Mentorship Matters December 2024: On perspective
Over the past months, we have had mentorship sessions focusing on the three main academic paths: research, teaching/education, and quality and innovation. Big thanks to the mentors who facilitated these sessions: Drs. Martina Trinkaus, Lynfa Stroud, David Tang-Wai, Jay Udell, Jane Batt, Angela Cheung, Rob Fowler, Shiphra Ginsburg, Barry Goldlist, Lisa Hicks, Jerome Leis, Amanda Mayo, and Fahad Razak. Also, many thanks to Drs. Kaveh Shojania and Christine Soong who invited me to collaborate on hosting a cool 1:1 speed mentoring session as part of the CQI retreat.
Endocrine edit: the CQI portfolio offered delicious warm/grilled sandwiches (with multiple filling choices) on a brioche bun. I would guess around 30-40g of carbs and 9-10g of protein per serving.
Reflecting on what I have learned during these mentorship sessions, the aspect that impressed me the most relates to the diverse lens we have on addressing pretty much everything. It is so fascinatingly complex how people react differently to similar situations extracting unique “take home messages” from precisely the same lesson taught.
That thinking reminded me of a recent story. In a lecture on Brazilian Indigenous health last year, I added a few slides about the bee society, pointing to one of the most incredible discoveries in science (in my opinion). I explained the waggle dance that working honeybees use to signal where the flowers are to the rest of the hive (Riley et al. Nature 435(7039):205-7, 2005). I added a description of how the queen bee is born: a biological process that represents a classic example of epigenetics as larvae with identical DNA turn to queen bees when fed with royal jelly as this jelly has histone deacetylase inhibitor activity (Gabor Miklos et al. Horm Behav 59(3):399-406, 2011). I also showed data demonstrating that one teaspoon of honey represents the work of an entire life of 12 honeybees (each needs to visit 1,000 flowers flying 10 km x 100 trips).
The feedback I received from colleagues mesmerized me. On listening to a story of so many lessons such as the biology and social organization of bees, some focused on the hard science (i.e. epigenetic phenomena), other colleagues highlighted the humane aspect saying that they were feeling different about eating honey. Others related more with the waggle dancing piece… and each of these views added value and comments that taught me a novel angle I did not catch before.
This lecture example is one among many that mirror the diverse worlds and views of all mentors and mentees of our department, and the importance of exchange. My gratitude to everyone (teachers, educators, scientists, investigators, leaders and our supporting staff) who participated in the mentorship sessions, bringing your unique perspectives and contributing to the pot of diverse achievements of our academic community.
Caroline K Kramer, Faculty Lead Mentorship, Culture and Inclusion Portfolio
Are you interested in brainstorming ideas relevant to our mentorship program? Would you like to join a mentorship committee?
Send me an e-mail: caroline.kramer@sinaihealth.ca
