One-to-one mentoring support for IPVS early career and student members

We are pleased to share that, following the success of the three first editions of the IPVS Mentorship Program, we will launch the 4th edition (2025-2026 program) in July 2025. The call for applications for mentors is now closed. 

Applications for mentees are now open. A mailshot has announced it.

The purpose of the IPVS mentorship program is to support the new generation of PV investigators. It offers one-to-one mentoring support to early career IPVS members to foster advancement and proficiency in papillomavirus research. The program may include career development/advice, skills building, and other aspects identified by the mentor and the mentee rather than focus on clinical training expertise. It intends to create valuable connections that enhance knowledge sharing, professional development, and contribute to the society’s mission towards the elimination of PV-related diseases.

BECOME A MEMBER

 

DURATION
The program runs for a period of 12 months, renewable once following mutual agreement from both parties. A mentorship can be ended at any time by either party.

WHAT IS EXPECTED?

  • The mentor and mentee must maintain their IPVS membership status for the duration of the program.
  • Mentors will need to be available for online meetings with their mentee (a suggested minimum of 4 meetings per year)

MENTEES
A mentee is an early career researcher, a student or a professional in training who is looking at getting guidance in their career development, in skills building or other aspects identified as beneficial for the mentee’s career.

MENTORS
A mentor is a professional who is keen to contribute to the development of of a new or less experienced person’s professional success and has 10 or more years of experience in the field (research, clinical, public health, leadership, etc).
An IPVS mentee may be primarily looking for advice/guidance on the general topics of careers, grant applications, manuscript writing/publication, etc., rather than specific guidance in a focused research area. Therefore, successful mentorship of an IPVS mentee may not require mutual scientific interests. Your general career experience may itself be very valuable to a mentee.

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         TESTIMONIALS

“We have been meeting monthly with my mentor since the first contact which happened in the first month. I have gained insights and have developed great ideas about life as a clinician researcher / clinical educator in low resource setting. Together with my mentor we have been able to mobilize a group of multidisciplinary researchers in areas relevant to Papillomaviruses and have registered the PAPILLOMAVIRUS SOCIETY GOMBE IN NIGERIA. We have initiated discussions on future collaborations with all relevant bodies and are following up. This relationship holds a lot of promises.”

“The mentorship programme has been fruitful and we have made a lot of progress. Right from our first meeting of getting to know each other, we set a goal to develop a project proposal on ‘Genital microbiome, HPV and STIs among sexually abused girls and women in Jos, North-Central Nigeria’. It turned out to be a great proposal that we have submitted for a funding application. The proposal development process was enriching and I have learnt the key principles of proposal design and funding application. We are hoping that our application will be selected for funding. Thank you IPVS for this wonderful opportunity.”

“My mentor enlightened and guided me a lot when I shared the ideas I had for my thesis project, so that I better understood how to make the thesis original and relevant, by suggesting that I should redefine and reformulate my ideas. He encouraged me to take more time to read articles and spontaneously shared some articles for guidance.”