Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research Mentoring

Award Description

The purpose of the School of Medicine Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research Mentoring is to recognize and  encourage outstanding mentoring of doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, residents and/or clinical fellows actively engaged in research by UConn Health faculty members. Recipients will have demonstrated extraordinary commitment and effectiveness as a research mentor as illustrated in the following examples as well as other evidence of productive mentoring.

The effective mentor serves as advisor, teacher, advocate, sponsor, and role model. Thus we seek nominations of faculty who demonstrate superior examples/qualities of effective mentors and mentoring such as:

  1. Metrics: Success of mentees in their professional careers (e.g., scholarships/fellowships, awards, placement, career achievements, scholarly works).
  2. In practice: Is consistent, approachable, and available. Actively listens and engages. Creates a research environment supportive of success, and effectively communicates their knowledge and experiences. Actively connects trainees to appropriate internal/external faculty, intellectual/professional networks, and involves mentees on committees and other professional
  3. Personal: Shows compassion and sensitivity to academic, personal and professional goals and needs of mentees. Practices honesty with diplomacy, objectivity and fairness. Guides mentees toward intellectual and professional growth while balancing support and challenge for mentee.

The Award

The recipient receives a plaque and funding in the amount of $1,000 to be transferred to a departmental fund such as an Academic Enhancement Fund for use by the faculty awardee.

Eligibility

The award is open to UConn School of Medicine Faculty members who mentor doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, residents and/or clinical fellows actively engaged in research.

Nomination Process

Initial nomination materials should be sent electronically to Stephanie Rauch at rauch@uchc.edu:

  • A nomination letter from a current or recent mentee or group of mentees and/or faculty member or program chair. The nomination should describe the nominee’s record of exemplary mentorship, particularly related to the criteria.
  • A letter of support from a colleague or chair familiar with the nominee’s qualifications for the award, noting the candidate’s graduate and professional.

Nomination Deadline FY17: June 30, 2017

Award Date: Fall, 2017

Selection

Selection of finalists and recipients will be made by a committee consisting of the following voting members:

  • Three graduate students (Ph.D. and/or M.D./Ph.D., with a term of two years) chosen by the GSO,
  • Three postdoctoral fellows (with a term of two years) chosen by the Postdoc Association,
  • One graduate program chair, department chair or center director chosen by the Dean (with a term of two years),
  • Associate Dean of the Graduate School,
  • Director of Postdoctoral Affairs,
  • Associate Dean of Research Mentoring and Career Development, ex officio.

The selection committee will request a current CV containing information on present and previous graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, residents and/or clinical fellows for finalists. The committee may also solicit feedback via email from faculty and staff from graduate programs, groups, labs and departments with which the nominee is affiliated.