Inspire Mentorship and Excellence Award
Mentorship Experience
The ACMS Foundation Inspire Mentorship Award facilitates travel for ACMS fellows to meet in-person with senior ACMS mentors to develop leadership and excellence in Mohs and dermatologic surgery.
The Award must be used to fund travel so mentees and mentors can meet in-person. The Award should help create a unique educational experience that might not otherwise be possible.
Depending on the mentorship goals, the award may fund travel for the mentee to visit the mentor's practice or institution; for the mentor to visit the mentee's practice observe surgery and provide on-site coaching; or for a mutually agreed-upon educational experience that advances the mentee's professional development.
Potential Mentorship Opportunities
In-person mentorship experiences may focus on one or more of the following:
- Improving surgical technique
- Running an efficient clinical practice
- Developing treatment plans for complex tumors
- Practice management, workflow optimization, and laboratory operations
- Building a research team and scholarship plan
- Coaching for leadership and career development
- Building an academic plan to gain promotion
- Advocacy and organized medicine experiences, including participation in state or national advocacy events (e.g., the ACMS Congressional Advocacy Fly-In), legislative meetings, or society leadership activities
- Participation in multidisciplinary conferences, committee meetings, educational programs, or other professional development experiences
- Networking and professional relationship building
While the program requires travel for an in-person experience, mentors and mentees are encouraged to connect before and after the travel experience to establish goals, maximize the educational value of the visit, and foster an ongoing professional relationship.
Mentor Expectations
Mentors agree to:
- Collaborate with the mentee to establish meaningful learning objectives and an individualized mentorship experience.
- Participate in an immersive, in-person mentorship experience supported by the Award.
- Share their expertise, professional insights, and career experiences in a supportive learning environment.
- Provide constructive feedback, encouragement, and professional guidance.
- Participate in reasonable pre- and post-mentorship communication, as appropriate.
- Serve as a positive role model while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.
- Notify the ACMS Foundation if circumstances arise that significantly affect their ability to fulfill the mentorship experience.
Mentee Expectations
Mentees agree to:
- Take primary responsibility for driving the mentorship relationship.
- Clearly communicate their goals and learning objectives.
- Collaborate with their mentor to develop a meaningful mentorship experience and travel plan.
- Be prepared, engaged, and respectful of the mentor's time, practice environment, and institutional policies.
- Demonstrate professionalism, curiosity, and a commitment to learning.
- Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with all applicable institutional requirements.
- Complete all required program evaluations and provide photos and a testimonial describing the impact of the mentorship experience.
Shared Expectations
Both mentors and mentees are expected to:
- Foster a respectful, inclusive, and collegial mentoring relationship.
- Communicate openly and professionally before, during, and after the mentorship experience.
- Establish mutually agreed-upon goals, expectations, and timelines.
- Maintain the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, and patient confidentiality.
- Work collaboratively to create a meaningful educational experience and cultivate a professional relationship that ideally extends beyond the funded mentorship experience.
What You Need to Know Before Applying
Applicants will be asked the following beyond their basic information:
- Rank your Primary Mentorship Track from the following:
- Clinical Experience (patient care, surgery, reconstruction and clinical operations)
- Research & Academic Excellence (research, scholarship, innovation, and academic advancement)
- Leadership, Advocacy & Organized Medicine (leadership development, advocacy, and organized medicine)
- Practice Excellence (practice management, operations, and growth)
- Identify the Specific Areas of Interest within the Primary Mentorship Tracks (listed in application)
- What do you envision the mentorship experience to be? (no more than 200 words)
- How will this experience benefit your patients, practice, institution, career development, or the College? (no more than 200 words)
- Why is this mentorship experience unlikely to occur without support from this award? (no more than 200 words)
- List up to three mentors from the provided list who you would prefer to be matched with