Ten graduate faculty were honored with the UAB Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship Award for exceptional work with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows during a virtual reception Sept. 9.
Burel Goodin, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychology; Joel Berry, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering; April Carson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology; Ragib Hasan, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Computer Science; Rajeev Samant, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pathology; Susan Davies, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Behavior; Mirjam-Colette Kempf, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems; Kelly Hill, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Michelle Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Administration; and Jerzy Szaflarski, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurology, are the 2020 recipients.
Each recipient has a different idea about what makes mentoring graduate students and postdocs special. Some say it’s helping mentees find fulfillment in their work. Others believe it’s helping them find their hidden potential.
“Every individual has certain untapped potential of extraordinary magnitude waiting to be unlocked,” Samant said.
Click through to see what the award recipients say they learned as mentors to UAB’s up-and-coming scientists.
Learning patience
“Being a mentor has taught me to be more patient. In our fast-paced lab, I often want to complete various tasks for my mentees to help them move things along quickly. However, I have to stop and remind myself that we might be missing out on a teachable moment. So, I have to be more patient and help them complete the tasks for themselves. In this way I am often guided by the proverb, ‘Give a person a fish and feed them for a day. Teach the person to fish and feed them for a lifetime.’”
— Burel Goodin, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychology
The future generation
“The most important thing I have learned from mentoring graduate students is that they are the young people doing the majority of the work in science. Much is expected of them, and being supportive and nurturing of their efforts makes all the difference.”
— Joel Berry, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Taking the time
Mentoring has helped me to better appreciate the impact that small acts and encouraging words can have in the lives of others. It does not take an official title to be a mentor; it really comes down to taking the time to listen to others, making yourself available and showing that you care about them as a person.
— April Carson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology
Encouraging growth
“I learned the value of mentoring in shaping the career and life of a student. All graduate students come to us with immense potential, and it’s the job of the mentor to help the student achieve success and become a productive independent scholar in his or her own right.”
— Ragib Hasan, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Computer Science
Unlocking potential
“Every individual has certain untapped potential of extraordinary magnitude waiting to be unlocked, and the key is hidden. I have to find the right key, unlock and channel that potential in the shortest possible time. It is really magnificent when this happens.”
— Rajeev Samant, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pathology
Starting the journey
"The most important thing from mentoring graduate students and postdocs is that each mentoring relationship is a new journey, and keys for its success are patience, flexibility, respect and perseverance."
— Mirjam-Colette Kempf, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems
Being an advocate
“As I’ve mentored graduate students, I’ve learned how important it is to support their scholarship. This goes far beyond coursework and typical instruction — I work to find opportunities to include them in research projects, presentations and publications. I also try to connect them with other leaders in our field to help them broaden their network of contacts and possible thinking partners. Being an advocate for my students is a large part of being their mentor.”
— Kelly Hill, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Working together
“Mentorship is about service with an emphasis on the mentee. It is a learning relationship, and in this relationship, we spend time together, cogitate on goals and co-create pathways of growth. It’s vital that the mentor helps stretch and shape this path and apex by asking questions that promote reflection in order to identify existing strengths, minimize barriers, share expertise and challenge the mentee to reach new heights.”
— Michelle Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Administration
Finding fulfillment
“What I’ve learned from my students is that mentoring is not about teaching new knowledge. It is mostly about guiding students and junior faculty to develop their own approach to and pathways in research and getting them excited about asking important questions and doing something that fulfills their life and makes them happy. It’s about supporting them to develop their own research ideas and guiding them in the pursuit of these ideas.”
— Jerzy Szaflarski, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurology
