A-45 Closing the Gap in the Neuropsychology Pipeline Via Mentorship Focusing on African American Students

Abstract

Abstract Objective A core mission of the Society for Black Neuropsychology (SBN) is to increase the representation of neuropsychologists, students, and scholars from diverse backgrounds. As such, SBN developed a 12-month mentoring program for trainees at all levels. The SBN Mentorship Program includes four components: mentoring where mentees are paired with a mentor based on interest and needs; professional development webinars; application materials resources; virtual social hours. Methods First, a call for mentors and mentees was distributed via SBN’s and related listservs and social media. Second, pairings were based on mentee training level, clinical/research interest, needs (e.g., applying to doctoral programs, cultural competency, securing funding), and additional preferences (e.g., matched on the same racial/ethnic background, sex/gender, geographical location). Surveys will be distributed at 6-months and upon completion of the mentorship program to evaluate pairings, webinars, and overall impact of the program. Results A total of 60 mentors from diverse backgrounds and different levels of training enrolled. Thirty-five underrepresented minority (URM) trainees were matched with mentors based on their level of training, interest, and needs. The mentee cohort comprised of undergraduate/post-baccalaureate (30%), masters (5%), and doctoral students (60%), and post-doctoral fellows (5%). The cohort was approximately 77% female and all mentees identified as an URM in academia (URM: 85.7% Black, 14.3% Latinx). Conclusion Mentorship programs represent a vital but often overlooked component of trainee success. Mentorship programs sponsored by organizations such as SBN can help increase the number of URM students in neuropsychology and provide the mentorship needed to navigate barriers URM students often encounter in academia.