Chairperson(s): Kelly J. Chandler, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC, and Bethany R. Hannas, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC.
 

Mentoring is a critical element in the career development of all toxicologists, both in terms of making the most of potential mentors and developing effective mentoring skills. Whether through involvement in academia, or helping to develop the expertise of an early-career scientist, most toxicologists will provide mentoring at some point in their career. The mentor role serves to transfer knowledge, give advice and provide support to a trainee or developing scientist, while the mentee is relied upon by the mentor to provide active participation and input into the relationship.

According to national polls, as well as SOT-specific surveys, one of the resounding topics of interest for developing scientists is mentoring from the broad perspectives of choosing the right mentor, down to developing the skills to become a sound mentor. Therefore, this session was designed to complement existing mentor matching opportunities offered through SOT.

Speaker presentations will focus on: (1) the fundamentals of mentoring, including the different situations and roles in which the mentee-mentor dynamic may be encountered; (2) an introduction to the most commonly used mentoring techniques; (3) identifying characteristics of a strong mentor-mentee relationship; and (4) mentoring towards the future of science and the challenge to overcome more complex scientific problems.

Speaker perspectives will address the mentorship role within academia, government, and industry. Attendees of this session will learn to identify a healthy mentor-mentee relationship and understand the benefits to each member of the collaboration. Mentoring topics discussed in this session will be applicable to scientists at every career stage through highlighting the basics behind a strong, mutually-beneficial mentoring relationship.

The Symbiosis of Mentoring: Getting the Most out of the Mentor-Mentee Relationship

Approaches for Mentoring Graduate Students

Presenter: Stephen Safe