ABSTRACT
A mentor has been described as an influential and trusted counsellor, guide, teacher, coach or supporter. Through sharing expertise, a mentor contributes to the development of a mentee in personal and professional capacities. This chapter focuses on the 'functional mentoring' that can surround a global health elective experience, including how to initiate, foster and evaluate those relationships. Mentors can play a pivotal role in post-return debriefing, where discussion can highlight successes, regrets and learning areas. Proper facilitation of this stage can increase the likelihood of trainees to pursue elements of a global health career and fostering a global state of mind. As a trainee, it can be useful to understand the various models of mentorship that exist in different institutions. Global health mentors can come from multiple fields and will not necessarily be found exclusively within the faculty base. The personal and fluctuating nature of mentorship makes evaluation difficult and subjective.
