The research committee of the World Stroke Organization, chaired by
Professor Julie Bernhardt, put out a call to our Young Stroke Professional
committee, chaired by Atte Meretoja for a top ten career tips list, and over
the next 10 weeks we will be revealing these one by one for our global audience
and they will eventually be hosted in their entirety on the WSO website in the
research tab.
This week we are looking at mentorship with Alexandre Poppe, Professeur
agrégé de clinique/Clinical Associate Professor Hôpital Notre-Dame, Centre
Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
1. What makes a good mentor?
There exist many qualities that can distinguish a
great mentor from a good one. These can be broadly divided into two categories:
personal and professional.
Personal qualities:
Approachability: a mentee must
feel at ease interacting with a mentor. A respectful exchange of ideas should
be the norm and mentors should be accessible to mentees whether by e-mail, telephone
or through in-person meetings.
Honesty: a mentor
should forthright and respectful towards their mentees, both in outlining their
expectations and in providing feedback. Honesty should also define a mentor’s
approach towards academics, collegial relationships and research.
Generosity: effective
mentoring requires selflessness, with the needs of the mentee at times
superseding those of the mentor. Guidance, advice and teaching should not be
regarded as taxing chores but as privileged exercises in gregariousness.
Dependability: a mentee
should be able to rely on a mentor for relevant and timely advice and feedback.
Work-life
balance: in leading by example, an effective mentor should
demonstrate to mentees that academic success need not be attained at the
expense of a fulfilling life outside of work.
Passion: a mentor must
be able to transmit enthusiasm and excitement to their mentees, and this is
only possible if that same passion drives the mentor’s actions.
Professional qualities:
Expertise: It almost goes
without saying that a mentee should seek a mentor who possesses knowledge,
skills and foresightedness in the field of study that a mentee wishes to
develop.
Academic
success: A mentor’s expertise is largely, but by no means
entirely, exemplified by their academic productivity in a given field.
Impactful publications, prominent teaching and administrative roles and overall
leadership in a field of interest characterize such success.
Effective local
research infrastructure: To effectively support young researchers without
much prior experience, a mentor should be well versed in the nitty-gritty of
study design and the trials of obtaining research funding. Being surrounded by
an effective team of fellow researchers, biostatisticians and administrative
support staff allows the mentor to more easily connect the mentee with
collaborators who know the ropes and thereby maximizes their chance of early
success.
Regional,
national and international connections: The three
aforementioned qualities often allow a successful mentor to develop national
and international clout and the resulting contacts that allow them to
participate in collaborative projects the world over. A mentee can benefit from
these global networks by partaking in research collaborations, knowledge
exchange and travel as well as by fostering relationships with likeminded peers
that will last throughout the mentee’s entire career.
Prof. Alexandre Poppe
