Mentoring in clinical research is often misunderstood as a formal, structured program featuring matched pairs, monthly meetings, and a checklist of milestones. But the most transformative mentoring relationships rarely look like that. They happen across unexpected boundaries: a leader who sees potential before the mentee does, a difficult boss who inadvertently teaches everything about integrity, a trusted advisor from outside the field who asks the questions no one inside it will.

This session challenges clinical research professionals to expand their definition of mentoring—as both recipients and providers of guidance. Drawing on real-world examples across career stages and settings, attendees will explore what makes mentoring relationships effective, how to intentionally cultivate them, and how to become the kind of mentor the next generation of clinical research professionals actually needs. Attendees will leave with practical tools to identify, build, and sustain mentoring relationships that advance both individuals and the field at large.

CEU: 1.0 ACRP

Speaker:

• Leslie Pimentel-Byatt, MSML, MBA, CCRC, PMP, FACRP, Director, Clinical Trials Operations, University of New Mexico Hospital