Mentees’ Perspectives on Mentorship and Sponsorship in Academic Anesthesiology: Findings from a Single-institution Focus Group

Mentorship and sponsorship are important to career advancement and sustainability within academic anesthesiology, but unique challenges contribute to the gap that exists between optimal and actual mentorship and sponsorship. In this article, focus group data from a study conducted among 38 academic anesthesiology faculty members in a single department, stratified by self-identified gender and career stage as well as identity-specific groups, formulate three themes: (1) elevating high-impact mentorship, (2) formalizing sponsorship infrastructure, and (3) implementing a structured program. These themes and their subthemes are examined within a framework of questions that aid in constructing meaning and moving toward practical application. The results of the thematic analysis are well-supported by the literature presented in the final section of the article and also build on current literature by suggesting potential design principles for mentorship and sponsorship structures synthesized directly from academic anesthesiology faculty across diverse career and life stages and identity-specific groups.