Careers in Hematology
Finding the right mentor: the "passion factor"
By Robert Todd, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Todd is currently a Professor of Internal Medicine and Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Michigan.
George Moore (surgical oncologist and former Director, Roswell Park Memorial Institute) with his habitual green surgical scrubs and white coat (he was nicknamed "the Green Hornet") was a larger-than-life role model who introduced a high school student to the "gee whiz" wonderment of medical research. Bertha Bouroncle (Ohio State hematologist who coined the diagnostic term "hairy cell leukemia") was a petite dynamo of intense energy who taught a college kid what it meant to devote your heart and soul to a career of laboratory science targeted to clinical hematology (who, when she caught me flirting with her secretary, admonished me with the words, "Oh Rob, you must be married to medicine."). Harold Silberman (Duke hematologist and leukemia expert) was a master clinician who taught a medical student the art of "bedside medicine" at the highest level and inspired a life-long love for patient care. Bernard Amos (Duke immunologist) was a gentle giant in the field of histocompatibility and taught a graduate student to think like a scientist and to know what it meant to have "scientific integrity." Gideon Berke was a Duke visiting scientist from Israel who, with the intensity of a drill sergeant, taught a graduate student how to plan experiments, critically evaluate data, and write, in the most painstaking fashion, clear and precise scientific prose. Stuart Schlossman (Harvard immunologist/hematologist), an innovator in the field of leukocyte biology, provided a postdoctoral fellow and junior faculty member with the guidance, resources, environment, and freedom to develop into an independent medical scientist.
What did these individuals have in common? They were my most influential role models and mentors who were passionate about their love of medicine and science. Most significantly for me, they transferred their passion to me and, collectively, to hundreds of other trainees who were fortunate to learn from them. According to a dictionary definition, passion is "an intensive emotional upheaval or excitement"1. This passion is an essential quality of a successful mentor. As most readers are well aware, there are many impediments and disincentives for individuals who are contemplating careers in academic medicine2: crippling financial debt from undergraduate, graduate, and/or medical education and the lure of higher compensation from private practice; the challenge to get funded by granting agencies (particularly for young investigators); uncertainties about advancement and promotion in academic medicine; and for clinical investigators, the struggle to find "protected time" to conduct research and the burden of increasing regulation governing human subjects research. Simply put, passion for medical science is the major motivation that drives a young scientist to succeed despite these adversities. People may be born with other essential qualities that define a successful medical scientist (not the least of which are creativity and intellectual curiosity), but I believe that passion is an acquired trait that is inspired by role models and mentors. Accordingly, trainees who are seeking to launch careers in biomedical science should be on the lookout for mentors who project and transmit their "intensive emotional upheaval [and] excitement" about science and medicine.
References:
- Lewis WD, Canby HS, Brown KT (eds). The Winston Dictionary, College Edition, P.F. Collier and Son Publishers, New York, 1939; p709.
- Sung NS, Crowley WF, Genel M, et al. Central challenges facing the national clinical research enterprise. JAMA 2003; 289:1278-1287.
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ASH Launches Unique Clinical Research Training Institute
By James N. George, M.D., and Beverly Mitchell, M.D.
Drs. George and Mitchell are co-course directors for the second annual ASH Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI).
Mary Ann Knovich, M.D., a faculty member at Wake Forest University, came to the inaugural ASH Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI) wide-eyed and anxious to explore her interests in nonmalignant hematology - specifically, bleeding and clotting disorders - and TTP. Designed for hematology fellows and junior faculty members at academic medical centers, the CRTI is a unique, intensive, year-long experience offering highly-concentrated exposure to patient-oriented clinical research in hematology and an opportunity to establish critical networking, mentoring, and follow-up structures that will help participants achieve individual research and career development goals. This select group of CRTI participants was asked to prepare project proposals for fellow attendees and course faculty to review. Dr. Knovich sought to answer the research question: In patients with thrombotic microangiopathy, does clinical outcome differ significantly in those with and without ADAMTS13 deficiency?
"[The CRTI] helped with statistical considerations and direct goals for my project - particularly with specific end points to be measured," says Dr. Knovich. "Another goal I had was to meet other hematologists in the field, particularly my peers finishing up fellowship and more established faculty/mentors in the field. This was particularly helpful because the course faculty gave sound advice by discussing experiences with their own research, including information about their difficulties and successes."
Individual attention was given to her project at small group working sessions, where Dr. Knovich received specific feedback and direction from Dr. George and two other course participants. Dr. Knovich's hypothesis was that ADAMTS13 deficiency predicts a more favorable clinical outcome (as measured by time to complete remission and overall survival) in patients who present with a clinical diagnosis of thrombotic microangiopathy.
In addition to the individual mentoring activities at CRTI, the course helped some participants determine the right qualities in a project mentor. It helped others to make the most out of relationships with current mentors. Dr. Knovich recognizes that her mentor will be someone who can keep her on track during dealings with the institutional review board (essential for obtaining a research grant) and keep her focused on the research, while balancing clinical and teaching responsibilities.
"Instead of trying to find the one perfect mentor, the faculty stressed that we try to identify the strengths of the people around us. And if we can identify these strengths, we can figure out what specifically applies to us and use them toward our research and career goals."
To further support career development in clinical research, the inaugural trainee group met again at the 2003 ASH Annual Meeting and then in Washington, D.C., on May 1, 2004. At the May 1st meeting, the trainees gave presentations on research progress and discussed how to continue to communicate and support each other's careers.
For more information about the CRTI, please visit the ASH Web site.
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