Student Health Law Association (SHLA), with support from the Center for Law, Health and Society, recently launched a peer mentoring program to foster meaningful student connections while providing health law specific educational opportunities for SHLA members. The student’s response to a virtual pilot mentoring program in spring of 2020 was overwhelmingly positive.
“With COVID-19, many students felt disconnected. We wanted new first year students to be able to connect with 2L and 3L students and with each other even if remote,” said Jennifer Stroble (J.D./M.S.H.A. ’23), a member of the SHLA executive board who has been leading the mentoring effort.
The 2021-2022 mentoring class kicked off last year with 18 mentees, doubling the size of the 2021 spring pilot program. First year students interested in health law were connected to 2L or 3L student mentors with similar interests. The program started with a kick-off event including mentor introductions, a short training on best practices in mentoring and an overview of the expectations for the year.
“We wanted new students to feel they knew one person they could go to with questions,” said Stroble. “The training provided guidance for how to make the most of the mentoring relationship.”
Through the program, mentors helped mentees navigate law school and explore health law opportunities. Activities included lunch panels and health law Q&A sessions in which mentees could learn about scheduling, course registration, balancing workloads in law school, and exam tips.
In response to a survey evaluating the program, mentees stated that some of the program highlights were “getting to meet someone outside of my class,” and “the positivity and support [the program] provided.”
Benefits of the new program extended to the mentors as well. A 2021 mentor stated that they appreciated “having the opportunity to give back by providing knowledge and wisdom to someone from another class.” They also enjoyed connecting with students in other classes.
In the future, the mentoring program hopes to connect 3L students with health law certificate alumni and local practicing health law attorneys serving as mentors.
The SHLA executive board is excited to launch another great mentoring class for 2022-2023.