In the United States, over the past decade there has been increasing recognition of the importance of clinical research as evidenced by the birth of a new federal agency¹ and commitment of funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)² and private foundations.³ I have been fortunate to mentor a number of fellows and junior faculty over the past decade, and would like to share my experiences with others.

The importance of mentoring has been acknowledged for decades. Many successful senior investigators identify early positive role models and mentors as critical to their success.^4–8 More recently, in a survey of over 1100 junior faculty from 24 nationally representative US medical schools, faculty with mentors reported more professional support from their institutions for teaching, research, and administrative activities.⁹ Faculty who were mentored also had a higher perception of their research skills and an increased likelihood of being awarded research grants.