URI_Research _Magazine_Momentum_Spring_2020_Melissa-McCarthy

THE MENTOR MENTEE RELATIONSHIP: HEALTHCARE

Peter J. Snyder, the University of Rhode Island (URI) vice president for research and economic development, understands the power and effectiveness of the mentor/mentee relationship from his own personal and professional experience. He strives to support the many opportunities for mentorship opportunities across the URI campus at all levels, from undergraduate student to post- doctoral fellow — including in his own lab.

“The training of doctoral level expert practitioners (Ph.D.s) in any academic discipline is based on an age-old apprentice/master training relationship that has been central to countless trades dating back to the beginnings of human civilization,” explains Snyder. “This deep, time-and energy-intensive working relationship between faculty mentors and graduate students is paramount in training scholars who will push boundaries to advance their fields, and this method of training has been central to the training of doctoral students since the first Ph.D. degrees were awarded in Europe about 900 years ago.” “I want my own trainees to excel in their work beyond the body of research that I have been able to produce, and to then train their own students.”

Peter J. Snyder, Ph.D. Professor, Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Vice President for Research and Economic Development

- Peter Snyder

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