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I was getting ready to round a few days ago, when a curious notification came up on my calendar, @dianebwayne @McGawGME @NUFeinbergMed @NMHheartdoc.
...An Outlook calendar mystery about mentorship for new faculty, and 4 fabulous questions guiding academic promotion! (1/X)
...An Outlook calendar mystery about mentorship for new faculty, and 4 fabulous questions guiding academic promotion! (1/X)
The calendar notification instructed me to "Look up in Evernote "Diane Wayne's Advice" " ... I generally do what my calendar tells me to do. Life is simpler that way. (2/X)
In that evernote, I found an email @dianebwayne had sent me 5 years ago to the day. It turned out to be a treasure. In an act of foresight, 5 years ago I created a calendar reminder for just this day... (3/X)
For context: 5 yrs ago I was switching from an investigator track, recognizing my heart wasn’t in basic science anymore. I was dragging my feet on resubmitting my K; I was listless in lab. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew it was no longer the bench … (4/X)
Five years ago, I was shifting gears. Like a clutch in neutral, the engine was revving but the wheels weren’t turning. I was looking for that next gear, that next chapter, that next challenge and focus. (5/X)
Changing tracks is a fraught moment in the career of young faculty. You feel like you failed. You feel like you wasted time. You feel like you could have been doing something else. (6/X)
In that moment we are all vulnerable. Sure we can figure things out on our own, but goodness does it help to have trusted mentors like @dianebwayne and @NMHheartdoc in the picture! (7/X)
For example, in a profound act of humility and kindness that I will never forget, when it was time to have “The Dreaded Career Talk” in 2015 with my chief @NMHheartdoc — he came to MY office, not the other way around. That’s the type of leader he is. (8/X)
Back to @dianebwayne’s email. It went on to read: (9/X)
These 4 questions really helped and challenged me to think about what I wanted, and how I was going to get there. I’m not sure I had the answers in 2015, but I was making my way toward them. Here are my answers: (10/X)
1. Who is your mentor: Not just one person. A team I draw from, folks generous with their time inside & outside the institution and whom I model myself after @NMHheartdoc @dianebwayne @UmeshKhot @sandeepdasmd @sbradley_heart @pmgarcia and many others on / off_ Twitter! (11/X)
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY: this is why diversity and representation matter in medicine. People have to have people they can see themselves in. Period. (12/X)
2. What is the 5 year plan? Gain breadth & depth in healthcare implementation work, developing data skills and people skills to help medicine move toward something better for patients and providers. Let’s make healthcare human! (13/X)
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY: your last 5 years inform your next 5 years but they do NOT define you. Only you define you and your professional impact. With vision, hard work, mentorship, and a plan, you can pivot. You can find a different gear, accelerate, and go further! (14/X)
3. What is your area of focus? Making heart failure transitions of care better. (15/X)
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY: For those who have lots of experiences and interests, you must really work to distill these to one area of professional focus. I struggle with this still. Like a carpenter, use different tools. BUT BUILD ONE HOUSE! (16/X)
4. Regional reputation / academic productivity to be promoted to Assoc. Prof? Publish QI work. The @American_Heart QCOR council and @HFSA have been incredible professional networks to help build contacts and audiences for my work. (17/X)
IMPORTANT TAKEWAY: The blunt reality is that to build reputation people have to be interested in your work. This is not the sine qua non of importance, but it is absolutely the sine qua non of influence. Be unique but HAVE A TRIBE! (18/X)
I’ve found these 4 challenge questions to be a remarkable guide over the last 5 years. I’m happy to share that I got promoted this September 1 to Associate Professor. I hope sharing my journey will help you do the same! (19/X)
What am I thinking about now for the next 5? I’ve slightly amended the “ @dianebwayne 4” to the following: (20/X)
1. Who is your mentor? _Who are you mentoring?_
2. What is the 5 year plan?
3. What is your area of focus? _What is your area of growth?_
4. How will you get the _national_ reputation and academic productivity to be promoted to _full_ prof? (21/X)
2. What is the 5 year plan?
3. What is your area of focus? _What is your area of growth?_
4. How will you get the _national_ reputation and academic productivity to be promoted to _full_ prof? (21/X)
Thank you for reading . I welcome feedback! I will checkin with you @dianebwayne in another 5 years for sure, and many more times in between! FIN (22/X)
FOOTNOTE! I almost forgot -- sharing with your mentee that you've got their back is so helpful and helps carry you forward:
