Mentor Training Workshops

ASCEND offers an annual, day-long Mentor Training Workshop, using the resources and training from the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). These ASCEND Mentor Workshops (online for 2020 & 2021) are developed and managed by Laura Dorsey-Elson, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Strategic Communication. Dr. Dorsey-Elson facilitates the workshops with Avis Jackson, Ph.D., Project Manager, Center for Predictive Analytics. Workshop dates and the registration link are posted annually in the MSU Academic Affairs Event calendar, the ASCEND Canvas site and MSU Announce.

ASCEND Mentor Training began with the first NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) grant in 2015 and has been held every year. All BUILD sites and NRMN were part of the first NIH Diversity Program Consortium to Enhance the Diversity of the NIH-funded workforce. NRMN is a nationwide consortium of biomedical professionals and institutions to enhance diversity and support professionals along their career continuum: students, post-docs, junior & senior faculty.  

Mentors can also utilize NRMN training online and train-the-trainer materials through the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). The extensive CIMER resources are designed to develop, implement and evaluate mentor and mentee training using theoretically-grounded, evidence-based, and culturally-responsive training interventions and investigations across disciplines and career stages.  

In addition to the annual workshop which is open to the entire MSU campus as well as to partner institutions, ASCEND personnel has trained mentors and near-peer mentors who work directly with undergraduate students in smaller groups, as needed. Over the years, ASCEND has facilitated mentoring training of over 400 mentors and students. At least six ASCEND team members are trained mentor workshop facilitators using CIMER resources based on the curriculums published in Entering Mentoring (Pfund, Branchaw, and Handelsman, 2014) and Entering Research (Branchaw, Butz, & Smith, 2019).