Outstanding faculty: Joseph Siu, PhD

Joseph Siu, PhD, an associate professor of physical therapy education in the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions, will receive the Outstanding Mentor of Graduate Students Award during today's annual faculty meeting, which begins online at 3 p.m. It will be held virtually via Zoom, and the passcode is 2021.

Joseph Siu, PhD

• Name: Ka-Chun (Joseph) Siu, PhD 
• Title: Associate professor and director of Global Health Opportunities Program, UNMC Division of Physical Therapy Education, Department of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Allied Health Professions 
• Joined UNMC: 2009 
• Hometown: Hong Kong 

What are the greatest rewards of mentoring graduate students?  

They are "the growth," "the success" and "the independence" exemplified from all my mentored graduate students. Their successful growth to be an independent thinker, a problem solver and a meticulous scientist are the best encouragement for me to serve as a graduate mentor endlessly and unweariedly. Sometimes, it is great to realize when my graduate students are better than me.

Describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right profession.  

Wherever you can make an impact on individual lives and futures, you should be at the right place in your career. You can maximize your ability and interest to guide others and to lead as an example. As a graduate mentor, I can show my perseverance and passion in scientific contribution. I can share my knowledge and experience with my graduate students. UNMC is the right place for me to make an impact on students’ lives.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a mentor?  

Different graduate students have their own learning paths and characters. Tailoring your mentoring strategy could be challenging. As a mentor, I carefully pay attention to the academic progression and growth of my mentored graduate students. It is not easy to decide when the research outcome is ready for dissemination. Clear guidance must be given to my graduate students and to form the "lesson learned" moment. Being a mentor is not easy, and being a good one is even harder. I would characterize a good mentor as one who is adaptive, flexible and tenacious.

How do you know when you’ve been successful as a mentor? 

Mentoring graduate students requires a mentor to be adaptable based on the individual differences and interests. Learning progression needs to be periodically scrutinized and able to make flexible changes if graduate students are lagging or outperforming. Although it is challenging, I would be firm to redirect my graduate students’ learning progression and to provide alternatives when the progression is not going as planned. Graduate students are initially at the N.I.C.E. stage; they have No clear Idea what to pursue and are Confused about their career paths but willing to Explore options. As a mentor, I always provide persistent guidance and clear advice. As the graduate students move forward, they should reach the M.I.C.E. stage; they will think Meticulously and Independently, and they will be well-Communicated and fully Engaged. I am sure that I am providing a positive and effective mentoring experience when my graduate students have made a successful transition from N.I.C.E. to M.I.C.E.