The Academy of Medical Sciences

National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme

Moira Whyte

Head of Department of Infection and Immunity

University of Sheffield

My Career to date……1978 St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College1981 Intercalated BSc in Anatomy,

St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School1984 Qualified MB BS1985 SHO Hammersmith Hospital1987 Registrar in Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases1988 Meeting two men in the bar………….1989 MRC Training Fellowship in neutrophil biology1994 Wellcome Advanced Fellow, ICRF, London1996 Professor of Respiratory Medicine, Sheffield

1989MRC Training Fellowship in neutrophil biology1994 Wellcome Advanced Fellowship, ICRF, London1996 Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Sheffield

But it didn’t seem like this at the time

Career Ambitions

1970 – 1978 To be a doctor1978 - 1984 Neurology1984 -1988 Geriatrics, possibly academic1988…… Academic Respiratory Medicine

What were the decision points?

1985-Which SHO post to apply for?1989-My supervisor is moving to Edinburgh1993-My second supervisor is moving to Nottingham1994-My husband is offered a job in Sheffield

Who helped me to respond to these situations?Mentors whom I trusted to give me wise and (relatively) disinterested advice

Mentoring is an evolving relationship

• Different people at different stages of your career

• Your boss evolves into your mentor• You never stop wanting a mentor

My experience as a mentor (1)

Mentor to 2 Clinician Scientists and 1 Clinical Lecturer via the Academy of Medical Sciences Scheme

Allows the trainee to have an appropriate match for both their specialist area and their broad research area

Provides advice that includes the bigger picture

My experience as a mentor (1)

We meet at least once a year, use telephone and emailAll have a fundamentally good relationship with their

supervisorBut tensions can arise from

• Different personalities• Different career stages• Perceived conflicts of interest• Differing views on the next career stage

The supervisor/trainee relationship usually works wellBut there can be tensions………

My experience as a mentor (2)

Academic Training Programme Director for NIHR ACFs/CL’sSouth Yorkshire Programme

All ACFs/CLs have a mentor from the clinical academic staffWorks well at this level to have someone locallyMany of the issues quite generic at this stage

However, great benefits from wider networking regionally and nationally

Meeting your peer group, exchanging experiences

My experience as a mentor (3)

Academy of Medical Sciences/Medical Research Society Clinical Research Champion

Promoting academic careersOrganising informal networking eventsBeing available for advice

Conclusions

Mentoring is what you make of it

Not a “box to tick” when you start a new post

You need your mentor sometimes more than others, but keep the relationship alive

You will become a mentor sooner than you think!

Background• The Academy of Medical Sciences is an independent body in the UK representing the whole spectrum of medical science. Our mission is to ensure better healthcare through the rapid application of research to the practice of medicine.

•Our Fellows are the UK’s leading medical scientists from hospitals and general practice, academia, industry and the public service.

One of the Academy’s strategic goals is to:

Campaign for the development, protection and promotion of careers for academics in the medical sciences and encourage good practice in training and development.

National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme

Nurturing future leaders is one of the Academy’s key objectives.

Our mentoring and outreach scheme provides direct support to clinical academics in training.

Established in 2002 and supported by the NHS National Institute for Health Research and NHS Education for Scotland.

Portfolio of support activities

• 1-2-1 mentoring for Clinician Scientist Fellows and Clinical

Lecturers.

• Peer mentorship groups for pre-doctoral clinical academics.

• Mentor development workshops for Academy Fellows, senior

academics and post-doctoral scientists.

•A bi-monthly information e-bulletin for all medical researchers

registered on the Academy’s scheme

• How to achieve a balance between research and clinical

commitments.

• Career planning and job applications.

• Personal development through the acquisition of skills such

as leadership and negotiation.

• Setting up effective networks and collaborations as well as

the effective management of students and staff.

Support provided through mentoring:

Mentoring and Outreach events

Regional meetings and events bring together academic trainees, senior

academics and other key representatives from the wider medical science

community.

Interactive sessions provide trainees with the opportunity to:• Understand how to use mentoring. • Hear from funders about fellowships and grants• Learn about policy developments• Engage in open debate.• Hear inspirational talks. • Establish effective networks amongst peers and colleagues.

Upcoming events include:

Glasgow – Monday 16 November

Academia, industry and the NHS: collaboration and innovation – London – Friday 27 November

Please email mentoring@acmedsci.ac.uk for further details and to register.

Feedback from trainees

“I found the meeting with my mentor very useful and

beneficial. X is a really nice person and was seemed

genuinely interested in helping me.”

‘It was a really good meeting, I had a chance to

reflect on academic training and mentoring as well

as rubbing shoulders with the giants!’

‘It was great to hear everyone's stories about the specific

difficulties they had come up against, as well as all the things

they had managed to achieve, and to get tailored advice on

how to manage all this. I am very grateful that we have all been

put in touch like this.’

Portfolio of support activities

• Advice and guidance on academic careers and

mentoring at www.academicmedicine.ac.uk.

• AMS/MRS Clinical Research Champions Scheme to

promote academic medicine to medical students

and foundation year trainees.

• Visiting Lecturer Programme – Academy Fellows

present inspirational keynote lectures to medical

students and postgraduate researchers.

Grants and prizes

• Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers

£30K over two years, to support research costs

Application deadline: Early March 2010

• UK/Middle East Exchange Fellowships

Opportunities for medical scientists to spend up to four weeks in another country

Application deadline: 8 January 2010

• Clinician Scientist Fellowship scheme

• Foulkes Foundation Medal

Further information about the scheme can also be found on the careers website: www.academicmedicine.ac.uk

Contact details and further information

For more information, or to register for the National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme, please contact Sally Lukins: mentoring@acmedsci.ac.uk

The Academy’s National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme is supported by the NHS National Institute for Health Research and NHS Education for Scotland.