5 Smart Ways to Find a Mentor Who Moves Your Healthcare Career Forward

No matter where you are in your career journey, mentors can be trusted and essential partners. Whether you're a college student, a biotech entrepreneur preparing for launch or a mid-career healthcare professional aiming for executive leadership, forging an alliance with the right mentor can accelerate your growth and open new doors.

But how do you find a mentor? With thoughtful preparation and the right approach, you can cultivate the confidence to grow your network and connect with experienced mentors who are eager to guide and inspire. Here are five strategies to help you get started.

1. Consider a Formal Program

Several programs connect early-career individuals with established professionals. The LifeSci NYC Internship Program of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), for example, has linked undergraduate and graduate students with mentors in over 220 partner companies through paid internships in biotech, pharmaceuticals, digital health and research.

"No one teaches you early in your academic career how to seek a mentor, how to deal with rejection, how to keep persevering and how to have the conversations you need to network and find the right mentor," explained Viq Pervaaz, Senior Vice President, Life Sciences & Healthcare at NYCEDC. "LifeSci NYC offers the experiential learning of being in a corporate or startup environment as well as the day-to-day learning that goes beyond a scientific education."

For many students, the program is the first time they've worked in such an environment.

"That first mentorship opportunity is critical because it sets the stage for how they're going to view working in such environments going forward," Pervaaz added.

Another program, Mentoring in Medicine, inspires and equips students from elementary to professional schools to become healthcare professionals through academic enrichment, leadership development, civic engagement and mentoring.

Mentoring in Medicine works with young students regardless of their academic performance, according to Andrew Morrison, President and CEO, who co-founded Mentoring in Medicine with emergency medicine physician Lynne Holden, MD.

“Every single student has been told by someone in authority ‘you’ll never be a doctor,’ and they have been able to fight against those odds. Brilliance is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t everywhere,” Morrison told Cure.

More than 550 mentored students have gained acceptance into medical school and another 500 have pursued other health careers.

2. Connect with Your Community

Engage in in-person networking events and online opportunities to find the people with whom you share common ground. Pervaaz noted that there are regular life science events in New York City.

"On a weekly basis, there's some opportunity to network, find your community, find your people and then leverage that opportunity to seek mentors," he said.

Life Science Sherpas helps life science executives in venture-backed companies create connections that foster dealmaking at invitation-only, sponsored networking events. Individuals from various companies and related corporate, strategy and finance functions come together to engage in casual yet impactful discussions, sharing insights and exploring potential collaborations.

"The world is changing faster than ever, and the didactic curricula that schools deliver may not translate into specific roles of the future," asserted Andrew Lam, PharmD, Managing Director, Head of Biotech Private Equity at Ally Bridge Group, who founded Life Science Sherpas. "Mentoring is an important addition to formal education to help people early in their careers bridge didactic with experiential learning."

Also consider tapping into professional associations, alumni, affinity, volunteer or hobby-based networks to get conversations rolling.

"Once you start defining your community and become a regular in those circles, you'll find potential mentors. After you build some trust, you can start asking deeper, more specific career-oriented questions in your interactions. As you get to know people better, they'll become more transparent and candid about their experiences. It takes time," said Paresh Kumar, PharmD, JD, a Vice President at Ally Bridge Group.

LinkedIn has become another significant resource. "LinkedIn is the new Rolodex," said Lam. "It's a lot easier now than ever before to connect. Noting that you went to the same school or have similar training as someone is a good starting point for a conversation."

3. Do Your Homework

Be prepared for some heavy-duty preparation. "No one is handing you a mentor on a silver platter. That doesn't happen," said Pervaaz. "You have to put in the legwork. The opportunities, if you're willing to seek them out, are plentiful."

Once the connection has been made, show up and bring your A-game.

"Real mentorship is earned, because it requires the mentor to invest a part of themselves in the mentee," added Kumar. "In today's busy world, you have to prove yourself worthy of the prospective mentor’s time to get that level of investment. The mentor will appreciate that you have done your homework, and it will lead to a more productive conversation. If you appear to be a go-getter, someone who is motivated to try to do something, that's more inviting to a mentor than someone who only asks superficial questions."

4. Let the Relationship Evolve Naturally

Arabella Pollack, PhD, Distinguished Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Hunter College, has had many mentors and now mentors others. As Director of the college’s Certificate in Business Studies program, she helps her students find internships and has worked with the LifeSci NYC Internship Program for six years. She advises letting the relationship with a potential mentor develop organically.

"Ideally, start somewhere where you have a foot in the door, like someone you met at a networking event who seemed engaged in what they were doing," recommended Pollack. "Then follow up with that person and use it as an opportunity to say, 'I appreciated meeting you. I would like your guidance on X, Y, Z situation that I'm facing right now.' And if that goes well, then you've got yourself a mentor."

5. Set the Terms

The mentee/mentor relationship is like any other human interaction. Both participants need to commit and contribute time and effort.

Speak with your mentor about how often the two of you will meet. "You might ask if you could meet monthly for a 15- or 30-minute catch-up call or meeting to create some structure," said Pollack.

You don't need to have the same mentor for the rest of your career and you may never outgrow the need for one, either. As Pollack noted, "You're going to evolve, but you should never stop looking for mentors, no matter how senior you are."