The Department of Medicine (DOM) has completed a second year of its programs based on the science of effective mentoring.

Twenty-six associate and full professors on the CHS and tenure tracks completed “Entering Mentoring: How to Be an Effective Mentor,“ which focuses on how faculty can use mentoring to optimize talent in the department.

See the 2023 Entering Mentoring facilitators and faculty graduates.

An additional 18 faculty completed “Mentoring Up: How to Make the Best Use Of Your Mentors,” which teaches junior faculty to navigate the research training environment and proactively manage mentoring relationships. 

See the 2023 Mentoring Up facilitators and faculty graduates.

In total, 75% of the department’s junior faculty on tenure or CHS tracks have now completed mentor training.

According to the department’s vice chair for faculty development, James Stein, MD, Robert Turell Professor in Cardiovascular Research, Cardiovascular Medicine, both courses were highly successful with very favorable reviews and significant improvements in all skill domains.

“We are grateful for the support of everyone who participated, particularly the facilitators, who put in extra time training and developing the course content to meet our department needs,” says Dr. Stein. “Ultimately we hope these efforts will empower our faculty and cultivate professional opportunities and enhance personal and professional satisfaction.”

The department also completed a second year of its novel Clinical Faculty Development and Mentoring Program (CFDMP), which teaches clinical faculty skills they will use to mentor junior clinical faculty and provides education about DOM and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health promotion, well-being and DEI resources.

“We now have 53 promoted clinicians who have been trained serve as mentors to new junior clinical faculty,” notes Dr. Stein. “As of our spring survey, all of our junior clinical track faculty had at least one meeting with their mentor—many had two or more.”

Overall, the department’s mentoring programs aim to build a culture that prioritizes, values and rewards mentoring excellence.