Mentoring Statement of William H. McCoy IV
As a mentor, I aim to provide each trainee with encouragement, scientific guidance, material resources, writing assistance, and career development advice. I will work with my trainees to identify their personal and professional goals, and then I will help them to design and follow plans to achieve those goals. This mentoring style requires frequent two-way communication, which may occur through e-mails, Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, or other forms of communication (e.g., Slack or another messaging service). I expect my trainees to be active participants in the supportive and vibrant lab community that I have assembled in the McCoy Lab. My trainees are also expected to show initiative in identifying interesting scientific/clinical projects to pursue, designing/analyzing experiments, and communicating their research to the larger scientific community (e.g., lab meetings, talks, posters, and manuscripts). I also trust that my trainees will tell me if some aspect of our mentoring interaction, the McCoy Lab environment/community, or their research experience isn’t working for them. My trainees can expect me to create/maintain a diverse, supportive, and vibrant lab community; meet regularly with them; provide feedback on research questions and manuscripts promptly; help them develop professional networks; and otherwise support their personal/professional development. I will always strive to create and maintain mentor-mentee professional relationships that are mutually respectful, enjoyable, and beneficial to each participant’s career.