Mentoring | UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

A cornerstone of MARC is an interactive, evidence-based curriculum implemented to support mentoring skills so that the mentee/mentor dyads can build and sustain successful mentoring relationships.

Workshops for Mentees (Graduate Students, Postdocs, Junior Faculty)

• Cultural Awareness for Successful Mentoring Relationships
• Making the Most of Mentoring Relationships
• Navigating Conflict in Mentoring Relationships

Workshops for Senior Faculty, Mentors of Junior Faculty, and Fellows

• Aligning Expectations; Effective Communication
• Addressing Participation; Work-Life Integration
• Professional Development, Team Science, and Fostering Independence
• Sustaining Optimal Mentoring Relationships

Workshop registration is managed by the Clinical and Translational Science Center.

All cancer center members, regardless of rank or level of training, will benefit from having mentors and mentoring teams throughout their career.

The Mentoring Team

• Mentors are a part of the mentoring team
• A mentoring team is a mosaic providing multidisciplinary expertise, skills, and outlook
• A mentoring team should be established within the first six months; however, identifying the right personal fit for a mentee can take time.
• Team composition should reflect a mentee’s career interests and optimally include two faculty members with expertise in the mentee’s research interests. An “external” mentor for career development and/or work-life integration issues should also be included. The person should have minimal potential conflict of interest (e.g., is neither a co-author or co-investigator and does not have a research or financial relationship)
• Team mentors can change with time, as needs and relationships change
• If a mentee's goal is to obtain a K-award, they should consider mentors with a history of R01 funding and a track record of working with other trainees who have achieved successful, independently funded grants

Team Meetings

• Schedule is a minimum of one contact (individual meeting and/or laboratory meeting) every two weeks
• Hold group mentoring or "work in progress" meetings
• Meet with entire mentoring team at least once every year
• Establish meeting frequency early on
• Establish mode of communication and for what type of task (e.g., Zoom, phone, email, in person)
• Prepare for and make good use of each other's time
• Establish explicit goals (short and long term)

Mentors are advised to keep notes of meetings and develop a simple report afterwards. Mentees are also asked to take meeting notes and share them with their mentor. Mentee notes include topics discussed, goals, accomplishments, joys, frustrations, self-evaluation, and a record of who is responsible for carrying out tasks.

Mentors should provide regular feedback to mentees on their progress, accomplishments and areas for improvement. Ask mentees to conduct self-evaluation as well. Mentees should share brief meeting reports with mentors. Include topics discussed, goals, accomplishments, joys, frustrations, self-evaluation.

MARC provides a variety of in-person and virtual mentorship resources for mentees and mentors to self-select from as needed.

Mentorship Resources

• MARC Mentoring Consultation Request Form — Mentoring is a critical piece for success in research, but maintaining and maximizing a mentor-mentee relationship can be challenging and not “one-size-fits-all.” MARC can help with individual, confidential consultations. 
• UC Davis Research Profiles — a tool to help identify UC Davis Health faculty by research topic area
• National Research Mentoring Network — a site to search for potential research mentor
• Mentoring Partnership Agreement (PDF)

Career Development Resources

• Project Planner
• Becoming a Resilient Scientist (video)

Response Protocol, Distressed and Distressing Students

• UC Davis Faculty and Staff Response Protocol for Distressed or Distressing Students (PDF)
• OSSJA Student Support Referral Form

Avoiding Bias in Reference Letters

• UC Davis Health
• UC San Francisco
• Northwestern University
• Georgetown University
• Here’s How Unconscious Racial Bias Can Creep Into Recommendation Letters - and How You Can Avoid It
• Rethinking the Use of Recommendation Letters
• Gender Bias Calculator

UC Davis Graduate Studies Mentoring Resources

• Mentor Resources
• Mentee Resources
• Thriving in Graduate School (year-long program)