The value of mentorship

ASCRS News: YES Connect
December 2021

by Liz Hillman
Editorial Co-Director

Having good mentors can completely change the trajectory of one’s life. We are so lucky in this age of technology because connecting with people is much easier than in the past. We don’t have to live close to our mentors to gain the benefit of that relationship. Residents and fellows sometimes concentrate on learning a certain disease state or a surgery and forget that the most important takeaway from training is the relationships they have formed. Here we explore what makes a good mentor and how to form those relationships. 

—Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, MD YES Clinical Committee Chair

Mentorship is vital throughout one’s medical career, especially early on. Some published papers support this assertion.^1,2 Michael Greenwood, MD, Neda Nikpoor, MD, and Manjool Shah, MD, described some of their experiences with mentors, how to establish these relationships, what’s gained from the relationships, and more. 

Michael Greenwood, MD

EyeWorld: Is a mentor-mentee relationship important?
Dr. Greenwood: Absolutely. If we don’t form those relationships and are solo and siloed off, we don’t know what we don’t know. It’s very easy to go down the wrong pathway without guardrails and someone keeping us in check. 

EyeWorld: What are some of your most impactful mentor-mentee relationships? 
Dr. Greenwood: When I was a medical student, no one from my school had gone into ophthalmology for 5 years. I needed someone to help me move along the way. My medical school provided a list of previous people who had matched in ophthalmology, and I cold called some of them. I was lucky enough to find people who were willing to help, specifically Dave Folden, MD, and Jill Melicher Larson, MD. 

Once I got into fellowship and the first 5 years of practice, my partners John Berdahl, MD, and Vance Thompson, MD, as well as the partners in the practice who are younger than me, Russell Swan, MD, Brandon Baartman, MD, Deborah Ristvedt, DO, Daniel Terveen, MD, and Spenser Morton, MD [were mentors]. I ask them questions I don’t have the answers to, and I need their guidance. 

Outside of my practice I’ve got a couple of close friends who practice in other parts of the country who I lean on heavily for advice and guidance. 

EyeWorld: What is a mentor to you?
Dr. Greenwood: To me, a mentor is someone who can be your guardrails and offer suggestions and help you not make a major mistake. The mentee asks the questions, and the mentor doesn’t necessarily answer the questions but helps them avoid a major mistake. 

I think these relationships happen organically with time, with similar interests and an alignment of goals and passions, whether it’s formal or informal. These relationships form when a mentee is seeking knowledge and the mentor has time and effort that they’re willing to give. 

EyeWorld: How do these relationships become established? 
Dr. Greenwood: You don’t have to pick a mentor for life, although sometimes that’s the way it works. I think it depends on what stage of your career or education you’re in and what you need. Most of these relationships come via connections in residency or practice, but also going to meetings provides a good opportunity to meet mentors and mentees. It’s giving yourself the opportunity to make those connections, and most of the time that’s just by being present.

You never know how it will form, but if you are present in the moment and ask questions at meetings, there is going to be someone who wants to teach.  

EyeWorld: Are you usually discussing clinical topics in these relationships or more practice/career-related topics?
Dr. Greenwood: Most of the conversations are not technical and more life, career planning. The technical topics get woven in but those are short, and the philosophical, planning ones are deeper. That’s why the relationships become deeper and more personal. You’re talking about people’s lives vs. patient care.

EyeWorld: What makes a good mentor/mentee?
Dr. Greenwood: I think they need to be someone who cares enough to make a difference in this person’s life. Knowledge is also a requirement, but it will be meaningful and impactful when a person cares. They’ve got to be willing to teach and give up that time. 

As for mentees, the more a mentee brings a question or idea close to completeness before reaching out to their mentor, the more willing the mentor will be to help. For example, if you say, “I’d like to get started on MIGS,” that’s a long process and discussion. If you say “I’m planning on going to this wet lab to get started with this MIGS device; do you think that’s helpful?,” this shows the mentee put in more thought, and the mentor can tailor and fine tune a response. 

Neda Nikpoor, MD

EyeWorld: Who have been some of your most influential mentors?
Dr. Nikpoor: The most memorable mentors I had in fellowship were faculty who had characteristics that I admired. For example, Carol Karp, MD, is so patient and caring that I gravitated toward that and respected her so much that I thought I wanted to go into ocular oncology. It wasn’t so obvious to me at the time that it was her demeanor and attributes that I admired, but that didn’t mean I had to be an ocular oncologist. I think early on it might be hard to tease out whether it’s your mentor’s traits or specialty that you are drawn to.

Another mentor is Geoff Tabin, MD. He cares deeply about curing global blindness, but he is also completely engaged in every interaction with patients, mentees, and colleagues. His energy and relentless drive are inspiring, and I often think of him when I need motivation to do something. I also had two mentors in India from my global fellowship. The most impactful and memorable conversations we had were more centered around life and philosophy than ophthalmology, and they helped me to think deeply about what matters to me. You never know who is going to share pearls of wisdom that will change your life, so I find being open to mentorship anywhere in the world leads to unexpected meaningful connections.

I am fortunate that people like George Waring IV, MD, and Bill Trattler, MD, have taken me under their wing. Just by showing up to meetings and being engaged, mentors like them generously give so much of their time and freely offer advice. I have found it so valuable attending meetings and connecting with incredible mentors like George and Bill.

My most recent mentor is my partner, Alan Faulkner, MD. When we met, I quickly gleaned that he practices medicine in the way I want to practice. I knew what I wanted in a practice partner and mentor, which made it easier to recognize it when I saw it. I could tell that he was a successful early adopter refractive surgeon and practice leader, but most importantly, he is an ethical person who puts patients first. Finding someone who is doing what you want to do and who values what you value is so important. This starts with first knowing what you want.

EyeWorld: Why is a mentorship relationship important for young eye surgeons?
Dr. Nikpoor: I think the transition from training to practice can be abrupt and unexpected for some people. I can imagine it would be isolating if you don’t have someone you are comfortable reaching out to about the dilemmas you face early in practice. It’s especially important in the first year to establish good practice patterns and have a good benchmark to serve as a reminder for how you should be doing things. 

EyeWorld: What’s your advice on selecting a mentor?
Dr. Nikpoor: Instead of simply picking someone you admire, figure out what you want to do and find someone who does that well. Start with self-reflection and figure out what you want your ideal life and career to look like. Then if a mentor comes along who embodies characteristics you admire or has a similar career trajectory to what you are seeking, you are able to recognize that and approach them. It is also important to allow these relationships to form organically. One potential pitfall to avoid is trying to model your life/career after someone you admire if you are unsure what exactly you admire about them. Early on it was difficult for me to recognize that I may have admired someone’s clinical skill but did not necessarily want to follow them in choosing a specialty. 

EyeWorld: What do you appreciate as a mentor?
Dr. Nikpoor: One thing that a mentee of mine does is give positive feedback when things I share or do are helpful for her. That makes me feel like I’m helping and making a difference. That is rewarding as a mentor and keeps the relationship strong.

Manjool Shah, MD

EyeWorld: Who have been your mentor(s) in ophthalmology? 
Dr. Shah: I have been fortunate to have several mentors along my training. As a medical student, I was mentored by Morton Smith, MD, at Washington University. He introduced me to the field of ophthalmology and inspired me to be where I am today. As a resident, I was surrounded by great people at the Casey Eye Institute and had the benefit of learning from phenomenal individuals. Daniel Tu, MD, and Andreas Lauer, MD, stand out as key mentors during that time. Fellowship introduced me to mentorship by my preceptors, Ike Ahmed, MD, Devesh Varma, MD, Diamond Tam, MD, and Thomas Klein, MD. I also was mentored by previous fellows, namely Arsham Sheybani, MD. In practice at Kellogg Eye Center, Sy Moroi, MD, and Shahzad Mian, MD, have been incredibly helpful. 

EyeWorld: Why is mentorship important for young eye surgeons?
Dr. Shah: There are so many aspects to becoming a physician that one does not learn in medical school. Navigating interpersonal challenges, difficult patients, acquiring new skills when you’re no longer protected by the training environment, understanding logistics, and making wise financial decisions are all topics that mentors can help with.

EyeWorld: What makes a good mentor?
Dr. Shah: A good mentor has walked the walk and is able to communicate their experience. A good mentor demonstrates humility and open mindedness and is comfortable demonstrating and discussing missteps that may have been made in order to help the mentee avoid them. Open communication is key, and I think there is value in reducing hierarchical constructs that may be present. 

EyeWorld: What can/should both parties do to ensure the relationship is beneficial to the mentor and the mentee? 
Dr. Shah: Be willing and open to discussion and put in the extra time—this goes both ways. Honesty and humility—again, this goes both ways. 

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About the physicians 

Michael Greenwood, MD
Vance Thompson Vision
Fargo, North Dakota

Neda Nikpoor, MD
Aloha Laser Vision Correction
Honolulu, Hawaii

Manjool Shah, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 

References

1. Farkas AH, et al. Mentorship of US medical students: a systematic review. J Gen Intern Med. 2919;34:2602–2609. 
2. Burgess A, et al. Mentorship in the health professions: a review. Clin Teach. 2018;15:197–202. 

Relevant disclosures

Greenwood: None
Nikpoor: None
Shah: None

Contact 

Greenwood: michael.greenwood@vancethompsonvision.com
Nikpoor: drneda@alohalaser.com
Shah: manjool@med.umich.edu