Conceptualizing systemic mentorship for equitable education in public health: multi-directional, mutually beneficial, and holistic networks of care

Jonathan Garcia^1*Ashley Vaughn¹Cynthia M. Mojica¹Gabby Chavez Tista¹Serena Brown¹Stephanie K Grutzmacher²

• ¹College of Health, Oregon State University, Corvallis, United States
• ²School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, The University of Arizona, Tucson, United States

Mentorship is essential to educating and supporting students, faculty, staff, and community members, especially in fields like public health that emphasize relationship building and community engagement. However, traditional concepts of mentorship often reinforce hierarchical, one-directional knowledge transfer between mentors and mentees, overlooking the system of relationships that may better honor the holistic assets and needs of learners. To address these limitations, we provide a conceptual analysis of systemic mentorship, which expands the mentorship paradigm in two ways. First, systemic mentorship challenges hierarchical and individualistic mentorship models by grounding itself in critical pedagogy and public health values, such as equity, social justice, and collective responsibility. Second, systemic mentorship emphasizes networks of care, which redistribute the labor and responsibility of mentorship across a community of educators, students, and community members, supporting holistic well-being and addressing structural barriers that affect persistence and success. For systemic mentorship to function equitably, it must be embedded in and supported by institutional cultures and policies that prioritize relationship-building through advancement metrics, professional development, time, and other resources. We illustrate this approach through our Equity Matters Community of Practice and explore its alignment with public health essential services, CEPH foundational competencies, and ASPPH's Framing the Future 2030 initiative. Considering the recent politicization of public health infrastructure, funding cuts for health equity, and executive orders that exacerbate historical trauma among many of the communities we represent and serve, systemic mentorship offers a path for public health education to facilitate relationships of trust and care and uphold its core principles with integrity.