Learning to mentor AND get the mentoring you need
Registration & Deadline
Register here by Friday, July 25. We will email you by July 29 to confirm whether you have a spot in the course.
Course description
The goal of this nanocourse is to introduce early-career scientists to skills for mentoring and mentoring up (getting the mentorship you need). You will develop skills for engaging in productive, culturally responsive, research mentoring relationships – relationships that optimize the success of both mentors and mentees – and will relate competencies of effective mentorship to the AAMC essential principles for the Appropriate Treatment of Research Trainees. The content will be relevant to participants’ current mentoring roles (e.g. mentoring undergrads, research assistants/post-baccalaureate trainees, or grad students) as well as future mentoring or management roles.
Participants will practice mentoring and mentoring up skills through case scenarios and facilitated discussions to solve mentoring dilemmas and share successful mentorship strategies. Participants will also practice using concrete tools to foster productive mentor-mentee relationships. The nanocourse will use materials from the evidence-based Entering Mentoring and Mentoring Up curricula designed by the Center for Improving Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as the Appropriate Treatment of Research Trainees document developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Research, Education, and Training (GREAT).
Course objectives
Participants in this Nanocourse will be able to:
- Describe the key competencies of effective mentorship
- Describe the key competencies of “mentoring up”
- Communicate and provide constructive feedback effectively across diverse dimensions including communication style, background, and position of power
- Assess their mentee’s understanding of core concepts and processes and apply multiple strategies to enhance mentee understanding
- Describe and apply tools for aligning expectations with their own mentors or mentees
- Define what “independence” means for mentees at various stages and discuss how to foster mentees’ independence
- Define self-efficacy and apply strategies to increase mentees’ self-efficacy
- Discuss the impact that individual, systemic, and cultural biases, prejudices, and norms have on trainees and practice discussing equity and inclusion with mentees
- Identify steps to fostering wellbeing
- Describe the characteristics of the three AToRT essential principles that should be upheld by the research community (leadership, professionalism, and equity) and discuss their relevance to key competencies of effective mentorship
- Provide examples of behaviors that violate each of the AToRT essential principles, as categorized by: loss of personal civility, infringement on autonomy, professional and career development abuses, discriminatory behavior based on identity, and excessive pressure to meet unrealistic expectations.
Session dates, times, and location
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Time 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Room location Countway Room 403 [request submitted]
Milestone credit
If you want to receive Milestone credit, students must attend the entire nanocourse session and submit the final assignment.
Final assignment: Students will complete a mentor-mentee expectations document with either a mentee or a mentor. They will then write a one-page reflection about the content and process of discussing the expectations document. This reflection will be submitted as the final assignment. A template for the expectations document and guidelines for the reflection will be provided during the nanocourse.
More information about Milestone Credit can be found here.
Course Team
Dr. Deepali Ravel
Director of Education, Harvard Graduate Program in Bacteriology and Infectious Diseases Consortium, deepali_ravel@hms.harvard.edu
Dr. Taralyn Tan
Assistant Dean for Educational Innovation and Scholarship, taralyn_tan@hms.harvard.edu
Enrollment limit
This Nanocourse will be capped at 25 participants and is open to all Harvard-affiliated students, postdocs, and other early career scientists. Priority will be given to people who are currently mentoring a trainee or anticipate serving as a mentor in the next year, however others are welcome to sign up.