Mentorship is the theme of the opening plenary session of the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM). The dedication of mentors in providing support, guidance and inspiration is key to the success of all in academic medicine and should be recognized.

At this session, participants will hear ideas not only about how best to make mentorship work but also about how to make mentorship matter to Faculties and become an important aspect of promotion and tenure at our universities.

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the impact of mentorship in academic medicine.
2. Maximize mentorship and sponsorship opportunities.
3. Consider how to better value mentorship in promotion processes.