Targeted Support for Careers in Medicine and Research: New Mentoring Program Launched
The Magdeburg School of Medicine supports young physicians and researchers in their career paths.
With a kickoff event on June 16, 2026, the School of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg launched a new mentoring program for clinicians and medical scientists. The program is aimed at young physicians who conduct research alongside their clinical work, as well as scientists in medical research. The goal is to provide targeted support to the next generation of scientists on their path to a successful academic career and to create long-term opportunities in research and university medicine.
Individual Support and Strong Networks
The mentoring program is based on three central pillars. At its core is individualized mentoring, in which experienced scientists guide participants in their career planning. This is complemented by regular networking meetings that promote exchange between clinical and experimental research. Targeted workshops on topics such as securing third-party funding, leadership skills, and work-life balance round out the program.
“With this mentoring program, we are creating a sustainable structure to support outstanding minds on their path to cutting-edge research and retain them in the long term,” said the Associate Dean for Early-Career Development and Equal Opportunity, Prof. Dr. Dr. Anne Albrecht, at the program’s launch.
Dr. Katja Mittrenga, an external speaker, coach, and supervisor, provided a professional keynote address to kick off the event. In her presentation, she highlighted the prerequisites for successful mentoring relationships and the importance of good collaboration between mentors and mentees. “Mentoring doesn’t happen automatically. It requires openness, mutual trust, and a good match so that a successful learning and development relationship can emerge,” emphasized Dr. Mittrenga.
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Photo: Working together to support early-career researchers: At the launch of the new mentoring program at the Magdeburg School of Medicine, the following speakers provided information (from left): Dr. Anna Orlikowski, Officer for Equality, Diversity, and Young Researchers’ Development; Dean Prof. Daniela Dieterich; Prof. Anne Albrecht, Associate Dean for Young Researchers’ Development and Equal Opportunity; Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Braun-Dullaeus, Director of the Department of Cardiology and Angiology; and external coach and supervisor Dr. Katja Mittrenga provided information on the program’s goals and content. Photographer: Melitta Schubert/Magdeburg University Medical Center
Investing in the Next Generation of Academic Medicine
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Daniela C. Dieterich, emphasized the strategic importance of the program for the future of Magdeburg as a research hub and for the promotion of early-career researchers in academic medicine as a whole. As a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Medical Faculties (MFT), she is actively involved in the discussion regarding modern career paths for physicians engaged in scientific work and researchers nationwide: “Supporting the next generation of scientists is a central mission of university medicine in Germany. At the Association of Medical Faculties, we are engaged in intensive discussions on how we can make scientific careers in university medicine more attractive in order to support outstanding scientists in further developing their ideas and thereby drive cutting-edge medical innovations. With the Clinician & Medical Scientist Program, we are putting this commitment into practice here in Magdeburg and creating attractive development opportunities for the next generation of medical researchers—made possible in part by the base funding that the State of Saxony-Anhalt provides to our university medical center.”
At the get-together that followed, mentors and mentees took the opportunity to engage in personal exchanges and laid the groundwork for collaboration in the coming months.
This structured mentoring is part of the Basic Clinician & Medical Scientist Program (B-CMSP) offered by the Faculty of Medicine. The program is aimed in particular at physicians with a Ph.D. who are in specialty training, as well as early-career researchers in the fields of basic medical research, translational research, and health services research. The goal is to systematically develop scientific, methodological, and career-related skills and to strengthen the link between research and patient care in the long term.
Further information can be found here.
Contact
Dr. phil. Anna Orlikowski, Officer for Equality, Diversity, and Early-Career Development, Tel.: +49 391 6725558, anna.orlikowski@med.ovgu.de