Rona Strawbridge - The Rewards of Being a Mentor
One of the most rewarding parts of Rona Strawbridge's job is seeing junior colleagues developing their confidence and independence as scientists. We asked her about her work and her role as one of our mentors, which has allowed her to play an active role in helping others achieve their goals.
Tell us a little about yourself and your work.
I am a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow. My research focuses on understanding why people with mental illness have much higher risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease than the general population. It is clear that while medication for mental illness and lifestyle factors contribute, this is not the whole picture. If we can understand which processes leading to the physical health conditions are shared with those for mental illness, hopefully we will be better able to treat both physical and mental illness.
Why did you want to get involved in mentoring initially?
Watching my junior colleagues developing their confidence and independence as scientists is hugely rewarding, and one of the best parts of my job. I have learnt a lot during my career so far, with some amazing senior colleagues providing me with the benefit of their experiences through informal mentoring. I am very happy to feed this forward, in the hope that what I have learned can help others to succeed.
What did the mentoring involve?
Mentoring involved chatting to the mentee (online), to get a good picture of where they are now, and what they are hoping to achieve in the future. Building a relationship is important, and sharing some of my experiences and struggles can be helpful there. Emphasising that each person’s development is unique is important, as what works for one person might not work for the next person, and comparisons with others is usually not a positive thing to do! Listening is a big part of the role, with asking asking questions being another part. I can provide advice for some areas, but mentoring (to me at least) is more about highlighting possibilities than giving answers. “Have you considered…..?” is a therefore key question.
What benefits did it bring?
Being in a position where I might be able to help others, I am happy to do so (feeding forward the positivity!). It is always interesting to understand other people’s opinions on the pros and cons of academia as well as their ambitions. I can definitely learn from these conversations, be in what a specific individuals values in terms of support, but how research culture is perceived and could be improved.
What would you say to others thinking of joining the HDR UK Alumni Network Mentoring Programme?
There are benefits for both mentors and mentees. In addition, HDR-UK is a fantastic organisation that provides great opportunities for career development (at all stages!) and networking.
What are your future career ambitions?
I am very happy conducting important and interesting research and cultivating a positive research environment (both within our group and the wider department). I would like to expand the Behavioural Epidemiology and Genetics group, which is a research collective of fantastic people with varied backgrounds and skills, as this provides a stimulating environment in which to work.
