S1324
Interdisciplinary - Education in radiation oncology
ESTRO 206
769 The ESTRO Lung Mentorship Program: Evaluation Nine Months After Implementation Selma Ben Mustapha 1 , Samuel M Vorbach 2 , Marzia Cerrato 3 , Marco Galaverni 4 , François Lucia 5 , Fabio Ynoe de Moraes 6 , Hongcheng Zhu 7 , Corinne Faivre-Finn 8 , Ben J Slotman 9 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. 2 Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. 3 Radiation Oncology Unit, Department of Oncology, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy. 4 Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiosurgery, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy. 5 Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital, Brest, France. 6 Department of Oncology, Queen’s University, Kingston ON, Canada. 7 Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University, Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. 8 Department of Clinical Oncology, the Christie NHS Trust & University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. 9 Department of Radiation Oncology, Amsterdam UMC, loc.VUmc, Amsterdam, Netherlands Purpose/Objective: The ESTRO Lung Mentorship Program supports the professional development of radiation oncologists in thoracic oncology. Building on prior ESTRO mentorship experience with positive outcomes [1], the initiative aims to enhance expertise and leadership in the field. We present the first program evaluation nine months after implementation. Material/Methods: A total of 42 mentees and 15 mentors applied. Thirty participants (15 mentors, 15 mentees) were enrolled, ensuring geographic and gender balance. The program included four online sessions on introduction, clinical expertise, research, and career/work–life balance. Participants met in person at ESTRO in May 2025 and were encouraged to maintain monthly meetings for 18 months. An online survey at 9 months assessed satisfaction, frequency and duration of one-to-one meetings, perceived gains, and impacts on research, engagement with professional societies, and career opportunities. Open-ended questions explored the ranking of professional goals, main challenges, and mentors’ perspective and development as coaches. Responses included 5-point Likert-scale items and free-text comments. Descriptive statistics summarized quantitative data; qualitative comments were thematically analysed. Results: Twenty-three of 30 participants responded (77%; 12 mentors, 11 mentees). Overall satisfaction with the online program averaged 4.3 among mentors (median 4) and 4.6 among mentees (median 5).Satisfaction with one-to-one mentoring received mean ratings of 4.2
from mentors (median 4) and 4.6 (median 5) from mentees. Each mentor–mentee pair had held three meetings on average (median 2), lasting 45–60 minutes.Among mentors, 91% were satisfied with their experience as mentors (median 4, mean 4); self- reported improvement in mentoring skills averaged 3.7 (median 4). Common challenges included scheduling and time-zone constraints.Among mentees, 90% reported improved clinical skills (median 3, mean 3.2), and all perceived enhanced expertise (median 4, mean 3.9). Improvement in communication was rated 2.8 (median 3) with patients and 3.6 (median 4) with colleagues. Reported impact on research and participation in professional societies both averaged 3.8 (median 4), and perceived enhancement in career opportunities averaged 3.7 (median 4).Mentees' key challenges included work-life balance, time pressure, and clinical workload.Most mentees ranked career progression, networking, and leadership skill improvement as top professional goals (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Top 3 most important topics in the program among the mentees. Conclusion: The ESTRO Lung Mentorship Program demonstrated strong engagement and clear benefits for both mentors and mentees. While longitudinal evaluation is warranted, these preliminary findings support further development of mentorship initiatives within ESTRO. References: [1] Petit SF, Portik D, Abravan A, Bertholet J, Callens D,
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