Education at OHSU

Mentorship Academy

Multiple photos including: two people talking in chairs, a clock, a group of people listening to an instructor and a wooden pathway.
Mentorship Academy logo

Most educators learn to mentor by experimenting and analyzing success and failure, and many say that the process of developing an effective method of mentoring takes years, which is a reflection of the unique qualities, needs, and challenges presented by each mentee. A skilled mentor is guided by a reflective philosophy that directs examination of the mentee’s changing needs and how best to address them, creating fluidity in the relationship. No training can prescribe a single ‘right’ approach, but systematic analysis and discussion of mentoring generates a method for tackling the knotty challenges inherent in the job.  

The goal of the OHSU Mentorship Academy training is to accelerate the process of becoming an effective mentor. The approach taken provides mentors with an intellectual framework, an opportunity to experiment with various methods, and a forum in which to solve mentoring dilemmas with the help of their peers.  

The mentoring competencies are divided into six modules and are based on CIMER’s Entering Mentoring curricula which was designed to address the new NIGMS guidelines regarding the preparation of mentors involved in training grants. These guidelines state that participating faculty must receive training in effective, evidence-informed teaching and mentoring practices. 

Starting October 2023, the six modules our Mentorship Academy offer are: 

  • Module 1: Introduction + Maintaining Effective Communication (120 minutes) 
  • Module 2: Aligning Expectations + Assessing Understanding (90 minutes) 
  • Module 3: Addressing Power and Privilege (120 minutes) 
  • Module 4: Cultivating Mental Health and Disability Support  (120 minutes)*New Module Addition* 
  • Module 5: Promoting Professional Development + Work Life Integration (90 minutes) 
  • Module 6: Fostering Independence + Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy  (120 minutes)

Total training: 11 hours 

What is CAM Training? CAM is an innovative, evidence-based initiative to enhance mentors’ ability to effectively address cultural diversity matters in their mentoring relationships. The CAM approach is supported by evidence that culturally responsive mentoring can be learned and is critical to the success of mentees of diverse backgrounds.

CAM consists of two main components:

  • iCAM: 1-hour foundational self-paced online module
  • Full day intensive workshop for small groups

From 2020 to May 2023 the seven modules our Academy offered were:  

  • Module 1: Introduction + Maintaining Effective Communication (120 minutes) 
  • Module 2: Aligning Expectations (90 minutes) 
  • Module 3: Assessing Understanding (90 minutes) 
  • Module 4: Addressing Equity and Inclusion (90 minutes) which has been revised to Module 3: Addressing Power and Privilege  
  • Module 5: Fostering Independence (90 minutes) 
  • Module 6: Promoting Professional Development (90 minutes) which has been revised to Module 5: Promoting Professional Development + Work Life Integration  
  • Module 7: Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy and Plan + Wrap-Up (90 minutes) 

Total training: 11 hours 

If you’ve taken some of our modules between 2020 and May 2023 and would like to complete your training please reach out to mentorship@ohsu.edu  

OR if you’ve completed the Mentorship Academy but would like to take our revised/new modules: 

  • Module 3: Addressing Power and Privilege  
  • Module 5: Promoting Professional Development + Work Life Integration  
  • Module 4: Cultivating Mental Health and Disability Support  

Reach out to our Mentorship Specialist, Dr. Brenda Martinez, mentorship@ohsu.edu, to set up a 15-minute consultation. 

In addition to meeting the requirements for submitting training grants, Mentorship Academy graduates: 

  • Will have a stronger sense of how their peers at OHSU approach mentorship and develop a network of peer and near-peer mentors.
  • Will have a toolbox of strategies and resources they can use in their mentoring relationships and leverage during mentoring challenges that may arise.
  • Will have reflected on their approach to mentorship and written or revised a statement of Mentorship Philosophy and/or a Mentoring Agreement. 
  • Will receive an OHSU Mentorship Academy Certified badge to add to their website and/or email signature and Decal stickers to add to their office doors and OHSU badge. 
  • Will receive a Letter of Completion from the Provost Office for their CV/Ed Portfolio.
  • Will have the opportunity to join an upcoming cohort of Mentorship Academy facilitators.
  • Will be eligible to receive funding for ongoing mentorship and leadership education. 
  • Will be eligible to take Level 2 of Mentorship Academy: Culturally Aware Mentor training.

The Mentorship Academy’s inaugural year was 2020-2021. The first two and half years we focused on training faculty who mentor learners in research in the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health, and the College of Pharmacy. 

Since then, we have broadened our reach to serve educators (faculty, staff, and post docs) from across the institution who have long-term mentoring relationships with learners (students, residents, postdocs). 

Who is eligible for Culturally Aware Mentor (CAM) Training? Mentors who have completed Mentorship Academy Level 1 (Modules 1-6). Not sure if you’re eligible? Email mentorship@ohsu.edu.

Academy Director: Brenda Martinez 

Steering Committee:

  • Allison Fryer 
  • Kirstin Moreno 
  • Pepper Schedin   
  • Mary Heinricher   
  • Cynthia Morris   
  • Despoina Bompolaki

How to register

Registration is through Compass. Search “Mentorship Academy” for modules and if sessions are full please add yourself to the waitlist so we can gauge interest. 

Before you register, please note you must choose to complete all of the modules in the intensive format. Please determine and confirm your availability ahead of time. Because trainings are limited to 18-20 attendees, if you cannot attend, please withdraw on Compass so someone else can attend in your place. Additionally, if you took our original modules between 2022-May 2023 (as in the one-by-one modules) and would like to complete your training please email us at mentorship@ohsu.edu to discuss your options.  

Materials

If you're enrolled in a module and wish to see the session materials, they can be accessed on our Sakai Site (requires OHSU network login). We also provide documents with language about mentoring that OHSU faculty can draw on for grant writing. 

Upcoming intensives:

March/April intensive (hybrid)

Day 1: Mar. 26, 2024 (virtual)

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Module 1 Introduction + Maintaining Effective Communication 

1:30-3:00 p.m. Module 2 Aligning Expectations + Assessing Understanding

Day 2: Apr. 2, 2024 (in-person)

9-11 a.m. Module 4 Cultivating Mental Health and Disability Support

11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Module 5 Promoting Professional Development + Work Life Integration

1-2 p.m. Lunch

2-3:30 p.m. Module 3 Addressing Power and Privilege

Day 3: Apr. 23, 2024 (virtual)

1-3 p.m. Module 6 Fostering Independence + Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy 

May/June intensive (hybrid)

Day 1: May 28, 2024 (virtual)

2-4 p.m. Module 1 Introduction + Maintaining Effective Communication

Day 2: June 4, 2024 (in-person)

9-11 a.m. Module 4: Cultivating Mental Health and Disability Support

11-1 p.m. Module 3: Addressing Power and Privilege

1-2 p.m. Lunch

2-3:30 p.m. Module 5: Promoting Professional Development and Life Design

Day 3: June 11, 2024 (virtual)

9:30-11 a.m. Module 2: Aligning Expectation and Assessing Understanding

1-3 p.m. Module 6 Fostering Independence + Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy

FAQ

We expanded the audience to all faculty, staff, and post docs who mentor learners and peers in long-term mentoring relationships.

We are not able to offer a training facilitated by OHSU personnel during the inaugural year for mentees, but we encourage learners and anyone who wants to learn more about being a mentee to spend 45 minutes watching the webinar “Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors, and Collaborators” on the NCFDD website. See this handout for details about accessing the webinar. The webinar will walk you through how to use this map.

Yes! We will always offer completely virtual trainings via WebEx at least twice a year for our off-campus members (once in the fall and once in the spring)

You can email mentorship@ohsu.edu with questions. The trainings are currently being coordinated through the Office of Educational Improvement and Innovation.

You can view the attendance tracking document from the Mentorship Academy Sakai site (linked from the O2 page. Alternatively, you can email mentorship@ohsu.edu to request a list of which modules you have completed. 

Contact us at mentorship@ohsu.edu for help developing a completion plan. 

Contact us at mentorship@ohsu.edu for consultation.