Mentorship Programme

EAACI Junior Members Mentorship Programme (MP) aims to promote ongoing educational and professional opportunities for young scientists and enhancing the JMs capacity as a professional.

About

EAACI Junior Members Mentorship Programme (MP) aims to promote ongoing educational and professional opportunities for young scientists and enhancing the JMs capacity as a professional. The MP is expected to improve the knowledge transfer from experienced professionals to juniors, as well as increasing the JMs’ appreciation of, and orientation within, the field.

Aims
- To improve professional skills and career development through the networking of EAACI Junior Members (JMs) with experienced professionals within the EAACI community.
- To create a platform for JMs to communicate with EAACI experienced professionals, receive answers/feedback to their questions or comments, obtain assistance in achieving their goals and initiate possible scientific collaborations.
- To help establishing scientific collaborations between the mentor and the mentee.

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen and a push in the right direction.”

John C Crosby

The EAACI-JM mentorship programme

Unlike other mentoring programs (within an institute), the EAACI JM Mentoring Programme is international and primarily conducted online for 1 year.
Mentoring is a partnership between a Mentor (experienced EAACI professional) and a Mentee (EAACI JM), working in similar fields.
Mentoring is the questioning, challenging, guidance and encouragement to help a Mentee manage his/her own learning in order to develop skills and become the professional he/she wants to be. It provides the opportunity for a Mentee to become more self-aware and to take control of his/her own development and career direction.

Application procedure

Each applicant (mentee) should send the following documents by 29^th November 2024:

CV (up to 2 pages)
Letter of motivation (250 words) describing area of interest/research in which applicant wishes to be active as a Mentee
Names of three preferred Mentors from the list of willing Mentors (It is the applicants’ task to evaluate all potential Mentors and select those by whom they would like to be Mentored WITHOUT contacting them prior the beginning of the programme).

Step 1

Evaluation and scoring of the candidates by EAACI Executive Committee and JMA MP team
In the event that multiple applicants request one Mentor, the highest ranked applicant will have preference
In the event that the applicant’s preferred Mentors cannot be assigned to him/her, the applicant will need to wait until the following year
Only 12 mentees will be accepted (pre-approval by the mentor will be required)

Step 2

Mentor and Mentee are notified of their new partnership and invited to a face to face meeting during MP cocktail/informative event at the EAACI Annual Congress.
Being selected to participate as a Mentee in the Mentorship Programme does not automatically provide funding for travel grants or other grants. Each financial opportunity provided by the EAACI will be announced and evaluated separately.

Mentor/Mentee relationship

Sustaining the relationship

Communication is the key. Respecting the expectations communicated in the initial step. Circumstances change for both parties and as a result, the agreed communication schedule may change. Communicate these changes to prevent frustration from both parties.
Creating the opportunities for scientific collaborations (e.g. submitting a proposal for a hot topic review to be considered for publication in EAACI journal, submitting a research abstract to an EAACI meeting)
Creating the opportunities for an in–‐person meeting between a Mentee and a Mentor, in addition to online contact (e.g. the mentee can apply for a travel grant/scholarship for an EAACI meeting where the mentor will be present)
Creating the opportunities to apply for possible financial educational opportunities with EAACI: e.g. EAACI Short/Medium/Long Term Research Fellowships or Clinical Fellowships.

Initiating a mentoring relationship
Official EAACI JM Mentorship Programme procedures/application call.
1. Call for Mentors: Announcement of the MP via the approved EAACI mass email to all EAACI Sections/Interest Groups, Working groups and Task Force members with the invitation to participate as a Mentor, with the description of the programme, clarification of general goals, benefits and duties.
2. Creation of a list of potential Mentors, with the description of their area of expertise.
3. Call for Mentees: Announcement of the MP via the approved EAACI mass email to all JMs with the invitation to participate as a Mentee (SOPs for the selection of Mentee candidate are described below), with the description of the programme, clarification of general goals, benefits and duties.
*selected Mentees will have to be accepted by their allocated Mentor. After being officially accepted to the Programme, the Mentee will have to approach the Mentor with the plans for the Mentoring relationship.
Establishing the expectations
MP expectations should be established by Mentor/Mentee pair at the beginning of the Programme.
1. Establishing a plan of collaboration
2. Establishing a timeline to undertake specific projects considering that the MP lasts for 1 year
3. Establishing the frequency of contact between a Mentee and a Mentor
Sustaining the relationship
1. Communication is the key. Respecting the expectations communicated in the initial step. Circumstances change for both parties and as a result, the agreed communication schedule may change. Communicate these changes to prevent frustration from both parties.
2. Creating the opportunities for scientific collaborations (e.g. submitting a proposal for a hot topic review to be considered for publication in EAACI journal, submitting a research abstract to an EAACI meeting)
3. Creating the opportunities for an in–‐person meeting between a Mentee and a Mentor, in addition to online contact (e.g. the mentee can apply for a travel grant/scholarship for an EAACI meeting where the mentor will be present)
4. Creating the opportunities to apply for possible financial educational opportunities with EAACI: e.g. EAACI Short/Medium/Long Term Research Fellowships or Clinical Fellowships.

Mentorship Testimonial Videos

We are excited to share some insights and experiences from both our mentees and mentors who have participated in our Mentorship Program. Their testimonials highlight the value and impact of the program, offering a glimpse into the meaningful connections and growth opportunities it provides. Watch on to discover the these stories and feedback from our dedicated mentees and mentors.

Contact

For more information about the mentorship programme, please contact:

EAACI Headquarters
Hagenholzstrasse 111
3rd Floor
8050 Zurich
Switzerland
Telephone: +41 44 205 55 33
E-mail: info@eaaci.org