EHA Mentorship Program

Apply to be a mentor

If you're ready to apply, submit your application on the EHA Portal by 12:00 (CET) on October 31, 2025. If you're not sure what information you need to provide, read our eligibility information and application guidance.

The call for mentees will open on December 8, 2025.

A career-focused program that provides individual mentoring support for early and mid-career clinicians and researchers in hematology. 

Why have we launched this program?

This program complements the existing training and support programs we already offer. 

It aims to: 

  • Give participants the opportunity to develop their full potential on a career-development level 
  • Accelerate progress and innovation in research and clinical practice 
  • Facilitate effective communication and international collaboration

Who is it for?

Mentees

Mentees are early and mid-career clinicians or researchers in hematology who:

  • Are in need of career development advice and guidance through individual mentorship
  • Have an MD or PhD degree
  • Are presently employed in the field or returning from a career break
  • Are based in Europe

Mentors

Mentors are mid to senior-level clinicians or researchers in hematology who are:

  • Willing to share their knowledge and experience through individual mentorship
  • Experienced in mentoring (some experience with being a mentor is preferred)
  • Based in Europe

Expertise areas/research fields can vary—as the program is focused on career development, the specialty area is less relevant.

Program format

The program focuses on pairing mentees with suitable mentors through an application-based system. The program is non-pecuniary. 

Application phase

The program has two application phases. 

  1. Mentor application phase. Candidates apply and are reviewed for suitability by the EHA Mentorship Program subgroup. They are then presented as selectable mentors during the second phase.
  2. Mentee application phase. Candidates apply and are reviewed by the EHA Mentorship Program subgroup. During application, they’re asked to select their top five preferred mentors from a list of mentors. Candidates can also suggest mentors. If these individuals are deemed suitable, they’ll be asked to join the mentor pool.

Once the application phases are complete, mentees are paired with mentors by our EHA Mentorship subgroup, based on preferences and suitability. 

Matching process

The matching (pairing) and mentorship aims to match broad career paths and suitability rather than specific scientific interests.

The matches are made by the subgroup, based on several criteria and information provided during the application process.

Criteria

The following criteria are taken into consideration.

  • Pairs cannot be from the same institute.
  • Pairs can work in the same country.
  • Pairs are ideally not in the same research field, unless a preference for this is indicated by both.
  • A mentor can have up to two mentees assigned (if agreed upon by the mentor).

How the subgroup matches mentors and mentees

The subgroup goes through the following process.

1. Soft skills

The soft skills selected during the application are compared. This means:

  • The soft skills required by the mentee
  • The soft skills that mentors feel comfortable mentoring in

The more soft skills ‘match,’ the higher the chance of being paired.

2. Mentor preference

The mentors listed as preferred or suggested to invite are considered first.

3. Research field

The subgroup considers whether either the mentee or mentor has indicated a preference for someone from the same research field.

4. Clinician/researcher status

If a mentor is not on the mentee’s list (e.g. because their chosen mentors are already assigned or have better matches with other mentees) the subgroup will check if they’re a clinician or researcher.

5. Discussion and notification

The subgroup discusses the suggested matches before making a final decision, at which point pairs are notified by the EHA office.

Review

Matches are reviewed after the first meeting at the EHA Congress. At any time, either the mentee or the mentor can contact the EHA office if a match is not working.

Sessions and meetings

The program will be kick-started by an online training session/workshop, led by a career development expert.

Over the course of twelve months, the pairs will have a minimum of four one-hour meetings. The first meeting will take place face-to-face at the EHA Congress and will be facilitated by EHA. The other meetings can be held online and can be arranged according to the pair’s schedules. (Only notifying EHA of these meetings is mandatory.)

Additional calls/meetings can be organized by the pairs independently during the year, to achieve their mentoring goals. 

For more details, see the program overview page. 

Key dates

Below is the timeline for the 2026 program. 

  • Call for mentors opens: August 27, 2025.
  • Deadline for call for mentors: October 31, 2025 (12:00 CET).
  • Mentor acceptance notifications issued: December 1-5, 2025.
  • Call for mentees opens: December 8, 2025.
  • Deadline for call for mentees: February 19, 2026 (15:00 CET).
  • Mentee acceptance notifications issued: March 16–20, 2026.
  • Pairing/matching notifications issued: April 6-10, 2026.
  • Training session: May 2026.
  • EHA Congress meeting: June 2026.
Share