URSponsored

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The URSponsored initiative, co-sponsored by the Alliance of Minority Physicians (AMP) along with FOCUS on Health & Leadership, is designed to enhance the careers of PSOM junior faculty.  The goal of the URSponsored initiative is to improve career advancement and job satisfaction by providing sponsors to guide faculty career planning, personal development, and scholarly success at Penn.

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Why is Sponsorship important?

Sponsorship is different from mentorship. Sponsorship focuses on positioning individuals for opportunities through the established career networks and influence of a sponsor in order to facilitate the career trajectory of the protégé. Opportunities for the protégé may include, but are not limited to, speaking engagements, awards, and leadership roles. 

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Commitment:

• 3 years and an opportunity for recommitment  after the 3 years

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• Sponsor Expectations

  • Meet at least twice a year with the protégé, with ongoing updates through a short form to be filled out quarterly

  • Track opportunities offered to protégées

  • Participate in program evaluations

  • Bring questions/concerns to FOCUS/AMP

  • Attend if possible the URSponsored initiative reception 

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Content:

1. Trainings for sponsors and protégés to grow skills necessary for successful sponsorship and academic advancement.

2. Communicating with protégés to facilitate maintaining relationships with their sponsors through regular email or virtual contact.

3. Regular follow-up to see how the sponsor-protégé relationship is progressing. 

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Expected Outcomes: The goal of this initiative is to enhance the career trajectories of junior faculty.  We hope to promote connections among our faculty and create a culture of connectedness and investment in the PSOM pipeline.

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Questions: If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to e-mail Dr. Mira Mamtani, MD, MSEd (FOCUS) or Dr. Iris M. Reyes, MD (AMP).   

 

Sponsorship Publications:

• (https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2018/11000/Rationale_and_Models_for_Career_Advancement.16.aspx) Gottlieb AS.  and Travis EL. Rationale and Models for Career Advancement Sponsorship in Academic Medicine.  Acad Med. 2018 Nov;93(11):1620-1623

• Mentorship Is Not Enough: Exploring Sponsorship and Its Role in Career Advancement in Academic Medicine. Ayyala MS, Skarupski K, Bodurtha JN, González-Fernández M, Ishii LE, Fivush B, Levine RB.Acad Med. 2019 Jan;94(1):94-100. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002398.PMID: 30095456

• Sponsorship: a path to the academic medicine C-suite for women faculty?  Travis EL, Doty L, Helitzer DL.Acad Med. 2013 Oct;88(10):1414-7. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182a35456.PMID: 23969365

• "It's a Little Different for Men"-Sponsorship and Gender in Academic Medicine: a Qualitative Study. Levine RB, Ayyala MS, Skarupski KA, Bodurtha JN, Fernández MG, Ishii LE, Fivush B.J Gen Intern Med. 2021 Jan;36(1):1-8. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-05956-2. Epub 2020 Jun 29.PMID: 32601927 Free PMC article.

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More on Sponsorship

 

Dr. Deborah A. Driscoll, MD, Senior VP, CPUP and Dr. Florencia Greer Polite, MD, Chief, Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology discussed their relationship as sponsor and protégé, you can view the video here.