Improving Retention of Minority Trainees: Mentoring in Scientific Communications

掌握书面和口头沟通技巧是教师生存的必要条件 到处这对任何背景的科学家来说都是一个挑战， 对于那些教育准备不足或接触有限的人来说， 标准学术英语教授这些技能通常是导师的福尔斯，他们经常发现， 任务劳动密集型和令人沮丧的，可用的工具很少。非英语母语者 导师可能会有特殊的困难，但即使是英语技能出色的导师， 他们可能不知道如何有效地教授这些技能。不幸的是， 这些技能可能对受训者及其导师产生多重负面影响。基于这些理由， 我们要解决的关键问题是确定导师和学员的因素， 受训人员科学交流技能发展，包括对 特别是如果这些因素导致历史上缺乏 在科学界和学术界的少数群体代表性。参加者将来自 德克萨斯大学M. D.安德森癌症中心，增加了代表性不足的受训人员 从附近的机构招募。目的是（1）评估受训者的做法、态度， 信心和需求，从1300个研究的横截面 研究生和博士后研究员，使用在线调查并比较 类别（例如，种族、性别、教育、语言状况）;以及（2）评估导师的 在培养受训者的科学交流技能方面的做法、态度和信心 从550名现任和最近的导师的样本中，比较了等级、性别、种族和 种族和其他人口特征，包括语言状况。结果将帮助我们 在科学交流技能发展方面开发需求评估工具， 创建和调整教育活动的基础。今后，我们将设计一个 科学传播教育课程在文化和语言上适合 导师和学员融入现有活动。在创建这样的课程。我们可以 测试导师可以更有效地指导学员的假设，在书面和口头 沟通技巧，当他们详细。对受训人员的客观评价 沟通能力这种文化上适当的辅导工具和战略可以使 导师提供更个性化的辅导，并在必要时转介专家教学。 我们希望这种创新的方法将有助于所有学员的导师，但特别有效 调查人员由于沟通能力差，很容易失败。

Mastery of written and oral communication skills is essential for the survival of faculty everywhere. It can be a challenge for scientists from any background, but may be especially difficult for those who are educationally under-prepared or who have had limited exposure to standard academic English. Teaching such skills typically falls to mentors, who often find this task labor intensive and frustrating, with few tools available. Non-native English-speaking mentors may have particular difficulty, but even mentors with excellent English-language skills may not know how to teach these skills effectively. Unfortunately, struggling unsuccessfully with these skills can have multiple negative impacts on trainees and their mentors. For these reasons, the critical gap we address is identification of mentor and trainee factors that influence trainee scientific communication skills development, including response to being identified for training, particularly if such factors contribute to the historical lack of minority representation In science and academia. Participants will be drawn from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center with additional underrepresented trainees recruited from nearby institutions. The aims are to (1) Assess trainees' practices, attitudes, confidence, and needs in scientific communication from a cross-section of 1300 research graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, using an online survey and comparing across trainee categories (e.g., race-ethnicity, gender, education, language status); and (2) Assess mentors' practices, attitudes, and confidence In developing trainees' scientific communication skills from a sample of 550 current and recent mentors compared across rank, gender, race and ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics, including language status. Results will help us develop needs assessment tools in scientific communication skill development, and lay the foundation for creating and adapting educational activities. In future, we will design an educational curriculum in scientific communication culturally and linguistically appropriate for mentors and trainees to integrate into existing activities. In creating such a curriculum. we can test the hypothesis that mentors can coach trainees more effectively in written and oral communication skills when they have detailed. objective evaluations of their trainees' communication skills. Such culturally appropriate tools and strategies for mentoring can enable mentors to provide more individualized coaching and referral to expert teaching, if necessary. We expect that this innovative method will help mentors of all trainees, but be especially effective in launching careers of investigators at high risk for failure due to weak communication skills.