Mentor Training Opportunities

Mentoring is a critical aspect of academic training and research progress, yet, it is often learned and perfected only through trial and error. These evidence-based trainings provide an intellectual framework to accelerate the acquisition of mentoring insights and cultivate effective mentee-mentor relationships.

The Health Sciences Office of Faculty Affairs provides senior and junior faculty mentor trainings based off the curricula instructed at the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) and meet NIH T32 requirements for training in effective mentoring.

Senior Faculty Mentor Training (Sr. FMTP)

This is a 3-day online training on effective mentoring based on a curriculum developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). This training focuses on six mentoring competencies.

Sr. FMTP is led by FMTP Faculty Co-Directors, Mariana Cherner, PhD and Victoria Risbrough, PhD.

Senior faculty (associate or full professors) are eligible to register. You must be able to attend all 3 sessions and complete the post-assessment to be considered FMTP-trained. See upcoming training information below:

Senior Faculty Mentor Training (Sr. FMTP)

Dates: October 5, 6, and 7, 2026

Time: 12:30 - 2:00 PM

Location: Zoom (link provided upon registration)

REGISTER FOR THE TRAINING (opens in a new window)

Culturally Aware Mentoring (CAM) Training

This full-day advanced workshop, developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), will equip you with practical, evidence-based strategies to strengthen research mentoring relationships across cultural and identity differences.

Research shows that teams with varying perspectives and backgrounds tend to solve problems more effectively and produce more innovative work. Yet navigating differences in background and communication style within a mentoring relationship isn't always straightforward, and many mentors haven't had formal training in how to do it well. This workshop gives mentors practical, evidence-based tools for building strong mentoring relationships across differences, with the goal of helping all trainees succeed and do their best scientific work (Byars-Winston et al., 2018; Byars-Winston et al., 2026).

While there are many dimensions of background and identity that can shape a mentoring relationship, this workshop uses personal demographics in the US context as its primary case study — a lens that can readily be applied to other aspects of identity as well (e.g., geographical, socioeconomic). Watch a brief video (opens in a new window) summarizing a longitudinal study of the CAM workshop's impact.

This training satisfies the 3-year refresher training requirement for NIH T32, R25, K programs and F fellowship.

See upcoming training information below:

Culturally Aware Mentoring (CAM) Training (Sr. FMTP)

Date: November 18, 2026

Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Location: T. Denny Sandford Medical Education and Telemedicine Center (MET), Room 145 (Campus Map location; opens in a new window)

REGISTER FOR THE TRAINING (opens in a new window)

Junior Faculty Mentor Training (Jr. FMTP)

Facilitators will lead participants through proven curricular activities that strengthen key mentoring competencies, including maintaining effective communication, aligning expectations, and fostering independence. Participants will learn new approaches from each other as they work through mentoring challenges, reflect upon their mentoring experiences, and refine their individual mentoring style.

Jr. FMTP is led by FMTP Faculty Co-Directors, Mariana Cherner, PhD and Victoria Risbrough, PhD.

Junior faculty (assistant or associate professors) are eligible to register. This training is offered in a morning or afternoon session. Please register for only one session. You must be able to attend the training session and complete the post-assessment to be considered FMTP-trained.

Junior Faculty Mentor Training (Jr. FMTP)

Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2027)

Time: Morning (10 AM-12 PM) or afternoon (1-3 PM) (Please register for only one session)

Location: UC San Diego campus, Room TBD

REGISTER FOR THE TRAINING (AM or PM) (opens in a new window)

Interested in FMTP?

If you are interested in participating in future FMTP trainings, please complete the interest form:

FMTP INTEREST FORM