Women in Oncology: Opportunities for Success Through Mentorship

Catherine E. Lai, MD, MPH, an associate professor and physician leader of the Leukemia Clinical Research Unit at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, moderates a discussion with Courtney DiNardo, MD, MSCE; Eunice Wang, MD; and Jessica Altman, MD, on the importance of strong mentorship relationships and the unique growth opportunities they found at different points of their careers.

DiNardo is an associate professor in the Department of Leukemia and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Wang is chief of the Leukemia Service, medical director of Infusion Services, professor of oncology, and an assistant member of the Tumor Immunology Program in the Department of Immunology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Altman is a professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

In this episode, DiNardo, Wang, and Altman discuss the critical roles mentors played at the start of their careers. They note the benefits of having different mentors for distinct aspects of their jobs, including conducting clinical research, interacting with patients, and establishing a successful dynamic between work and personal life. They also advise current trainees to spend time in the lab, regardless of their overall career trajectory, so they can learn firsthand the questions worthy of being asked and answered and use this knowledge to inform their clinical care.

Additionally, the experts share their experiences with staying open to career possibilities that were different than their initial training trajectories. They talk about reprioritizing their goals based on what they want their careers to look like over time, thinking of training as a way of learning a vastly applicable skillset, and using academic medicine as an ideal environment for reinventing themselves.