Medicine

Associate Vice Chair, Research Mentorship

Position Description:

The Associate Vice Chair for Research Mentorship (AVCRM) will provide strategic leadership to enhance a culture of effective and sustainable mentorship across the UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM). Joining the newly established DoM Office of Faculty Advancement, Development, and Mentorship (FAME) and reporting to the vice chair for research training and the senior executive academic vice chair (DoM), this role will champion mentorship as a core pillar of academic excellence. The AVCRM will provide overall leadership for research mentorship in the DoM, implementing departmental priorities designed to improve research mentorship and career development practices for DoM trainees and junior faculty on a path to research independence. 

The AVCRM is a position that is critical to the success of the DoM’s strategic plan. Thus, with DoM approval, the AVCRM may identify additional faculty to support departmental research mentorship goals. The AVCRM will work collaboratively with other vice-chairs, division chiefs, and institutional stakeholders to ensure that mentees at different career stages receive structured high-quality mentorship.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Develop and oversee mentor training curriculum including the recruitment, onboarding and development of faculty trainers
  • Promote and energize effective mentorship approaches, including developing and implementing standardized DoM mentorship agreements that clarify expectations, goals and accountability between mentors and mentees
  • Coordinate mentorship activities and strengthen partnerships with existing programming (e.g. on-boarding, Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER))
  • Develop tailored support and career development resources for postdoctoral scholars in the DoM
  • Propose effective solutions to troubleshoot gaps in mentorship practices
  • Create and curate digital resources, including a centralized mentorship hub, toolkits and communication platforms, that articulate DoM priorities in mentorship space and effective mentorship practices
  • Enhance the participation of DoM early career researchers in national mentorship programs, professional societies and externally funded professional development opportunities.
  • Establish robust metrics for tracking mentorship outcomes and administer surveys to annually assess effectiveness
  • Serve as visible advocate for mentorship with the DoM and adjudicate on mentor-mentee issues as they arise. 

Qualifications:

  • Faculty member in the DoM, at the rank of Associate Professor or above
  • Track record of scholarly accomplishments and independent funding
  • Strong interpersonal, organizational and communication skills
  • Understanding of institutional research infrastructure and campus mentorship resources
  • Knowledge of NIH mentor training requirements and strategies to foster an effective mentor-mentee relationship
  • Familiarity with evidence-based mentorship framework preferred (e.g., CIMER)
  • Established track record of successful research mentorship, evidenced by achievements of prior trainees and history of developing relevant curricula