New paper highlights the impact of national mentoring scheme for minority women in academic medicine
The pioneering AIMMS Mentoring initiative, co-founded by the University of St Andrews, has been evaluated through a peer-reviewed study published in PLOS One. The programme, led by the University of Southampton in collaboration with the Universities of St Andrews, Cardiff, Exeter, Leicester, Swansea, Leeds, and Birmingham; Hull York Medical School; and the Academy of Medical Sciences, was created to tackle career progression inequalities for minority women in academic medicine and health sciences. The findings highlight the crucial role of mentorship and tailored career support in breaking down barriers and promoting equal opportunities in the field.
AIMMS Mentoring was developed by the founding members and launched in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme has expanded from nine to thirteen UK medical schools and, as of 2024, is now available to all UK medical schools through its adoption by the Medical Schools Council.
Co-authored by AIMMS Mentoring Founding Committee Member and Senior Lecturer Dr Jane Illés* and Director of Inclusion and Senior Lecturer Dr John Winpenny with colleagues from partner institutions, the study demonstrates AIMMS Mentoring’s effectiveness in supporting career progression, fostering mentorship relationships, and creating a more inclusive academic environment.
Founding Chair Professor Nisreen Alwan said: “We are delighted that the AIMMS Mentoring evaluation revealed that both participating mentors and mentees reported positive personal and professional development. It is so important to support under-represented groups in academic medicine and health sciences, as diversity in leadership is likely to reflect in wider societal benefits particularly in relation to health inequalities.”
“It was wonderful to bring the School into this project from the early stages of Prof. Alwan’s idea, and work alongside dedicated colleagues from across the UK, on developing and evaluating AIMMS,” added Dr Illés. “We can now clearly evidence the positive impact of cross-institutional, targeted mentoring in supporting this under-represented group — helping individuals unlock their potential and bringing the sector a step closer to a truly equitable academic culture where everyone feels they belong.”
Dr Winpenny thanked the School of Medicine for its early support of the scheme: “We are proud to be a founding member of AIMMS Mentoring and are grateful to the School of Medicine for initially contributing to the funding of this initiative. We would encourage any colleagues who would be interested in being a mentor or mentee to contact either myself or Dr Illés or follow the link to the MSC webpage below.”
Looking ahead, AIMMS Mentoring plans to extend its support to postgraduate students and additional intersectional groups.
Get Involved
The AIMMS Mentoring initiative is actively seeking both mentors and mentees. If you’d like to take part, visit Academic Intersectionality Mentoring in Medical Schools (AIMMS) | Medical Schools Council for more details.
*Note: Dr Jane Illés’ roles in the study (‘Conceptualisation’ and ‘Writing – Reviewing & Editing’) were mistakenly excluded from the online version of the article on the PLOS One website. Her name was also incorrectly listed as ‘Jane P. Illés’ in the Author Contributions section on pages 12-13 of the downloadable version. These errors are in the process of being corrected by the publisher.