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. In all cases, the student must have a primary mentor who is a mentoring faculty of the GSBS. All formal mentors will be 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 two options for a new mentoring arrangement:

i) An MSBS student may opt to change their laboratory and begin their MSBS research thesis with a new research mentor and project. This will require the same 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 the training responsibilities for the student. The student and new Mentor must submit a new research agreement form electronically to the Manager of MSBS to document any changes in the mentoring team.

ii) If the student is at least halfway through their training (1 year 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. 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 to the Manager of MSBS, and agreed to by the Senior Associate Dean for Masters Programs in Biomedical Sciences. Academic requirements and student support services following this mentoring change will not be altered. The student must submit a new research agreement form electronically to the Manager of MSBS programs to document any changes in the mentoring team.

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. Academic requirements and thesis advisory committee meeting requirements do not change. Policies regarding publication and use of data, protocols, or code generated during the MSBS 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 thesis advisory committee regarding the research mentor(s) and mentee (including the thesis defense exam) If mentoring changes do not affect the 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 changes are made to the thesis advisory committee, these must also be documented and approved by the Director of MSBS.

The post-transition thesis advisory committee will oversee the thesis defense exam of the mentee. This exam will be conducted under the same criteria, and to the same standards, as if no changes had occurred. In situations where changes to the mentoring arrangements significantly impact the academic progress of a student, any alterations to the student’s original, approved project and/or mentor/mentee partnership may affect the student’s graduation timeline. The student should work closely with program leadership to revise the time-to-degree expectations, ensuring they do not exceed the maximum completion time for an MSBS degree, which is three years.