Mentorship is part of any career. It provides support, fosters connections and can have a profound and lasting impact on both the mentor and mentee.
Meet Professor Grant Drummond and Dr Niamh Chapman who were paired together through the ACvA’s Mentorship Program in 2020. This mentor/mentee relationship has evolved since then into a solid friendship and professional connection.
Professor Drummond has been an ACvA member since 2015.
He says, “It‘s exciting to see nationwide approaches to tackling the big challenges in cardiovascular disease. These programs not only create a more secure and rewarding job environment for the next generation of cardiovascular researchers, they also make a real difference to the cardiovascular health of every Australian.”
During this time, he’s been involved in ACVA’s Clinical Themes Initiative, Implementation & Policy Roundtable, CV Champions Program, Mentoring Program and is currently the Co-Director (alongside Professor Rebecca Ritchie) of the Drug Discovery and Translation Flagship.
Dr Chapman is a Senior Research Fellow at Sydney University’s School of Health Sciences. Her research is focused on digital health services to improve blood pressure management and prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease. She’s been a member since 2020.
“The ACVA’s vision of collaboration and unity in the cardiovascular and stroke space resonated with me. I’ve worked with multi-disciplinary research teams and collaborated with industry, patients and doctors, so I was also drawn to the cross-sectoral approach and membership.”
These two met when they were paired up in the ACvA Mentoring Program. Professor Drummond, who was also the joint winner of the 2022 ACvA Excellence in Cardiovascular Mentor Award, was an early champion of the ACvA mentoring program and has continued to mentor with the program since its launch.
Dr Chapman says, “He leads by example, showing fairness and equity in his actions and support for his team to work flexibly and achieve their career goals.”
Professor Drummond says, “I am inspired about the future of cardiovascular research in Australia every time I meet with these amazing researchers. Having the privilege to work with two fantastic mentees – Dr Niamh Chapman and Dr Ash Betrie – as part of the ACvA Mentoring program has been a huge highlight for me.”
The feelings are mutual. Dr Chapman says that her mentorship with Professor Drummond occurred at a critical time when she was questioning whether to stay in the sector.
“Grant helped me feel heard and valued. He’s been one of my strongest advocates and helped me back myself as a leader and a researcher. He is generous and passionate about building up the next generation of cardiovascular researchers through active mentorship.”
If you’re an EMCR ACvA member and have an interest in long-term workforce sustainability and career success in the cardiovascular and stroke sector, we’d love you to join us at our EMCR Summit Wednesday 2 August in Adelaide. We’ll be discussing EMCR workforce capacity building initiatives, both the opportunities and challenges for the next generation of researchers. You can find more information and registration details HERE.
ACvA runs a mentoring program for members through our CV Champions Program. So far, we’ve matched over a hundred mentors and mentees. You can find out about the CV Champions Class of 2023 HERE.