Friends of ODysseus Mentoring Program

King Odysseus is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem. Odysseus is celebrated for his intellectual cleverness, cunningness, and versatility. Greek mythology tells us that King Odysseus entrusted his son Telemachus's training and development to his friend, Mentor. Since then, a friend of Odysseus, or a mentor, has come to mean a trusted confidant, teacher, and advisor.

Mission Statement
Friends of ODysseus is a mentorship program serving students and staff within the Mount Sinai Health System. Our goal is to help individuals from underrepresented groups navigate their career paths and seek avenues for advancement.

As new students and staff join the Icahn School of Medicine and the Mount Sinai Health System, we strive to increase our membership accordingly. As the group expands, so will the reach of our networks. There is strength in numbers.

Components of the Program
The Friends of ODysseus program features the following components:

  • FOD: Man-2-Man Series
    Man-2-Man is a monthly initiative geared toward male Residents and Medical Students of color in an interview-style Q & A forum. The series features a faculty guest speaker, and the dialogue allows participants to build a support system and brotherhood.
  • FOD: Woman-2-Woman Series
    Woman-2-Woman is a monthly initiative geared toward female Residents and Medical Students of color in an interview-style Q & A forum. The series features a faculty guest speaker, and the dialogue allows participants to build a support system and sisterhood.
  • FOD: Roundtable Series
    The Roundtable series is a quarterly meeting that brings both the male and female groups of color together to discuss issues that impact their success.
  • FOD: Financial Literacy Series
    During the month of February, FOD features a Financial Literacy Series, which teaches finance management, budgeting, and investing for retirement. The aim is to educate participants about financial independence and generational wealth.
  • Growth in Operations, Administrations & Leadership Society (GOALS)
    GOALS is a group dedicated to improving career opportunities for the Black male demographic at Mount Sinai Health System. We aim to increase diversity at the institutions' mid and upper levels for Black males.
  • Scholar-athletes With Academic Goals (SWAG) Initiative
    SWAG is a pipeline program initiative for junior high, high school, and college scholar-athletes interested in science and medicine. Our consortium organizes events and symposiums to build this network and funnel our members into various programs and opportunities.
  • Game Plan Series
    Game Plan is a monthly meeting series that brings former scholar-athletes (collegiate or professional) who are now in science, research, or healthcare careers to a virtual platform. These guest speakers discuss their sports and career journeys with the current scholar-athlete populations in junior high, high school, and college interested in science and medicine. The discussions help participants understand managing sports and academic studies and how to excel in both.

If you have any questions or want to join our meetings and listserv, please contact us at FOD@mssm.edu.