Networking Group News
Early Career Development Course @ ACRM Annual Conference Oct. 31, 2024
- Topic: Meeting Your Career Expectations: Aligning Multiple Definitions of Success with a Career in Rehabilitation Medicine
- Keynote speaker: Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD (Founder, Chief Director, UT at Dallas Center for BrainHealth)
Leadership Development Course @ ACRM Spring meeting May 20, 2024
- Topic: Developing the Confident Leader
- Keynote speaker: Cheryl Miller, OTR/L, DrOT (VP, Therapy Operations, Encompass Health)
- In 2024, 22 mentor-mentee matched pairs are enrolled to the program: 12 pair of research and 10 pair of leadership
- A successful story from mentee Dr. Cynthia Lee
- Dr. Lee is an Associate Professor at Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Taxes Medical Branch. She was awarded K01 from NIH and Early Career Research Excellence Award from American Occupational Therapy Foundation.
My journey of ACRM Mentoring Program began as an Early Career Officer at the Measurement Networking Group (which later gained approval and was renamed as Measurement-ISIG). During that time, I collaborated with Dr. Tolu Oyesanya from CDNG to establish a mentoring program for the Measurement Networking Group members. Naturally, I took part in this mentoring program myself and was paired with my Research Mentor, Dr. Noelle Carlozzi, at that time. We met regularly for over a year, and she shared with me invaluable, first-hand experiences and advice on grant writing and career development. This mentorship experience also led to an oral presentation at ACRM. When the Mentoring Program evolved into an ACRM-wide initiative, accessible to all members, I was very excited about this expansion of the program.
Eagerly, I participated in the Leadership mentoring program and, in the subsequent year, re-engaged with the Research mentoring program. Both experiences also equipped me with needed skills and knowledge for different aspects of my career development in leadership and research. Mentorship, I believe, is essential for faculty at all stages of career, and particularly essential for junior faculty members who are just embarking on their professional journeys and need to broaden their skills and networks. Reflecting on my own experience as an early career faculty, this is precisely the kind of support I experienced through the ACRM Mentoring Program. A unique aspect of the ACRM Mentoring Program that deserves special mention is that mentors are typically from outside the mentees’ institution. This external mentorship offers a safe space for unbiased viewpoints, enabling mentees to openly and honestly discuss institutional challenges while receiving constructive feedback from an outside perspective. Looking back, I am immensely grateful for my participation in this program and the invaluable time my mentors dedicated to guiding and supporting my career growth. My involvement in the ACRM Mentoring Program has been a transformative experience, and I am committed to ensuring its continued success for many future junior rehabilitation scientists to benefit from this program at ACRM.
