Abstract
Launching an academic career in cardiology can be challenging. Mentorship has long been considered a core component in the academic career advancement of trainees across different disciplines and career stages, including cardiovascular disease. But simply having a mentor may not be sufficient to embark on a successful academic journey in cardiology. In this paper, we share advice on starting a research career in cardiology from both the mentee and mentor viewpoints. These perspectives reflect academic career guidance models developed at the Johns Hopkins Center for Mobile Technologies to Achieve Equity in Cardiovascular Health, which is funded by an American Heart Association Strategic Focused Network grant, to emphasize training. Core principles include encouraging mentees to develop a unique professional identity cultivated by a diverse, collaborative, and effective mentorship and sponsorship team.