Ophthalmologists take time to give back through mentorship
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Navigating any career can seem like a daunting process for a young professional, and doing so in a field as complex as ophthalmology is nearly impossible without guidance.
Mentors are there to give advice and guide young colleagues as they find their footing in a new career, Healio | OSN Associate Medical Editor Elizabeth Yeu, MD, said.
Source: Elizabeth Yeu, MD
“Someone who is willing to give true advice, honest advice, either solicited or unsolicited — as someone who just leads by example or is a mentor — is a precious and invaluable resource for a young ophthalmologist,” she said.
Like many physicians, Yeu said her first experience with mentorship was in residency training, but it went to the next level in her clinical fellowship under Douglas D. Koch, MD, at Baylor College of Medicine.
“That really helped me hone in and also expand my horizon in those subspecialties of refractive cataract surgery, anterior segment reconstruction as well as ocular surface disease,” she said. “It also opened my eyes to who they knew and their world outside the clinic. Through that mentorship, I could see their extracurricular professional lives and how they were able to impact and give back. Practicing ophthalmology has given me such an incredible life, and you want to give back.’”
Having a mentor is crucial as a young physician, Healio | OSN Associate Medical Editor Leon W. Herndon Jr., MD, said.
“I clearly could not be where I am today without the mentors I had surrounding me and supporting me,” he said. “Many times, those mentors had more confidence in me than I had in myself. It’s good to have someone who can be in your corner, who can put you in the right positions and connect you with the right people.”
As a fellow, Herndon leaned on mentors M. Bruce Shields, MD, and the late David L. Epstein, MD, and R. Rand Allingham, MD, as he focused on research early in his career. Their guidance helped him build a name for himself.
“My research captured national attention, and they helped me to get on the right programs and to get on the podium,” Herndon said. “Early in my career I was able to present my work on stage. I got more opportunities because of that, and now, I try to give back in my position with the new trainees coming through.”
Like Herndon, Dagny Zhu, MD, said she owes a lot of her success, particularly early in her career, to the help of her mentors.
“I’ve been in practice for 6 years, and to get where I am today, I owe it all to my mentors,” she said. “I wouldn’t be speaking on the podium or working with industry without the support of my mentors. When you’re starting out as a young surgeon, it’s really difficult to establish your reputation and to gain that experience while also having the insight of knowing what you want to do with your career and how to steer along that path. I’m very fortunate that my mentors opened those doors for me.”
Zhu said mentors can come from a lot of places and often hold leadership positions on program committees or medical advisory boards.
Some people have mentors even before they begin their medical career.
“When I think back, I had mentors even before I knew what the definition of a mentor was,” Healio | OSN Technology Board Member Sumitra S. Khandelwal, MD, said. “I’m thinking about the providers, physicians and even my own pediatrician, for example. You can start asking questions at a young age about what it means to be a physician and getting input from this. Certainly, through the high school and college process, you develop mentors, and some are formal mentors.”
Trainees have opportunities in medical school and residency to connect with formal mentors who can help guide them through their journey. Khandelwal said having an assigned mentor as part of a program is beneficial for people who might have a hard time making those kinds of connections on their own.
“Not everyone feels empowered to seek out mentorship,” she said. “Some people are just shy, and sometimes you just don’t get afforded the opportunity to directly work with experienced people who can guide you early on in schooling.”
Khandelwal said Baylor has a mentorship program in which she is matched with a resident early in their career, which is beneficial for the resident.
“They may have no idea what they’re doing or what subspecialty they are going into, and they might not even know who they’re going to be once they graduate,” she said. “There’s so much that can change in 4 or 5 years, but this is a starting point for them to connect with faculty early on.”
Residents have the opportunity to switch mentors once they get to know the faculty and have a better idea of where they want to go with their careers.
“I’ve had people request me as a mentor because they want to get into cornea but also because they had questions about work-life balance and knew that I had three kids and was married to a busy person,” she said. “One mentee told me, ‘I’m going to get a mentorship from subspeciality training and research training, but I’m not always going to be able to get mentorship on how to live and find work-life balance.”
Young physicians
When seeking mentorship, Zhu said it is important for young physicians to have clear goals and objectives. When they decide what they want to focus on, whether it is research or collaborating with industry, they can identify mentors who excel in that field and ask them specific questions.
“You just need to self-reflect about the tangible goals that you want to achieve within the next 5 years and who are the people who can potentially help you get to that point,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to people either at a meeting — which can honestly be intimidating — or through social media.”
Even though she is relatively early in her career, Zhu has already experienced a transition from the role of mentee to mentor. Because of her robust social media following, Zhu hears from a lot of young physicians who want her to show them the ropes. The ones who stick out have clear goals and pointed questions.
“They know who they are and generally what path they are headed,” she said. “They have a list of specific questions and challenges they are experiencing. They’ll even attach their CV and want to schedule a time to meet. You can’t just randomly contact a list of people and ask them to be your mentor. You have to be cognizant of what it is you want to do, what your skill set and expertise are, and what it is specifically that you want from your mentors.”
Once a young physician has a plan, Khandelwal said social media is a terrific way to connect with mentors. There are also organizations and groups within eye care societies that are designed to help young physicians find mentors.
“There are things like YoungMD Connect, which I think is a great platform to connect young people,” she said. “There are a lot of different opportunities with programs like Women in Ophthalmology to connect with mentors who might come from different subspecialties but still help you with your questions.”
Herndon urged younger physicians to step out of their comfort zone when they are targeting a seasoned ophthalmologist for mentorship.
“It’s important for us old people to be approachable because a lot of times, at these national meetings, we can come across as being intimidating,” he said. “More and more subspecialty organizations have young ophthalmologist committees. They can sort of break down those barriers to put the young people in the same room with the older, wiser people. If you’re a trainee or someone just starting practice and you want to find out more from those you hold in high regard, be bold.”
Female mentorship
Yeu said mentorship is particularly important for women who seek it out, and she has always welcomed sharing how she has navigated the opportunities and challenges along the way, recognizing that there are different sacrifices women will have to consider making along their professional trajectory.
“Women come to me all the time and ask, ‘Is it possible?’” she said. “Yes. It is possible to have children and slow down. You don’t have to do everything. But at the same time, it is possible to have children and not give up the other side if you desire to continue the track of teaching or extra-professional activities. I’ve always wanted to empower women in both ways and demonstrate that both can be done. It’s really up to each doctor and what they choose to do if their surroundings allow them to.”
Yeu said she was fortunate that she could put her trust in extended family if she had to be away for a conference. There were also times when she brought her children and made the time to be with them when traveling for work.
“I knew there was this balance,” she said. “I could give one or two talks, but then I’m going to spend the core of my time with my family instead of giving a handful of talks. There was always a possibility that it would be costly for me professionally, but that’s what was important for me. Regardless, though, the effort placed in what you commit to is essential as this is what will define the overall merit, your brand and perceived work ethic.”
Zhu has felt fortunate to have mentor-mentee relationships with other women in ophthalmology because of the disparities that women face in the specialty.
“We’re still underrepresented, as in many specialties,” she said. “There’s still a large gap when it comes to pay and when it comes to leadership positions. Having these female mentors in particular, who are in these very few and coveted leadership positions, can elevate the women around them for the next generation.”
Potential mentors
After experiencing the benefits of mentorship, Zhu tries to pay it forward to the next generation, both in person and online through social media.
“I often get a lot of premeds and medical students messaging me and seeking mentorship because a lot of these trainees come from smaller programs that don’t necessarily have access to a lot of mentors,” she said. “To be able to give back to them has been a great privilege. When someone is more local, I try to invite them out to my clinic so they can shadow me.”
Zhu feels there is a misconception that an ophthalmologist needs to teach in academia to be a mentor.
“I have someone with me almost every week, which is something I never thought I would be able to do in private practice,” she said. “Private practice has really given me ample opportunities for mentorship and educating the next generation.”
Whether it is through a direct relationship or her time on the podium, Yeu feels great satisfaction using her time to teach other physicians. She knows that her expertise can help trainees and peers alike.
“That part of mentorship can be very fulfilling because you realize that you are able to not only impact your fellow doctors but you are helping patients from far away,” she said. “That gem or surgical pearl can go on and on through others teaching it as well. If that opportunity opens itself up, it is very fulfilling to dedicate time to educate other peers at any stage of their career.”
While teaching and sharing surgical techniques are a critical part of a mentor’s job, Herndon said it is just as important to pass along life experiences to the next generation. Taking tomorrow’s physicians and experts under his wing has always been an important goal for Herndon.
“I really can’t imagine doing this job without bringing on the next generation,” he said. “It’s so crucial to imprint upon them what I’ve learned and what I’ve been blessed to impart on my patients. I had such a nurturing experience as a fellow, and my mentors felt that I had what it took to be an academic physician. I’ll never forget that.
“I have experience training more than 90 fellows and hundreds of residents, and I try to use that as a basis. I have a good sense now of who is going to do a good job on their rotations and take care of their patients. Based on my experience of doing this for 28 years, I think it’s really important to use my life experiences to guide those coming behind me.”
Because she recently made the jump from mentee to mentor, Zhu said she was able to take a lot of lessons from her role models to become a better mentor herself, which she admits is not an easy job.
“It’s so hard to be a great mentor because it takes a lot of time and you have to consciously want it,” she said. “My reflex is often to tell potential mentees who reach out that I’m just too busy. However, when I get inquisitive mentees who ask the right questions, it honestly motivates me, and it energizes me to want to teach them. You also start to realize how much of an impact you’re having on these individuals.”
Zhu urges potential mentors to keep an open mind. Although time might seem tight, the experience is worth the effort.
“Look out for those mentees who are at a higher level who go above and beyond,” she said. “If you focus on the ones where you can really make a difference and take them under your wing, you’ll find that it becomes a win-win situation because it can make you realize how much you love teaching.”
- For more information:
- Leon W. Herndon Jr., MD, of Duke Eye Center in North Carolina, can be reached at leon.herndon@duke.edu.
- Sumitra S. Khandelwal, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, can be reached at sumitra.khandelwal@bcm.edu.
- Elizabeth Yeu, MD, of Virginia Eye Consultants, can be reached at eyeulin@gmail.com.
- Dagny Zhu, MD, of HyperSpeed LASIK, an NVISION Eye Center, in Rowland Heights, California, can be reached at dagny.zhu@gmail.com.
Click here to read the point/counter, "Who was your mentor, and what did they teach you?"
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