Networks & Communities of Practice
Overview
The Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) strives to be a convener, collaborator and connector — we support individuals and organizations as they advance their efforts to engage in conversations with others across the country about improving mentorship relationships and the organizational support for those relationships.
Know other online spaces, professional societies, conferences or efforts?
We would love to know! Please email us at cimer@wcer.wisc.edu with the subject line, “Networks & Communities of Practice.”
Mentorship Educators & Advocates – Sharing Models, Opportunities and Challenges
CIMER strives to empower individuals to connect with others about challenges and opportunities that they encounter in their mentoring relationships and leadership efforts to build cultures of mentorship in the research workforce.
Trained Facilitator Directory
CIMER maintains several national directories that house the contact information for individuals who participated in a train-the-trainer facilitator training workshop. The directories are searchable by name, institution, state, and country.
Facilitator Recognition Program
The growth of the research workforce would not be possible without the ongoing efforts of facilitators who implement research mentor, research mentee and culturally aware mentor training. CIMER is devoted to recognizing the achievements and dedication of these facilitators at various stages.
Facilitator recognition allows you to demonstrate your individual commitment to the local dissemination of research mentor and/or research mentee training to support an inclusive scientific workforce.
CIMER acknowledges those who are committed to facilitating research mentor and/or research mentee and/or culturally aware mentoring training in their local contexts through recognition as a Trained Facilitator (level 1) and Certified Facilitator (level 2).
For more information:
- Facilitator recognition for Entering Mentoring (research mentor training)
- Facilitator recognition for Entering Research (research mentee training)
- Facilitator recognition for Culturally Aware Mentoring
Communities of Practice
In the coming years, CIMER and its collaborators will host several communities of practice that provide members with access to information and to people committed to advancing the science and practice of mentorship.
A community including clinical and translational scientists, mentorship experts, practitioners, scholars and institutional leaders from across career stages who are interested in advancing the science and practice of mentorship in the clinical and translational research sciences and beyond.
A community of national laboratory staff interested in supporting the dissemination of evidence-based mentorship education in national laboratories, as well as policies that incentivize high-quality and inclusive mentorship. This community was started with the support of the NSF-supported Inclusive Graduate Education Network, of which CIMER was a co-investigator.
Please email us at cimer@wcer.wisc.edu with the subject line, “Networks & Communities of Practice”.
CIMER Newsletter
Our team curates a newsletter to support the advancement of mentoring research and practice. The audience is faculty, staff and administrators who are facilitators of our research mentor and mentee training curricula and leaders who are engaged in culture change efforts at their institutions. We share news, research, and learning opportunities to support the development of robust cultures of research mentorship across the country.
For questions or comments related to the CIMER newsletter, contact Taylor Ajamian.
Finding Mentors and Mentees
There are a number of organizations and online platforms established specifically to connect interested mentors and mentees. The list below is not an exhaustive one. Please email us with the subject line, “Networks & Communities of Practice.”
MentorNet
MentorNet is a mentoring platform that combines social network technology with the social science of mentoring. The platform strategically matches STEM students and professionals in compatible mentoring relationships, delivers evidence-based programs that address the issues impacting retention and success in STEM fields, and conducts controlled studies and evaluations to identify and verify factors that impact student success.
National Research Mentoring Network *(NRMN)
NRMN connects mentor and mentee scientists at all career stages of research from across the country. *This resource is no longer available.
American Public Health Association (APHA) Disability Section Mentoring Program
This program aims to strengthen the public health workforce and improve representation of people with disabilities and allies in leadership.
American Psychological Association (APA) Disability Mentoring Program
This program supports graduate psychology students, psychologists entering the field and practicing psychologists with disabilities.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Entry Point
This program engages STEM employers across industries to place individuals with disabilities into 10-week-long internships.