The Power of Mentoring in Public Health

NJPHA is a good place to find a Mentor

The New Jersey Public Health Association is an excellent place to find a mentor. There are so many examples of mentors passing the torch of public health to others. John Carlano, a health officer and former NJPHA president, was a mentor to Steve Krajewski, Walter Galanowski, Sylvia Bookbinder and Dr. Jim Brown. Another former president, Dr. Marvin Rubin, was a mentor to Dr. Ronald L. Caplan, Fern Walter Goodhart, and Dr. Drew Harris. Dr. Harris, who is also a former NJPHA president became a mentor to our current president, Dr. Jay Goldring. Read the stories of the Faces of Public Health in New Jersey and you will see the "Power of Mentoring" in public health.

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Would you like a Mentor?

The New Jersey Public Health Association has experts in virtually every field of public health and we would be happy to "hook you up" with a mentor. It may not only be a smart career move, but it may lead to one of the richest friendships that you ever had.

Tell us what field of public health you would like your mentor to be from or just ask for a mentor in public health in general.

Send an e-mail to, or contact:

Jay Goldring

Email: goldrij@wyeth.com
Telephone: 973-660-6239

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Would you like to be a Mentor to others?

We need mentors for people who are considering public health as a profession or are just starting out in the profession.

Examples of activities you can do as a mentor are as follows:

Casual lunches

Job shadowing days

Career counseling

Participation in NJPHA sponsored activities such as being invited to an Executive Board Meeting or serving on a conference planning committee together

Joint attendance at professional conferences and community meetings

Send an e-mail to Dr. Jim Brown at jbrown@ocean.edu and tell us what field of public health you are in and your interest in becoming a mentor.

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Helpful websites dealing with mentoring in Public Health

• The National Mentoring Program in Public Health (NMP) is a project of the Public Health Student Caucus (PHSC), which is in official relations with the American Public Health Association (APHA). Mentoring is a personalized approach to learning based on a personal and professional relationship between a learner (mentee) and a teacher (mentor).

• The Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI) Students at Booker T. Washington High School are provided with a year-round academic enrichment program for students, job shadowing, health fairs, and an extensive evaluation component.

• Tacoma Pierce County Health Dept. Health Occupations Promotion Program /Job Shadowing Project the program provides rotations throughout the health department or other contract agencies, including a local public health clinic.

• MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership a website dedicated to expanding the world of quality mentoring.

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Helpful literature dealing with mentoring in Public Health

• David L. DuBois, PhD, and Naida Silverthorn, PhD. Natural Mentoring Relationships and Adolescent Health: Evidence From a National Study. American Journal of Public Health March 2005, Vol 95, No. 3.

  Summary: These findings suggest a broad and multifaceted impact of mentoring relationships on adolescent health. However, mentoring relationships alone are not enough to meet the needs of at-risk youths and therefore should be incorporated into more comprehensive interventions.