Abstract
Background: Mentoring minority faculty in academic medicine is not a new strategy for remedying the lack of diversity in this field [1, 2]. However, beyond achieving the necessary goal of workforce diversity in medicine and science, faculty development leaders in academic medical center settings appear to lack a clear roadmap on how to authentically develop minority faculty and position them towards high impact leadership positions.
Objective: To address the need for a well-defined roadmap for individualized mentorship and career development, the authors present their work in developing and sustaining a longstanding highly individualized minority faculty career mentoring program within an academic medical center setting. Methods: In this article, the authors describe the program, its participants, and the impact on program participants and on the institution within which it is housed. Six specific coaching points are distinguished for faculty leaders to consider for program design and execution which involve the development of the ability to reveal the career “blind spots”, developing the “professional muscle”, the promotion and use of block time, learning to be “where the action is”, the use of a “positioning” over a “planning” approach to career development, and the development of a healthy and just sense of “professional selfishness.” Results: The authors share intermediary outcomes data on the impact of the program, six coaching points, and three critical success factors that contribute greatly to the longstanding sustainability of the program. Conclusion: The intersection of these coaching points and critical success factors in practice across the academic medicine landscape may offer a roadmap for faculty development leaders to remain accountable for a diverse leadership workforce.Keywords: Minority faculty, faculty development, career development, coaching, workforce diversity, academic medicine.
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