The Department of Urology recognizes the critical importance of mentorship in the creation of its innovative Faculty Mentorship Program. Dr. Anne Suskind established the program in 2020, initially designed to support the most junior faculty joining the department. Under this model, the mentorship program focuses on launching the careers of its newest members, consisting of regularly structured meetings that focus on assimilating individuals into the culture of the department, supporting them to create their own vision for early career success, and assisting them to develop mentorship teams. Based on the success of this program, Dr. Davide Ruggero created a similar program specifically focused on the department’s research faculty.
The next phase of this program will expand mentorship offerings to all clinical and research faculty in the department with further support from Drs. James Smith and June Chan. Collectively, the group will design individualized mentorship plans for any faculty member who wishes to participate in this program. Offerings include structured mentorship to create goals/visions of success with regular check-ins, support to ensure that career success continues, help with changes in career direction, connection with content experts and/or sponsors, assistance to ensure that individuals are meeting criteria for academic advancement, and support towards success in and help with identifying novel leadership opportunities or career goals. The program also recognizes the importance personal (non-work-related) success and wellness and can provide further support and connection to other resources in these areas. Ultimately, this program recognizes that regardless of career stage and success, all individuals potentially benefit from mentorship in their evolving journey of career growth and development. Interested faculty can contact Anne Suskind about this program directly.
 “This program provided me with a strong, structured support system that helped focus my efforts on opportunities most inline with my career goals. The structured mentorship created a safe space to develop my short- and long-term career goals, discuss whether opportunities would align well with my goals, and how best to navigate various aspects of practice and academics as a junior faculty member.” Explains Dr. Samuel Washington |