Mentorship
Postdoc Peer Mentorship Program (PPMP)
The Postdoc Peer Mentorship Program (PPMP) aims to provide postdocs at Washington University in St. Louis with an opportunity to develop mentor-mentee relationships between more experienced and newer postdocs. The program is designed to support postdocs in their first or second year by providing one-on-one support and guidance as they acclimate to the University, St. Louis, and their academic role. These relationships are intended to develop confidence and leadership through support (well-being, academic, cultural) and the development of mentorship skills. PPMP Handbook (PDF)
The 2022 cycle closed on February 1. Contact the PPMP Coordinators Ankan Bhadra (ankan@wustl.edu), Gargi Chatterjee Basu (basugargic@wustl.edu), Eileen Lynch (elynch22@wustl.edu), and Franziska Pohl (franziskapohl@wustl.edu) for additional information.
Resources and Mentoring Awards
Postdocs are in a unique position where they are usually taking on more mentoring responsibility, but also entering a more complex mentored experience. It is imperative to establish productive relationships both with mentors and mentees.
Postdocs and their primary mentor should establish expectations at the very beginning. We also highly recommend that postdocs seek out at least 1 additional mentor to help navigate your personal and professional development. A supportive environment is key to postdoctoral success.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs offers a mentorship training program using an evidence-based curriculum developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research and supported by the National Research Mentoring Network. This program helps postdocs navigate mentor-mentee relationships from both sides and provides a practical framework to develop their own mentoring philosophy. Based on the work of Dr. Beronda Montgomery, we can also offer a workshop on “Building a Mentoring Team”. Contact us for information on these programs.
Here are a few online resources that can help you establish a productive mentor-mentee relationship:
- AAMC Postdoctoral Mentee-Mentor Compact
- NPA Mentoring Plans
- HHMI Making the Right Moves, Chapter 5
- APA Introduction to Mentoring
- The Georgetown Mentor Alignment Assessment
| The WashU Postdoc Society selects an Outstanding Faculty Mentor from postdoc nominations at the annual symposium every spring. | These faculty have been honored with this award 2005-2020: |
|---|---|
| Linda Cottler Professor, Psychiatry | 2005 |
| Robert Mecham Professor, Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology | 2006 |
| Karen O’Malley Professor, Anatomy; Neurobiology | 2007 |
| Aaron DiAntonio Associate Professor, Developmental Biology | 2008 |
| Craig Coopersmith Associate Professor, Surgery | 2009 |
| EriK Herzog Associate Professor, Biology | 2010 |
| Tammie Benzinger Assistant Professor, Radiology | 2011 |
| Tiffany Knight Associate Professor, Biology | 2012 |
| Steven Petersen Professor, Neurology | 2013 |
| Robert Schreiber Professor, Pathology; Immunology | 2014 |
| Kelly Monk Assistant Professor, Developmental Biology | 2015 |
| Brian Finck Associate Professor, IM: Nutritional Science | 2016 |
| Clay Semenkovich Professor, Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology | 2017 |
| Maria Remedi Assistant Professor, Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology | 2018 |
| Robert Gereau Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor, Anesthesiology WU Pain Center | 2019 |
| Farshid Guilak Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Research for the Shriners Hospitals for Children | 2020 |
| Alexxai Kravitz Associate Professor of Psychiatry | 2022 |
| The WashU Postdoc Society selects an Outstanding Postdoc Mentor or Teacher Award from postdoc nominations at the annual symposium every spring. | The postdoc honored with the award for 2019-2020: |
|---|---|
| Max Staller Postdoctoral Research Associate, Genetics | 2019 |
| Francisco Victorino Postdoctoral Research Associate, Medicine – Rheumatology | 2020 |
| James Stroud Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Biology | 2022 |