The ASCEPT Mentoring Program, designed specifically for those with qualifications and experience or interest in the pharmacological and toxicological sciences, was launched on 17th November 2008 at the ASCEPT Career’s Symposium as part of the 2008 AHMR Congress in Brisbane.
The Mentoring Program, a complimentary benefit available to ASCEPT members, provides the opportunity for more junior members to get support, information and advice, and share professional and personal skills and experiences with more senior members.
The Program pairs junior ASCEPT members with suitable mentors based on the requirements the mentees have identified. Each year, The Mentoring Program opens for applications in November, allowing suitable mentee/mentoring pairs to be identified prior to the ASCEPT Annual Scientific meeting. It is envisaged that mentee/mentors will have an opportunity to meet at the ASM and that mentoring relationships will last for approximately 9 months.
“The value of mentoring programs is increasingly being recognised and we see huge potential and great value in offering this initiative. We believe the program will be of particular interest to students, new investigators and those looking for a change in direction,” said A/Prof Barb Kemp-Harper and Dr Betty Exintaris ASCEPT Mentoring Program Convenors. “ We have been fortunate in our careers in having both official and unofficial mentors, who have been instrumental in giving sage advice, providing informal support as well as being a sounding board. These relationships have helped us enormously in building our careers. During the course of developing a career we often recognise the need to increase our skills and knowledge, broaden our networks and talk to someone about options for professional development. A mentor, who is independent from our day-to-day lives, is ideal for offering this advice,” added A/Prof Kemp-Harper and Dr Betty Exintaris.