Our hope and vision for our trainees are not only that they are scientifically productive and technically proficient but that they become well-rounded scientists who continue to perpetuate the NCI’s mission to advance scientific knowledge and help all people live longer, healthier lives.
Overview
Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics (LCBG) are offered the opportunity to have dual mentorship. This means the trainee is paired with an additional mentor from our Laboratory who provides supplemental career, personal development, networking and psychosocial support to complement their research training.
The Dual Mentoring concept launched in January 2023 with concurrent mentor and mentee workshops to develop strategies to cultivate productive mentor-mentee relationships. Interactions between trainees and their second mentor are coordinated independently based on the following principles:
- Confidentiality: All discussions are confidential, and details will not be shared with the trainee’s primary mentor or any other individual without mutual consent.
- Non-scientific: The second mentor should not interfere with the scientific aspects of the trainee’s project. Data should not be presented or discussed during mentoring meetings.
- Expectations: Although the agenda and frequency of meetings will be self-guided, monthly discussion prompts to facilitate productive discussions and additional resources will be provided as needed. The participants are responsible for scheduling meetings once every one to two months.
- External support: Should either the mentor or mentee find that a situation requires mediation or would benefit from additional input or support, an appropriate third party can become involved. While mutual agreement between the mentor and mentee regarding the course of action is ideal, neither individual is restricted from seeking outside assistance.
Monthly discussion topics
Though the mentee and mentor are free to discuss topics of their choosing, a monthly discussion topic is provided as a framework to stimulate productive conversations. Examples of past topics include:
- You need a game plan: career planning with myIDP
- Proactively manage your mentoring relationship by "Mentoring Up" and developing SMART goals
- Enhancing research and career self-efficacy
- Building your online presence