The APOG Educator, Spring 2009

Research Aspirations?
Part III: Selecting A Mentor
How to Select a Mentor
by Dr. Christy-Lynn Cooke
Introduction
A successful career in research depends on a variety of factors. Often,
choosing a mentor is one that little
weight is placed on. I would argue
that the right mentor is crucial not
only to a successful research project, but also throughout one’s research career. A mentor is defined
as ‘a wise and trusted counsellor or
teacher’. In research, a mentor is
someone who has much experience
and expertise in your particular field
of interest. They are someone who
takes responsibility in guiding your
project, answering questions and
working through problems as they
inevitably arise. However, a mentor
may also provide their student/mentee with starting material, whether it
be articles, charts, tissue specimens
etc, which is very helpful, especially
for someone who has not ventured
into the realms of research. So, how
does one find the appropriate mentor? As a resident, this is often a
daunting task, not knowing where to
start. I have devised a few, hopefully
useful steps.
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First, it is imperative to understand the
nature and subject of research that your
prospective mentor is involved in. For
example, most students find a topic that
interests them more than others. Thus,
we typically gravitate towards consultants or professors who work in these
fields. Many departments have portfolios or CV’s available for each member
of the department and their current areas of research. I’d recommend that any
student looking for a mentor begin by
choosing two or three people whose research areas are of interest. This seems
rudimentary, but it is critical that a student genuinely be interested in the work
that their mentor is involved in. Reading
literature recently published by their
mentor is also very useful. This allows
the student to determine whether they
will enjoy the nature of the research,
clinical or basic science, as well as demonstrate his/her productivity.
Once an area of research is identified and potential mentors sought, another important aspect is accessibility/
approachability of the mentor. Again,
most residents will have little research
background, and thus will need much
guidance, advice and direction in order
to successfully complete a project. For
example, a mentor should be easy to
contact and available to meet within a
reasonable timeframe. I would recommend meeting with a potential mentor
at least a few months prior to the project beginning. This will provide the student with the opportunity to discuss objectives and goals with their mentor and
plan an outline for the project. Often if
a project starts to go awry, a student will
become discouraged and unfortunately,
this propagates distaste for research.
Sometimes all it takes is for their
mentor to spend extra time looking
at the data, for example, to find a
novel association that was unexpected, rather than focus on results that
are not working.
It is also very beneficial to meet with
other students who have worked
closely with your potential mentor.
These people can often be found by
looking at co-authors on publications.
It can be very enlightening to discuss
how well the mentor truly relates to
other students, and whether these
colleagues feel the mentor will be a
good match for you. For example,
personality types are important to
consider; if the student knows that
they require extra ‘motivation’ surrounding research, then a mentor
who is more involved will be better. On the other hand, if a student
is very self-motivated and prefers to
work independently, then a more
hands-off mentor is preferred. This
type of information can be obtained
either from colleagues/other students ideally. Otherwise, a student
may realize that they are not compatible with their mentor months after a
project has begun and time has been
wasted.
Conclusion
Overall, even if a student follows
these steps, there is no guarantee
that they will find their ‘perfect’ mentor. One may not exist! Finding a
mentor who is enthusiastic about the
same area of research that you are is
(Continued on p.5)
Research Aspirations?
(continued from p. 4)
New Staff
Member
key and if your personalities match, then chances are it will be a good fit. Over
one’s career, many mentors will come and go, but there will always be one who
stood out and helped shape your career more than the others. These are the
people who are worth their weight in gold, but are the most difficult to find.
Stay tuned for Part IV of our “Research Aspirations?” series which will appear in
the next issue of The Educator.
Checklist
5 Investigate potential mentor’s field of research; basic science,
clinical, epidemiology
5 Read recent articles published by mentor
5 Meet with mentor, discover personality and approachability
5 Ask for summary of potential research projects from mentor
5 Seek out past/ present students, other colleagues working closely
with mentor
5 Arrange second meeting with mentor, finalize project, discuss
timelines, goals
Dr. Christy-Lynn Cooke completed her PhD at the University of Alberta in 2003
under the mentorship of Dr. Sandy Davidge. She is currently a PGY3 in Obstetrics
and Gynaecology at the University of Western Ontario.
Obituary
It is with great sadness that we advise you of the
passing of Dr. Fred Bryans, Professor Emeritus in
Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of
British Columbia, on March 11, 2009.
Dr. Bryans was involved in the early years of the association in his capacity as Head of the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UBC, a position which
he held for nearly 20 years, and was kind enough to
share his recollections with APOG for the writing of
our historical book. He was also personally linked to
the Molly Towell Perinatal Research Foundation since its conception.
We wish to extend our sincere condolences to his wife Jane, and the entire
Bryans family.
APOG is delighted to announce
that Ms. Erika Schofield joined
the APOG team as our new
Administrative
Assistant
on
January 26, 2009. Erika’s previous
employment with the National
Aboriginal Health Organization
(NAHO) has proven to be an asset in her new role. Her email
address is eschofield@apog.ca.
Please join me in welcoming Erika
to the Association!
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MEETING
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