Best Practices in Mentoring

1. Best Practices in Mentoring Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D. Principal Investigator, WHEEL Edwin van Wijngaarden, Ph.D. Program Director, WHEEL

2. WHEEL • Develop scholars who go on to establish successful research careers in interdisciplinary research in women’s environmental health • Establish a successful and sustainable training program • Take advantage of an environment at URMC conducive to interdisciplinary research • Develop researchers who provide positive feedback to the research environment and to the field • Create continuing mechanisms to effectively translate findings to health professionals and broader community

3. Scholars’ Research • Endocrine Disruptors and reproductive and developmental consequences • Human-based research incorporating both primary data collection and secondary analyses • Delivery of therapeutics for lead-induced osteoporosis • Experimental research incorporating both mechanistic and translational approaches

4. Resources • Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute • Weekly seminar series • Faculty Development Workshops • Mentoring Workshops • Research Navigator Program and Consulting Services • Pilot Studies Award, KL2 Career Development Program, Incubator Program

5. Resources • NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences Center • Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core (translational services, behavioral sciences facility, animal/human inhalation facility) • Biostatistics Facility Core • Community Outreach and Engagement Core • Career Development Program • Pilot Projects Program

6. Resources • Department of Community and Preventive Medicine • Master’s programs in public health, clinical investigation, and translational research • Doctoral programs in epidemiology and health services research (CTSI offers PhD in Translational Biomedical Sciences) • Department of Environmental Medicine • Doctoral program in Toxicology

7. Career Development • Provide guidance on grant and manuscript presentations, oral presentation skills, management of independent research programs. • Individual quarterly meetings of each Scholar with the PI and PD • Scholars receive interactive mentoring by two faculty members representing different disciplines • Scholars are encouraged to take advantage of existing didactic programs on grant and manuscript writing, statistics, clinical study design, epidemiology, toxicology, and mentorship • Scholars are encouraged to conduct peer-to-peer publication review which facilitates discussion among scholars. • Provide opportunities for Scholars to give oral presentations at research seminars across the Medical Center. • Scholars assist with organizing an annual Women’s Health Workshop

8. Interdisciplinary Approaches • Scholars, Mentors, and members of the Advisory Committee were selected for their diverse backgrounds (e.g., toxicology, epidemiology, clinical medicine, anthropology, engineering) and expertise in women’s or environmental health research • Interdisciplinary Advisory Committee participates in Scholar recruitment and selection efforts, and provides Scholars’ research feedback on regular basis • Scholars have two Mentors from diverse backgrounds and are encouraged to use additional interdisciplinary mentors

9. Institutional Change • Encourage scholars to take advantage of CTSI resources and provide opportunity to present their work at CTSI-initiated workshops. • Integrate BIRCWH into the NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences Center to increase Scholar familiarity with environmental health sciences issues and research and to provide access to Core Facilities • Establish an annual BIRCWH Research Symposium to highlight uniqueness of all Women's Health Research • Broaden the awareness of our BIRCWH program at our institution by presenting at MEDSAC (Medical School Advisory Council) meetings and by promoting Women’s Health-related seminars • Provide technical support to Scholars in statistical analysis, study design, design of data collection instruments, and maintenance of study databases