Faculty Mentoring in UCSF Radiology
January is National Mentoring Month. In academic radiology, mentoring benefits both mentees and mentors in a number of ways. Mentors provide support and share knowledge with mentees while helping them reach career and personal goals. Mentees can also provide support and share knowledge and skills with their mentors. In today’s challenging and demanding healthcare environment, mentoring can help prevent burnout and lead to increased career satisfaction.
At the UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Academic Affairs has incorporated a formal mentoring program for junior faculty into our departmental structure. Sri Nagarajan, PhD leads the PhD Faculty Mentoring Program and Christine Glastonbury, MBBS leads the MD Faculty Mentoring Program. Our aim is to demystify the academic process for junior faculty and clarify pathways for achievement and career satisfaction by sharing the expertise, the experience and the connections of more senior faculty. With the creation of mentor networks for each junior faculty we also hope to provide broad but also individualized support for each faculty. Our goals are to support the recruitment and retention of the highest quality faculty, improve overall faculty career satisfaction and success and through improved mentoring of under-represented faculty we hope to encourage diversity and inclusivity in our department.
Since 2015, UCSF Radiology has presented one faculty member with the annual Radiology Award for Outstanding Faculty Mentoring. This recognizes extraordinary achievements and dedication to faculty mentoring. John Kurhanewicz, PhD was the 2020 awardee. One faculty member who nominated him said:
"John is a leader in my field (and in many others). Because he is internationally known for his superb work, people constantly reach out to him for meetings, projects, and many other requests. In spite of being a very busy faculty, since I met him 17 years ago, he always found time for me, to guide me and give me advice. His door was and continues to be open for me, and for that John, I thank you very much!"
Thomas Link, MD, PhD, chief of musculoskeletal radiology, was recognized in 2019. One faculty member who nominated him said:
"He is a master of career development and knows how to steer those he mentors away from crucial pitfalls and toward key new relationships and academic pursuits. It is hard for me to overstate how important his support for me has been in the early successes I have had in my academic career. I will always be grateful to have had him as a mentor."
David Saloner, PhD, 2018 awardee is highly valued as both a research and career mentor at UCSF and a leader for academic radiologists and researchers. One of the faculty who nominated him said “I always have respected his unbiased and selfless opinions on many aspects of faculty promotion and life in our department.”
Susan Wall, MD, professor emeritus and advisor to the chair for faculty development was recognized in 2017 as the ultimate mentor to the mentors. “Her impact has been felt across the spectrum of our department and throughout the medical school where these efforts have been emulated,” said a member of the UCSF Radiology faculty. In 2016, William Dillon, MD was honored for profoundly influencing the careers of faculty within and outside of the field of neuroradiology throughout his tenure. The first-ever honoree was Judy Yee, MD, former vice chair of radiology and chair of radiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 2015.
Throughout this month, the department celebrates and honors the faculty who have given their support, advice and encouragement over many years in the mentoring of junior faculty. We have a small pandemic-appropriate gift for each of our faculty this month to acknowledge the energy and work that mentoring entails, and to remind us all to connect with our mentors and mentees. On January 17, National Mentoring Day, we encourage our mentoring teams to connect with each other (remotely) as we celebrate with a Zoom-your-Mentee, then join the Department’s Family Concert!
The recent issue of RadNews, the department's newsletter has futher information on upcoming UCSF mentoring events for Radiology Faculty. Follow along with us on social media (both Twitter and Facebook). Also, learn more about the UCSF Radiology Faculty Mentoring Program.