Mentoring

One-to-one mentoring is a great opportunity for new meeting attendees, trainees, junior faculty, and others to meet and get advice from established members of the field in an informal setting. The purpose of the program is to provide mentoring about career trajectory and research topics as well as establish new networks of colleagues. Even if you already have supportive advisors and mentors, another point of view, opportunity to network, and exposure to additional leaders in the field are just a few of the benefits. Mentoring opportunities are announced via email and posted on the meeting webpages several months prior to each meeting.

 

Career Development Activities

Trainee Lunch: During the trainee lunch, trainees and mentors will have an opportunity to informally connect over lunch to share career development advice or discuss research interests.  Following lunch, there is a “speed networking” event where trainees meet with a mentor in small groups for a short period of time (~5 min) and then rotate to a new mentor. Trainees meet 5-6 mentors in total during this activity and it is an excellent opportunity for attendees to initiate a discussion with a broad group of experts and others who have similar interests.

Career Development Panel: This panel discussion is held during the annual meeting to provide trainees with exposure to potential career paths, and an open forum to ask questions. Each year’s panel centers on a theme. 

Career Development Workshop: Preparing for the Job Market: This workshop will give trainees a chance to obtain constructive feedback from mentors on a specific topic. Mentees will have an opportunity to have mentors review their CV, cover letters or other job market materials and obtain feedback. Mentors will also be available to provide feedback on an elevator pitch and help trainees craft a succinct introduction about themselves and their career goals.

One-To-One Mentoring Program: Our one-to-one mentoring sessions at the Annual Meeting offer the opportunity for new meeting attendees, trainees, junior faculty, and others to meet and get advice from established members of the Society in an informal setting. Mentees are matched with mentors based on common research interests and often discuss career development issues, tips on navigating the conference, pathways to success in the field of medical decision-making, advice and insight about professional development, or how to become more active in the Society. 

Mentors and Mentees will be paired prior to the conference with the expectation that they will meet and network at the conference.

Dinners with Experts: Explore the restaurant scene and enjoy a relaxed discussion among a group of junior and senior members with similar interests! One or more individuals can host these dinners. Lists of restaurants will be provided and sign up will be coordinated online by SMDM. 

Job Book: Looking for new opportunities? Looking for great candidates? Submit your CV or job posting to the CV/Job book (available electronically). 


Become a Member

SMDM members contribute critically to health policy research in the areas of evidence-based medicine, cost effective health care, patient decision making and public health. SMDM helps you to be more than just a face in the crowd. The connections you make through SMDM can help you build a network of long-term contacts to help you throughout your career.

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Member Stories

James Stahl, MD, CM, MPH
James Stahl, MD, CM, MPH
"From a technical perspective, solving problems requires both an open mind and sharp skills.The rigorous and multidisciplinary approach of SMDM has helped me expand my toolset for solving important and interesting problems."
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MDM Journal

MDM Journal

MDM offers rigorous and systematic approaches to decision making that are designed to improve the health and clinical care of individuals and to assist with health policy development.

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