Mentoring the Next Generation of HIV Researchers

I lead amfAR’s TREAT Asia program here in Bangkok, Thailand, and we have a research network funded by the NIH (International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS [IeDEA] Asia-Pacific Research Collaboration) to conduct HIV-related studies across collaborating sites in 13 countries. We also build capacity within four countries through a D43 grant from [the U.S. NIH Fogarty Institute] called Capacity development for HIV and MEntal health Research in Asia (CHIMERA) in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Being at a nonprofit foundation is very different than a university, but leadership influences mentoring relationships in both types of institutions. Does leadership value mentorship? Do they respect the time that people take to be good mentors? Do they model that in the way that they interact with their management teams or senior faculty?

Mentors have been incredibly catalytic at different decision nodes in my own life. For example, I had an advisor during residency who had been an officer in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program at the U.S. CDC. “You might want to look at it because you’re interested in global health,” he said, so I applied. Then, when I was in the EIS, the chief of pediatric infectious disease at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), who’d supported me as a resident, called to say, “We have a fellowship spot open.” I applied and ended up back in academic medicine at UCSF.

To me, a great mentor is someone who makes their mentees feel supported and respected, someone you remember for your lifetime. A mentor is someone without who—had we not had that conversation, had they not made that phone call on my behalf—I may not be here doing the work I’m doing now. I’ve had mentors with whom just one conversation lit up my brain. And then there are others who hold your hand along the path. A teacher can be a mentor, but a mentor is responsible for how knowledge that is learned is applied in the professional life of their mentee.

Everybody needs mentors but the kind of mentors needed differs depending on the stage in our careers. And your relationship shifts over time, with mentees eventually becoming colleagues. How you grow with your mentor is a reflection of the strength of that relationship.

As a mentor, there are a few things that I regularly advise. One is that writing in scientific English is tough, another is that it’s always okay to ask for help. If I’m looking at a group of mentees who are supposed to interact as part of their training, I want them to figure out how to make those relationships as effective as possible. I advise them: “You want other people to get the best out of you, and you want to get the best out of them.” It can be hard to cultivate a shared sense of group identity, so I highlight how each person has a particular skill set that brings value to our collective efforts.

There also are local standards and expectations that influence mentoring. In Asia, certain aspects of Western mentoring relationships can sometimes feel too casual, such as calling mentors by their first names. It’s important that mentors familiarize themselves with the cultural context of where their mentee is being trained and ask what type of mentoring approach they are comfortable with. I have found that being an effective mentor requires one to have relevant expertise, do the homework to address knowledge gaps, be familiar with their mentee’s context, and communicate with respect.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of the Fogarty Institute’s Global Health Matters Newsletter. Follow these links to learn more about CHIMERA and the Fogarty-IeDEA Mentorship Program (FIMP).

Annette Sohn, MD, PhD, is an amfAR vice president and director of TREAT Asia.