Early career investigators (ECIs) navigating interdisciplinary academic environments often face complex challenges that can impede their professional development and long-term career success. Mentoring has emerged as a critical strategy for supporting ECIs within interdisciplinary teams where traditional mentoring models may fall short. However, despite the increasing emphasis on mentoring, there is limited consensus on what constitutes effective mentoring programming for ECIs in interdisciplinary contexts. Some programs focus on research and grant development (e.g., NIH K-series career development awards), while others address soft skills like communication and leadership. The objective of this scoping review was to identify mentorship practices and evaluation methods used to support ECIs conducting health-related interdisciplinary clinical and translational research. Eligible articles focused on clinical or translational research contexts for ECIs in the USA, published January 2014–December 2024. A comprehensive search was conducted in several databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. We found 21 records that described mentoring and career development programs focused on skills such as research and networking. Success was often measured through grant publications and peer-reviewed publications. Survey and interview methodologies were often used to gather feedback from program participants and mentors. We discuss implications for future mentoring and career development programs.

Older refugees are often depicted in deficit-oriented terms in policy and scholarly discourse, leading to limited recognition of their capacities, agency, and social contributions. This study examines the sociocultural roles and contributions of older African refugees in Calgary, Canada. Drawing on qualitative storytelling and diagramming, with 11 older African refugees serving as co-researchers, to illuminate how they support younger generations and strengthen community resilience. The results demonstrate that older refugees actively contribute through cultural and linguistic transmission, moral and civic mentorship, financial guidance, and culturally grounded support. Co-researchers described themselves as heritage keepers safeguarding language, culture, and identity amid perceived cultural risks in the host society. These contributions challenge prevailing assumptions of older refugees as passive or dependent and highlight the importance of recognizing their community influences. The study underscores the need for strength-based policies and services that acknowledge older refugees’ sociocultural roles in supporting intergenerational well-being and community integration.

Dr. C. Norman Coleman’s impact is difficult to measure overall, even if one focuses only on his work as NCI’s Radiation Research Program (RRP) leader. His laboratory work spanned immune-oncology and radiation therapy, RNA biology, normal tissue and tumor tissue radiobiology, and the development of tissue chips for use in radiation biology research. His programmatic leadership helped the RRP develop health equity programs addressing Native American access to optimal cancer care, evaluation of hadron therapy biology, radiation biology, reproducibility and rigor, foundational molecular biology of the tumor and normal tissue caused by radiation therapy dynamically, and global health and security issues. While doing all these things, he found time to mentor countless people in the field, many now leaders, and to read and discuss science across disciplines. He was a dedicated, caring, kind scientist who truly wanted to help and improve the world for others.

This article examines field experiences across archaeological sectors and demographics through the results of a survey aimed at understanding how the culture of toughness is manifest in archaeological fieldwork through the prevalence of discrimination and pressure to accept inappropriate behaviors and to push oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally. We selected these particular behaviors as they demonstrate ways in which archaeologists perceive expectations and how individuals prove they can endure, that they are tough enough. Our survey data demonstrate that women, noncisgendered, and entry-level archaeologists are the most vulnerable to negative experiences, that the pressure to push beyond one’s limits is universal, and that discrimination and harassment are factors increasingly considered by women as they decide whether to continue in the profession. We argue that many of these rules and social conditions are created and maintained inconspicuously through performative informality which is linked to the discipline’s culture of toughness. Through analysis of our quantitative survey results, we discuss how archaeology’s work culture shapes experiences in the industry and examine avenues for reform to promote equity in archaeology.

This commentary discusses research workforce programs designed to enhance the representation and engagement of Latinos in HIV research, highlighting key challenges and proposing actionable strategies for improvement. Mentorship education and cultural inclusivity are identified as the most salient issues because the former leads to stronger health-related outcomes and is linked to cognitive-and career-related factors while the latter offers the potential to directly dismantle structures of inequity. This commentary suggests recasting of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from eligibility as Latino self-identification, to all individuals’ lived experiences and/or prior experience in service/research activities. Some issues and constructs (i.e., heterogeneity, perseverance, acculturation, cultural values), typically important for certain underrepresented minoritized groups in diversity workforce programs, are reinterpreted for their relevance to all potential participants. This commentary proposes a holistic approach to trainee eligibility, creating a more inclusive environment that respects both individuality and diversity, and, importantly, contributing to DEI does not require being a member of an underrepresented minoritized population group.

Centring the voices of music professionals who labour offstage, including managers, live sound technicians, and festival organisers, this article critically examines gendered labour in the music industry, focussing on Belgium in the 2020s. This investigation of how intersectional gendered expectations are negotiated in musical workplaces identifies mechanisms of alienation, delegitimisation, and the sexualisation of labour that constrain professional agency. At the same time, the study finds resonances between the ways participants engage with mentorship and existing literature on such programmes, notably as professionals seek role models, navigate pay disparities, and plan improvements to training. The article theorises the function of mentorship as strategic response to structural precarity. By positioning human-scale festivals as pedagogical spaces, the study explores how underrepresented labourers navigate these environments in response to inequity. This research contributes to a qualitative understanding of how intersectional gendered workplace dynamics are experienced, contested, and reshaped in contemporary European music markets.

Mentorship is a vital part of the training provided in the K and T programs funded by the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA). However, the inputs, indicators, and outcomes associated with a successful mentoring relationship remain poorly understood. In this review, we critically examine the current body of literature on mentorship in a CTSA context. We conducted a comprehensive search of the literature for relevant research articles. We included articles that were contextualized within a CTSA hub, examined a mentorship program, and conducted evaluation research. Through an initial search of online databases and by reviewing reference sections of relevant articles, we identified 141 potentially relevant articles. Twenty-five of these articles met our inclusion criteria. We identified three categories of research: nationwide institutional surveys of CTSA mentorship programs, mentored research training programs, and mentor training programs. While the findings highlighted the effectiveness of mentor training and mentored training programs, there is a notable lack of assessment of mentoring inputs and indicators. Based on our review, we propose a model for the evaluation of CTSA mentorship that includes measurable inputs, indicators, and outcomes. This model provides a holistic framework for evaluators and CTSA program directors to better understand their mentorship programs.

The potential for physicians, clinicians, and health professionals to contribute to the advancement of medical therapies through clinical research is significant. Yet, a lack of exposure to, or practical training in, the conduct of clinical research can inhibit health profession trainees from considering research careers, thus perpetuating the already limited influx of new talent. To enhance the sustainability of career pathways into research for all trainees, including those from traditionally underrepresented communities, trainees must experience early exposure to research concepts through robust training and hands-on opportunities. In 2015, the Duke Office of Clinical Research created a Research Immersion elective for Duke’s Master in Biomedical Sciences program, which prepares students for additional health professional training. The course trained students through didactic and practical experiences, with a unique interprofessional mentorship team including both principal investigator and clinical research professional mentors. Following eight cohorts of iterative course optimization, students’ confidence increased in all 24 research competencies assessed. A cross-sectional analysis of post-course outcomes in May 2024 revealed 40.4% of students had continued in research after the program and 60.6% had continued their health professions education. We attributed this success to applied learning and clear expectations and guidelines to support the mentor-student relationship.