Building bridges: The power of near-peer mentorship in hepatology

Mentorship is paramount for success in academic medicine, impacting personal and professional growth. Traditional mentorship forms the backbone of mentorship in academic medicine and has many benefits including perspective and sponsorship opportunities. Traditional mentorship, however, has some limitations, especially for individuals at smaller institutions or those traditionally underrepresented in medicine. Lateral mentorship with near peers is a potential adjunctive form of mentorship that can help fill these gaps. In this review, we provide a background on this non-traditional form of mentorship and highlight its distinct benefits and associated challenges. We also provide a case study of our experience with a dedicated group of near-peer mentors in hepatology. By sharing our perspective on near-peer mentorship we hope to expand the uptake and support of lateral mentorship programs within our field.