October 16, 2023 — Almost a year after first launching, the University of Florida College of Medicine Faculty Mentorship Resource Center is helping to connect early-, mid- and late-career faculty across the college’s myriad branches, fostering a greater sense of community and spreading expertise in mentorship and career development among all participants.

Susan Schneider, M.D., MSPH, a clinical assistant professor in the division of geriatric medicine, said she had been looking for a mentor for five years before being matched through the center with Sara Burke, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of neuroscience. Schneider wanted guidance from another woman in medicine and science, someone who could advise not only on her career at UF but also share Gainesville’s culture and recommendations relevant to life outside of work, like where to get a haircut or grab a bite to eat with family.

“This is one way you can communicate with somebody you may never otherwise have crossed paths with,” Schneider said.

Working at such a large, comprehensive college with many different departments and divisions can sometimes hinder networking across the clinical and basic science sides, Burke said. Even though she and Schneider both work in the field of aging and have many parallels in their personal lives, they had never connected until the Faculty Mentorship Resource Center’s online platform, hosted by Chronus, paired them.

“Dr. Schneider and I have a similar value structure with how important our families are to us and our love for living in Gainesville and this community,” Burke said. “I think the platform was instrumental in seeing where my interests lie on the basic science side and where Dr. Schneider’s clinical expertise is and making that mentor-mentee match.”

The Faculty Mentorship Resource Center is part of the people pillar of the college’s strategic plan, first launched in December 2021 by Colleen Koch, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., dean of the College of Medicine. Learn more about the Faculty Mentorship Resource Center and its impact on faculty in the video below, and visit ufmedmentor.chronus.com to join the mentorship network.