Spotlight on Mentorship at CSEP

Applauded by her students for her passion for teaching, guiding their careers, and  leading by example, Dr. Maureen MacDonald was the recipient of the Enzo Cafarelli Mentorship award in October 2018. Dr. MacDonald shared what mentorship means to her and how it has shaped her career. 

How has a mentor impacted your career and what made them stand out?
Oh where to start!  After I won the award I sent emails to a few of my key mentors. I emailed my highschool basketball coach, Mike MacKay and told him thank you for being such an outstanding role model and for showing me what can be achieved with teamwork and hardwork. He was also a great example of investing time in something you are truly passionate about and making that a key focus in your life.  I also emailed Dr. John Roscoe, my undergraduate thesis supervisor in the Department of Chemistry at Acadia University to thank him for showing me how taking the time to mentor an individual student can change the path of their career and life.  The lessons I learned very early on at Acadia certainly shaped the way in which I approach mentorship of all the trainees in my lab.

Finally I emailed Dr. Richard Hughson, a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo who was my Masters and Doctoral thesis supervisor. Having Rich as a supervisor showed me an example of a life in academics that I thought aligned with my values and goals. Rich came to the lab almost every day on his way for a run with colleagues, he left work at 3:30 to pick his kids up from school, he loved the chance to get back in the lab and help us collect data and he was ALWAYS excited to talk about your results. 

Why do you think mentorship is important?
I think that it is important to not lose sight of the fact that students are the heart of the university.  Most people would not perceive this about me, but I am a fairly introverted individual and while I have enjoyed many aspects of teaching at McMaster, the most rewarding type of teaching for me is one-on-one mentorship with my students.  I love seeing the student’s progress in all aspects through the variety of challenges, experiences and interactions they have and feel privileged to be a small part of that

What does it mean to you for your students to recognize you as a mentor and nominate you for the CSEP mentorship award? 
Reading the nomination letter from my students and trainees was such a wonderful experience for me.  Of course, it was nice to read about all of the nice things they had to say about me, but what mattered even more was that they were putting into practice one of the core values we talk about in my lab.  We often talk about how important it is to celebrate and facilitate the achievements of others and to remember that while a competitive spirit is very important, it is strong relationships with others that really matter in life.  The fact that my trainees took the time out of their very busy lives to coordinate the submission of that nomination letter lets me know that they really believe in creating that sense of community.

What do you do to foster a strong mentee and mentor relationship? 
First and foremost, I try to remember what it felt like to be a mentee, specifically a graduate student. I remember how nervous I was to mess up an experiment. How I never felt like what I had written was quite ready for my supervisor to review. I remember how nervous to meet with them and I remember how much I appreciated all of the little things that helped me to know them better and understand what they were passionate about. These days, the biggest frustration I have is that I have very little time for “drop in” conversations.  It seems that my life revolves around my calendar and so when I get a chance to meet with my mentees, I try to make sure I slow down and really listen to them so that I can facilitate their goals and aspirations rather than just check something off my list. I am not sure if I achieve this every day… but I certainly try. This past summer I hosted a “cardiac themed paint party” with my lab and the smiles on their faces tell the whole story about how taking time for those types of events matters so much!

Read more about this remarkable researcher, professor, and Dean of Science.

Prof. Phillips is a mentor in every sense of the word. He is incredibly inclusive, patient and informative with his post and undergraduate mentees; never is a question ignored or side-stepped, as he is more than happy to set aside time to discuss research or potential career paths with each of his students, despite often oversized research groups and a heavily demanding teaching schedule. Leading always by example, Prof. Phillips treats each lab member, from undergraduate volunteer to post-doctoral fellow as an invaluable part of the research team and is the first to recognize and celebrate individual accomplishments.

How has a mentor impacted your career and what made them stand out?
Dr. Howie Green was my Ph.D. supervisor and a key mentor in my career. He kindled my passion for exercise physiology and gave me the freedom to explore ideas that I thought were interesting and exciting. Howie was fiercely interested in physiology and was always encouraging especially when things didn’t go the way I had hoped they would. He always supported my choices and offered lots of encouragement. He made my Ph.D. fun!

Why do you think mentorship is important?
We don’t exist in a vacuum and people shape and influence us as we traverse academia. Mentors are facilitators of students’ journeys and are key and important people who influence thinking, support ideas, and shape. Having the right mentor at the right time can change your life.

What does it mean to you for your students to recognize you as a mentor and nominate you for the CSEP mentorship award?
I think it is truly an ultimate compliment. I am as, or more, proud today of the people I have helped mentor along their journey as I am of any paper we have published or other award. To be recognized by the people in who’s hard I am made to look good is a terrific feeling, I quite simply couldn’t be more proud of being nominated and even more so of winning the award.

What do you do to foster a strong mentee and mentor relationship? 
Balance! Finding the balance between the push and pull of work and life and making sure that there is always an understanding that the mentor will work in the best interests of the mentee. I see myself as a conduit for my mentees to recognize their potential. I simply help them along the way, no matter where they end up

CSEP Mentorship Award in Honour of Enzo Cafarelli 

About Dr. Enzo Cafarelli

As a graduate student advisor, Enzo went beyond providing students with the technical skills, knowledge, encouragement and motivation to complete a degree. His lab was a model of an ideal research environment. It was organized, productive, and structured without being inflexible.  Students in Enzo's lab were expected to work hard and to function like a team not a hierarchy. 

Enzo demonstrated the importance of balancing research and hard work with family, friends, and life outside the lab. He was a mentor in every sense of the word, active as an advisor and advocate for his student and to young investigators beginning their careers. At CSEP conferences, Enzo could be found talking to students and new investigators at posters, in presentation halls, and over a drink at the end of the day. Always willing to listen to a problem, offer advice, and discuss ideas, Enzo was a dedicated mentor to the future scientists and educators of CSEP. 

The purpose of the CSEP Mentorship Award in Honour of Enzo Cafarelli is to annually recognize a Professor or Advisor in the Exercise Science field for their dedication and mentorship to their students and/or their faculty.