Black Dog Institute is among 12 leading health research organisations to join an innovative new mentoring program aimed at supporting promising female scientists to reach leadership positions in the sector.

Professor Katherine Boydell from Black Dog Institute will participate in the inaugural Franklin Women mentoring program, a professional organisation dedicated to retaining women in the health and medical research field.

Launching this June with 54 mentor-mentee pairs, the structured six-month program will help up-and-coming female researchers navigate their career pathway, offering resources and support for a successful mentoring partnership.

“I am so pleased and excited to be a mentor as part of the Franklin Women's mentorship program,” said Professor Boydell.

“The extant evidence base suggests that a positive culture of mentorship enhances workplace satisfaction, increases staff tenure and improves overall performance.

“The Franklin Women's mentoring portal offers resources for a successful mentoring partnership, and each pairing is the result of an exhaustive matching process to achieve the best fit.

“I look forward to working with my mentee and 'paying it forward', as I owe much to the amazing mentors I have had the privilege of learning from throughout my own career.”

Women remain under-represented in senior leadership positions across science and health fields, despite excelling in science subjects at school and university level.

Franklin Women founder Dr Melina Georgousakis believes the program’s unique mentoring model is a “game-changer” for ensuring the brightest scientific talent remain in their life-saving line of work.

“Our mentoring program is the first of its kind in the sector, connecting female researchers with male and female leaders from diverse organisations who will embark on an important mentoring relationship,” said Dr Georgousakis.

“The fact that so many health research organisations have come on board for the inaugural year of our mentoring program demonstrates their commitment to addressing the gender imbalance in the sector and the expected impact the program will have.”

Professor Boydell joins Professor Anthony Shakeshaft, Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) as one of two mentors supported by UNSW Medicine to take part in the program.

Visit the Franklin Women website for more information about the mentoring program: www.franklinwomen.com.au.