Mentoring

New faculty members who aspire to have a successful academic career generally need guidance on how to select and achieve their specific goals. Academic promotion is largely based on the demonstrated ability to make relevant clinical observations, review the applicable literature and publish those observations so as to contribute to the generation of new knowledge. 

There is a wealth of information available to the hospitalist. This includes rare or particularly demonstrative clinical cases, outcome observations, quality improvement data analysis and very specific scientific questions.  Few junior faculty have learned these observation, research and publication skills.

The Division of Hospital Medicine has established a Peer Mentoring Program that is run by an Academic Mentoring Committee chaired and overseen by the Chief Academic Mentor.  Dr. Barry J. Materson, Professor of Medicine, and an experienced clinician and researcher with more than 200 assorted publications, serves as the Chief Academic Mentor.  He will meet individually with each faculty member in order to determine their particular goals and work to help them to achieve them.  This may involve recommending specific areas of study and or contact with other faculty experts in the field that they would like to develop.  Dr. Materson will help select a suitable mentor for each faculty member.

The mentoring program is entirely voluntary.  Not every faculty member wishes to continue in academic medicine.  Some plan to train in a subspecialty or be a hospitalist as a step toward other future training or duties.  Nevertheless, the techniques and disciplines learned as part of this process are entirely portable.

There is no downside and no risk to the individual.  Some will gain more than others, but the potential for benefit is open to all.  Dr. Materson can be reached at (305) 243-7221 (direct line) or paged on (305) 738-9988.