BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
BINF705 Research Ethics Fall 2014
Case Studies and Mentoring
Jeff Solka Ph.D.
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Acknowledgements Dr. Jennifer Weller
Previous revision of the mentoring slides
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Dilbert of the Week
Possible Student Case Studies - I
Is the peer review process valid? Should technologies that radically extend human life spans
be allowed to be employed? (Life Extension) Should medical care be withheld from those individuals that
have made "poor lifestyle choices"? (Managed Care) Should patient assisted suicide be allowed and if so under
what circumstances? (Euthanasia) Should genetic testing be required for jobs or parenthood?
(Genetic Testing) Should individuals be allowed to select the sex of their
children or if the technologies should be developed should individuals be allowed to select the traits of their children prior to conception?
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Possible Student Case Studies - II Does the promise of new drug therapies justify exclusive
proprietary access to genetic information? (Intellectual Property)
Do the claims of public safety trump concerns for personal privacy in mandating DNA databanks? (Biometric Analysis)
Should patients in chronic pain be allowed whatever pain remediation possible including the use of the strongest opiates such as heroin? (Algology)
Should cross species transplantation be allowed? (Xenotransplantation)
Should the Large Hadron Collider be allowed to search for mini-black holes? (Dangers in research)
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Possible Student Case Studies - III What are the ethical issues with regards to informed
consent when conducting research using internet data? (Privacy and informed consent)
Should everyone be guaranteed free access to scientific literature? (Open Source Publications)
Should bioinformatics embrace the open source movement and what are the security implications to this decision? (Open Source)
What are the implications of data mining software to patient confidentiality issues? (Patient anonymity)
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Mentoring
What is a Mentor? A person responsible for guidance and academic, technical and ethical development of a trainee.
Duties include the direct supervision of tasks such as experimental design, data collection, analysis, interpretation and storage
Other professional development duties include Collegial individual discussions Regular group meetings, providing peer review Providing relevant rules, regulations and guidelines Inform, instruct, provide an example
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Activities - I
Demonstrate and teach style and methodology in doing scientific research
What is done: Defining problems (important and tractable) Asking questions (posing the question as a series of
approaches) Selecting means for solving problems
How it should be done: Demonstrating, and letting trainee observe Guiding trainee through problem with assistance Providing access to training courses and workshops
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Activities -2
Evaluate and critique scientific research
What is the activity: Actively evaluate results , for example in a lab or data
notebook Presentation practice and critique, lecture or seminar (oral) Peer-review manuscript preparation, and dissertation (written)
Evaluation should include: constructive criticism of organization, content and style identification of specific weaknesses and suggestions for
avoiding them, providing strong positive models
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Activities - 3
Foster social awareness of appropriate behavior of trainees
What is the purpose: Professional awareness of (local and global) policies, guidelines
and regulations Comfort with practicing the prevailing standards and allowed
variation on authorship, peer review, data sharing, collaboration
How is this accomplished: Demonstrating in personal conduct Semi-formal instruction –explaining the reasoning behind
particular choices Formal instruction where useful (assignment of particular readings
and discussion of the content)
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Activities - 4
Promote career development
What can be affected: What types of decisions have the most impact on a career: insight,
information, advice about career planning Assistance with professional networking, Development and refining of appropriate interpersonal skills
How is this accomplished: Inclusion of student on occasions where introductions to other
scientists occur, with opportunity for interaction Encouragement of communication with others Suggest names as speakers, conference organizers (both advance
notice and subsequent critique)
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Mentor-Trainee Relationship
A mutually dependent interaction, in which power is unequally distributed –there is a great potential for abuse unless both parties remain aware of the need for
Respect Model appropriate behavior Demonstrate reasoning for actions and decisions,
especially under specific circumstances Provide explicit coaching Introduction to larger professional network
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Dependencies
Dependence of trainee on mentor Financial
stipend, tuition, fees Resources
to perform and complete research and dissertation
access to laboratory & computers
funds and/or recommendations for attending meetings Future position and advancement
recommendations
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Dependence of Mentor on Trainee
Dependence of mentor on trainee Generally students are the data-generation engines: the
data are required to produce publications and as preliminary results for supporting research finding proposals (grants)
Publications are needed by the mentor for prestige, grants, promotions
Success of trainee also reflects on the mentor for prestige, and to obtain future trainees
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Accessing Appropriate Behaviors - 1 How does mentor know if trainee is not behaving
appropriately? A particular performance standard is expected:
Badly or incompletely done work is unacceptable
Insufficient effort / time put into work are unacceptable
Initiative, analytical skills are required, which requires study and reading in the literature outside of the official workplace
Ethical behavior is expected
What recourse does trainee have?
What recourse does mentor have?
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Accessing Appropriate Behaviors - 2 What can a trainee expect of a mentor?
An adequate time commitment, used at the least to Demonstrate research techniques Review a trainees research progress and methods –this lets the mentor
assess the caliber of work being done Critique presentations and papers, provide good models Communication at personal and small-group levels about ongoing research
in the field and interesting controversies
Provide opportunities through group meetings and journal clubs to organize, propose and defend ideas
The specific time needed for each of the above varies with the individual trainee and his career stage
It is fair to ask before joining a lab, how many trainees can one mentor supervise adequately?
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Mutual Consequences Consequences of poor supervision …. on the trainee
Poor (ineffective, out of date or non-standard) research skills Poor (ineffective or not up to professional standards) communication
skills Inefficient use of time and talent (lower productivity and less peer
respect will result if many mistakes are made)
…..on the mentor Low quality publications, due to poor writing or poor research
methodology
Loss of credibility when questionable (marginal or irreproducible) results are made public
The aggregated result will be difficulty obtaining grants, recruiting more trainees, obtaining promotions, or being invited to give talks
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Specific Concerns Mutual Trust: the trainee must trust mentors judgment,
advice, and actions
Some individuals give an initial balance of trust, others always require that it be earned. Cultivating trust requires:
Unconstrained, frank but respectful communication Care that criticism be perceived as directed at actions and
behavior, not the worth of the individual Care that the mode of discourse be free of hostility,
vituperation, intimidation (teasing, hazing, practical jokes or worse)
Compassionate personal support but not intrusive inquiry into personal life (this can be a balancing act for all concerned)
A shared enthusiasm for work and ideas
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Rewards and Outcomes: Public Recognition
Research hours are long and results are often hard won, not to mention of obscure value to all but a handful of individuals. Thus credit in the knowledgeable peer group is often the primary reward.
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Selecting a Mentor -1 Criteria
Research Focus –enthusiasm about the science Assessing the professional qualities of the mentor
Publication record in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals
Extramural financial support
National Recognition Meeting and seminar invitations
Rank, tenure status, proximity to retirement age Current positions of recent graduates Prior training record
number of trainees time it takes trainee to complete degree recognition for trainees accomplishments (co-authorship)
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Selecting a Mentor -2
Assessing the personal qualities of a mentor and his group
Interpersonal relationship style
Ask more senior graduate students and post-docs about any problems that may have occurred in the lab, how they were handled
Organizational structure of laboratory
Mentoring Style
Compatibility, Rapport , shared values
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Finding Information
Look at the Web site of the laboratory Check out publications using bibliographic databases Visit the laboratory (have specific objects in mind) Set up an interview with the prospective mentor (have specific
questions ready to ask) Find time to contact current and former students and post-
docs (have specific questions ready to ask) Sit in on a lecture or other presentation to observe teaching
styles Sign up to do a lab rotation, a short-term research projects
that puts you into the lab daily Remember: for PhD students in the sciences the research
advisor relationship often outlasts the time span of the average marriage –can you live with this person?
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Trade-offs in Mentor Selection
If a principle investigator has a lot of funding, this implies a large laboratory, a large group and state of the art resources but less time for individual attention
If the PI is ‘famous’ she/he will be highly sought after for invited talks and advisory boards so the professional network will be extensive and publications are likely to be welcome in more prestigious journals, positions will be available at more highly ranked institutions, but you will receive less personal attention.
In general in a large ‘famous’ lab, graduate students are mentored
primarily by post-docs and senior graduate students.
In any lab you should be careful to check for signs of unacceptable discrimination: race, gender, age, disability, etc are prevalent, not overtly discussed and may render a work environment impossible to deal with.
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Topics to Cover in Discussions
Trust (including truthfulness, candor and loyalty, perhaps an implied promise and honesty);
Respect (for competency and also for ability to handle less than complimentary assessments);
Responsibility (to allow individuals the chance to grow and foster that growth);
Fairness and impartiality; (not to show favoritism that is unjustified –science is supposed to be a meritocracy so some types of ‘favoritism’ may be justified).
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Closing Humor - I One sunny day, a rabbit came out of her hole in the ground to
enjoy the fine weather. The day was so nice that she became careless and a fox snuck up behind her and caught her.
"I am going to eat you for lunch!" said the fox. "Wait!" replied the rabbit," You should at least wait a few days."
"Oh yeah? Why should I wait?" "Well, I am just finishing my dissertation on 'The Superiority of
Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" "Are you crazy? I should eat you right now! Everyone knows
that a fox will always win over a rabbit." "Not according to my research. If you like, you can come into
my hole and read it for yourself. If you are not convinced, you can go ahead and eat me for lunch."
"You really are crazy!" said the fox, but since the fox was curious and had nothing to lose, it went into the hole with the rabbit.
The fox never came out.
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Closing Humor - II A few days later, the rabbit was again taking a break from writing
when a wolf came out of the bushes and was ready to set upon her. "Wait!" yelled the rabbit," You can't eat me right now." "And why might that be, my furry appetizer?" said the wolf. "I am almost finished with my dissertation on 'The Superiority of
Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" The wolf laughed so hard he almost let go of the rabbit. "Maybe I
shouldn't eat you--you really are sick in the head! You might have something contagious."
"Come and read it for yourself, you can eat me afterwards if you disagree with my conclusions."
So the wolf went down into the rabbit's hole...and never came out. The rabbit finished her dissertation and was out celebrating in the
local lettuce patch.
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING
Closing Humor - III Another rabbit came along and asked, "What's up? You seem very
happy." "Yup, I just finished my dissertation." "Congratulations! What's it about?" "'The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.'" "No way! That can't be right." "Oh, but it is. Come and read it for yourself." So the two rabbits went down into the rabbit hole. As they entered, the
friend saw the typical graduate abode. A computer with the controversial work was in one corner surrounded by discarded papers. And on one side of the room there was a pile of fox bones, while on the other side there was a pile of wolf bones. And in the center, there was a large, well-fed lion.
The moral of the story: The title of your dissertation doesn't matter. The subject doesn't
matter. The research doesn't matter. All that matters is who your advisor is.
Closing Note
BINF705 FALL14 SOLKA - CASE STUDIES AND MENTORING