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Academy News: December 2003 Searching for a mentor We think we’ve finally made all the difficult choices. We made it through college, medical school and residency, and proudly joined the challenging world of allergy/immunology. Well, we were just about to relax and enjoy the simplicity of life, when reality showered us with a new battery of decisions to make. Are you going into academics or private practice? Will you conduct clinical or basic research? Will you choose to be involved in professional organizations and institutional committees? The modern world quizzes us with endless opportunities and unlimited resources. Our mailboxes overflow with medical news, research discoveries, career offers and professional meeting invitations. E-mails pop up endlessly, offering involvement in new interest groups or initiatives. Ideally, we should have enough information to make the right choice for our future career. In reality, most of us are simply overwhelmed. We turn for advice to more experienced colleagues and friends. It is for this reason that we value the power of old-fashioned personal communication and mentorship. Current AAAAI leaders were once inspired by their mentors and in turn, carry the new generation of fellows-in-training (FITs) into the promising future of allergy/immunology. We assume each fellow has a mentor who is a member of the AAAAI and actively involved with the organization. In reality, there are some issues requiring attention and action. During the Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, I spoke with some of my colleagues who felt left behind during the meeting and did not know how to get involved with AAAAI activities. Their mentors were either involved in other professional organizations or do not attend the Annual Meeting on a regular basis. It is disturbing that if the faculty members of some training programs do not express enthusiasm in promoting the AAAAI’s interests, we cannot expect them to be helpful in introducing new FITs to the organization. International fellows-in-training are another group that needs additional support and guidance. The issue of mentorship is not new for the AAAAI. Approaches to facilitate communication between fellows-in-training and senior members have been tried in the past. One of the possible solutions is the idea of “supplementary” mentorship. FITs could be given an equal opportunity to meet and discuss their interests with assigned AAAAI mentors. This initiative would create flexibility for the senior AAAAI members to recruit more fellows in sections and committees, and facilitate involvement in science and research. The importance of mentorship should not be underestimated. We are counting on the support of the senior AAAAI members. We feel that creating new connections between AAAAI Fellows and fellows-in-training will strengthen the AAAAI, and support FITs in their career and academic decisions. |
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