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“Mentoring is an essential part of our field. It’s an activity we take great pride in,” says Steven T. Rosen, MD, Genevieve E. Teuton Professor of Medicine and director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. “To train the next generation of clinicians and scientists, you must take the time to provide guidance and support, not just imparting knowledge but also helping individuals deal with the emotional stresses that come with training.”
Those whom the oncologist has mentored include medical students, fellows, graduate and postdoctoral students, as well as faculty and staff members. “Even though staff members’ skill sets may be in different areas than mine, it’s important to provide the necessary support they need for their current objectives and future ones,” he says.
Olga Frankfurt, MD, is a hematology/oncology fellow who has benefited from Dr. Rosen’s guidance. Says the native of Russia who immigrated to the United States with her family and subsequently attended medical school, “Dr. Rosen is zealous, an amazing clinician, and a well-rounded person. Those qualities make him a very appealing role model.”
Simrit Parmar, MD, also a hematology/oncology fellow, agrees. “Dr. Rosen is extremely busy, but he’s accessible, approachable, and gives impartial advice.” Dr. Parmar, who’s in her final year of a three-year fellowship, found Dr. Rosen’s help especially valuable for her decision in choosing a stem cell transplant fellowship. “You’re getting all these offers and trying to make a decision,” she says. “He guided me in the right direction.”
The fact that Dr. Rosen has more life experiences to share makes him a valuable mentor, says
Dr. Parmar. “As a fellow, everything seems so interesting, so grand that you want to do it all,” she says.
“You need a mentor to channel your direction—he’s seen life, he’s successful in the field so he knows
what it takes, and he was once in your shoes. It’s important to have a mentor at every level: student, resident, fellow. Even when you become an attending physician or faculty member, you still need mentoring.”
Fortunately, it’s a role Dr. Rosen enjoys. “I’m learning as much as I’m teaching,” he says. “I’m never quite sure if I’m giving as much as I would like to because we’re all so busy and pulled in many directions.”
Dr. Frankfurt observes that Dr. Rosen gives much of himself to those he mentors. “Working with him is almost more of an apprenticeship,” she says. “You observe and try to emulate him. I’m learning how to communicate with patients, the clinical aspects of hematology, and the science of it by working in his lab. If I could be half as good at everything he does, I would be content.”
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