ACD

Mentoring Success Stories

Yvette Perry Conley, PhD, Susan M. Cohen, PhD, and Mary E. Kerr, PhD

School of Nursing

As the newly appointed UPMC Chair in Nursing Science and former director of the Center for Nursing Research, Mary Kerr has encountered a wide range of issues in teaching, clinical research, and technology that affect both nursing students and faculty. While good mentoring practices play a role throughout all these areas, they've proven especially effective in enhancing one vital research skill--learning how to gain funding. Facilitating small grantwriting support groups has worked well, according to Kerr, because "people may be in different places along the grant process, so everybody learns from each other."

The Center for Nursing Research's K01 and R01 award review groups have met with particular success using this model. Here, Kerr discusses current research projects within the School of Nursing with assistant professor Yvette Conley and associate professor Susan Cohen.



Academic careers are lifelong journeys that require professional skill sets to navigate successfully. More » Need a Mentor? » Be a Mentor » Share Your Story »	Mentoring Success Stories Yvette Perry Conley, PhD, Susan M. Cohen, PhD, and Mary E. Kerr, PhD School of Nursing As the newly appointed UPMC Chair in Nursing Science and former director of the Center for Nursing Research, Mary Kerr has encountered a wide range of issues in teaching, clinical research, and technology that affect both nursing students and faculty. While good mentoring practices play a role throughout all these areas, they've proven especially effective in enhancing one vital research skill--learning how to gain funding. Facilitating small grantwriting support groups has worked well, according to Kerr, because "people may be in different places along the grant process, so everybody learns from each other." The Center for Nursing Research's K01 and R01 award review groups have met with particular success using this model. Here, Kerr discusses current research projects within the School of Nursing with assistant professor Yvette Conley and associate professor Susan Cohen.