Training & Professional Development

The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at the NCI-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center provides robust training and professional development opportunities for our staff, faculty and students. We are proud to give our workforce the tools they need to be more inclusive on the job and in life.

Our flagship program for leadership training is the Pathway to Leadership Program—an apprenticeship program for junior and mid-career faculty and trainees from underrepresented groups that prepares them for leadership roles within the Cancer Center. With this program you can expect:

• 18 months of structured didactic and hands-on training
• Expanded opportunities for junior and mid-career faculty from underrepresented groups to learn about Cancer Center leadership from directors, associate directors and program leaders
• A leadership assignment submitted during the last quarter of the Pathway to Leadership Program (to be reviewed by an external independent assessor). Participants will benefit from protected time to undertake leadership assessment activities.
• Support from a mentoring committee that provides quarterly updates on your progress to the associate director for DEI, who will report to the DEI Committee and the center director. Your mentoring committee includes:
  • Chair of your primary appointment department
  • An associate director or program leader within the Cancer Center
  • A senior non-affiliated Cancer Center faculty member with a similar demographic background
• Self-reports due each quarter, documenting your achievements and the tasks you completed during the preceding quarter
• Hands-on training for the next generation of Cancer Center leadership

We’ve created Cancer Center pathway programs for college graduates and high school students from underrepresented groups with an interest in cancer research. We work with educators in the Bronx to develop and grow these pathway programs. In addition, our Community Outreach and Engagement  and Cancer Research Training and Education programs work together on recruitment, specifically targeting groups that are historically underrepresented in the cancer workforce.

Our BEYOND ALBERT (Bronx Einstein Youth Oncology Network Dedicated to Academic Learning, Biomedical Education and Research Training) is a pathway program for Bronx high school students aged 16 and up interested in a career in scientific research.

The Einstein Discover Research Program offers college graduates the opportunity to earn a Biology Master of Science from Lehman College while also having access to specialized technology and expert faculty from Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

As part of our commitment to growing and diversifying the cancer research workforce as well as boosting leadership opportunities, we support the recruitment and training of DEI-focused postdoctoral fellows. As part of this effort, we will consolidate ongoing cancer research programs to strengthen our collaboration as part of our global oncology efforts. We are actively recruiting postdoctoral fellows from the Bronx and from outside of the United States to contribute to our DEI program.

This program includes:

• Two fellowship positions for qualified cancer researchers from any higher education institution in the Bronx, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Fordham University and Lehman College, CUNY.
• Two fellowship positions focused on global oncology, cancer epidemiology or population health.
• Recruitment of international candidates from sub-Saharan Africa because of the disproportionate burden of cancer in this part of the world.
• At least half of the fellowship positions reserved for women from underrepresented groups.

This program for junior faculty aims to diversify and strengthen mentoring structures for women and racial and ethnic minorities. Beginning in 2022, we started to implement a structured professional development and mentoring program for all junior and mid-level Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center faculty, investigators, and trainees from historically underrepresented groups. We will additionally work with the Montefiore Einstein Women’s Task Force to continue to identify and implement programs in support of the career advancement and leadership of our female faculty and trainees.

DEI leadership works with faculty and trainees from underrepresented groups, Cancer Center program leaders and division chiefs to develop individualized mentoring plans with specific, measurable and attainable outcomes that include:

• Academic service
• Annual targets for grant applications (submitted and obtained)
• Scholarly scientific productivity
• Timelines for professional promotion

Mentoring Committee

Each mentee will be paired with a mentoring committee consisting of:

• At least two Cancer Center senior faculty
• Annual targets for grant applications (submitted and obtained)
• One non-Einstein senior faculty
• A peer in the mentee’s rank/position

The committee will evaluate and provide input on each mentoring plan twice a year: once at the beginning of the academic year and again during the annual performance review. These regular reviews resolve challenges and identify new opportunities to strengthen the mentoring process.