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The MAPS Mentorship Program pairs new Medical Affairs professionals with experienced Medical Affairs leaders, providing mentees with access to valuable support, professional development, and career guidance, while giving mentors a way to shape the future of the function. This program is available to MAPS members only. Spaces are limited so be sure to get you applications in early.
2023 Registration Application Coming Soon!
For more information about the program or how to become a Mentor, please contact Jason Acord at jacord@medicalaffairs.org.
Robin Winter-Sperry, MD
When Robin Winter-Sperry, MD took her first Medical Affairs position, her mentor, Evelyn, was one of the few female managers. Check out Robin’s description of her mentor in this video and this article.
Tim Mikhelashvili
For Tim Mikhelashvili, working with a mentor was a game-changer for his Medical Affairs career. Now Tim and other Medical Affairs thought leaders are paying it forward through the MAPS Mentorship Program.
“Mentorship is a really important part of self-development,” says Lauren Kennedy, describing why she is participating as a MAPS mentor and member of the Mentorship Program Focus Area Working Group.
VISION
To inspire Medical Affairs professionals of various backgrounds, experience, and levels of responsibility to create a next generation of leaders and to generate a stronger sense of belonging, advocacy, and community across the industry through a continuing partnership in education and self-reflection that leads to personal growth.
Mission
The mission of the MAPS Mentorship Working Group is to create an individualized venue to empower a deeper connection and exchange of expertise among members across the globe. A MAPS Mentorship experience can expand personal areas of interest, build awareness and collaboration across functions, regions and Medical Affairs organizations.
The Mentorship Program Is:
- For MAPS Members only (+$60 fee for mentees; free for mentors)
- Time-bound: 1 hour minimum, once per month, for 6 months
- Mentee-driven / Mentor-guided
- A shared responsibility and commitment
- Two-way dialogue and partnership
- Project collaboration
- Insight sharing
- Open feedback
- Empowerment
The Mentorship Program Is Not:
- Mentor-driven
- A sponsorship
- Advice-driven
- Career or outplacement service
MENTOR PAIRING PROCESS
Your application will be submitted to the MAPS Mentorship Working Group who will evaluate it based on your background and mentorship needs. Applications will be reviewed at the end of each application period. If you qualify for the program, the MAPS Mentorship Working Group will match you with a mentor. MAPS will then bring you in touch with the mentor through e-mail and it will be left up to the mentor and you to arrange how and when you will meet. At the end of the six-month mentorship period, both the mentor and the mentee will fill out an evaluation form for the program.
Become a Mentee
- A chance to enhance your network
- An opportunity to clarify your career goals
- Receive encouragement and non-supervisory feedback in a supportive environment
- Have a support mechanism to help handle career challenges
A Mentee is Expected to:
- Schedule meetings: meet with the mentor approximately one hour per month
- Discuss expectations of the mentoring partnership
- Develop and drive meeting agendas
- Take initiative and be proactive in own career development
- Keep manager informed of mentoring progress, and schedule to ensure that it does not conflict with assignments and priorities
- Participate in open and honest discussions with the mentor; be open to feedback from the mentor
- Develop an individual development plan with feedback from mentors and manager
- Evaluate progress against the developmental goals
- Applying learnings from this program in current role
Become a Mentor
- An opportunity to change a person’s life via personalized attention to a mentee’s professional growth
- Keep important skills alive in the next generation, by passing them on
- Teaching helps you learn, and brush up on skills you may forgot you need
- Collectively, mentors can strengthen the future of Medical Affairs teams
- Gain a pulse on the challenges that employees face at other companies
- Must be a MAPS Member
- Commitment: 1 hour minimum, once a month, per round
- Minimum of 2 years experience (direct or related area) to at least one of the MAPS Focus Areas. (i.e. Compliance, Digital Strategy, Evidence Generation, External Education, Field Medical, Insights, Medical Communications, Medical Information, Medical Strategy & Launch Excellence, MedTech, Patient Centricity).
A Mentor is Expected to:
- Commit to the mentoring process by meeting with the mentee at least once a month and plan to spend an average of one hour a month working with the mentee
Support the meeting process by:- Discussing and developing expectations of the mentoring partnership
- Suggesting agenda items
- Communicating before and after the meetings
- Assuming three main coaching roles:
- Teacher : Assisting mentee in setting individual developmental goals and plans to achieve them
- Guide: Discussing work-related concerns impeding performance or career growth; sharing organizational knowledge gained from personal experience
- Challenger: Providing objective and honest feedback