Annual faculty awards: Pooneh Bagher, PhD

Pooneh Bagher, PhD, will be a recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Junior Faculty Award during the UNMC Faculty Senate annual meeting on April 16. The award recognizes faculty who exemplify excellence in the mentoring of junior faculty at UNMC.

• Name: Pooneh Bagher, PhD
• Title:  Associate professor, UNMC Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, UNMC College of Medicine, and director, Vascular Research Program
• Joined UNMC: May 2022
• Hometown: Houston, Texas

What are the greatest rewards of mentoring other faculty members?

The greatest reward of mentoring is not only seeing your mentees achieve their goals but also seeing their individual growth and development throughout the process.

Can you describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right occupation?

In retrospect, I can look back at my career and see specific situations where I realized I was picking the right occupation. As a graduate student, I mentored a few undergraduate students in the lab. When one graduated and headed off to medical school, he gave me a stuffed megaphone that said “Cheerleader” on it. He said it was because I always supported him and cheered him on in the lab. It was a small gesture, but makes you realize that your actions can really impact people in a positive way. No one is perfect, but I strive to support people in reaching their goals and try to leave a positive impact.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a mentor?

One of the biggest challenges of mentoring is knowing that sometimes, no matter how much you want to help or protect your mentees from hardship, your mentees still will have to go through some tough times. In those difficult times, I think it is important to continuously be there for your mentees and be a sounding board so they can build the skills necessary to face their own challenges as they move forward.

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

With my mentees, I try to learn their short and long terms goals, their dreams and aspirations, and what motivates them to keep moving forward. I think you know you have been a successful mentor when your mentees reach out with an indescribable joy to tell you about their latest accomplishment. Knowing that they have achieved what they set their mind to is more fulfilling than any personal accomplishment, in particular, when, as a mentor, you have seen their continued dedication and sacrifice firsthand.