The Motivating INformed Decisions (MINDs) Program – The University of California San Francisco BEST program for career exploration

Abstract The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Motivating INformed Decisions (MIND) Program, funded by an NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) award, was an experiment in career development and exploration. MIND activities were organized around three aims: provide coursework for students and postdocs to develop the skills and tools they need to explore a variety of career paths; connect these trainees with MIND Program partners who are biomedical Ph.D.s to take a closer look at different careers; and assess the types of support and information faculty need to mentor trainees with diverse career interests and build resources to support faculty in these endeavors. We discuss these aims in more detail, providing information about the programmatic structure, insights from our trainees, partners and faculty, and resources developed. We also share what worked and what didn't as we developed the program, and explain how MIND will be sustained at UCSF.