SfRBM Mentoring Excellence Award

The SfRBM Mentoring Excellence Award recognizes outstanding mentorship provided by a current member of SfRBM. The award recipient can be a junior, mid-career or senior principal investigator who can be nominated by trainee members of SfRBM. The award recipient will receive:

• $500 cash award
• Complimentary registration to SfRBM 2024 Conference in Savannah, Georgia
• Special recognition during the SfRBM 2024 Closing Banquet

Completed submissions should be received by SfRBM no later than August 15, 2024. Emailed submissions are required and can be sent to info@sfrbm.org.

NOMINATION PROCESS

Eligibility

All principal investigator members of SfRBM who have mentored at least 2 trainees into successful career transitions are eligible. Current members of the SfRBM Council are not eligible for this award. This award is given once in a lifetime. 

Criteria

Trainees should submit a nomination letter (not to exceed 2 pages, using single-space, 10 pt Arial font with 1-inch margins all around) justifying their candidate’s excellence in mentorship. Trainees can nominate their own mentor or another professional mentor who has demonstrated excellence in the following areas:

1. Mentor discusses the trainee's career goals and contributes to a career development plan
2. Mentor provides constructive feedback on research progress and writing skills
3. Mentor encourages the trainee to apply for grants and fellowships
4. Mentor stimulates trainee participation in scientific meetings and training opportunities
5. Mentor encourages the trainee to work on projects independently and creatively
6. Mentor encourages the trainee to mentor those more junior than him/herself
7. Mentor encourages the trainee to participate in professional associations
8. Mentor facilitates networking with other researchers
9. Mentor encourages the trainee to find a healthy balance between work and personal life
10. Mentor supports the trainee at times where personal hurdles pose a threat to the trainee’s career progress
11. Mentor fosters a work environment that is caring and respectful of everyone’s needs
12. Mentor has a strong record of past trainees successfully advancing in their careers

Evaluation

Up to 5 letters (only the first 5 received will be judged if more are submitted) of recommendation from current or past trainees who remain at the trainee level at the time of nomination and a complete mentor activity form are required to be considered for the award. The letters of nomination must provide concise detail on how the mentor excels in the categories outlined above. Scoring will be favored to those mentors with a high level of training students vs. postdocs due to the commitment involved. The SfRBM Trainee Council will be responsible for the evaluation of candidates. The Trainee Council will notify the Professional Development Committee once a candidate has been selected for the award.

Completed submissions should be received by SfRBM no later than August 15, 2024. Emailed submissions are required and can be sent to info@sfrbm.org.

MENTORING EXCELLENCE AWARD RECIPIENTS

2023 - Sruti Shiva, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
2022 - Patricia Oteiza, Ph.D, UC Davis
2021 - Rick Domann, Ph.D., F-SFRBM, The University of Iowa
2020 - Leslie Hicks, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2019 - Nathalie Grandvaux, Ph.D., University of Montreal
2018 - Dean Jones, Ph.D., Emory University
2017 - Des Richardson, Ph.D., University of Sydney
2016 - Rakesh Patel, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham
2015 - Alvaro Estevez, Ph.D., Oregon State University
2014 - Ines Batinic-Haberle, Ph.D., Duke University
2014 - Allan Butterfield, Ph.D., University of Kentucky