# Strengthening mentorship for sexual and gender minority health researchers

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC. · 2022 · $415,000

## Abstract

Quality mentorship leads to improved outcomes, including productivity and career satisfaction, for both
mentees and mentors in the biomedical sciences. Inadequate mentorship has proven to be the most insurmountable
obstacle in a researcher's career development, particularly for mentees from groups that are underrepresented
in the biomedical sciences. For example, white investigators are more likely than racial/ethnic
minority peers to win NIH R01 awards and inadequate mentoring is the primary obstacle to obtaining that funding.
Despite the evidence around the importance of excellent mentorship, little is known about mentorship for
researchers who focus on health disparity populations, particularly sexual and gender minorities. This gap is
troubling because researchers who focus on health disparity populations are often multiply marginalized based
on their own gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and other axes of social inequality. Evidence
shows that even experienced mentors learn strategies for more effective mentoring from existing curricula
(e.g., Entering Mentoring). However, these curricula do not fully address the needs of researchers who focus
on health disparity populations, nor do they comprehensively address ways that mentorship can help multiply
marginalized researchers (e.g., transgender women of color) overcome the systemic disadvantage they face in
health disparities research. Mentorship and training are central to the R01 parent award, which is focused on
sexual orientation-related disparities in obstetrical and perinatal health. In the first year of the parent award, our
team adapted some of the best mentoring practices and evidence-based curricula into a program that addresses
the needs of mentees focused on health disparity populations and from underrepresented groups. Under
the title of the Harvard Sexual and Gender Minority Health Mentoring Program, the inaugural cohort of faculty
mentors piloted this curriculum in spring 2022 through a series of six 90-minute professional development
sessions. The curriculum is structured around seven core competencies (e.g., aligning mentor-mentee expectations,
maintaining effective communication, addressing equity and inclusion). While we collected rich evaluation
data in this pilot, we do not have the resources to evaluate that data, nor to disseminate the curriculum.
However, with the support of this administrative supplement, we can meet our proiect obiective to evaluate,
refine, and disseminate the curriculum, Additionally, we will develop two, parallel mentor training curricula for
other constituencies-postdoctoral fellows and students. Along with faculty, these groups are critical to changing
the current mentorship culture from one that is ad hoc to one that is intentional, inclusive, and effective.
This project will produce the first mentor training program focused on sexual and gender minority health which
will bolster the next generation of health disparities resea...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10605454
- **Project number:** 3R01MD015256-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Brittany Michelle Charlton
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $415,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-05-16 → 2026-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10605454

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10605454, Strengthening mentorship for sexual and gender minority health researchers (3R01MD015256-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10605454. Licensed CC0.

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