Welcome! Thank you for your interest in the HBN-CASSS Mentor-Match Program. The Hopkins Biotech Network is pairing with the CASSS Global community of biopharmaceutical, academic and regulatory professionals to offer YOU a unique mentoring experience. This program offers a 6 month, one-on-one opportunity with a professional in the biotech industry.

Goals of the program:

• Help PhD and post-doctoral trainees better understand the breadth of careers available in the biotech industry
• Help students understand how to successfully transition into a career they have identified
• Provide trainees with a meaningful network of industry professionals
• Provide an opportunity for trainees to build important professional skills
• Recruit talented PhD scientists into various alternative careers

Some Examples of Past Mentors Include:

• Scientist at Biogen
• Senior Regulatory Manager of Pfizer
• Senior Director at MedImmune
• Product Quality/CMC and Immunogenicity Reviewer at FDA
• Director of Analytical Development at Sanofi
• Sr. Scientific Director at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Details:

Application: 

Students who are interested in pursuing careers in the biotech industry are encouraged to apply. Trainees will be asked to submit an industry style resume tailored to reflect your career of interest (2 page max), a brief statement (200 word max) detailing your interest in the program and how it will help you achieve your goals, as well as the URL for their personal LinkedIn page. HBN will review LinkedIn pages as part of the application process to ensure profiles are polished and professional.

Mentor Selection Process:

• • Mentees will be selected and notified by the Hopkins Biotech Network
  • Mentees will be invited to a private LinkedIn group where they will have access to mentor information and profiles
  • Mentees will contact 3-5 potential mentors via LinkedIn and conduct short 10-15 minute informational interviews to learn more about the mentor
  • Mentees will submit their top 3 choices of mentors to HBN
  • HBN will pair mentees with a mentor

To ensure the mentorship is mutually beneficial, input from mentors will help guide the matching process. We will make our best effort to pair a mentee with their top choice. Students will have an opportunity to connect with all mentors in the program to extend their network beyond the one-on-one mentorship.

Nature of Meetings:

• • Mentees and mentors are required to meet at least once a month
  • Meetings can be in person, if geography allows, or virtual by means of video chat or phone

Regular meetings will allow you to get to know each other and explore ways in which you can work together. The frequency of the meetings has been shown to be an important factor in the overall success of the mentoring relationship. While we expect that most meetings would be only an hour in duration we would encourage you to try and meet monthly. The time frame and meeting frequency can be altered if both the mentee and the mentor agree, but we recommend this be established in the beginning and agreed upon by both parties

Program Evaluation:

Mentees will be asked to fill out a brief survey at the midway point (3 months), and conclusion (6 months) of the formal mentorship period. Mentors will be asked to fill out a brief survey at the conclusion of the mentorship period.

This information will be used to ensure that both parties are benefitting from the mentorship experience and that mentees are progressing towards their goals. Additionally, feedback helps improve the program.

LinkedIn Group:

All mentors and mentees will be invited to join a private LinkedIn group. Mentees are encouraged to utilize this platform as a way to connect with other students and industry professionals beyond the bounds of the mentorship period.

EXPECTATIONS:

Mentee:

• • Always treat your mentor with respect and maintain professionalism
  • Initiate the scheduling/execution of all meetings
  • Prepare an agenda for each meeting, and send 2-3 days in advance
  • Follow-up each meeting with the following
    • Brief, bulleted summary of the discussion
    • Any agreed upon dates/times for the next meeting
    • List of action items discussed
  • Clearly discuss with your mentor what your expectations and what you aim to achieve with the program
  • Complete all required program evaluations/questionnaires

Mentor:

• • Treat your mentee with respect
  • Offer mentee your undivided attention during meetings
  • Set a learning climate which encourages problem solving, critical thinking, and risk- taking
  • Ask lots of questions and help the mentee look at ideas from a variety of perspectives
  • Use active listening techniques, question intuitively and respectfully, give constructive and specific feedback and – where appropriate – suggest areas for improvement
  • Recommend activities they can engage in on their own time to advance their goals
  • Offer and utilize your network to help the mentee achieve their goals
  • Complete all program evaluations/questionnaires

Keys to Mentorship Success:

• • Have mutual respect
  • Maintain confidentiality and professionalism
  • Be supportive and empathetic
  • Clear and open communication
  • Have defined goals, and be willing to modify as appropriate
  • Discuss action items, and be sure to follow through

Coming soon!