The 12 month pilot scheme has been created in response to demand for pastoral support among women in clinical neurosciences of varying seniority within NDCN.
The scheme provides a framework to guide mentees to work with a mentor, with additional training for mentors to help cultivate a supportive and understanding environment for mentees to reflect upon their experiences and career goals.
After an interactive discussion session on mentoring experiences, followed by lunch, 20 mentees came together with 20 prospective mentors (4 external to Oxford, 16 internal) in a lively Mentor-Matching 'speed-dating' exercise. By the end of the session, mentees had the opportunity to submit a list of preferred mentors, with whom a single match was later allocated.
WICN will continue with further events later in the year, alongside seeking periodic feedback from mentees and mentors to assess whether and how the scheme could potentially be rolled out more widely in the future. By improving the working environment for women in clinical neurosciences, we aim to improve the NDCN working environment for all.
Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Neurology Registrar at NDCN, Dr Sophie Binks, said:
The mentor-matching day was a really great opportunity to hear some very insightful comments from NDCN colleagues – as well as external mentors – about their mentoring experiences and career challenges. With so many great mentors to choose from it was difficult to decide on the day, especially after many excellent conversations with inspiring senior women; the only disappointment was not being able to meet with all potential mentors in person on the speed-dating! Nevertheless, the event set the scene for what I hope will be a very engaging and productive mentoring programme. I can’t wait to get started.”
The WICN pilot mentorship scheme was led by Professor Michele Hu, Dr Alexander Davies, Dr Betina Ip, Eugenie La Grange at NDCN, Jarlath Brine, staff development manager at the Department of Engineering, as well as supported by Dr Jasmina Kapetanovic, Dr Maddalena Comini and Dr Samantha De Silva.