Challenges and Benefits in Designing and Implementing a Team-Based Research Mentorship Experience in Translational Research.

Background: Translational research seeks to build bridges between research and practice to address public health issues efficiently and effectively. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate a newly formed Institute that provided graduate students and adolescent behavioral health community professionals with a translational research service-learning opportunity through the creation of a community-university mentoring partnership. Goals of the team-based research mentorship approach included: 1) providing students the skills for implementing translational research; 2) providing research opportunities for community agencies to enhance operations and to encourage ongoing research involvement; and 3) developing relationships between university faculty and community agency professionals for further research collaborations.

Methods: The Institute used the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Mentoring Mosaic to select a diverse group of Community and Academic Mentors. The research mentorship experience of the initial cohort was evaluated based upon the Research Mentorship Conceptual Framework and Self-Assessment Tool.

Results: As a direct result of the research mentorship, outcomes for the Academic and Community Mentors and Scholars (i.e., those seeking a graduate certificate) included improved working relationships/networking and research experience. Through experiential learning, Scholars also discovered career trajectory clarity, the need for community collaboration in research, opportunities for continuing professional development, a greater understanding of public health competencies and how they align with community-based research, and skill development in best practices for translational research.

Conclusion: The team mentoring approach is a form of pedagogy that holds promise to enhance translational research and community-based research efforts while developing public health competencies.