Examining Educational and Career Transition Points Among a Diverse, Virtual Mentoring Network

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Sciences
• Career Development
• Mentorship Programs

Background:

• Under-represented minorities face distinct challenges in biomedical careers.
• Virtual mentoring platforms offer potential solutions for navigating the STEMM pipeline.
• The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and its MyNRMN platform aim to support these transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between MyNRMN mentoring network size and engagement levels with academic and career transitions.
• To understand how virtual mentoring facilitates progress within the STEMM pipeline for diverse mentees.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of MyNRMN user data from March 2020 to May 2021 (n=2993).
• Logistic regression used to estimate the odds of career or academic transitions based on network size and engagement.
• Confounding factors were adjusted for in the analysis.

Main Results:

• A total of 5.2% (n=155) of active MyNRMN users experienced a positive transition within the study period.
• Higher engagement on the MyNRMN platform (201+ points) was significantly associated with increased odds of a positive transition (aOR=2.19).
• Mentoring network size did not show a statistically significant association with positive transitions.

Conclusions:

• Active participation in virtual mentoring networks like MyNRMN is linked to positive educational and career advancements in STEMM.
• Virtual mentoring engagement may provide tangible benefits for individuals pursuing STEMM careers.
• Targeted engagement strategies within virtual mentoring platforms could enhance mentee success.