Mentorship Matters

The Faculty of Medicine is committed to providing a safe and positive learning environment for all learners (undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows), faculty and staff. High standards of professionalism are expected of all members of the Faculty of Medicine community. To ensure a safe, supportive and positive learning environment, all members of the Faculty must uphold the highest standards of ethical and professional behaviour consistent with the values of the University of Ottawa.

One of the most important mentoring relationships a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow has is with their research supervisor. Together, learners and research mentors can foster a professional relationship centered around learning, critical thinking and excellence in research.

The Faculty of Medicine has a ZERO tolerance for mistreatment of any kind.

Here you will find information about the roles and responsibilities for both research supervisors and learners, the difference between mentoring/teaching and mistreatment, and how to report unprofessional behaviour.

Let’s work together to put strong mentorship first.

Mentoring programs

Grad buddies

The Graduate Student Councils, the Faculty Wellness Program and the Faculty of Medicine Graduate Studies Office are pleased to offer the Grad Buddies Mentorship Program, a peer-to-peer mentoring program matching senior graduate students or postdoctoral fellows from all programs with new students.

The purpose of this program is to help new students navigate their program and academic milestones, providing ground-floor knowledge of what to expect, potential pitfalls and how to get around them.

Learn More about the Grad Buddies Mentoring Program.

Vertical mentoring

The Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies are pleased to offer a Vertical Mentorship Program, to undergraduate students in TMM, new and senior graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

The vertical mentoring program aims to match learners with mentors who are one step ahead in the career trajectory. As such, postdoctoral fellows will be matched with faculty members and alumni mentors working in government and industry, senior graduate students with postdoctoral fellows, new graduate students with senior graduate students, and undergraduates with graduate students with the objective of supporting success and skill building towards career of choice.

More information coming soon.

Responsibilities

A thesis supervisor plays a crucial role in the academic career of graduate students by ensuring successful progress in their program of study.

Effective supervision of Graduate students necessitates close interactions between the graduate student and their supervisor. The supervisor must fulfill three essential roles in this process:

to advise
to monitor and;
to act as a mentor

In addition, supervisors are uniquely positioned to provide feedback and guidance regarding the progress of their students.

Supervisors need to be aware of, and respect, the conditions necessary for the proper oversight of their graduate students. In particular, supervisors must:

Be cognizant of all Departmental, Faculty and University regulations, policies and procedures relevant to Graduate Student training, and ensure their implementation in a timely and efficient manner.
Be available to advise students on their program of study (including course selection and degree requirements), and the development of an appropriate research question/research project.
As appropriate, provide infrastructure, materials and equipment for data gathering and analysis.
Help students with the interpretation of raw data and findings.
Make sure that copies of raw data, lab books, etc. related to the student’s research are being maintained.
Be available for discussions with students and ensure appropriate support mechanisms are available during absences (for instance, telephone number and e-mail address).
Provide at least minimal financial support throughout the tenure of their studies as mandated by the Graduate Program.
Provide feedback related to the student’s academic and research progress. Constructive suggestions for improvement should be provided to help students develop in the context of the graduate program. The frequency of the meetings will vary but should be often enough for the student to feel supported.
With the student, decide appropriate membership for a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC), and ensure proper and timely flow of communication between the student and their TAC (i.e., scheduling of meetings, submission of progress reports). Thesis supervisors are expected to ensure that the student understands the roles of their TAC.
Give timely responses to written materials (research papers, chapters of thesis) submitted by students—normally within two weeks, unless alternative arrangements have been mutually agreed upon.
Assess the student’s self-evaluation reports. Complete and sign each progress report in a timely manner (as defined above).
Inform students when their progress is unsatisfactory and advise them on what can be done to improve it.
Assist and counsel students applying for scholarships and financial support. This includes writing quality letters of reference.
Ensure that the work environment is free from harassment, discrimination and conflict and compliant with Health and Safety protocols.
Create and promote opportunities for students to practice dissemination of results.
Ensure the development of critical thinking skills through the facilitation of active discussions of research findings and relevant literature
Provide mentorship and career building opportunities in line with the learner’s aspirations and strengths. Create space to discuss career ambitions.
Encourage timely completion of the degree and ensure proper recognition of future publications that include a student’s work.
Inform the student, Graduate Office and TAC at the earliest opportunity if exceptional conditions necessitate their withdrawal from their supervisory role. Examples of such situations include personal or professional conflicts, or illness necessitating a prolonged absence.

University of Ottawa policies

As members of the University, the Faculty of Medicine adheres to policies related to discrimination and harassment (67a) and sexual harassment (67) which can be found, along with all policies, on the University of Ottawa main Regulations, Policies, and Procedures site.

Prevention of harassment and discrimination (Policy 67a)
Sexual harassment (Policy 67b)
- Policies 67a & 67b provide the following definition of sexual harassment:
- unwanted sexual attention from a person who knows or ought reasonably to know that such attention is unwanted; or
- implied or expressed promise of reward for complying with a sexually-oriented request; or
- implied or expressed threat of reprisal or actual reprisal for refusal to comply with a sexually oriented request: or
- a sexual relationship which constitutes an abuse of power in a relationship of trust; or
- sexually oriented remarks or behaviour which may reasonably be perceived to create a negative psychological and emotional environment for work and study.
Procedure of complaints and harassment and discrimination for students (Procedure 36-1)

“The filing of a complaint of sexual harassment is the right of every member of the University community and may be exercised without fear of reprisal or threat thereof. In addition, the mere fact that a complaint has been filed against an individual does not, in and of itself, constitute grounds for disciplinary action against that individual.” Policy 67, article 32 (Sexual harassment and Rights of complainant and of respondent)

Professionalism policy

Learners, Faculty members and staff of the Faculty of Medicine must adhere to the Faculty of Medicine policy on professionalism.

The purposes of this Policy are to:

Define and promote appropriate professional values, attributes and behaviours which together set the Faculty’s standards of professionalism;
Serve as a statement for all Learners and Faculty Members of their professional and ethical obligations which extend to their relations among each other, with patients, with affiliated hospitals or instructional sites, in respect of their University and professional responsibilities for education, research, clinical care and administration; and
Set out the mechanisms available to identify, address and correct recurring professionalism concerns.

Postdoc mentoring

The learner-supervisor working relationship is one of the most important components of graduate-level and postdoctoral-level training. It is through interaction with the research supervisor that a graduate student learns to develop research questions, perform experiments with rigorous standards for excellence, to analyze findings and draw conclusions, to communicate these findings and in its simplest form, to think like a scientist. It is through interaction with a research supervisor that a postdoctoral fellow achieves research excellence and autonomy required for career advancement.

This learning is dependent on a working relationship that fosters open communication, clear expectations for performance, and timely and constructive feedback. The goal of this working relationship is to help learners achieve, through mentorship, their academic and research goals and career aspirations.

Communication is therefore key to getting the most out of the Learner-Supervisor Working Relationship. Consider the following:

Communicate expectations clearly:
- This can include turnaround times for comments on written works, assignments or other feedback
Authorship. Discuss early and throughout the manuscript writing process how contributors will be acknowledged.
Conference participation. What benchmark should be attained for conference participation?
Opportunities to teach and write. Learners benefit from participating in grant writing, manuscript writing and research seminars. Include learners in these activities as appropriate for their stage of training.
Obstacles to success. Consider open discussions about the typical obstacles that are encountered and how to deal with them. Know what supports and resources are available and how to access them.
Manage conflicts. Don’t let little things become big problems. Opt for open and respectful conversations.

The Thesis Advisory Committee is an additional source of mentorship and guidance and can help both a student and a supervisor navigate research and academic challenges. A student should always feel empowered to communicate with their committees for support.

Mistreatment, the act of treating a person badly or unfairly, occurs when behaviour shows disrespect for the dignity of others and interferes with the learning process. Examples of mistreatment include sexual harassment; discrimination or harassment based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation; humiliation, psychological or physical punishment; and the use of grading and other forms of assessment in a punitive manner. Though more subtle, the quality of training and the investment in the learner-supervisor working relationship must not vary based on the learner’s future career aspirations.

The occurrence, either intentional or unintentional, of such incidents interferes with learning as it erodes trust between a research supervisor and a learner, be it a graduate student or a postdoctoral fellow.

As such, the Faculty of Medicine are expected to function with a high level of professionalism. This means functioning with:

Honesty and Integrity
Altruism and Respect
Responsibility and Accountability
Compassion and Empathy
Dedication and Self-improvement

Is it mistreatment?

Research training and graduate studies are challenging and intense. Supervisors are expected to help learners achieve research excellence and to provide the mentorship required to achieve program learning objectives and/or career goals. In the context of the multiple challenges posed by training in a research environment, it can be difficult to distinguish between what constitutes mistreatment, and what does not.

A student’s academic goals, a postdoctoral fellow’s research goals and a supervisor’s work are all closely aligned. Research funding and publications benefit both the learner and supervisor, and as such, participation in grant and manuscript writing can be busy and exciting times. In times of high stress, demands may increase, and while a learner may feel deadline pressure, this pace and level of expectation should not be sustained.

To help learners and faculty better understand what constitutes inappropriate behaviour or mistreatment, the following examples, may be of use.

Mistreatment includes, but is not limited to:

Public belittlement or humiliation.
Requiring performance of tasks intended to belittle or humiliate.
Conduct intended to insult or stigmatize a student.
Intentional neglect.
Verbally abusive language or inappropriate anger.
Offensive remarks based on gender, race/ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Threats of physical harm or actual physical punishment (e.g, hitting, slapping, kicking).
Reducing mentoring and opportunities based on learner’s career aspirations
Being denied training opportunities based on discrimination.
Unwanted sexual advances.
Use of professional position to engage in romantic or sexual relationships.

Examples of mistreatment
NOT Mistreatment	Mistreatment
A supervisor asks a student to perform experiments related to their project for an upcoming grant deadline.	A supervisor asks a student to complete experiments for multiple projects and to train new students, but the student has no clear project direction and fails to progress. The student is used as “cheap labour”. Alternatively, a supervisor berates a student for not producing enough data or the desired data, despite effort to do so.
A supervisor tells a student that they will have to put more effort into their research because their research progress is not satisfactory. The supervisor suggests that the student should consider their time in the program as a full-time job.	A supervisor expects a student to be in the lab every day, including weekends and to be available after normal work hours to discuss research progress. Holidays are refused.
A supervisor informs a student that their academic work is late and consequently, feedback may not arrive in time to meet deadlines.	A supervisor yells at a student for late submission of work using pejoratives and derogatory epithets, alone or in front of other labs.
A postdoctoral fellow who is struggling confides in their supervisor and requests some flexibility in work hours. The supervisor provides support and adjusts expectations accordingly. The supervisor advises the postdoctoral fellow that the project, which is funded, must keep advancing, but that they will be kept appraised of progress.	A postdoctoral fellow who is struggling confides in their supervisor and requests some flexibility in work hours. The supervisor tells the postdoctoral fellow that they will take the project away and that “only the strong make it through my lab with good references”.

For further information, please consult:

Policy 110 - Policy on Treatment of Graduate Students on Non-Academic and Non-Employment Issues (Under Revision)

Policy 123 – Postdoctoral Fellows

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies – Policies governing Postdoctoral Fellows

Policy 110a - Graduate Students Holding Soft-Funded Research Bursary

Report mistreatment

Incident report

By reporting all instances of mistreatment or unprofessional behaviour, you allow the Faculty to address each unique case in a professional and respectful manner.

You may report an instance of unprofessionalism or mistreatment either as a witness, or as a person who was directly involved in the situation.

Incident reports go directly to the Vice-Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for triage.

All reports are reviewed and acted upon in a timely manner, and on a case-by-case basis.

If you have chosen not to be anonymous, you will be contacted to discuss the case further. At that time, we will talk about confidentiality with you.

Depending on the case, and whether you, as the reporter, provide consent, members of the Faculty Leadership Team and / or leadership of the hospital administration will be involved in the discussion.

We urge you to report the instance as soon as it occurs so that we can provide you with effective support and take appropriate measures.