Dear Colleague, Several new features have been added to MedEdMentoring.org this past month. In our newly redesigned Researcher Road Maps section, Dilip Jeste, MD, chief of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego and director of the UCSD Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging (SIRA), talks about his career path. Dr. Jeste is internationally renowned for his leadership in geriatric psychiatry research, education, and clinical care, and we are pleased to be able to bring his scientific autobiography to you. On a lighter note, what would you call a mentor who equips you with the skills and tools to win grant wars? How about a mentor who is hard to get hold of, or one who makes it all stick together? Give up? For the answers to these and other questions, check out "Mentors and Antimentors," located in the Community section. Sincerely, Stephen J. Bartels, MD, MS; Martha L. Bruce, PhD, MPH; Maureen Halpain, MS; Barry D. Lebowitz, PhD; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD; Gwenn Smith, PhD; Joel E. Streim, MD; Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA

MedicalUpdates
Perceived needs for geriatric education by medical students, internal medicine residents and faculty.
Drickamer MA, Levy B, Irwin KS, Rohrbaugh RM.
J Gen Intern Med. 2006 Dec;21(12):1230-4.
The objective of this study was to seek input from medical students and internal medicine residents on their perception of their needs for training in geriatrics.

The role of research training during higher medical education in the promotion of academic medicine in the UK.
Myint PK, MacLullich AM, Witham MD.
Postgrad Med J. 2006 Nov;82(973):767-70.
This study examined the research activities and perceived barriers to research among higher specialist trainees in geriatric medicine. Trainees were faced with particular difficulties with regards to funding and selection of a project topic.

Swiss residents' speciality choices--impact of gender, personality traits, career motivation and life goals.
Buddeberg-Fischer B, Klaghofer R, Abel T, Buddeberg C.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2006 Oct 23;6:137.
This study aimed to investigate the influence of gender, personality traits, career motivation and life goal aspirations on the choice of medical specialty.

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MostViewedPresentations
General
Developing a Mentoring Program at Your Institution
Christopher Martin, PhD
Dr. Martin reviews the steps and planning involved in implementing a mentoring program at an academic research institution.

Geriatric
Research Mentoring in Mental Health
Joel E. Streim, MD
In this presentation, Dr. Streim reviews various special considerations specifically for research mentoring in the area of aging and mental health.


MostReadArticles  
General
Mentoring in academic medicine: a systematic review.
Sambunjak D, Straus SE, Marusic A.
JAMA. 2006 Sep 6;296(9):1103-15.
Mentoring is central to academic medicine, but it is challenged by increased clinical, administrative, research, and other educational demands on medical faculty. Evidence for the value of mentoring was evaluated in a literature search of databases.

Geriatric
Preparing junior investigators to develop gerontological research.
Holston EC, Schweitzer R, Meeker ME, Hendrix CC, Gaspar PM, Kossman S, Piamjariyakul U.
Nurs Outlook. 2006 Sep-Oct;54(5):287-93.
There is a growing concern about the number of junior investigators in nursing committed to gerontological research. This article discusses the feedback of 8 junior investigators participating in a week-long intensive program for gerontological research.


InTheNews
NIH Will Begin Accepting R01 Grant Applications Electronically on February 5, 2007
NIH Extramural Nexus, November 2006
This special issue of the Extramural Nexus covers everything R01 applicants need to know about transitioning to electronic applications.

NIH Announces More Than 50 Awards in the Pathway to Independence Program
NIH News, November 30, 2006
The NIH today named 58 recipients of the NIH Pathway to Independence Award. The Pathway to Independence Program offers a new opportunity for promising postdoctoral scientists to receive both mentored and independent research support from the same award.

Getting Yourself Mentored
ScienceCareers.org, November 24, 2006
The challenges of scientific career advancement can be especially daunting for women, foreign trainees, racial and ethnic minorities, and first-generation college students; mentorship can help bridge this gap.

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