Dr. Damani White-Lewis is a postdoctoral scholar and presented at the Online with LSE Webinar series. Along with coauthors Ana Romero, Justin Gutzwa, and Sylvia Hurtado, they presented on their article “Moving the Science Forward: Faculty Perceptions of Culturally Diverse Mentor Training Benefits.” The problem White-Lewis stated was the need for STEM faculty to become more culturally aware, and shared several studies on culturally diverse mentor training (CDMT). They used the Social Exchange Theory based on the thought that “we derive benefit based on calculus of expected costs.” The research team used the NIH BUILD awardees network to conduct their study. They are also connected to the National Research Mentor Training Network. White-Lewis explained that their research team interviewed 74 faculty who participated in CDMT across the ten BUILD sites. They used generic qualitative inquiry and analyzed open coding, analytic memos and peer debriefs, and deductive coding. The first finding that White-Lewis shared was that faculty noted that students are facing various challenges. The second finding was that faculty thought they could “move the science forward through enhanced communication strategies and compacts.” Faculty had conversations with mentees that were vulnerable and addressed racial demographics. Mentors had mentoring compacts. Faculty also shared that there were challenges in communicating with students, including time and effort to engage in training.To lessen the challenges mentors face, mentorship support can include learning communities, tiered mentoring, and complementary curricula, noted White-Lewis. The implications for practice that White-Lewis summarized were:
- CDMT requires routine update as norms shifts. Refer to cultural “awareness” instead of “competency.”
- Training requires embedded supports within institutions and rewards that distribute the workload.
- Disciplinary training with interdisciplinary support.
In terms of implications for future research, White-Lewis shared that research on institutional type differences and evaluation of emergent training modules are needed.
During the questions and discussions section of the webinar, Hurtado explained that this study is part of larger national comprehensive approaches taken by NIH. Hurtado and colleagues explained the utility of a broader network to deliver and share resources. In response to a question, they noted that the faculty learning communities were interdisciplinary. Romero ended by stressing the importance of representation in mentors and institutional support. Hurtado said that it takes effort and change for inclusion.
