Mentorship in Clinical and Translational Research

• Write formal role descriptions for mentors, and share the document(s) with mentors before mentoring relationships begin. Include expected time commitments, descriptions of required activities or training, policies for evaluation, contacts for support, and any other information that can help align expectations for mentor participation. 
• Clearly communicate expected requirements for trainee participation: required training/courses, meeting frequency, expectations for meeting attendance and preparation, work outputs, etc..
• Download and customize a mentoring agreement template (below) and use it to create a standard template for your program. 
• Require all pairs to complete the agreement template at the beginning of the program. Consider asking pairs to submit them when all pairs have completed the exercise. 
• If applicable, include these templates as an activity at a program launch event or introduce the template at the launch event and assign it for the first mentoring meeting. 
• Remind pairs to sign their agreements and save them for reference in future meetings. 
• Require pairs to return to the agreement documents at regular intervals to track progress and check in on goals and milestones. 
• If peer mentoring groups or other small groups will be established in addition to 1:1 mentoring relationships, download and customize the group mentoring agreement template and ask that small groups also complete and submit this agreement. 

Resources in this Guide 

Cultivate Mentoring Relationships describes the typical phases of a mentoring relationship and offers tools for navigating each phase. The mentoring agreement templates on this page are designed to spark conversations about important topics such as meeting frequency and location, communication preferences, meeting structure, confidentiality, conflict resolution, goal setting, authorship, and career development.

• Mentee-Mentor Agreement Template
• Group Mentoring Agreement Template
• Prepare for Career Development Conversations Worksheet (found on the Know Yourself page) 

Characteristics and Actions that Foster Effective Mentee-Mentor Relationships is a comprehensive framework that outlines qualities, attributes, and actions that strong mentors and empowered mentees demonstrate in practice. This framework can be used to establish expectations and goals for trainees and mentors in your program.

• Establish a consistent plan for program-wide communication such as monthly newsletters, bi-weekly or monthly whole cohort meetings, a central website or Dropbox with materials, an open survey link, or email for feedback, etc..
• Establish clear expectations and goals at the start of all mentoring relationships. For example, discuss personal communication styles, frequency, and preferred method of contact, expectations for meeting preparation and participation, timelines for milestones, etc. Review Aligning Expectations above for strategies.
  • Download and customize a mentoring agreement template (below) and use it to create a standard template for your program. 
• Have a plan in place for resolving conflict. Mentoring pairs should record their individual conflict management plan in their mentorship agreement document. 
• Require mentoring pairs to periodically review their initial mentoring agreements and goal-setting exercises to reassess expectations and check in on progress towards milestones.
• Require that mentoring pairs establish a system to track and document progress and achievements. 
• Routinely request and respond to feedback from all trainees and mentors. For example, you could host a quarterly check in with mentors to check in on how they’re doing and/or invite anonymous feedback from trainees via an online survey instrument. 
• Help trainees and mentors build skills in scientific communication (see Resources below). 
• Encourage mentors to practice active listening and deliver effective feedback to their mentees. Share resources with mentors to support the development of these skills (see Resources below). 
• Share resources on navigating conflict with trainees and mentors.

Resources in this Guide (for more, see Aligning Expectations above) 

• Mentee-Mentor Agreement Template
• Group Mentoring Agreement Template
• Prepare for Career Development Conversations Worksheet (found on the Know Yourself page) 
• Resources in the Maintain section of Cultivate Mentoring Relationships
   

Harvard Catalyst Writing and Communication Center 

• Scientific Communication Competencies for the Research Team

Harvard Ombuds Office 

• Practice Active Listening (PDF) Worksheet
• Delivering Effective Feedback (PDF) Worksheet
• Self-Help Handouts 

• Encourage mentors to have clear conversations with trainees and document expectations for completing independent tasks, sharing progress, and knowing when and how to ask for help (see Aligning Expectations above). 
• Encourage mentoring pairs to use career planning documents or individual development plans (IDPs) to guide career development discussions. For example, review the Prepare for Career Development Conversations Worksheet, customize it for your needs, and create a required template for your program. 
• Hold regular meetings (e.g., bi-weekly, monthly) for trainees on topics of interest that foster independence (see Resources below). 
  • Encourage mentees to give input and feedback on topics. 
• Help trainees grow their mentoring networks by assigning the Developmental Network Exercise (PDF) (more in Resources below). Using the provided facilitation guide, ask mentoring pairs to complete the exercise together, or at a regularly scheduled whole-cohort meeting, run the session as a larger group. The facilitation guide provides step-by-step instructions to complete the exercise in ~60 minutes. 
• Help trainees build skills in scientific communication. Use resources from our Writing and Communication Center to structure mentoring meetings. See Resources below for suggestions. 
• Respect trainees’ contributions (e.g., proper authorship attribution) and celebrate their successes in various ways such as sharing recent publications, awards, and presentations in meetings. 
• Acknowledge the challenges faced by historically underrepresented groups in the workforce and advocate for inclusion and equity.
• Connect trainees with resources that can help navigate personal and professional challenges (e.g., Ombuds office, postdoc associations, affinity groups, or peer mentoring groups, etc.)
• Ensure that trainees know that there are ways that they can practice self-advocacy and foster their own growth. 
• Share additional strategies that mentors can use to foster their trainees’ independence (see below).

Mentors can: 

Support Career Development and Planning

• Guide discussions on career planning, and support their trainees through career transitions.
• Provide guidance and support as trainees begin to serve as mentors for others.
• Respect the contributions of trainees and celebrate their successes. 
• Use career planning documents or individual development plans (IDPs) to guide career development discussions (see Resources below). 
• Set clear expectations and goals early in the relationship. 

Build Skills in Scientific Communication 

• Guide trainees in effectively communicating their science. Possibilities include: choosing a journal, strategies for publication, joining professional societies, presenting talks and posters, etc.. Provide feedback as they practice and hone these skills.
• Suggest that trainees attend and present at important conferences.
• Help their trainees learn skills in negotiation. 

Help Mentees Network

• Emphasize the importance of a mentoring network. 
• Coach trainees in how to have conversations with new connections.
• Connect trainees to potential new contacts. 

Teach Research Skills and Model Responsible Conduct of Research

• Help trainees to develop their identity as a researcher. Offer opportunities for trainees to observe/job shadow and to practice new skills.  
• Be a role model in responsible conduct of research.
• Have clear conversations and establish expectations regarding completing independent tasks, sharing progress, and knowing when and how to ask for help. 

Career Development and Planning 

Resources in this Guide:

• Prepare for Career Development Conversations Worksheet (found on Know Yourself) 
• Mentee-Mentor Agreement Template
• Group Mentoring Agreement Template
• Understand Mentoring Needs: outlines how mentorship is important for career and life success and how mentoring needs evolve throughout a career. A handout and video reinforce this content:
  • Handout: Evolving Mentoring Needs (PDF) 

Scientific Communication 

• Harvard Catalyst Writing and Communication Center 
  • Scientific Communication Competencies for the Research Team
  • Apply Writing and Communication Center resources in mentoring relationships 

Networking

Resources in this Guide:

• Build a Mentoring Network: This page outlines the roles of individuals typically found in a mentoring network and provides guidance on building a dynamic mentoring network. 
• Developmental Network Exercise: A hands-on exercise to visualize, explore, and analyze your mentoring network. The facilitation guide provides step-by-step instructions for completing this exercise in one 60-minute meeting with a small amount of pre-work. 
  • Facilitation Guide: Mentoring Networks Exercise (PDF) 

Resource from our Writing and Communication Center:

• Networking: A self-guided resource 

Responsible Conduct of Research 

• Responsible Conduct of Research course 
• FAS Office of Research Administration: Research Integrity Resources 
• Harvard Ombuds Office 

• Review existing competency lists (see Resources below) to understand the full spectrum of skills and knowledge that trainees’ need in clinical and translational research. 
• Be aware of the landscape of training opportunities within your environment. Join listservs and check course listings frequently to stay up to date on offerings. 
• Familiarize yourself with published assessment tools (see Resources below). 
• Assess trainees’ baseline of skills and understanding. By administering a pre-assessment to trainees you will have data to compare and show growth over time. See Resources below for examples. 
• Compile lists of courses and resources. Decide which (if any) courses will be required for all trainees. 
• Create an infrastructure that supports trainees’ individualized training pathways.
  • Share course lists with trainees and mentors (see Resources below). Ask trainees to work with their mentors to review the course lists and map out the scope and sequence of their training plan. 
  • Download and customize the Prepare for Career Development Conversations Worksheet or another individual development plan (IDP) and encourage all trainees and mentors to use it together. 
  • Consider the cost of courses and if possible, budget accordingly so that trainees will have funds to take courses. 
  • Consider the timeline of courses, and if possible encourage cohorts of trainees to take the courses simultaneously so that they can discuss and learn the content together. 
• Incorporate ongoing assessment into the program and provide frequent opportunities for feedback. 
• Establish a policy to support trainees and mentors when challenges arise. 
• Assess trainee’s skills and understanding again at the conclusion of the program. Compare the data to pre-assessments. See Resources below for examples. 

Competency Frameworks

• Core Competencies in Clinical and Translational Research: Institute of Translational Health Sciences, University of Washington 
• Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency: Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard
• Scientific Communication Competencies for the Research Team: Harvard Catalyst Writing and Communication Center 

Assessment Tools

• Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory: CRAI: Assesses understanding of clinical research concepts. While this inventory is not specific to mentorship, if applicable, it can be used as a pre- and post-assessment to demonstrate mentee’s progress within a mentoring relationship or program in c/t research.
• Assess Mentoring Relationships page in this guide (see Assessment below for a comprehensive list of tools and resources). 

Courses and Training

Harvard Catalyst Courses:

• Conduct of clinical and translational research
  • Essential Skills for Conducting Clinical & Translational Research 
  • How to Design a Clinical Study: Principles and Protocol Development

• Research approaches and methods 
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
  • Community Engaged Research 
  • Introduction to Designing & Conducting Mixed Methods Research
  • Fundamentals of Comparative Effectiveness Research: Data Sources & Methods
  • Introduction to Implementation Research: Designing & Evaluating Interventions
  • Genomic Medicine in Clinical Practice

• Statistical analysis
  • Biostatistics Essentials: Video Subscription
  • Applied Biostatistics Certificate: Methods & Applications

• Explore more: Harvard Catalyst Train page
• Catalyst Connect:  Our searchable catalogue of research resources from Harvard affiliates, which is updated regularly.

• Create a structure that allows trainees to intentionally focus on self-reflection.  Help your trainees get to know themselves: who they are, what they value, and how they work best. 
• Review your current program schedule and aim to incorporate these two structured self-reflection exercises early in the program.  Assign the two self-reflection exercises to pairs to complete during their mentoring meetings, or use whole-cohort meeting time to complete the exercises as a larger group. Facilitation guides provide step-by-step instructions to complete the exercises in 60-90 minutes. 
  • Craft Your Personal Definition of Success (see Resources for details)
  • Assess Your Strengths and Values (see Resources for details)
• Review existing core competency lists (see Resources below) to understand the full spectrum of skills and knowledge that trainees need in clinical and translational research. In particular, take note of the boundary-crossing and team science skills such as working on a diverse team, managing time and projects, resolving conflict, funding research, communicating science, and more.
• Be aware of the landscape of training opportunities within your environment. Join listservs and check course listings frequently to stay up to date on offerings. 
• Create an infrastructure that supports trainees’ individualized training pathways. To enhance professional development, ensure that the plans include coursework on boundary crossing and team science skills. 
  • Share course lists with trainees and mentors (see Resources below). Ask trainees to work with their mentors to review the course lists and map out the scope and sequence of their training plan. 
  • Download and customize the Prepare for Career Development Conversations Worksheet or another individual development plan (IDP) and encourage all trainees and mentors to use it together. 
  • Consider the cost of courses and if possible, budget accordingly so that trainees will have funds to take courses. 
  • Consider the timeline of courses, and if possible encourage cohorts of trainees to take the courses simultaneously so that they can discuss and learn the content together. 
• Create opportunities for trainees to debrief and share their learning, make deeper connections, and ask questions together. This could occur at bi-weekly/monthly group meetings, or asynchronously via discussion boards or chats. 
• Support trainees in forming and maintaining peer mentoring groups to help one another and broaden their networks.
• Help trainees to develop their identity as a researcher. Encourage mentors to offer opportunities for trainees to observe/job shadow and to practice new skills. 
• Incorporate ongoing assessment into the program and provide frequent opportunities for feedback. 

Competency Frameworks

• Core Competencies in Clinical and Translational Research: Institute of Translational Health Sciences, University of Washington. Domains 9-14 focus on boundary-crossing skills. 
• Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency: Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard. Domains 7 and 8 focus on boundary-crossing skills. 
• Scientific Communication Competencies for the Research Team: Harvard Catalyst Writing and Communication Center 

Exercises in this Guide 

• Craft Your Personal Definition of Success

Our Craft Your Personal Definition of Success exercise provides guidance on crafting one’s own definition of success. The exercise also explores  how that definition aligns with one’s personal goals and career trajectory. The facilitation guide for the exercise provides step-by-step instructions for completing it in one 60- to 90-minute meeting with a small amount of pre-work. 

• • Exercise: Craft Your Personal Definition of Success (PDF)
  • Facilitation Guide: Definition of Success (PDF) 

• Assess Your Strengths and Values

Our Assess Your Strengths and Values exercise uses assessments to uncover personal strengths, personality preferences and cognitive styles, personal values, and implicit biases. The facilitation guide provides step-by-step instructions for completing this exercise in one 60-minute meeting with a small amount of pre-work. 

• • Facilitation Guide: Assess Your Strengths and Values (PDF)

Courses and Training

Harvard Catalyst Courses and Programs: 

• Boundary-Crossing Skills for Research Careers webinar series
• Career Catalyst longitudinal mentorship program
• Leadership Strategies for the Researcher course 
• Project Management for Research Team Members webinar series 
• Clinical and Translational (C/T) Research Academy First Grant Bootcamp
• View all of our grant writing courses and programs 
• View all of our  mentoring programs and trainings
• Explore more: Harvard Catalyst Train page
• Catalyst Connect: Our searchable catalogue of research resources from Harvard affiliates, which is updated regularly.

• Mentorship supports career and life success at every career stage. 
• Mentoring networks are critical, and no one mentor can support all of a mentee’s needs.
• Knowing yourself (e.g., your goals, values, work styles, and definition of success) facilitates effective mentoring.
• Mentoring relationships have mutual responsibilities and benefits for both the mentee and mentor.

• Review our suggested resources (below) and use them to personally reflect and document your mentoring philosophy. 
  • When writing your mentoring philosophy, also consider the example statements above. 
• Incorporate your mentoring philosophy into a list of goals/objectives for your mentoring program that are shared publicly. 
• Include your mentoring philosophy on mentor job/role descriptions or other mentor recruitment documents used for their program. 
• Create and share a mentor training session that incorporates your mentoring philosophy.
• Disseminate the provided resources below (e.g., reference during an introductory session, assigned as pre-reading, cited on your program’s website, circulated via email).
• Add your mentoring philosophy to your biography or professional website.
• Encourage mentors to write and share their mentoring philosophies.

Resources in this Guide 

• Characteristics and Actions that Foster Effective Mentee-Mentor Relationships is a comprehensive framework that outlines qualities, attributes, and actions that strong mentors and empowered mentees demonstrate in practice. 
• Understand Mentoring Needs: Outlines how mentorship is important for career and life success and how mentoring needs evolve throughout a career. A handout and video reinforce this content:
  • Handout: Evolving Mentoring Needs (PDF) 
  • Video: Making the Most of Your Mentoring Relationships by Frederick Schoen, MD, PhD 
• The goals for the Mentorship in Clinical and Translational Research guide are an example of how to incorporate your mentoring philosophy into a program. 

• Distribute a pre-assessment to all trainees before the program begins.
  • Review the Case Study: Career Catalyst Mentee Self-Assessment (PDF) for an example of how to create a pre-assessment survey. 
  • Review the Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory: CRAI (PDF) for an example of how to assess a baseline of understanding of clinical research. While this inventory is not specific to mentorship, if applicable, it can be used as a pre- and post-assessment to demonstrate mentee’s progress within a mentoring relationship or program in c/t research.
• Establish clear expectations and goals at the start of all mentoring relationships. Review Aligning Expectations above for specific strategies. As any problems arise throughout the year, lean on these expectations for guidelines and accountability. 
  • Write formal role descriptions for mentors and share the document(s) with mentors before mentoring relationships begin. 
  • Clearly communicate, in writing, expected requirements for mentee participation. 
  • Download and customize a mentoring agreement template (below) and use it to create a standard template for your program. 
  • Require all pairs to complete the agreement template at the beginning of the program. Consider asking pairs to submit them so that they know that all groups completed the exercise. 

• Require that all pairs periodically review their initial mentoring agreements and goal-setting exercises together to reassess expectations and check in on progress towards milestones.
• Consistently offer methods for trainees and mentors to voice concerns and share feedback. These methods could include feedback surveys (either always open and checked frequently or distributed at key timepoints), designated time in group meetings to voice concerns and share feedback, or regular email correspondence to check in on progress. 
• As needed, intervene to address concerns voiced by mentors and/or trainees. Conflict resolution strategies should be well-documented and may include revisiting mentoring agreements on file, consulting with an ombuds, or changing mentor placement.

• At the conclusion of the program, administer formal assessments to all trainees and mentors. Read the “Create Your Own Custom Assessment” section of Assess Mentoring Relationships for advice on how to utilize existing, published survey instruments and frameworks to customize a survey for your specific context.
  • Include an assessment of the mentor in the mentees’ version of the survey. For an example, view Case Study: Career Catalyst Mentor Evaluation (PDF). 
• Review and analyze the data collected from all assessments. 
• Review the results of all mentor surveys to ensure that they are meeting expectations.
  • If a mentor is not meeting expectations, have a plan in place to intervene. This may initially include conversations and support for the mentor. If the problem persists, it may involve removal of the mentor from the program. 
• Incorporate feedback from assessments into changes for future iterations of the program. 

Resources in this Guide 

Assess Mentoring Relationships page  

• Characteristics and Actions that Foster Effective Mentee-Mentor Relationships: A comprehensive framework that outlines qualities, attributes, and actions that strong mentors and empowered mentees demonstrate in practice. The framework can be used as a foundation to build assessments. 
• “Tools for Assessing Mentoring Relationships” section: Advice on how to utilize published survey instruments and frameworks to customize a survey for your specific context.
  • Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory: CRAI (PDF): While this inventory is not specific to mentorship, if applicable, it can be used as a pre- and post-assessment to demonstrate mentee’s progress within a mentoring relationship or program in c/t research.
• Case Study: Career Catalyst Mentee Self-Assessment (PDF): An example of how to create a pre-assessment survey. 
• Case Study: Career Catalyst Mentor Evaluation (PDF): An example of how to create a mentor evaluation survey.

Expectation documents (see more in Aligning Expectations above) 

• Mentee-Mentor Agreement Template
• Group Mentoring Agreement Template
• Prepare for Career Development Conversations Worksheet (found on the Know Yourself page) 

Also Explore: Harvard Ombuds Office