Peer mentoring to support career advancement among underrepresented minority faculty in the programs to increase diversity among individuals engaged in health-related research (PRIDE)

Although mentoring is critical for career advancement, underrepresented minority (URM) faculty often lack access to mentoring opportunities. We sought to evaluate the impact of peer mentoring on career development success of URM early career faculty in the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute-sponsored, Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research-Functional and Translational Genomics of Blood Disorders (PRIDE-FTG). The outcome of peer mentoring was evaluated using the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA), a brief open-ended qualitative survey, and a semi-structured exit interview. Surveys were completed at baseline (Time 1), 6 months, and at the end of PRIDE-FTG participation (Time 2). The following results were obtained. Between Time 1 and Time 2, mentees' self-assessment scores increased for the MCA (p < 0.01) with significant increases in effective communication (p < 0.001), aligning expectations (p < 0.05), assessing understanding (p < 0.01), and addressing diversity (p < 0.002). Mentees rated their peer mentors higher in the MCA with significant differences noted for promoting development (p < 0.027). These data suggest that PRIDE-FTG peer mentoring approaches successfully improved MCA competencies among URM junior faculty participants with faculty ranking peer mentors higher than themselves. Among URM faculty, peer mentoring initiatives should be investigated as a key strategy to support early career scholar development.