ARISE will provide discipline-relevant and inclusive sponsorship for AGEP populations of biomedical engineers. The importance of this type of relationship to career success has been noted in corporate settings, and its value particularly in medical education has been recently recognized (see the citations below). As described by Balthazar (reference [1] below), “A coach talks to you, a mentor talks with you, and a sponsor talks about you”.
For academics, seemingly distant professional relationships with colleagues who are not direct collaborators or mentors can be pivotal for career success. These individuals are called upon to evaluate the publications, proposals, and promotion cases of young researchers. These networks can also serve as a gateway to promising professional opportunities.
[1] Balthazar, P.; Murphy, A.; Tan, N. Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Coaching for Trainee Career Advancement. Radiographics 2021, 41 (4), E100-E102. DOI: 10.1148/rg.2021210085.
[2] Van Helden, D. L.; Den Dulk, L.; Steijn, B.; Vernooij, M. W. Gender, networks and academic leadership: A systematic review. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 2021, 174114322110341. DOI: 10.1177/17411432211034172.
[3] Huston, W. M.; Cranfield, C. G.; Forbes, S. L.; Leigh, A. A sponsorship action plan for increasing diversity in STEMM. Ecology and Evolution 2019, 9 (5), 2340-2345. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4962.
[4] Ayyala, M. S.; Skarupski, K.; Bodurtha, J. N.; Gonzalez-Fernandez, M.; Ishii, L. E.; Fivush, B.; Levine, R. B. Mentorship Is Not Enough: Exploring Sponsorship and Its Role in Career Advancement in Academic Medicine. Academic Medicine 2019, 94 (1), 94-100. DOI: 10.1097/acm.0000000000002398.
[5] Chow, R. Don’t Just Mentor Women and People of Color. Sponsor Them. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Review 2021.