Personalization Is Key to Successful Mentorship

When beginning a mentor/mentee relationship, Linda Hasunuma, PhD, has several tips in mind for both parties to get the most rewarding experience.

“Even though there are different kinds of mentoring for research or teaching, establishing a relationship in which the mentee can feel that they can share what their goals are is important. Sometimes the goals might diverge from what the faculty member wants or has been trained to draw out from the mentee,” Hasunuma, an assistant director at the Center of Advancement of Teaching at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said. “People may have different paths and good personal reasons for those different paths. It’s just about mutual respect and cultural respect as well.”

Hasunuma and Emtinan Alqurashi, EdD, assistant director of online and digital learning, Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Temple University, led a workshop during the 5th Annual Synergistic Partnership for Enhancing Equity in Cancer Health (SPEECH) conference about mentorship, which was intended to address the lack of formal training and preparation for faculty mentors. The conference was held May 18, 2023, in partnership with Temple University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Hunter College.

During the workshop, attendees reflected on the essence of good mentoring, which was agreed to be centered around care, trust, and respect. Hasunuma mentioned that consistent and regular communication is essential to tailoring a mentoring approach that meets the unique needs and goals of each mentee, emphasizing that successful mentorship in the medical field or any other field requires personalization and understanding each individual identity and lived experiences.

In an interview with Oncology Fellows™, Hasunuma highlighted the importance of empathy and support as it relates to mentorship, as well as advice for establishing a successful fellowship program and communication strategies.

Oncology Fellows: What was the rationale behind developing a mentorship workshop?

Hasunuma: Mentoring is something that faculty do as part of their jobs, but there isn’t any formal training, preparation, or guidance about mentoring. We’re expected to do it through our teaching and advising in our role, but we don’t reflect on the experience. When [we were discussing] the workshop, it was about being intentional, thoughtful, and thinking about what it means to be an effective mentor, and to also consider our different identities.

A lot of the ideas about mentoring, like other things in academia, are based on certain hierarchical relationships. It’s thinking intentionally about how we build trust and community and more authentic relationships, and keeping in mind our intersecting identities of the faculty member and the students.

How do you tailor your mentoring approach to meet the unique needs and goals of your mentees?

One needs to have consistent regular communication and build that relationship over time. It’s not just about your professional goals, but getting to know each other as people. It’s an investment and a commitment. That’s why there should be more incentives and recognition for the faculty who do take the time to take this very seriously. You’re not just helping them professionally, you’re coaching them about life, work-life balance, and navigating difficult situations that may come up because maybe they are a first-generation student, from an underrepresented group, or a woman.

Just having regular communication is important so that through those checkins, those issues can come up naturally. It may be helpful for both the mentor and mentee to also reflect on what they want to get out of the relationship. What are their hopes and goals?

As a mentoring physician, are there certain dimensions of mentorship that should be given more attention in the medical field than in others?

There is no one right or one easy formula or approach; personalizing it is key. Understand that some people, because of their past and lived experiences, may need more resources. Understand that that’s not a deficit. Understand and be sensitive to the fact that you may have different responsibilities, such as being a caregiver; you have children or other folks that you’re taking care of. Just get a better sense of the individual’s full self and life. Help them develop the skills needed to successfully navigate and become a professional or practitioner.

Give them opportunities to practice and develop the skills needed to publish and do research. A lot of research-based faculty tend to go for the superstar students who can help them with their research. Be mindful [and consider], “Who do I tend to recommend for fellowships and internships?” Reflect on yourself. “Am I missing or excluding anyone; are there other people I could give more practice, opportunities, and support to?”

One example you mentioned is women who become mothers and have to juggle taking care of their children while managing their career. It’s a challenge, so when you can learn from each other’s experiences, that can be important for them.

Especially for women. That is so important to our retention in the field, to be able to talk about work-life balance and parenthood. I changed my dissertation chair from a man to a woman who was a mother to children because I also became a mom in graduate school, and I needed someone to tell me that I can still do it. You will have hard days when your children are sick, and it’s OK. [It’s important to] have a role model as well as someone who was able to do it in a unique way—maybe not the traditional way—but still extremely successful and did it with a family.

What strategies do you use to supply constructive feedback for your mentees?

Good mentors are coaches; you do it in a way that the feedback is constructive and productive, and will help your mentee develop or strengthen an area. For some first-generation students like me, there are things I didn’t know. I needed someone to cue me in about networking. I knew how to be a good student, but I didn’t necessarily know how to publish. I needed more opportunities and a lot more mentoring about that. How do I submit an article or even create an abstract or proposal? How do I apply for grants? [These were] things beyond book learning and classroom learning.

Sometimes I felt like I was burdening people. There is also that fear, especially for women, women of color, or first-generation students, who think, “Maybe by asking this question, it will confirm that I don’t belong here.”

You hesitate. I’ve had some first-generation students say that they don’t want people to know they’re first generation. There are these little things, the social and cultural things, and having the confidence to know, “It’s my right to be able to go and ask these questions and go to office hours and ask for opportunities.” It’s OK to do that, and that’s what’s expected, in a way.