Summary
This study highlights the urgent need for systemic change in the biomedical sciences to achieve diversity and inclusion, particularly through the development of faculty who play a critical role in shaping research training environments. The case study focuses on an institution's efforts to enhance mentorship for doctoral students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (PEERs) by conducting mentorship education workshops for faculty. These workshops were part of a broader strategy to improve the experiences of graduate trainees and foster a more inclusive institutional climate. Survey results from 108 faculty mentors revealed that while approximately 80% recognized the importance of culturally responsive mentoring, only about 63% felt confident in their ability to implement such practices. Additionally, focus groups with PEER doctoral students indicated that they observed their mentors' efforts to address cultural diversity, offering insights on how to better approach these issues. The study suggests future directions for using mentorship education as a tool to drive systemic change and promote the value of mentorship within academic institutions.
There is an urgent and compelling need for systemic change to achieve diversity and inclusion goals in the biomedical sciences. Because faculty hold great influence in shaping research training environments, faculty development is a key aspect in building institutional capacity to create climates in which persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race (PEERs) can succeed. We present a mixed methods case study of one institution’s efforts to improve mentorship of PEER doctoral students through mentorship education workshops for faculty. These workshops were one strategy among others intended to improve graduate trainees’ experiences, and positively affect institutional climate with respect to racial and ethnic diversity. Surveys of 108 faculty mentors revealed that about 80% overall agreed or strongly agreed with the value of culturally responsive mentoring behaviors but about 63% overall agreed or strongly agreed that they were confident in their ability to enact those behaviors. Through a series of three focus groups, PEER doctoral students reported that they noticed mentors’ efforts to address cultural diversity matters and identified some guidance for how to approach such topics. We discuss future directions and implications for using mentorship education to activate systemic change toward inclusive research training environments and promoting the value of mentorship within institutions.
References
Suiter, S., Byars-Winston, A., Sancheznieto, F., Pfund, C., & Sealy, L. (2024). Utilizing mentorship education to promote a culturally responsive research training environment in the Biomedical Sciences. PLOS ONE, 19(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291221
