"See one, do one, teach one."
Mentors are essential to medical education. Their guidance and encouragement helps new physicians learn skills that take a lifetime to master, gain confidence required to treat patients effectively and efficiently, and cope with the trials of an emotionally challenging career.
To honour the centuries-old tradition of mentorship, the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is proud to host an annual event that celebrates its exemplary mentors and their accomplishments in medical education. The 2014 Awards for Excellence in Mentoring took place June 11, 2014, and celebrated Greg Funk, Xing-Fang Li, Gwendolyn Clarke and Erin Wright. The ceremony also recognized Che Colpitts, who won the Graduate Student Teaching Award.
The mentoring awards are divided into two categories-basic science and clinical-and are presented to individuals with more than (Tier I) or less than (Tier II) 15 years of academic experience. Faculty members can be nominated by their trainees or their department chair.
Tier I Basic Science Mentoring Award
Greg Funk's graduate and postgraduate trainees describe him as enthusiastic, supportive and concerned with their professional development. Six of his former trainees hold faculty positions at various universities; the rest hold various positions in industry. Funk joined the University of Alberta in 2003 and is a professor in the departments of physiology and pediatrics.
Tier II Basic Science Mentoring Award
Xing-Fang Li has a cross-appointment in the School of Public Health and the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology. Over the course of her career at the U of A, she has trained more than 40 graduate and postgraduate students, many of whom have won prestigious awards such as the Governor General's Gold Medal and the Vanier Scholarship.
"Mentoring is a great discovery learning opportunity. I learn from my students and post-doctoral fellows, who come from diverse backgrounds," she said. "They are the foundation of my multidisciplinary research that contributes to drinking water safety and health sciences."
Tier I Clinical Mentoring Award
U of A alumna Gwendolyn Clarke, clinical professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, trains medical residents, many of whom describe her as supportive and genuinely interested in their well-being inside and outside of their careers. In addition to her academic work, she is a hematopathologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, co-medical director of transfusion medicine for the Edmonton Zone of Alberta Health Services and a medical consultant for Canadian Blood Services.
"I am a big proponent of asking for help and I try to teach trainees to seek assistance, to ask for the opinions of others and to listen to advice," she said of her mentoring style. "In a nutshell, my approach to mentoring is enthusiasm, organization and assistance."
Tier II Clinical Mentoring Award
Erin Wright was recruited to the U of A in 2007. As an associate professor of surgery and the senior director of postgraduate surgical education, he mentors medical students, residents, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. In addition to his university appointments, he is also the director of the Alberta Sinus Centre and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
"Challenging [trainees] to be independent and to find the right balance between instruction, demonstration and guidance is the role of the teacher or mentor," he said. "The final key aspect, from my perspective, is loyalty. Having the trainees know that we care about them, that we are committed to making them successful and that we 'have their backs' is a necessary part of the relationship."
Graduate Student Teaching Award
Che Colpitts, a PhD candidate in the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, was nominated by Judy Gnarpe, faculty services officer for the department, for her dedication to her students and excellence in teaching.
"My goal as a teacher is to inspire students to become curiosity-driven and independent learners," Colpitts said of her teaching style. "I see myself as a guide, helping students along the path of learning by providing tools and new skills, and by sharing knowledge and experience.
I try to embody lifelong learning and continually be open to growth, change and improvement."