The Mentor–Protégé Program in health research in Cameroon
2019; Elsevier BV; Volume: 393; Issue: 10171 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30205-3
ISSN1474-547X
AutoresPierrette Essama-Mekongo, Sylvie Kwedi Nolna, Marceline Djuidje Ngounoue, Judith Torimiro Ndongo, Mireille Ndje Ndje, Céline Nkenfou Nguefeu, Julienne Nguefack, Evelyn Mah, Amani Adjidja, Barbara Atogho Tiedeu, Marielle Paty Ngassa, Véronique Penlap Beng, Rose G. F. Leke,
Tópico(s)Adolescent and Pediatric Healthcare
ResumoIn Cameroon, leadership positions in health research are generally held by men.1Pope JE Mentoring women in medicine: a personal perspective.Lancet. 2018; 391: 520-521Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (8) Google Scholar To reduce this gender gap, the Higher Institute for Growth in Health Research for Women (HIGHER Women) Consortium was founded in 2015 by Rose Leke to empower Cameroonian women scientists who have a motivation and inspiration for health research. Among the major challenges faced by women in health research in Cameroon are gender bias, exclusion, lack of funds, unfavourable conditions for goal management, and inadequate use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a male-driven environment. The Consortium's Mentor–Protégé Program (MPP) provides protégés with proficient guidance to facilitate career growth.2Kwedi Nolna S Essama Mekongo P Leke RGF Mentoring for early career women in health research: the HIGHER Women Consortium approach.Glob Health Epidemiol Genom. 2017; 2: e3Crossref PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar A mentor is a well established female scientist who voluntarily commits her experience and expertise to help develop the careers of emerging female researchers. A protégé is a female researcher with less than 5 years of research experience. The protégé must have a vision for growth and sustainability in her research area but also need guidance to improve her performance. The Consortium conducts annual evaluations on the progress and accomplishments of the mentor–protégé pairs. Considering its remarkable achievements, the MPP is proving productive and sustainable throughout its cost-effective capacity-building strategy. Findings from several studies have shown that women have lower publication and grant-winning rates than men. According to UNESCO, the tertiary gross enrolment ratio in sub-Saharan Africa for women is 4·8% and 7·3% for men.3UNESCO Institute for StatisticsGlobal education digest 2011: comparing education statistics across the world. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics Data Centre, Montreal (QC)2011Google Scholar The reticence of women to undertake a career in health research is often due to social constraints and cultural beliefs. Men are three times more likely than women to reach top-level positions in research. In Cameroon, only 12·5% of women scientists are associate professors and 7·25% are full professors.4Cameroon Ministry of Higher Education. SIGIPES/MINESUP version 5.2.8. 2013.Google Scholar The few women who overcome the obstacles are often stigmatised. The Consortium addresses these biases and taboos by motivating young women through skill-building opportunities for scientific writing and participation in scientific gatherings. These opportunities have earned some protégés various prizes and distinctions since 2015, and they help increase the pace of their involvement in scientific progress,5Moss-Racusin CA van der Toorn J Dovidio JF Brescoll VL Graham MJ Handelsman J A "scientific diversity" intervention to reduce gender bias in a sample of life scientists.CBE Life Sci Educ. 2016; 15: 29Crossref Scopus (42) Google Scholar since research that is inclusive of women maximises innovation and equity.6Mitchneck B Smith JL Latimer M A recipe for change: creating a more inclusive academy.Science. 2016; 352: 148-149Crossref PubMed Scopus (42) Google Scholar Many protégés acknowledged their limited skills before being trained, but evaluations revealed that after participating to the programme they became more confident to apply for funding, which resulted in them obtaining research grants, fellowships, and travel awards. Given the essential role of ICTs in research in modern times,7Joshi A Meza J Costa S et al.The role of information and communication technology in community outreach, academic and research collaboration, and education and support services (IT-CARES).Perspect Health Inf Manag. 2013; 10: 1Google Scholar the Consortium has a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a mailing list, and a WhatsApp group. These tools have been used for rapid sharing and have allowed the protégés to access information and successfully apply for research funding opportunities and travel grants. These platforms have aided in the timely celebration of the achievements of mentors and protégés, thus providing incentives for other protégés to participate in the programme. ICT also fosters bonding and promotes keeping in close touch within the MPP. The Consortium helps female researchers by promoting integrity, hard work, perseverance, and the right sets of values. These values are encouraged mainly through the personal relationship established between mentors and protégés. In contrast, most of the mentors did not have the chance to benefit from mentoring because of the small number of experienced female scientists in the past. In this two-way learning experience, the protégé learns from the mentor's challenges, while the mentor is enriched by the protégé's innovative perspectives and fresh vision. The MPP incorporates the African tradition and uses its heritage alongside innovative leadership activities to foster its objectives. Many Africans remember their families in the village, gathered around an evening fire to talk and listen to exciting tales from the past and childhood experiences. These moments facilitated the learning of life lessons. During seminars, time is set aside for this age-old tradition of evening fireside conversations. While roasting and eating plantains and plums, amidst laughter and sometimes crying, the conversations are inspiring and instructive, as the women freely highlight the challenges and successes in their personal and professional lives. Seminars and training workshops include early morning sport activities. The laughter, common effort, and support bridge the gap between mentors and protégés through this common activity where all become equal. This also mellows the relationship between generations and increases commitment to the programme and to one another, creating bonds that contribute to the success of the mentorship relationship.8Garringer M Jucovy L Building relationships: a guide for new mentors. The Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence &The National Mentoring Center at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Washington (DC)2007Google Scholar, 9Mentor: The National Mentoring PartnershipHow to build a successful mentoring program using the elements of effective practice. Mentor: The National Mentoring Partnership, Alexandria2005Google Scholar The mentor–protégé relationship goes well beyond the professional sphere and resembles a big sister–little sister, aunt–niece, or mother–daughter one that is, one could say, family oriented. Since it is not an official duty, in most cases the pairs meet during lunchbreaks and sometimes at their homes on weekends. Although challenging, the programme has enhanced hospitality and the notion of family, as desired by the Consortium. Mentors advise protégés on personal issues, considering the social context in Cameroon. In most families, the fact that a woman furthers her studies up to the PhD level or as a senior researcher is considered endangering for marriage prospects or destabilising for marriages.10Past MF My double life in academia, or extreme parenting on the tenure track.http://scholar.dickinson.edu/faculty_publications/588Date: 2017Date accessed: February 27, 2018Google Scholar Mentors help protégés find the balance between professional and private life. The MPP thus showcases the African woman's mothering capacities. To cater for their own career needs, mentors often organise 3-day scientific writing retreats to either begin or complete scientific work. Individual goals are achieved and the experience is found to be very efficient in advancing scientific production. Bridging the gender gap in health-research leadership through the MPP has been challenging in many ways. First, mentors are few for the increasing number of protégés. Second, some protégés do not systematically follow the programme, thereby lowering its retention rate. Third, only women with at least a postgraduate level qualify to be protégés. Women with such qualifications are very few compared to women with undergraduate-level education.10Past MF My double life in academia, or extreme parenting on the tenure track.http://scholar.dickinson.edu/faculty_publications/588Date: 2017Date accessed: February 27, 2018Google Scholar The Higher Women Consortium, however, strives on with its holistic mentoring to pave the way for increased female leadership in health research. Taking after the poem by Maya Angelo, the Consortium adopted the motto "Still we rise!" which conjures sentiments of hope and defiance and an elevating attitude. On that basis, HIGHER Women scientists continually work on being more strategic in progressing their career. For more on the #LancetWomen initiative see https://www.thelancet.com/lancet-womenFor the Twitter account see @HIGHER_WOMEN For more on the #LancetWomen initiative see https://www.thelancet.com/lancet-women For the Twitter account see @HIGHER_WOMEN All authors are members of the HIGHER Women Consortium. We declare no competing interests. Mentoring women in medicine: a personal perspectiveAbout half of the medical students in the USA and European Union are women,1,2 but leadership in medicine globally does not reflect this gender balance. In a survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), women comprised half the instructors and assistant professors in 2015–16, but only 20–33% of full professors and only 15% of chairs and deans were women.1 Women are also under-represented as journal authors, on editorial boards, and as speakers at medical meetings.3,4 However, in a large survey by the Canadian Rheumatology Association women were found to work fewer hours and see fewer patients per week than men, which could partly explain less promotion to leadership roles. Full-Text PDF
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