Cross-Level Mentoring (CLM)

The CLM program will foster continuity of Mentorship across all career stages by introducing good mentoring practices for the trainees and their faculty mentors, pairing NESSTP trainees across stages to engage in near-peer mentoring, and establishing a pan-Neuroscience Mentoring Committee to establish good mentoring practices and promote a diverse and inclusive Neuroscience training community at the University of Chicago.

The CLM program will:

• Introduce best-practice mentoring to both trainees and faculty by training our scholars in the methods of “mentoring up” and by requiring all participating Neuroscience faculty to undergo Mentor training.
• Institutionalize cross-level mentoring relationships by pairing undergraduate scholars with graduate students or postdoctoral scholars; graduate students with postdoctoral scholars; and early scholars at each level with advanced ones at the same level (see UNDO below).
• Establish a pan-Neuroscience Mentoring Committee that will meet regularly with Program directors to review mentoring literature and approaches; establish training norms for the Neuroscience community; coordinate mentoring partnerships and annually review progress in promoting a more diverse and inclusive Neuroscience research community at the University of Chicago.

UChicago Neuroscience Diversity Opportunity (UNDO)

UNDO is a postdoc and graduate student run program with the primary goal of fostering success in leadership, academic pursuits and professional activity in an inclusive and welcoming environment for all graduate and postdoctoral scholars. We aim to undo the biases that prevent marginalized individuals from being recognized for their accomplishments.

With support from the NIH-funded Neuroscience Early Stage Scientists Training Program (NESSTP), UNDO seeks motivated Neuroscience graduate students and postdocs interested in advancing the academic and professional progress of marginalized individuals and building solidarity through collective engagement and activities. Members will engage in monthly meetings, including research presentations, journal clubs (science and inclusion and diversity topics), professional development workshops, and social activities.  Near-peer mentoring will be an important component with postdocs serving as mentors for graduate students.  A faculty member, Dr. Robert Carrillo, will serve an advisory role and provide additional mentorship.  Dr. Johnny Berona, a postdoc in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, will serve as Director of UNDO.  Please contact Johnny Berona (johnnyberona@uchicago.edu) or Robert Carrillo (robertcarrillo@uchicago.edu) with any questions.