Mentorship Success Story
EOH Mentoring Program off to Strong Start
How time flies. I will never forget my first EOH assembly meeting, when I sat in the back of a crowded room in Orlando listening to the legends in the field let loose on their successes and concerns. That was 2004. I've been to everyone since and truly look forward to them. What I like the most is seeing the connections between newer members and 'veterans' form and grow. Knowing that this was pivotal in my own development, I accepted the 2010 invitation of Dr. Mark Eisner, Assembly Chair at that time, to start a formal mentoring program within EOH. Though still emerging, the program has been a hit thus far, with over a dozen mentor-mentee pairs established and more forming as the program gains attention upon its early success.
Besides the fun within the challenge of forming the program (with notable kudos to EOH's Dr. Sandra Wells for so much insight along the way), my greatest pleasure has been my own match with Dr. Kerri Johannson of the University of Calgary. As if a sign, Kerri contacted me for advice just weeks before the mentoring program was to be formally announced within EOH. I was thrilled, and flattered, that someone as talented as she would seek my perspective. Again, how time flies . . . Since establishing our match, we've met at last year's Assembly meeting in Denver, had numerous productive emails, and I feel great to know that I can help sort out some of Kerri's very reasonable questions about the "nitty gritty" of an early career in EOH. Realistically, sometimes it takes a relationship like this to allow the space for some basic, but critical, questions to be asked. The highlight for me so far came when Kerri emailed me at the onset of the ERS Annual Congress in Amsterdam in September, with some questions. Wow - we both happened to be there, allowing for a pleasant coffee break in person, where we caught up on her decision-making and plans.
The time is now! The EOH mentoring programs needs more mentors and mentees (some individuals function as both!)
If you haven't yet joined the mentoring program, please do so via http://www.thoracic.org/members/assemblies/assemblies/eoph/mentoring-program. It's really easy, trust me! If you have, keep it up. We all know how important these connections can and will be.
Thank you
Christopher Carlsten, MD, MPH
Chair, Early Faculty and Fellow Working Group
