Disruptive Momentum: The Value of Implementing Best Practices in Health Research Postdoctoral Mentorship

Authors

Kelley Arredondo, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety at Michael E. DeBakey Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineFollow
Hilary N. Touchett, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, Clinical Center (a virtual center)Follow
Nipa Kamdar, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineFollow
Natalie Hundt, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, Clinical Center (a virtual center), Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of MedicineFollow
Jennifer L. Bryan, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, Clinical Center (a virtual center), Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of MedicineFollow

Abstract

COVID-19 called attention to the challenges postdoctoral fellows in health research face when they have times of prolonged disruption or changes in work conditions; this disruption revealed key insights on how mentors, fellows, and their institutions can work together to ensure training continuity. To prepare strong scientists, postdoctoral fellowships need mentoring, training, and networking opportunities to enhance fellows’ professional and skill development. In this article we outline potential solutions to minimize the impact of disruptions while promoting adaptable postdoctoral fellowship experiences by addressing how mentors and fellows alike can intervene on three key aspects of fellowships in health research: mentorship, training, and networking.

Author ORCID Identifier

Kelley Arredondo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6657-3379

Hilary Touchett https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5840-0574

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Recommended Citation

Arredondo, Kelley; Touchett, Hilary N.; Kamdar, Nipa; Hundt, Natalie; and Bryan, Jennifer L. (2022) "Disruptive Momentum: The Value of Implementing Best Practices in Health Research Postdoctoral Mentorship," Health Behavior Research: Vol. 5: No. 3. https://doi.org/10.4148/2572-1836.1150