Focus invited a student and faculty member to share how their relationship has shaped their lives and work.
As the Student Gains Insight …Kimberly Stegmaier, a pediatric oncologist and principle investigator at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, opened her lab to me during the year between my third and fourth year. I was likely more of a resource burden than a help in the beginning, but she decided to invest herself in nurturing my scientific curiosity nonetheless.
I grew tremendously over the year, meeting with her weekly and learning how to develop and test hypotheses between our meetings. Slowly, as she taught me how to think for myself, how to trouble-shoot and how to write an original research article, I became increasingly confident and excited about the discovery process. Most important, she gave me the courage to envision myself as a physician-scientist. This was an invaluable gift.”
—Julia Carnevale
Class of 2011
“As I observe the startling contrasts between my two young children, I am increasingly convinced of the power of nature in the nature-versus-nurture debate. However, in the tortuous path of one’s academic career, I am more than certain that nurture plays a heavy hand. The critical influence of the mentor cannot be overestimated.
I have been fortunate to have been guided by two brilliant mentors, Gary Gilliland and Todd Golub, both whom I first met during my transformative experience as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute medical student fellow. Without them, I would not be where I am today. Their passion for research is contagious, their dedication to trainees superlative. To this day, they remain my primary mentors.
‘See one, do one, teach one’ is a familiar phrase to those in the medical field. This is a career of a lifetime of learning and observing, of executing on a set of finely tuned skills, and of teaching the next generation. I now also have that pleasure of playing the role of mentor. Students such as Julia Carnevale are treasures. They reignite the fire for learning with their curiosity and rescue us from endless grants and manuscripts. They remind us of the heart of the matter: improving the lives of others through medical research. There is a joy in participating in the developmental process of the student, nurturing their gifts and helping them decipher their own heart in this life’s path.
There is also a great sense of shared accomplishment in the victories. As Julia completed a presentation of her work, I thought, “Wow!” I was so proud of what she had completed in just one year, of how much she had grown as a scientist, and of what a phenomenal individual she is.”
—Kimberly Stegmaier
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
“Two faculty members helped guide my thinking and career at HMS: Nicholas Christakis and Bruce Landon, in the Department of Health Care Policy. It’s because of their guidance that I changed my career path to primary care and health policy research. Their mentorship in helping me to design studies, write papers and brainstorm projects rekindled my passion for research.
Nicholas, a creative thinker, was always challenging me. After writing a paper on a physician survey I had completed, I was feeling a bit uninspired about the final product. He looked at the paper in a completely different light and suggested a new figure—one that made the paper more exciting while also making our point more effectively.
Bruce was a tireless editor who helped me learn to write effective scientific prose. I never got a draft back from his desk that didn’t have dozens of edits and comments, but after I worked through them, my work was always clearer and more streamlined.”
—Michael Barnett
Class of 2011
“Michael Barnett and I have met roughly biweekly for the past two years, working on projects that have resulted in several papers. Our meetings have been among the most rewarding and stimulating aspects of my life at HMS, in large measure because of the extraordinary energy, creativity and curiosity Michael has brought to them.
Early on, Michael wanted to study social networks, so we set about looking for projects and mapping out a set of tools he would have to master through coursework and other means. He attacked all this with a vengeance. Within six months he was spearheading important efforts on physician networks, figuring out how to measure them and discerning their relevance to health care delivery and the diffusion of innovation. With others in my lab and in the department, Michael has made important discoveries related to physician-network structure and function.
Along the way, Michael and I have become friends. On Facebook, I follow developments in his life ranging from his recent wedding to his musical performances, to his incredibly broad range of scientific interests. When I reflect on our relationship, I feel lucky to have learned so much from him. I am happy to have contributed something of value to his development as an independent scholar. I am happy, too, that by working with us he has extended our reach into new scientific frontiers. Such students make being a teacher worthwhile.”
—Nicholas Christakis
Professor of Medical Sociology
HMS Department of Health Care Policy
“I see mentorship and development of the next generation of researchers as one of our core missions as researchers and educators at HMS. What makes being here special is the exceptional talent and ambition of the students and other trainees.
Michael epitomizes this talent. He is an energetic and diligent team member who took ownership of important projects within our team, developed his own programming and statistical skills, and applied these skills in a productive way. His intellectual curiosity is reflected in four first-author papers now in various stages of review and publication. What is special is Michael’s ability to come up with new research questions. His creativity is a unique gift.
I suspect Michael won’t allow his clinical duties as a house officer to interfere with his productivity. Michael quickly surpasses the rest of us in his grasp of the questions he poses and in the analytic methods used. I look forward to working with someone of his caliber because of how much I’ve learned.”
—Bruce Landon
Professor of Health Care Policy
HMS Department of Health Care Policy
Ravi Thadhani and S. Ananth Karumanchi were fantastic mentors, both alone and in combination. With Dr. Thadhani focused on epidemiology and clinical research and Dr. Karumanchi focused on basic and translational research, they guided me in exploring hypotheses from multiple angles. These mentors were extremely supportive and encouraging of new ideas, pushing me to develop them fully. They generously gave me ownership of a variety of projects, which taught me an immense amount about being a physician-investigator. They also mentored by example, as both are outstanding investigators. With their support, I was able to have an extremely productive year-plus research experience and develop my interests in women’s and minority health.”
—Camille Powe, Class of 2011
“Mentorship is critical to helping the next generation of investigators navigate through what otherwise may be perceived as the morass of research, much of which consists of failed experiments. Mentoring Camille reminded me how much joy one receives when mentoring. She demonstrating the characteristics critical for success in research—namely, persistence, diligence and, equally important, enjoyment.”
—Ravi Thadhani, Associate Professor of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
“I think I learned more from Camille than she ever learned from me. She is very intelligent, worked very hard and always had a smile on her face. I am sure that she will have a brilliant academic career. Working with motivated young students is not only a lot of fun, but also important for the creative process.”
—Ananth Karumanchi, Associate Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center
Homages to Role Models
Sasha Clifton Oxnard, Class of 2011:
“Katherine Miller, a family physician and my mentor during my primary care mentorship program and the following four years of medical school, had a huge impact on my time at HMS. Not only did working with her inspire me to pursue a career in family medicine, but her amazing approach to patients was a beautiful mix of compassionate patient-centered care and careful clinical reasoning. As I begin my own journey as a family physician, I will carry with me Dr. Miller’s excellent teaching—always encouraging independent thinking while providing gentle guidance—and exemplary clinical work.
Belinda Waltman, Class of 2011:
“Two faculty mentors in particular devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to my professional development, for which I will be continually grateful. Gordon Strewler, Master of Cannon Society, offered sage advice and guidance throughout every stage of medical school to help me find my career path and define my interests in medicine; based upon these interests, he encouraged me to design and pursue a research year. Dr. Strewler, known to many as the “research matchmaker,” supported this endeavor by identifying potential research groups, providing detailed input on my proposals, and following my progress closely.
Lecia Sequist, a thoracic oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and my research mentor, dedicated enormous effort over two years to developing my skills as a future clinical researcher and physician. She helped me create a multi-faceted project through which she systematically exposed me to the important components of a research career, giving me an invaluable apprenticeship. In the clinic, I was able to learn through her awe-inspiring example: She cared for her patients with grace, empathy and a deep compassion, the most humanistic and patient-centered form of medicine I have ever seen practiced.”
Christopher Miller, Class of 2011:
“I had the privilege of spending my third year in the Cambridge Integrated Clerkship, where I met Dr. David Hirsh, an incredible physician who embodies humanism in medicine and continues to have an enormous impact on the way I see and care for patients. He has taught and inspired me to be the best doctor and person I can be. For that I will be forever grateful.”
Julian Johnson, Class of 2011:
“I had many mentors, most notably my society masters: Bev Woo, Ronald Arky and Sue Pauker. Each had a genuine interest in me. They seemed to know a lot about me before I ever had a conversation with any of them. Throughout medical school, they demonstrated that they valued my success inside and out of the classroom.”
