Mentoring in Pediatric Oncology

Abstract

A formal Mentorship Program within the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) was established to pair young investigators (mentees) with established COG members (mentors). Despite the AAP policy statement promoting mentorship programs, there are no publications describing and evaluating national mentorship programs in pediatric subspecialties. In this study, a series of internal program evaluations were performed using surveys of both mentors and mentees. Responses were de-identified and analyzed to determine the utility of the program by both participant satisfaction and self-reported academic productivity. Results indicated that mentees were generally satisfied with the program. Mentor-mentee pairs that met at least quarterly demonstrated greater academic productivity than pairings that met less frequently. This formal mentorship program appeared to have subjective and objective utility for the development of academic pediatric subspecialists.

Early career mentoring through the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology: Lessons learned from a pilot program

“…One novel aspect of our mentoring program is the mentees’ ability to self-select their mentors from an Internet-based profile list of registered mentors on the ASPHO Web site, representing many subspecialties within the field of PHO, which is not limited to oncology but also includes nonmalignant hematology and stem cell transplant. 23 A recent systematic review reported that most mentees preferred to identify their own mentors, supporting our novel approach. 13 In order to initiate customized individual development plans with their mentors, mentees were also able to define their goals and their needs for personal and professional development.…”

“…Although other mentoring models exist, 3,13,22 including within pediatric oncology (sponsored by the COG), 23 the ASPHO mentoring program offers unique features and was not meant to compete with existing mentorship programs. One novel aspect of our mentoring program is the mentees’ ability to self-select their mentors from an Internet-based profile list of registered mentors on the ASPHO Web site, representing many subspecialties within the field of PHO, which is not limited to oncology but also includes nonmalignant hematology and stem cell transplant.…”

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Results From the Radiation Oncology Academic Development and Mentorship Assessment Project (ROADMAP)

“…Some have published data showing increases in both participant satisfaction and self-reported productivity with participation in such a program (5). A case-control study showed gynecologic oncology faculty and fellows from more productive institutions were not only more likely to have a research mentor, but also were more likely to have a formal program in place at their institution that connects mentors and mentees (2).…”

“…A successful career in academic medicine, though firmly rooted in personal drive, dedication and hard work, also requires input and advice from those more seasoned and experienced. Mentorship is often cited as a key component of successful academic career development, and has been studied in several disciplines of medicine (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Though several nuanced definitions of a mentor exist, a mentor is most often described as an experienced and trusted advisor.…”

“…Established criteria to qualify as a mentor, policies on mentor responsibilities, written agreements between mentor and mentee, incentives as well as processes by which mentors are evaluated were all commonly cited (13). Although qualitative survey and interview-based studies provide interesting fodder for discussion, quantitative data has also been sought to provide more objective evidence as to the role of mentorship on the careers and productivity of academic physicians (5)(14). …”