Perhaps you can relate to having a challenge that you are passionate about addressing and yet somehow the right approach to that challenge seems fuzzy and elusive. You may even know that you need help but aren’t quite sure where to find it. Eight years ago, as an associate program director, I was in search of answers about best how to facilitate resident scholarly activity in pediatrics. There was so much I had to learn. I was newly promoted to Associate Professor at the time and in need of mentorship myself yet also ready to contribute to a team. In the spring of 2012, at my first national meeting of educators, I thought it might be a good idea to attend a task force meeting on research and scholarship in education. When the task force leaders asked attendees to discuss issues we were facing, I spoke up about my challenge. Much to my surprise, I wasn’t the only one in the room with the same concerns. A large group of educators gathered around a table and discussed potential solutions and research ideas. Little did I know that at that moment I was embarking on one of the most meaningful experiences in my academic career to date. Although others have joined us along the way at times, I ultimately connected with a group of three other women who formed a collaborative mentorship team and began to address our shared struggles while producing meaningful scholarship related to it.

“We’re all adjusting to the chaos that is the new normal.” said my colleague, Erika Abramson, MD MS, describing her world as an associate program director and pediatric hospitalist in New York City in early April of 2020. It is pretty awe-inspiring that amidst the redeployment of faculty and trainees to assist with the surge of COVID-19 patients across her city, Erika has continued to faithfully connect with Monique, Su-Ting, and me on our long-standing conference calls that grew out of our original shared passion. Although we live in New York, Oklahoma, California, and Kentucky, we have held calls twice per month since 2012 across three time zones. Over the years, we have supplemented our virtual meetings by carving out time at national conferences to get together over lunch or dinner, sharing stories of our children and workplaces.

We recently reflected upon our collaboration in the literature.¹ Coined the ASPECT mentorship model, we realized thatour relationship combined elements of peer mentorship, peer writing groups, and a mutually beneficial networking model from the business world called a Mastermind Group.² Our model is ASPECT – Accelerate Scholarship through Personal Engagement with a Collaborative Team. Born from our common interests which continue to grow, our team benefits from individual creative contributions and alternating project leadership.

Key elements of the ASPECT model include:

1. A shared overarching research goal
2. Regular, structured meetings
3. A flexible and collaborative arrangement with clearly articulated “group accountability”
4. A focus on human connection

Our group has produced 7 poster presentations, 2 platform presentations, 5 national workshops, and 7 peer-reviewed publications. One way we have accomplished this is by setting clear assignments at the end of our calls as well as general project timelines. However, we have the flexibility and a shared understanding that sometimes life and competing priorities get in the way. If things haven’t gone as planned, we regroup and revise our timeline to accomplish our long term goals. Ultimately we have all obtained various leadership positions and achieved promotions and we believe that our collaboration has in many ways facilitated our professional success.

In addition to touching base professionally, we make it a point during our calls to touch base personally.  The focus on human connection has been and continues to be, particularly important – perhaps in 2020 more than ever. Especially as women in medicine, it is affirming to hear how professionals at other institutions have navigated career decisions and approached work-life integration.

Despite the pandemic, our team has continued to thrive. Although we already had a structure and platform to connect virtually and share documents, we have begun to use video more in order to “see” each other in this time of social distancing. We have enjoyed the opportunity to touch base about what is going on in our lives and at each institution during this unusual time. We have also used our working relationship and experience to quickly design a new project around how pediatric residency and fellowship programs are coping with the changes in education and service. Our meeting frequency has increased as we seek to respond to the new challenges around us.

Our ASPECT model is one way to capitalize on shared common interests by engaging in regular structured meetings which can create scholarship and provide meaningful support and mentorship. In 2020, faculty across the country are collectively advancing their skills in working and collaborating remotely due to the pandemic, often locally. If you are considering reaching out across the miles to explore ideas with a colleague or two with shared academic interests, maybe now is the time. Think about who might be out there who is struggling with the same questions that are plaguing you. Chances are they are people you might like to learn with - and from. Can you add setting up a virtual meeting with your own potential collaborative team to your “to do” list for the week, wherever they are? Do it! Connect! You’ll be so glad you did.

 References:

1. Abramson EL, Naifeh MN, Stevenson MD, Li ST. Scholarly Collaboration, Mentorship, and Friendship: A New Model for Success in Academic Medicine. Acad Pediatr. 2019 Nov – Dec;19(8):860-864.
2. Paetow G, Zaver F, Gottlieb M, et al. Online mastermind groups: a non-hierarchical mentorship model for professional development. Cureus. 2018;10:e3013.