Key Initiatives

Underrepresented in Medicine Initiative

STFM Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) Mentorship Program

"The URM Mentoring Program provides an outstanding opportunity to explore challenging and complex topics within academic medicine in partnership with other mentors and mentees. This program meaningfully supports networking, facilitates career development, and provides broad support to all participants. At a personal level, I value the opportunity to learn from others, share perspectives, and contribute to the flourishing of others."
- Stacy A. Ogbeide, PsyD, Mentor

The STFM URM Mentorship Program pairs early-career faculty with mentors to help guide them on a pathway to success in academic medicine. The focus is on addressing barriers unique to URM faculty, giving tips on overcoming those barriers, and helping guide faculty toward careers that are rewarding and fulfilling.

Mentees are paired with mentors who receive training on the unique challenges URM faculty face in academic medicine. The program (formerly known as Mentoring Underrepresented Faculty for Academic Excellence or MUFAE) attracts a culturally diverse group of faculty mentors who are dedicated to making things better for the upcoming generation.

Unique benefits of the program:

  • Mentees are paired with mentors with similar academic backgrounds whenever possible
  • Mentees develop a network of early career and late career faculty to call on who understand their unique needs as URM faculty
  • Mentees are encouraged but not required to work on a scholarly product with their mentors
  • Mentees and mentors work together to set some specific career goals
  • Mentors are trained in addressing oppression, racism, and alienation sometimes felt by URM faculty
  • Mosaic Mentoring: mentors make themselves available to mentees they are not assigned to if they can help them with a specific career need

URM Mentor Program Faculty

Kathryn Fraser, PhD - Program Faculty Lead 

Kristen Hood Watson, MD – Work Group Co-Lead

Mariquita “Kit” Belen, MD – Mentor Liaison

Bill Cayley, MD – Mentee Liaison

Mentoring Underrepresented Faculty for Academic Excellence

A Guide for Academic Programs Developing Mentoring for URM/BIPOC Faculty

The URM Mentorship Group has created a set of resources for academic programs or institutions who are developing mentoring programs for URM/BIPOC faculty. 

Facilitator's Guide & Overview
The facilitator's guide and recorded overview presentation provide guidelines for mentor/mentee recruitment and matching, as well as suggested best practices for training, check-ins, and mentor/mentee goal-setting. 

Mentor Trainings
The following webinar recordings contain training for mentors to understand and appropriately address issues of discrimination, racism and stereotyping that negatively impact early career faculty. They also include concrete suggestions on how faculty can find teaching resources, guidance for research projects and strategies for promotion and advancement that incorporate the unique needs of URM/BIPOC faculty. 

The STFM Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) Mentorship Workgroup

This STFM workgroup is creating programs and resources to meet the following aims of the Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) Initiative.

Goal: Create opportunities for developing meaningful relationships that lead to career advancement and leadership
Goal: Develop mentors who have the skills to help URM students, residents, and faculty improve resiliency, satisfaction, and retention

Kathryn Fraser, PhD - Work Group Leader
Behavioral Medicine Coordinator
Halifax Medical Center Family Medicine Residency, Daytona Beach, FL

Syeachia N. Dennis, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Assistant Professor
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Jessica Guh, MD
Residency Site Director
Swedish Family Medicine Residency Cherry Hill

Cynthia Kim, LCSW-R
Associate Program Director
Director of Behavioral Science
Mid-Hudson Family Medicine Residency Program
Institute for Family Health

George W. Saba, PhD
Professor of Clinical Family and Community Medicine
Permanente Medical Group Teaching Chair in Primary Care
Associate Program Director, Director of Behavioral Sciences
UCSF/SFGH Family Medicine Residency Program

Emily Walters - Staff Lead
Director of Education and Special Projects
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine

STFM URM Initiative

Questions

Questions about the program or application process? Contact Jenni Minor at jminor@stfm.org for more information.

 

Contact Us

 

11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway

Leawood, KS 66211

(800) 274-7928

stfmoffice@stfm.org