MENTORSHIP IN THE OF

DR. NATALIA KOROTKOVA

The work of a research lab in the basic science department of a medical school is to fill gaps in scientific knowledge. But an essential responsibility of a lab leader is to prepare the next generation of researchers.

Natalia Korotkova, PhD, of the UK College of Medicine Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics leads a lab studying the molecular mechanisms of infection caused by streptococci. At the same time, Dr. Korotkova mentors two graduate students who work as her research assistants, Nicholas Murner and Svetlana Zamakhaeva.

According to Dr. Korotkova, mentoring is a long-term commitment. “It’s a gradual development of skills, knowledge, and confidence, over four or five years,” she said. “That’s how you learn to develop a project, publish your findings, and get funding.”

Murner agreed. “Having a good mentor makes you a scientist,” he said. “You need someone to push you sometimes. And pull you in, sometimes, too, when you need it.”

Zamakhaeva has worked with Dr. Korotkova for over three years and offered an insightful metaphor. “A mentor is like a lighthouse,” a guard as well as a guide.

Mentorship is woven into daily work in Dr. Korotkova’s lab. “It is very rewarding to watch students grow developing their ideas and collaborating with each other,” Dr. Korotkova said. Even—or perhaps especially—when energy is low, mentorship is essential. “Negative results can really do that,” Zamakhaeva said. “But Natalia just says ‘well, we need to think about it. Negative results are valuable. They could lead to big discoveries.’”