Annual Fair Introduces First-Year Students to Potential Mentors and Resources

Intended to further introduce the campus to the newest medical students, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix hosted the Research Mentor Fair for the second year in a row.

The event, required for first-year students, served as an excellent chance for attendees to explore medical specialties, as well as connect with mentors in clinical research, bench science and bioinformatics.

By touring classrooms, they were able to engage with researchers associated with the college’s translational and clinical departments who were ready to answer questions about critical research opportunities that the campus has to offer.

But before they embarked on an activity of discovery and networking, a panelist of experts discussed their experiences with finding mentorship during their time as medical students.

Julie E. Bauman, MD, MPH, inaugural chair and professor with tenure with the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix’s Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, spoke candidly about her approach to her research career as a combination of her core values, saying “yes” to many opportunities and making personal discoveries.

Dr. Bauman also reviewed the perspectives of mentorship from being a mentee and a mentor. She encouraged mentees to set the cadence of meetings and come with questions and new ideas that a mentor could use to help shape a project.

“I love to be bowled over by enthusiasm,” Dr. Bauman said. “Not necessarily expertise, but somebody who takes ownership of a question and comes to me for ideas about how to frame out solving that problem and self-directed in their learning.”

Among the panelists was Allen Yu, MD, a graduate from the College of Medicine – Phoenix’s Class of 2023. He spoke about his experiences as a previous medical student, his journey with research throughout his cardiology rotation and what he believes is important for medical students to know regarding finding a mentor.

“When it comes to research, you’ll be surprised how research begets more research,” Dr. Yu said. “You’ll never know where one case report or one research project takes you, but the main things to remember as a medical student are consistency, commitment and communication.”

Alexandria Ellershaw is a first-year medical student at the college who is interested in orthopedic surgery but is keeping her options open. For her, a mentorship relationship should have a shared understanding of being able to learn from each other in partnership throughout the experience.

“It’s really encouraging to see that there’s so many mentors here because it shows how many opportunities are available,” Ellershaw said. “I look forward to talking with some of the mentors and getting face-to-face exposure with them.”

Austin Taylor, another first-year medical student at the college, attended the event with the intention to meet research faculty and explore different specialties. Taylor’s ideal mentor would be supportive of a work-life integration.

“I really appreciate a mentor who offers good guidance and not only opportunities for professional development, but also for personal development,” Taylor said. “I’m excited to meet the research faculty that our school has and explore different specialties.”

First-year medical student Ethan Broer used the event as way to explore the specialties he’s interested in — including anesthesiology and orthopedics. Broer hoped it would help him feel more comfortable and confident in his own research and discover a mentor who will have the best interests in mind for a project.

“I think that, through talking with all the mentors here at this fair, I found that most of the mentors are caring and understanding of our time commitments here in medical school and absolutely want us to succeed in the best way,” Broer said.

Over 160 medical students associated with the college attended the fair. More than 65 faculty and staff supported the event, with 42 faculty acting as mentor representatives, discussing research in their departments.