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Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center Heersink School of Medicine

Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center

Mentoring

Benefits of Mentoring  |   Responsibilities  |    Become a Mentor  |   Mentoring Awards  |     FAQs


Developing strong, independent researchers who can contribute to our mission of achieving health equity is the goal of the MHERC Training program. To help facilitate this, our team recruits faculty investigators to provide guidance to others who are interested in conducting health disparities research.

Our mentors represent faculty investigators from UAB and partnering institutions who are matched with undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty in MHERC's training programs.  

The mentoring relationship is beneficial to both mentors and mentees. Mentees gain insights from the experience of their mentors, enhance their knowledge, hone their scientific and technical skills, and learn about grant development and manuscript preparation. Mentors have in their mentees a valuable resource for carrying out research projects and preparing manuscripts for publication.

Benefits of Mentoring

  • Mentors have the opportunity to share their research experience with their mentees.
  • Mentees may be a valuable resource in assisting mentors with the implementation of research projects or with the preparation of a manuscript for publication.
  • In some training programs, mentees may be able to submit a budget for a research stipend, which may include research or lab supplies for the mentor’s research project if the trainee assists.
  • Mentoring may meet requirements for service for many faculty.
  • The mentoring relationship may lead to future research of mutual benefit or may initiate long-term collaborations as mentees become stronger candidates for grant funding as independent investigators.

 


Responsibilities

MentorMentee
  • Meeting and communicating with mentees on a regular basis to share expertise
  • Guiding mentees on research projects, grant development, and manuscript preparation
  • Providing advice on career development
  • Reviewing mentees' progress reports
  • Completing mentee evaluations as needed
  • Conduct research in an ethical and responsible manner expected of faculty members
  • Maintain satisfactory progress and participation in the training program according to the established timeline and as suggested by the mentor
  • Schedule regular meetings with the mentor and follow through with communication and plans

 

Become a Mentor

Interested in becoming a mentor? Apply today by contacting the UAB MHERC Training Program Director, Ann Smith, using the button below.

Email UsOpens an external link.

 

Mentoring Awards

The MHERC Training Program relies on dedicated mentors who go above and beyond to help guide young investigators in the field of health disparities research.

The MHERC invites students, scholars, and alumni to nominate candidates for the Excellence in Mentoring Award. The $500 award recognizes faculty members who not only have provided outstanding mentoring but have contributed substantially to the career development and retention of students and scholars.

Faculty members eligible for consideration are those who mentor undergraduate or graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, junior faculty scholars, or grant recipients. Previous Excellence in Mentoring Award recipients are eligible to be nominated again to encourage continued excellence. Three mentors will be selected to receive this award. Awardee are announced annually at the UAB MHERC's Health Equity Research Symposium in the spring.

Awardees for 2024 have been announced and the nomination process is closed. Please check back for information regarding the 2025 awards. If you have any questions regarding mentor nominations, please contact Ann Smith at annsmith@uab.edu.


Past Awardees

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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