They surveyed first-time recipients who received National Institutes of Health K08 or K23 career development awards from 2006 to 2009, and here is what they found:
- Independent of gender, senior faculty find mentoring a positive career experience, but time commitment is a drawback.
- Women are more likely to turn to colleagues for peer mentorship than men.
- Women were less likely to be invited as visiting professors or to write editorials.
"Mentorship is such an essential and rewarding part of life for senior faculty, but it's even more important for the career development of the medical leaders of the future," explained Dr. Feldman. "We must understand differences in the experience that young researchers encounter, so that faculty leaders can work to provide support and mentorship that is equal for all."
Funding/Support: This work was supported by grant R01GM139842 from the National Institutes of Health.
Cutter CM, Griffith KA, Settles IH, Stewart AJ, Kerr EA, Feldman EL, Jagsi R. Gender Differences in Faculty Perceptions of Mentorship and Sponsorship. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Feb 5;7(2):e2355663. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.55663. PMID: 38345823; PMCID: PMC10862153.