What are others saying?

“Mentorship has been the cornerstone of my development not only as a physician, but also as a military officer. I met my mentor during deployment. He told me it wasn’t too late to pursue my dream of becoming a physician even at age 32 with a family. He stayed in touch over the years ensuring I followed through on my dream. I thought the door had closed for me.  Without my mentor, I wouldn’t have thought it possible.  He’s perhaps the greatest mentor I’ve had because he made me believe I could do it.”

“As a 3rd year medical student who developed an interest in my field, I was intimidated to be applying to the match in a field that was highly sought after. My mentor helped me pinpoint my specific interests, offered support and connected me with her network as I navigated the application cycle. She spoke encouragement over me as I went through interviews, had doubts, and eventually matched. Her support made me feel as if I truly had someone on my team. I’m confident that I would not be where I am today without her support!”

“My relationship with my mentor has been instrumental in my development as a competent and confident doctor.  When she became faculty during my residency, she was the 1st African American woman in our department. It was very important to me to have someone who looked like me and had done what I aspired to do in the department.   She provided an example consistently reviewing evidence-based practice in the clinical setting.  I try to do the same for my residents when working with them.”

“My mentor and a few others began connecting me with some of their contacts throughout the country, which led to several job interviews and opportunities. My mentor knew me very well as a person and strategically connected me with individuals who I had shared interests with on my interview trail, and her guidance was invaluable as I navigated that entire process.”

“My mentor has been a lifeline and a saving grace. I’ve faced numerous adversities throughout medical school thus far and in one season, I was struggling to pass standardized exams. My mentor and I had a conversation and she immediately started firing off resources she knew could help my situation. I was in crisis mode and my mentor responded by going the extra mile to personally connect me to the resources she named. Because of her passion for mentorship and her advocating on my behalf, I was able to get the help I needed to be successful on my exams and continue my journey to becoming a physician.”

“As a mother navigating a busy residency with young child, I appreciated the advice of female faculty mentors who helped me integrate both worlds-medicine and motherhood. They checked in on me often and their kind words were healing to me.  Now as a faculty mentor to residents with children, I apply those same principles in mentorship.”

“I am blessed to have the opportunity to continue to build my network of mentors who provide unique viewpoints and recommendations based on their own experiences. This allows me to absorb larger amounts of information that I can draw upon when approaching the decision-making process and provides me with a pool of knowledge that I continue to apply to daily practice even today.”

“Initially, my mentor helped me in academic writing, which led to me becoming a reviewer for Fertility and Sterility and a Star Reviewer in 2023. Through further recognition in research and grant funding, I was invited to be a member of the ASRM Education Committee. This national position has allowed me to be a voice for change in REI education.”

“My mentor in medical school helped me formulate a research question and guided me through the process of turning a question into a project and then into a paper. This provided me important background knowledge on how to now compose and write up clinical research in residency.”

“Throughout all aspects of my medical career, mentorship has played a key role in my development into a physician. My mentors have been able to provide me with guidance throughout my decisions on my career path, and leading me through the various stages of research. In fellowship, one of my mentors was very encouraging and provided the perfect amount of autonomy and guidance in the development of a research project in the field of DEI. That balance of guidance and encouragement/autonomy allowed me to become confident in my skills in academia.”