Development and implementation of an innovative mentoring committee for early-career faculty members

Effective and timely faculty mentorship supports academic success and constitutes a key element of faculty development. Our department formalized an innovative mentoring program for newly hired assistant professors to jumpstart career development.

A 12-member formal mentoring committee composed of senior faculty including the Chair was established in the Department of Surgery. Assistant professors formally met with the committee near the end of their first year to address clinical, academic, and professional activities, with a 3- to 5-year plan for their academic career. After the 1-hour meeting, a written summary with recommendations was provided to the mentee, committee members, and the mentee's Division Chief. A postmeeting survey was sent to all mentees regarding their meeting experience.

Over 8 years, 58 faculty mentees met with the committee. The 5 items from the survey with the greatest percent who agreed or strongly agreed included: information provided was valuable; meeting time allotted was sufficient; meeting contributed to a path for academic success; postmeeting communications were helpful; and expectations were met. A subset analysis comparing MD and PhD mentees demonstrated similar responses except the PhD group rated sufficient meeting time lower.

With strong Chair and faculty support, a formal mentoring committee for early career faculty members was successfully launched. Faculty mentees agreed that the meetings met expectations, provided valuable information, and contributed to their academic success. Formalized mentoring efforts in departments of surgery can provide added value to early career faculty members and should be implemented.