This national award recognizes her exceptional contributions to mentorship and her innovative approaches that have significantly impacted the next generation of clinical and translational researchers.
Dr. McAlearney's work has had lasting impact on the mentorship landscape in health care. Her early influential research study, "Exploring Mentoring and Leadership Development in Health Care Organizations: Experience and Opportunities," shed critical light on the challenges and opportunities in mentoring within health systems. Through in-depth interviews with 160 health care leaders and a nationwide survey of over 800 hospital CEOs, the study highlighted the limited use of formal mentoring programs in health care. This research underscored the need for organizational commitment and provided actionable strategies for building sustainable mentoring cultures.
In parallel to her scholarly work, Dr. McAlearney has been a committed mentor to countless trainees and junior faculty. Her leadership has directly contributed to the advancement of clinical and translational research, with mentees who have gone on to make significant scientific contributions.
“Mentoring is not only about guiding individual careers, but also about shaping the future of our health care systems through leadership and development,” said Dr. McAlearney. “I’m honored to receive this award, which acknowledges the value of mentorship as a tool for excellence in science.”
The ACTS Distinguished Educator Award: Mentorship Innovation celebrates Dr. McAlearney's outstanding contributions and her dedication to fostering the next generation of clinical and translational researchers. Congratulations to Dr. McAlearney for earning this prestigious award!
Julie Johnson, PharmD, is the Director and Principal Investigator at The Ohio State University Clinical and Translational Science Institute.