The Society recognizes that it can be difficult to identify and form relationships with mentors outside of your organization or field, and we hope to bridge this divide so young professionals can broaden their networks and knowledge of health policy issues and future opportunities. In an attempt to bridge the divide, the Society has launched two mentoring programs: the Professional Mentor and the Peer-to-Peer Programs.

The Professional Mentor program is a formal means of pairing members with mid to senior-level health policy professionals. The program places emphasis on professional development and career aspirations. The goal of the program is to foster and establish professional relationships between members and mentors. In early 2008, the Society partnered with Women in Government Relations, Inc. to serve as mentors for our members.

The Peer-to-Peer Program pairs members together in order to work together to review current practices; expand, refine, and build new skills; share ideas; teach one another; solve problems in the workplace. The Policy Buddy Program is a more informal format for colleagues to network and learn from each other. Those participating in the Professional Mentoring Program may also participate in the Peer-to-Peer Program.

The Matching Process

In making matches, we do our best to match individuals with similar interests and experiences, based on the available pool of mentors. However, it is important to realize that you can learn something from everyone. Health Policy is a very small world, and even if your mentor doesn’t seem like the “perfect” fit, you never know who he/she knows or what they’ve done in their past. Do not discount someone off the bat! Our community friends are extremely valuable sources of information – all you need to do is take the time to get to know them.

Benefits

The mentoring program provide members the unique opportunity to learn and obtain advice from other health policy professionals.
Participation may allow you to:

• better understand health policy as practiced in the community
• gain valuable information about agencies and companies
• begin to build a professional network
• expand career options
• develop a realistic career plan
• learn how professionals balance life and career
• receive suggestions on how to better prepare for professional life