We've talked with some of the mentors and mentees from our mentoring programme. Find their stories below.
Mentee: Michael Gilhooley - "The fact that I was keen to contact a mentor outside my home institution and ideally also geographically disparate has in the end been much better suited to a virtual mentoring relationship." Read more
Mentee: Dr Ashutosh Rai - "Having one-on-one opportunities to meet makes me feel much more open to asking specific questions that I would otherwise feel not as comfortable asking in an open meeting." Read more
Mentee: Professor Meritxell Canals - "I am still amazed at how well the pairing worked; I could not have hoped for a better mentor!" Read more
Mentee: Dr Kieron South - "I felt it was crucial to find someone who could provide a completely unbiased perspective on which career moves would be in my best interest." Read more
Mentee: Professor James O'Connor - "My mentor is genuinely interested in my career development and sees it as a part of his job to inspire the next generation of clinical academics." Read more
Mentee: Dr Vittal Katikireddi - "Having a mentor based at an external institution who is not a research collaborator has been invaluable... my mentor has provided reassurance about the direction of my career." Read more
Mentee: Dr Hester Franks - "Mentoring so far has helped me to feel confident in the decisions I am making, and my mentor has also suggested different options and avenues that I had not considered." Read more
Mentor: Professor Rosalind Smyth- "It is a privilege to advise enthusiastic and able colleagues... I really care about the need to support colleagues at an early stage in their career" Read more
Mentee: Dr Vincent Yip - "The opportunity to select a mentor through the Academy programme meant that I could discuss career choices away from supervisors in my own institute, giving me a completely different perspective." Read more
Mentee and mentor: Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald - "Over time, I think that I have improved at being able to stand back and have a broader perspective, reimagining the issues presented and being empathetic... The more you mentor, the more you feel that you get wiser; but that doesn’t mean knowing all the answers. " Read more
Mentee: Dr Ashish Patel - "The Academy staff and website made the process of applying and selecting a suitable mentor simple and straight-forward. Being a mentee has given me unbiased support and guidance to steer my career in the right direction." Read more
Mentee: Dr Chris Gale - "When I met with my mentor, I found that we were very well matched and I was pleased to have chosen her... the huge range of Fellows within the Academy of Medical Sciences meant that I was able to consider academics who I would not have otherwise thought of." Read more
Mentee: Dr Ai Lyn Tan - "I was pleased to be invited to attend one of the Academy’s mentoring skills workshops - it’s very useful for both mentees and mentors to be trained." Read more