Transcending hierarchies: mentorship as reciprocal growth

This themed issue about mentorship includes nine articles and three reflections on practice. Mentorship of faculty, students, policy makers, and each other is at the core of academic development activities. The papers in this issue explore several themes, including benefits of mentorship for academics’ teaching and research, as well as for the work of academic developers. The contributions emphasize the mutual benefits for both mentees and mentors, highlighting the importance of trust, reciprocity, and care. The development of a conceptual understanding of mentoring practices as ‘eye-to-eye interactions’ helps unearth pathways towards building connections that nurture everyone’s voice, empowerment, and growth.