Celebration of Mentoring at MGH

In celebration of the vibrant mentoring culture at MGH, this event recognized recipients of 2021 departmental, MGH-wide, and Harvard mentoring awards. In particular, the recipients of the 2021 CFD Excellence in Mentoring Awards were announced.

4:00-4:30 pm – Mentoring Initiatives and Awards
4:30-5:30 pm – Keynote Lecture

Keynote: “Lateral Mentoring™ in a Hierarchical Environment: Mentoring at Every Stage in Your Career”

Many people think of mentoring as hierarchical – a mentee is seeking guidance from someone directly above (and in the same department). However, the most effective mentorship is lateral, and many people are already doing it without even knowing it! By learning the different ways we can engage in mentoring, we can gain benefits that far exceed our expectations. And, we can mentor at any stage of our career, including in retirement!

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, participants were able to:

• Recognize two key concepts in mentoring: Generativity and Lateral Mentoring
• Understand the distinct differences between the three terms: Reciprocity; Generosity; and Generativity
• Identify potential mentoring opportunities to advance their career while mentoring others
• Assess potential mentoring opportunities to advance their career while mentoring others
• Create mentoring opportunities to advance their careers while mentoring others

Target Audience: This activity is intended for faculty and faculty trainees.
Course Director: Miriam A. Bredella, MD

Keynote speaker: Deborah Heiser, PhD, Founder and CEO of The Mentor Project, Founder of I.M.AGE. Dr. Heiser is an Applied Developmental Psychologist, a TEDx speaker, Psychology Today contributor, researcher, author, coach, consultant, Founder and CEO of The Mentor Project, and an Adjunct Professor in the Psychology Department at SUNY Old Westbury.

Deborah has additionally authored peer-reviewed articles, co-editor of Spiritual Assessment and Intervention with Older Adults, and is a frequent expert guest for syndicated and local talk radio shows, international and local podcasts, and print and online media outlets.

She has been quoted in The New York Times, Seattle Times, Dallas Times, Forbes, and featured in Forbes. Her research covers a wide range of topics related to aging, including depression identification, dementia, and frailty, with grants awarded from NIA/NIH and Pfizer. She received an international award for her research on depression identification and served for nine years on the Board of the State Society on Aging of New York and was President in 2008. Later, In 2016, she served as President of Queens Psychological Association in New York.