National Mentoring Month Video Campaign - Transcripts

Dr. Carlos Penilla

Hello, my name is Carlos Penilla and I'm an assistant professor of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Elizabeth Ozer for her wonderful mentoring. Reflecting on the strengths of our five-year mentoring relationship, I would like to highlight three things that are important to consider when you are choosing a mentor. One, commitment to mentoring. Like Dr. Ozer, it is important that your mentor has a genuine interest in you, your research, your career development. It could be making time to provide training. Two, career interest. It is important that your mentor is in your desired career as it will enhance their ability to guide you. Three, grant writing skill. Dr. Ozer’s help with grant writing, combined with her institutional knowledge about how to get grants submitted and funded has been invaluable. Thank you.

Dr. Steven De La Torre

My name is Steven De La Torre and I'm an NCI CURE Diversity Postdoctoral Scholar at UC San Diego. My work aims to design and create digital tools that can support community health and strive for health equity. I have an amazing relationship with my mentor, Dr. Eric Hekler. And I think one of the things that makes our relationship work is the space that we have created together to be open and honest with our communication and sharing ideas without reservation or feelings of judgment. Through the space we have created, I feel empowered to pursue my research interest and continue down the pathway of achieving my career goals. Dr. Hekler also recognizes my unique needs coming from a background with no real ties to academia. He helps me navigate the academic space, which can often feel intimidating or confusing at times. I want to thank Dr. Hekler and everyone at the NCI CURE program for their amazing support and guidance in my early career stage.