Mentor Expectations
At the heart of the program is a dynamic team of ophthalmologist mentors who guide underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students on the path to becoming competitive ophthalmology residency applicants. Each mentor is matched one-on-one with a student whom they guide through medical school and, ideally, ophthalmology residency; therefore, mentorship is a commitment of several years. As a mentor, we ask that you:
- Support your student's career development as they explore different areas of medicine
- Demonstrate how ophthalmologists positively contribute to the healthcare community by preventing vision loss from diseases, such as diabetes and glaucoma
- Illustrate how ophthalmologists help protect patients' valuable eyesight and how practicing ophthalmology is fulling to you personally
- Communicate by phone, video chat, email or in person with your student three to four times each year, and more frequently when needed
Complete the online interest form to be a mentor for the Class of 2021.
Speaker Expectations
Through a competitive application process, the program introduces medical students to ophthalmology and guides them on their educational path. The goal of the program is to help underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students become competitive ophthalmology residency applicants. As a speaker, we ask that you:
- Learn about the Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program so that you are comfortable speaking about it and answering questions
- Promote the program to local URiM students and diversity officers at medical schools
- Use our library of PowerPoints, flyers and other resources to speak about the many facets of ophthalmology and why you love being an ophthalmologist
We encourage speakers to schedule student engagement events between Jan. and Jun. each year. Complete the online interest form to be a speaker for the Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program.
Dates and Deadlines
- Jun. 21, 2021: First Round of Mentor Status Notifications Sent
- Jul. 15, 2021: Mentor and/or Speaker Interest Form Due for the Class of 2021
- Jul. 15, 2021: Mentor and/or Speaker Interest Form Opens for the Class of 2022
- Sep. 13, 2021: Second Round of Mentor Status Notifications Sent
- Nov. 12 - 14, 2021: Student Engagement Program for the Class of 2021
- Nov. 2021: Student Application Opens for the Class of 2022
If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact mentoring@aao.org.