Virtual medical research mentoring

BackgroundMedical research is important for professional advancement, and mentoring is a key means by which students and early-career doctors can engage in research. Contrasting international research collaborations, research mentoring programmes are often geographically limited. As the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased use of online technology for classes and conferences, a virtual, international approach to medical research mentoring may be valuable. ApproachWe hereby describe our experience at the Cardiovascular Analytics Group, a virtual international medical research mentoring group established in 2015. We make use of virtual platforms in multi-level mentoring with peer mentoring and emphasise active participation, early leadership, an open culture, accessible research support and a distributed research workflow. EvaluationWith 63 active members from 14 different countries, the Group has been successful in training medical students and early-career medical graduates in academic medicine. Our members have led over 100 peer-reviewed publications of original research and reviews since 2015, winning 13 research prizes during this time. ImplicationsOur accessible-distributed model of virtual international medical research collaboration and multi-level mentoring is viable and efficient and caters to the needs of contemporary healthcare. Others should consider building similar models to improve medical research mentoring globally.

Automated summary

This article introduces a virtual international medical research mentoring organization, which has successfully trained 63 members from 14 different countries in academic medicine through the use of virtual platforms and multi-level mentoring approach. The members have published over 100 peer-reviewed research and review articles and won 13 research prizes. This accessible and distributed model is viable and efficient, catering to the needs of contemporary healthcare, and others should consider building similar models to improve medical research mentoring globally.