Mount Sinai Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology

However, mentoring in the United States is neither universal nor uniform. For example, in certain institutions, there are dyads versus teams versus committees assigned to mentor students, trainees, and junior faculty. Mentors either are designated or are self-identified by the trainee, and mentorship is often accorded from a distance in relation to gender, ethnicity, and racial matching. Despite these models, less than 20 percent of junior faculty in academic medicine in the United States have mentors. In 2017, the National Summit for Research-Track Directors hosted by the Alliance of Academic Internal Medicine published the best practices for physician-scientists training programs, placing special emphasis on enhancing mentorship.

Flavors of Mentorship 

Mentorship is typically provided in one of three forms––mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship. A mentor helps trainees navigate their career goals. This involves guiding career choices and decisions, either formally or informally. The trainee drives the relationship, with the mentor being reactive and responsive. In contrast, a coach provides guidance toward the development of soft skills and the relationship is driven both by the trainee and the coach to provide developmental feedback outside of the formal process. The sponsor is generally a senior leader with the strong influence to help a trainee obtain high-visibility assignments, promotions, or jobs. The sponsor drives the relationship, advocating for the trainee even behind closed doors, and championing the trainee’s work to other leaders.

Within the Mount Sinai Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, we provide all three types of mentorship. We have coaches who teach trainees, for example, how to write grant applications and navigate funding agencies. Our mentors are available for all career-related questions and provide forthright and candid feedback without hidden agendas. Finally senior members of the Center act as sponsors to nominate trainees for awards and tell the world that the trainee is among the most skilled and experienced researchers.