In her 1977 speech at the Nobel Banquet, prizewinner Rosalyn Yalow addressed the students of Stockholm, identifying them as "the carriers of our hopes for the survival of the world and our dreams for its future." Yalow spoke of an ever-widening circle of learning. She said, "If we are to have faith that mankind will survive and thrive on the face of the earth, we must believe that each succeeding generation will be wiser than its progenitors. We transmit to you, the next generation, the total sum of our knowledge. Yours is the responsibility to use it, to add to it, and transmit it to your children."[1].

As suggested by Yalow, both the mentor and the trainee have responsibilities for the success of the process. These will be explored here as aspects of the responsible conduct of research, and in addition we will discuss ethical issues in the conduct of mentoring, and mentoring itself as a means to transmit ethical standards of professional conduct.

Mentoring has received increasing attention in the past decade, and subsequently a body of literature has emerged describing the mentoring process and discussing its potential benefits and problems. Issues regarding fair access to mentors and the impact of a lack of mentoring on women and minorities are especially important. At some institutions, guidelines and formal programs have been put in place to deal with these concerns. This module explores these and other facets of mentoring, with the goal of increasing understanding of and attention to this important matter.

The benefits of mentoring to the trainee, the mentor, and the organization as a whole are demonstrable[17]. For example, trainees gain an understanding of the organizational culture, access networks of communication that carry significant professional information, and receive assistance in defining and achieving career goals.

The benefits to mentors are just as great. They may gain satisfaction from the sharing of their knowledge and experience, and from having a trainee succeed and eventually become a colleague. Mentoring keeps one on top of his or her field, helps to develop a professional network, and extends the scientist's contributions. Another benefit is the increased stimulation from bright and creative proteges. Mentors also derive enhanced status and self-esteem, and benefit from joint projects leading to shared grants and authorship as well as to increased revenues. The best mentors are also likely to be able to recruit students of high caliber. The value to the overall stability of the organization results from the development of future leadership, and improved performance within a work group.