The Impact of Culture on Career Development
Angela Byars-Winston, PhD, is a nationally recognized, National Institutes of Health-funded investigator who examines cultural influences on academic and career development. She conducts diversity science research specifically focused on women and individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) with the aim of broadening their participation in those fields.
The Science of Effective, Culturally Aware Mentorship In STEMM
Dr. Byars-Winston investigates and develops culturally relevant academic and career interventions to increase interest, motivation and preparedness for research careers in STEMM.
While higher education institutions frequently offer mentored experiences for STEMM learners, those from underrepresented groups often find that unaddressed cultural factors may hinder engagement and result in a less effective mentoring relationship.
Dr. Byars-Winston led the national committee that developed a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report recommending that U.S. colleges and universities take a more intentional, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to mentoring students in STEMM. She is a principal investigator in the NIH National Research Mentoring Network, leading culturally responsive mentorship efforts.
She and her colleagues create, test and implement culturally aware mentoring (CAM) training interventions to improve mentorship—efforts that could engage and help retain a broader group of individuals in the sciences.
Collaborators
Christine Pfund, PhD (Wisconsin Center for Education Research)
Active Projects
- Impact of Culturally Aware Mentoring (CAM) Interventions on Research Mentors and Graduate Training Programs
This is a randomized controlled study to gain deep insights into how full and shorter variations of CAM training affect individual graduate mentors and their training programs.
- Improving the Mentoring Relationships of Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellows and Their Mentors
This project implements training for culturally diverse pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows in biomedical science and their mentors. It focuses on increasing mentoring effectiveness and cultural responsiveness in research mentoring relationships.
Funding Support
Dr. Byars-Winston’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
