OHBM mentor-mentee experiences from our Lunch with Mentors

Post by: Elisa Guma

Edited by: Carolina Makowski

The OHBM Student and Postdoc Special Interest Group (SP-SIG) has been successfully running an international mentoring programme online since 2017. This programme fosters mentorship relationships at all training levels, from undergraduate students to principal investigators, matching people across the globe based on experience and interests. Mentees and mentors are encouraged to meet in person at the annual meeting. 

To further complement this initiative, the SP-SIG hosted a symposium on “Re-envisioning the future of academic training”, as well as a roundtable on “Becoming ta leading investigator in human neuroscience research”. As a way to foster more interaction between trainees and investigators in a more informal setting, the SP-SIG also hosted the popular “Lunch with Mentors” event (started in 2018). Here, trainees sit at roundtables with mentors from both academia and industry, and, while enjoying a catered lunch, can converse with each other about their experiences. 

This year in Glasgow the event was very popular. Here are some reflections from mentees who attended: 

“It was a great opportunity to meet with others at a similar career stage to me, and to get answers to questions about future career prospects! There was a lively discussion on our table, and it was a really welcoming and friendly environment to be in - I'm really glad I came along! :)” - Anonymous trainee

“The event was extremely pleasant and the environment both at the table and in the room inclusive and welcoming.” - Anonymous trainee

“The lunch with mentors was an interesting experience which allowed us to be a bit more conversational and informal with established PIs. I thought the matching of trainee research interests to the area of research of the PI worked really well, and I felt like it was a friendly environment where my lunch mentor (Lucina Uddin) gave great, honest advice and welcomed all our questions. I especially liked that she was honest about what she did on her career path vs. what she would recommend, but how ultimately if you want to stay in academia, you have to find a way to forge your path even if it doesn't look the same as everyone else's. I also enjoyed our discussions of taking initiative during grad school and postdoc years. I think it would have been nice to have more mentors / larger tables as it did get crowded and a bit loud in the space; and perhaps reminders for participants to mask up after finishing eating. Overall I enjoyed the experience and formed a new connection!” - Marissa Laws

“I really enjoyed the lunch with mentors event at OHBM. I found that it was a really great mix of fields and skills where I learned a lot about different paths and passions my current and future colleagues had. It was also so refreshing to hear about the trials that current PIs have experienced. It was a nice way to be reminded that they were in our shoes once and can provide years of life and science experience to help guide us.” - Anonymous trainee

“My mentor was very friendly and approachable. She told us a wide variety of stories from her long journey for a faculty position to some of her students' successful industry transitions. The discussions covered almost all of our common concerns. I especially appreciated the diversity of career stage representation at our table: from early PhD students to a new professor. For several topics, we were able to hear perspectives of other more experienced mentees as well.” - Anonymous trainee

Our mentors also had a very positive experience with this event. We hope this encourages more mentors to participate in the future! 

“I very much enjoyed the discussion with 11 mentees at my table. We talked about how to search for postdocs and faculty jobs, how to negotiate, work-life balance, diversity, and gender bias. One hour is too short. :) I can still recall the twinkle in their eyes!” - Juan Helen Zhou

“I’ve been attending lunch with mentors (or virtual link with mentors) every year since 2019 and it really is one of my favorite OHBM events. I think it’s helpful for mentors to stay in touch with trainees at various career stages across the globe so that they can be directly informed about contemporary issues and consequently become better prepared to provide relevant feedback. I especially enjoy the opportunity to learn about how academic norms and trends vary in different countries and disciplines. Thanks SP-SIG for continuing to support this event!” - Lucina Uddin

We hope that in future years we will be able to accommodate more mentors such that fewer mentees can be paired per mentor, to facilitate more personal connections. We hope that mentors and mentees continue these conversations beyond the designated lunch hour and beyond the conference by keeping in touch with each other. For a full list of mentors that participated, click here, and to get more information on the online mentorship program, click here. Finally, on behalf of the SP-SIG, we would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone that participated, especially our mentors! We look forward to more lively discussion next year. 

Full house event at our in-person Lunch with Mentors in 2022, Glasgow.