996; Fox & Mohapatra 2007; Misra et al. 2012; Kegen 2013).

26. Why?

27. Why?
Critical time of family formation (leaks in the pipeline between Ph.D. receipt and tenure for women faculty
Negative perceptions of women scientists may prevent them from being chosen as collaborators
Women opt out of interdisciplinary collaboration because they are aware that their male counterparts will receive more credit for shared ideas and publications
Isolation
Overburden of service
Micro-aggressions, Conscious/unconscious/implicit bias, stereotype threat
Barriers for URM scientists in winning research grants from federal agencies
(Ginther et al (NIH))

28. Different Types of Students
Each student is different
Consider your personality, interests and level of independence in choosing a dissertation advisor
A “good fit” is critical

29. Different Types of Students
Cartoon from Alexander Dent:

30. Obligations of the Student
Responsibility to complete the requirements for the degree
Knowledge about the requirements of the graduate program
Attend and participate in group meetings, seminars, etc.
Diligence and care in the lab and group

31. Obligations of the Student
Comply with all institutional policies
Responsible conduct of research
Development of the dissertation project with your advisor
Regular communication with your advisor

32. Communication Communicate with your advisor
Present your results and plans
Ask for feedback
Take it graciously and seriously
Follow it
People like to be asked and will be flattered if you listen

33. Personal Meetings Frequency depends on the mentor’s style
Regularly scheduled, possibly weekly
or phone between meetings
Initiated by the student
Don’t be timid or shy about asking to meet
Present new results as you get them
Ask questions, which can prevent mistakes and save time

34. Research and scholarly activity Reputation Independence Guidance
Who is your Mentor? How does s/he fit with your needs and personality? (0=worst possible; 5=best imaginable)
Research and scholarly activity
Reputation
Independence
Guidance
Regular communication
Job/Post doc leads
Connection/Networking

36. Regular Communication
Prevents misunderstandings
You and your advisor should agree on a timeline and what is required for completion
Make sure you know what your advisor expects of you. If in doubt, ask.

37. Tips to Maximize Mentoring
Know your goals
Choose the best mentor(s) to meet those goals
Begin mentoring relationships by discussing mutual goals and expectations
Be professional
Learn to accept and give feedback
Lakoski, 8/14/2009, Science Career Magazine

38. Tips to Maximize Mentoring
Take responsibility for your career
Communicate
Periodically evaluate if the relationship is still effective
Avoid burning bridges
Serve as a mentor
Lakoski, 8/14/2009, Science Career Magazine

39. Feedback: What is the purpose?
Appreciation: you are told how much you are valued
Coaching: focus on seeking improvement (e.g., you ask for more direction, learning, changing)
Evaluation: you are told where you stand – an assessment, ranking or rating

40. Your Internal Dialogue The more challenging the message, the louder the voice
Constructive: i.e., negative %.
Triggers: creates reaction (defend, react, withdraw) vs accepting (learning, growing)
Accept and Engage: Goal – openness and skill

41. What is Your Trigger? Truth I.D.: “You are WRONG”
Alt: Understand and clarify. “What has the giver observed? In what situations? What did you expect me to do, that I didn’t do? How would you have wanted this to play out? What is expected of me in this situation? Where do I/we go from here?”

42. What is Your Trigger?
Relationship – who is delivering this, and what do I think of them?
I.D.: “they are not credible; they do not appreciate me; they’re not so great either”
Alt.: Don’t let the “who” defeat the “what” (the message)

43. What is Your Trigger? Identity
All about me – my sense of self has come undone
Questions the most challenging relationship you have: the relationship with yourself
Are you distorting the feedback? “not smart” “not measuring up”
Solutions: 1) be prepared – do you typically run, fight, deny, exaggerate? 2) separate threads – fact vs perception? 3) contain the story – what is the feedback about, and what is it NOT about?

44. How do you get there from here?

45. Individual Development Plan
Academic Course Planning
Research Planning
Conference/Publications Planning
Career Planning
Funding Planning
Leadership Development Planning
Dissertation Progress Planning

47. Helpful Websites School of Medicine Academic Affairs Website:
Campus Academic Personnel Website:   
Academic Personnel Manual: 
Council on Academic Personnel:
Tenure Handbook: Advice about promotion to tenure:

48. Thank You!