Early Career Launch Program
Program Overview
The Northwestern Urology Early Career Launch Program is a three-year mentorship program designed for early career faculty (1-3 years post-training), emphasizing the areas of research, teaching, and clinical skills, particularly concerning career satisfaction, career management, and collegial networking. Launch teams (mentees, mentors, Dr. Ross and Dr. Schaeffer) will focus on key aspects of faculty growth and development. The goals, metrics, and deliverables for each meeting and academic year will be developed by the early career faculty member with their Launch Team.
Suggested areas of focus for meetings and deliverables include:
- Clinical: case mix, clinical volume, resources, scheduling, acquisition of new techniques, OR block time
- Education: development of teaching skills, formal teaching roles within Department and Institution
- Leadership: management and organizational skills, career goals, professional strengths, leadership education and development
- Promotion Planning: metrics to achieve, references and support, timing and trajectory
- Academic (Optional Track): research portfolio and focus, grant writing and funding, resources and space, utilization of resources and funding
Timeline
Mentors and mentees will meet bimonthly during the first year of the program followed by quarterly meetings in years 2 and 3. Participants will also be required to attend a twice-annual group meeting with the entire Launch Team cohort. The group meeting will take place in September and March. The goals, metrics, and deliverables for each meeting and academic year will be developed by the early career faculty member with their Launch Team.
Program Documents
The following documents were designed to support a smooth process for the Launch Team cohort and to evaluate and continuously improve the mentorship program. These documents are password protected and if you are a part of the Launch Team cohort, you should have received the password at the beginning of the program (if you are having any issues locating the password, please email Mildred Okwuedei):
Workbook
The workbook is designed to provide an orientation to the program and mentoring process, sample mentorship meeting agendas, self-assessments, journal templates, and recommended readings and activities. The resources in this workbook are reflective of the focus areas of the program: personal development, professional development, skill development, academic career guidance, and leadership.
Modules
The Launch Team Program includes six training modules that align with key developmental domains for new faculty. Modules are designed to provide a framework for meeting discussions. Modules may be completed in an order that best supports mentee goals. These areas are:
- What is Your Why?
- Building a Clinical Practice
- Becoming an Educator
- Strategic Service
- Mentorship
- Promotion Planning
Optional Modules
- Building Teams and Culture
- Scholarly Work
- 2022-23 Inaugural Launch Team Pairing-Designated Folders- A pairing designated folder was created at the beginning of the program to make it easier for each mentorship pairing to organize and store files.
Access 2022-23 Inaugural Launch Team Pairing-Designated Folders - Mentee Action Plan - To determine activities that ensure mentoring goals are met; a mentee action plan is a must. The mentee will complete the plan with help from the mentor.
Access Mentees action plan - Mentorship Meeting Log - The mentee and mentor should record their meetings and activities to show progress achieved and assist with end-of-program feedback.
Access mentorship meeting logs - Evaluation - At the mid-point of the program and at the end, mentees and mentors will be asked to evaluate the program. Their input will help make any necessary adjustments to ensure the program remains effective.
Access evaluation form
Meet Our Launch Team Cohort for 2022-23
Learn more about the Early Career Launch Program inaugural Launch Team cohort members for 2022-23
Edward M Schaeffer, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Urology
Harold Binstein Professor of Urology
Professor of Urology
Ziho Lee, MD
Chief of the Division of Trauma and Reconstructive Urology
Robert E Brannigan, MD
Vice Chair of Clinical Urology
Chief of Male Reproductive Medicine & Men's Health
Professor of Urology
Channa A Amarasekera, MD
Assistant Professor of Urology
Joshua J Meeks, MD, PhD
Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD Professor of Urology
Associate Professor of Urology and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Learn more about mentor Joshua J Meeks, MD, PhD.
Shilajit D Kundu, MD
Chief of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology
Janice Binstein Professor of Urology
Professor of Urology
Earl Y Cheng, MD
Chief of Pediatric Urology in the Department of Urology
Founders’ Board Professor of Urology
Professor of Urology (Pediatric Urology)
Elizabeth B Yerkes, MD
Professor of Urology (Pediatric Urology)
Catherine M Seager, MD
Assistant Professor of Urology (Pediatric Urology)
Learn more about mentee Catherine M Seager, MD
Faculty Resources
The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine offers numerous resources to assist faculty in pursuing the careers they want. Browse or search the programs, services and resources available to faculty.
Leadership
Career Planning
A collection of valuable tools on defining the mentoring relationship, setting goals and career progression.
Collaboration and Community
Faculty can get to know colleagues, find collaborators and showcase their own career achievements by completing their own profile.
A searchable database of research expertise across all disciplines at Northwestern University.
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Degree Programs
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Governance/Committee Opportunities
Join the elected representative body supporting Feinberg School of Medicine faculty.
The council provides faculty the opportunity to offer feedback and voice concerns to the medical school administration.
Hosts activities that promote women’s professional achievement, mentoring and networking.
Resources and Funding
A broad list of opportunities that cater to the learning needs of academic medicine professionals in all career stages.
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Research
Career Planning
A collection of valuable tools on defining the mentoring relationship, setting goals and career progression.
Collaboration and Community
Faculty can get to know colleagues, find collaborators and showcase their own career achievements by completing their own profile.
An annual, campus-wide event to promote faculty and trainee development by sharing research and encouraging conversation among colleagues.
A searchable database of research expertise across all disciplines at Northwestern University.
A full listing of all research-related centers throughout the university.
Consultation and Services
Provides Feinberg and Northwestern investigators with support in biostatistics, epidemiology, programming and data management.
A member-only service that supports investigators in their communications strategies, social media us and dissemination of findings.
A member-only resource that offers scientific and technical consultations, editing services and writing assistance.
Provides expertise on bibliometrics, data visualization, continuous improvement, informations systems and alternative metrics.
These advisers are available to direct investigators to resources that can help them throughout each step of their work.
This core collaborates in three main areas: biostatistics, bioinformatics and clinical informatics.
Provides computing resources and consulting services to support innovative research across campus.
Degree Programs
Provides graduates with the data and analytic skills needed to address complex, large-scale public health challenges.
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A part-time degree featuring evening courses and geared toward medical residents, fellows and junior faculty members.
Prepares physicians and clinical health professionals for careers in academic medicine; offers a flexible, remote options.
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A program from STEM professionals who want to better understand and anticipate the legal, regulatory and business implications of their work.
Inventions, Patents, Commercialization and Industry Partnerships
Connects Feinberg faculty to industry partners in all areas of biomedical research by sharing opportunities and resources.
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Supports an entrepreneurial culture at Northwestern by helping investigators commercialize their innovations.
Works with healthcare professionals to develop medical training devices for use in medical education and research.
Resources and Funding
A single, comprehensive repository of all clinical and research data sources across campus.
Research Development’s curated lists of federal funding opportunities, pre-screened for Northwestern eligibility and expertise and categorized by research area; access weekly updates through the Pivot database or via the Insight newsletter.
Offers investigators information on funding opportunities, seed grants, social media support and more.
Connects Feinberg faculty to foundations and associations that fund biomedical research.
Supports best practices in ethical and safe research and manages research space and training facilities across campus.
The Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute offers an array of support services for investigators at Northwestern University.
A full listing of instruments and services offered in centralized facilities across campus.
A comprehensive collection of Feinberg resources for physician-scientist training and those who are looking to jump-start careers in science.
Training, Workshops and Mentored Career Development
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Receive training in the ethical and quality standards for designing, conducting, recording and reporting on human subject trials.
These groups provide real-time feedback to junior faculty as they work to complete NIH proposals.
An annual seminar series focused on helping early-career scientists develop key skills.
Junior faculty can have their completed proposals pre-reviewed by faculty in their fields who are experienced NIH reviewers.
Helps NIH-funded scientists learn to analyze their own and others’ work in a critical but supportive manner.
A course on how to ethically conduct biomedical research and responsibly train others to do so as well.
Facilitates conversations on the culture of women in science academia and cultivates mentoring and networking opportunities.
Education
Career Planning
A collection of valuable tools on defining the mentoring relationship, setting goals and career progression.
Collaboration and Community
Faculty can get to know colleagues, find collaborators and showcase their own career achievements by completing their own profile.
Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators Block Change description The Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators (FAME) strives to develop faculty members to become more effective educators in all venues and to recognize outstanding educators at the Feinberg School of Medicine
A searchable database of research expertise across all disciplines at Northwestern University.
Consultation and Services
Simulation-based education to improve healthcare providers’ cognitive, technical and professional skills.
Degree Programs
A full-time, 11-month course on the scientific understanding and practice behind teaching and learning.
Inventions, Patents, Commercialization and Industry Partnerships
Connects Feinberg faculty to industry partners in all areas of biomedical research by sharing opportunities and resources.
Supports an entrepreneurial culture at Northwestern by helping investigators commercialize their innovations.
Works with healthcare professionals to develop medical training devices for use in medical education and research.
Resources and Funding
A broad list of opportunities that cater to the learning needs of academic medicine professionals in all career stages.
Teaching Opportunities
The MD Program’s collection of teaching opportunities sorted by schedules, skills and goals.
Training, Workshops and Mentored Career Development
A broad list of opportunities that cater to the learning needs of academic medicine professionals in all career stages.
Monthly workshops, offered by FAME, covering a broad range of topics, including team-based learning, mentoring and simulation instructor training
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Online learning modules, offered by FAME, designed to help faculty boost their skills as educators.
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Supports early-career faculty members who are expected to make significant, long-term contributions to the university.
A monthly lecture, offered by FAME, open to anyone with a passion for medical education; highlights advances in technology and emerging best practices.
Clincian
Career Planning
A collection of valuable tools on defining the mentoring relationship, setting goals and career progression.
Collaboration and Community
Faculty can get to know colleagues, find collaborators and showcase their own career achievements by completing their own profile.
A searchable database of research expertise across all disciplines at Northwestern University.
Consultation and Services
Simulation-based education to improve healthcare providers’ cognitive, technical and professional skills.
Degree Programs
This Kellogg School of Management program trains rising leaders in healthcare to also be excellent general managers.
Examines medicine and its ethical implications from the diverse perspectives of the humanities.
Provides graduates with the data and analytic skills needed to address complex, large-scale public health challenges.
A part-time degree featuring evening courses and geared toward medical residents, fellows and junior faculty members.
A two-year, part-time program designed to help educate and develop leaders in the field of quality improvement and patient safety.
A program from STEM professionals who want to better understand and anticipate the legal, regulatory and business implications of their work.
Inventions, Patents, Commercialization and Industry Partnerships
The university’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Portal provides a central location for courses, networking opportunities, workspaces and more
Training, Workshops and Mentored Career Development
A professional development program that aims to equip future leaders with the skills and tools to lead meaningful change.
A 12-month, part-time program that offers an in-depth overview of quality and safety practices for healthcare professionals.
Log in through a Northwestern Medicine network to access these training and development resources.
Log in through a Northwestern Medicine network to access these courses in process improvement and project and change management.
Promotes patient care and safety through accredited education activities based on up-to-date medical information.