Mentoring Changes due to the Relocation of the Research Mentor

A. Responsibilities of a departing research mentor and newly assigned research mentor at Mount Sinai When a research mentor relocates to another institution, the mentee will need to realign their mentoring team, whether the mentee stays at ISMMS or relocates with the mentor while remaining enrolled at ISMMS. In all cases, the student must have a primary mentor who is a mentoring faculty of the GSBS. All formal mentors will be non-voting members of advisory committees. If a student’s new mentor was formerly a member of the student’s thesis advisory committee, that advisory role will need to be assumed by appointment of a new member who is a mentoring faculty of the GSBS.

The relocation of a research mentor presents three options for a new mentoring arrangement:

i) If the student has not yet passed their qualifying exam, they may opt to change their laboratory and begin their PhD with a new research mentor, project, and possibly multidisciplinary training area (MTA). This will require the same rotation, laboratory declaration, and mentor selection procedures that would be applicable to a new student. If the research mentor departs during the student’s first year, and the new mentor is willing to take the student as a mentee immediately, then this can occur with the new mentor assuming financial and training responsibilities for the student. If new rotations are required, the student will receive a 3-month window of support from the GSBS to pursue these rotations prior to selecting a new laboratory. The student and new Mentor must submit a new laboratory declaration form electronically to the Manager of PhD programs in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience to document any changes in the mentoring team.

ii) If the student is at least halfway through their training (3 years or longer in the program), and wishes to continue their research project in another laboratory with a new research mentor at ISMMS, the previous research mentor and student must identify the new mentor and agree to a collaboration to continue the work that was initiated in the original laboratory without further laboratory rotation. This may also require realignment of the thesis advisory committee, and possibly a change in the MTA. The new mentor assumes the role of primary mentor, and the departing mentor may (or may not) agree to remain as a secondary mentor so long as they hold an adjunct faculty position at ISMMS. This plan must be documented in writing as a transition plan submitted electronically via the GSBS Airtables, and agreed to by relevant MTA Director(s) and the Senior Associate Dean for PhD Programs. Academic requirements and student support services following this mentoring change will not be altered. The student must submit a new laboratory declaration form electronically to the Manager of PhD programs to document any changes in the mentoring team.

iii) Regardless of the stage of their studies, the student may opt to remain enrolled at ISMMS, and complete their experiments in the new laboratory of their existing research mentor at their new institution. In this case, the departing mentor must complete a transition plan form via the GSBS Airtables to indicate: 1) the names of all affected mentees; 2) a transition plan for relocating mentees, including a new primary mentor based at ISMMS, and a plan for financial support of the mentees. This plan must be completed in writing and agreed to by relevant MTA Director(s) and the Senior Associate Dean for PhD Programs. Academic requirements and student support services following this mentoring change will not be altered. The student must submit a new laboratory declaration form electronically to the Manager of PhD programs to document any changes in the mentoring team.

In cases where the student wishes to transfer to another program, they must withdraw from the relevant PhD program offered by the GSBS, and enroll at the new institution. International students should be aware that any changes to the locations of their activities may have implications for their visa/immigration status, and should check this with personnel at the new institution well in advance of any relocation.

B. Responsibilities of the mentee Any changes to the mentoring team due to relocation of the original research mentor do not change the responsibilities of the mentee, even if they are performing their experiments at another institution. Academic requirements and thesis advisory committee meeting requirements do not change. Policies regarding publication and use of data, protocols, or code generated during the PhD remain those of ISMMS, and the mentee’s affiliation as a student of the GSBS on publications and communications do not change. Finally, changes to the mentoring team do not change the maximum time for completion of a degree.

C. Responsibilities of the MTA director and thesis advisory committee regarding the research mentor(s) and mentee (including thesis proposal and thesis defense exams) If mentoring changes do not affect the MTA or thesis advisory committee, these entities continue to guide and assess the academic progress of the student. The absence of such changes will be documented on the transition plan.

If mentoring changes result in a change of MTA, this should be documented as part of the transition plan, and approved by the original and new MTA Director, as well as the Senior Associate Dean for PhD programs. Such changes may alter academic requirements of the new MTA, which must be clearly communicated to the student and included in the transition plan.

If changes are made to the thesis advisory committee, these must also be documented and approved by the (new) MTA.

The post-transition MTA and thesis advisory committee will oversee the thesis proposal and thesis defense exams of the mentee. These exams will be conducted under the same criteria, and to the same standards, as if no changes had occurred. In situations where the changes to the mentoring arrangements had a significant impact on the academic progress of the student, the student may apply for an extension to complete the qualifying exam, but the maximum time for completion of a degree does not change.