The Pathology Mentoring Program launched on July 1, 2021. This program, one of the high-priority strategic departmental initiatives, is now actively working with faculty after 15+ months of planning.
The program aims to assist faculty in enhancing their skill in current roles, navigating organizational ladders, gaining personal insights into their strengths and development and building their network outside of their own sections and across divisions within the department. The Mentoring Program also offers a platform for faculty members who are passionate about mentoring and sharing their knowledge and experiences with the junior faculty who are navigating the next steps in their academic career.
The Mentoring Program Committee consists of 12 passionate faculty members, who have been working enthusiastically to build a program structured for the development and advancement of our junior to mid-career colleagues.
While informal mentoring support through mutual relationship-building is an authentic characteristic of an academic institution, a formal and structured setting like this leverages that opportunity and helps foster the specific academic interests and strengths of our individual faculty members. The ultimate goal of the program is to promote pathology faculty’s short-term and long-term success and to cultivate a positive and supportive culture at work.
A survey was conducted in the Spring of 2021 to understand the interest in a mentoring program amongst pathology faculty. Briefly, 104 of 136 faculty responded to the survey; most of the participants expressed their need for a mentor, and more than half of the survey participants were willing to volunteer to serve as a mentor. Along with the survey came requests for mentorship guidance in some specific areas: to help understand the FARA process and expectations early in the faculty appointment; to help understand the roles and expectations as a faculty member in our department and/or as a Medical Director at ARUP Laboratories; and to help with goal setting and advancement for individual career development. These enthusiastic responses inspired the mentoring program committee to formulate the program with a strong emphasis in these areas.
The committee quickly launched a website and Twitter page featuring several development resources for the benefit of our faculty. These resources are updated periodically and are available to faculty located at ARUP Laboratories and across the University of Utah Health campus. We are currently working on featuring interviews from some of our outstanding faculty in the department; we believe this serves as an excellent opportunity to share experiences and promote awareness of mentorship amongst our fellow mentor- and mentee- colleagues.
There has been amazing progress made since the launch of the Mentoring Program. Thirty-five faculty from various divisions (20 CP, 8 AP, 4 M&I, and 3 MLS) and ranks (46% at assistant, 29% at associate, and 26% at full professor levels) have joined the program so far and from them were formed 17 mentor-mentee pairs. This great start and the positive responses received keep inspiring the committee to do more. The Committee will continue to work on developing the Program, and providing additional mentoring, networking, and career development guidance and opportunities to our faculty.
We are grateful for the tremendous support from our Chair, Dr. Jensen; Dr. Tracy George, ARUP Laboratories President and Chief Medical Officer; Dr. Diana Wilkins, MLS Division Chief; Ms. Marsha Williams, Administrative Director; and all other Division Chiefs. Special thanks to Ms. Adriana Callahan and staff in the Path IT group, and Ms. Sarah Wojtasek at ARUP Laboratories for providing their IT and administrative support in developing the Mentoring Program and resources. For questions or request to join the Program, please visit the Mentoring Program website, or email Dr. Yuan Ji, yuan.ji@aruplab.com. We look forward to working with you in this department-wide movement, as mentor, mentee, or as part of the program committee.