title: Variability in Women Faculty's Preferences Regarding Mentor Similarity: A Multi-Institution Study in Academic Medicine.
abstract: To investigate which mentor-similarity characteristics women faculty in academic medicine rate most important and to determine whether this importance differs among women faculty on the basis of current and prior mentoring, demographic and personal factors, and career factors.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional survey data from 3,100 women faculty at 13 purposively sampled U.S. medical schools were collected in 2012. The preferences of participants regarding the importance of mentor similarity in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, personal and career interests, and department and institution were studied. Analysis entailed chi-square tests and multivariable ordered logistic models.
  
  
  
  Overall, respondents ranked having a mentor in the same department and institution as most important. Same department and institution were less important for those without a current mentor and for senior faculty, and were more important for Asian faculty. Same career and personal interests were less important for older faculty and more important for those with a doctorate only. Same gender was more important for black faculty, faculty at the rank of instructor, and those without current mentoring. Overall, same race/ethnicity was rated least important; however, it was more important for racial-ethnic minorities, U.S.-born faculty, and those who had never had a mentor.
  
  
  
  Mentor preferences, as indicated by level of importance assigned to types of mentor similarity, varied among women faculty. To advance effective mentoring, characterized by good mentor-mentee fit, the authors provide recommendations on matching strategies to be used in academic medicine when considering the diverse mentor preferences of women faculty.
authors.affiliation: R. Carapinha is research and program manager, Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership, and research fellow, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. R. Ortiz-Walters is dean, School of Business and Economics, and professor of management, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, New York. C.M. McCracken is data collection coordinator, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. E.V. Hill is director of research and evaluation, Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. J.Y. Reede is dean, Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership, and associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and associate professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carapinha
authors.forename: Rowena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Walters
authors.forename: Caitlin M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: McCracken
authors.forename: Emorcia V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Joan Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Reede
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004526:Efficiency; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008611:Mentors / Q000523:psychology*; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000523:psychology*; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires