Getting the Most out of Your Mentoring Relationships

Mentorship practice has been part of the human experience since the Golden Age of Greece. Engaging with a mentor as a way to learn and achieve one’s full potential is an ancient and respected practice. And, it has been the keystone on which the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) has built its program over the past three decades. Trailblazers, such as Dr. Estelle Ramey and Dr. Anne Briscoe, experienced first-hand the isolation of women in the country’s male-dominated scientific establishment and worked to build an organization that would promote women through mentoring relationships. Dr. Ramey, who earned her degree in p- siology and biophysics and taught at Georgetown Medical School, was a we- known feminist speaker and writer. Noted for her great wit, she once quipped, ‘‘I was startled to learn that ovarian hormones are toxic to brain cells. ’’ Throughout her career, Dr. Ramey decried sexist comments and situations that treated women as less than fully human. She felt very strongly about how little, if anything, it took to extend a helping hand to someone else in a way that could really make a huge difference in her life. As she wrote in her book called Letters to our Grandchildren, ‘‘If I could leave you with any advice, it would be to speak words of caring not only to those closest to you, but to all the hungry ears you encounter on your journey through a cold world.

From the reviews:

"This book … is designed to promote the progress of scientific research and education by improving academic and career building skills. … the book targets female undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, and postdoctoral fellows, it raises issues and presents possible scenarios that would be useful for both men and women. … a guide for mentess, it provides advice for mentors as well. … should be in the library of any student interested in a STEM career as well in the libraries of mentors and advisors." (Marion C. Cohen, Doody’s Review Service, September, 2009)

"This book aims to be a reflective guide to women seeking mentoring relationships … in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. … This book is more general in its approach and certainly has its place among the literature related to women in STEM disciplines. … one of many books aimed at helping women in the STEM fields be more productive and satisfied with their careers. … There are many useful points throughout the text … . Scientists … will certainly benefit from this book." (Julie A. Stenken, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, September, 2009)

“The strengths of this book are its parsimony, user-friendly structure and tone, breadth of topics, and practical orientation, it is clearly by women in science writing for women in science. … this book has much to recommend it to women in science, who even today are not yet situated similarly to their male colleagues. This guide makes a good beginning for women students of science, and its encouraging, welcoming tone and readability are congenial for undergraduate audiences as well as graduates and early-career scientists.” (Sharon Rae Jenkins, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 55 (25), June, 2010)

“In a recent book, ‘Getting the Most out of Your Mentoring Relationships: A Handbook for Women in STEM,’ by Donna J. Dean offers readers insight into howto expand these contacts into better learning experiences. … organized to be the ideal field guide for recent graduates, postdocs, and young women moving into the professional realm. … Additionally, the book can help first time mentors offer their mentees better advice by recognizing some of the traps they themselves might not notice they are walking into.” (STEM Trends, July, 2009)