Building a Mentorship Mosaic with Dr. Ann LaCasce
Ann LaCasce, MD, is the Director of the Dana-Farber/Mass General Brigham Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. LaCasce completed her medical school from Tufts University and residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she later served as Chief Medical Resident, followed by a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is a nationally renowned lymphoma specialist, chairs the steering committee for Women in Lymphoma and is currently serving as Chair-elect of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. “You’re never going to find one person who can provide all the mentorship. Break it down into people who can provide various expertise.” Tune into a conversation with nationally renowned lymphoma expert, Dr. Ann LaCasce, on her own journey and the impact a community of mentors can have. Leading one of the largest fellowship programs in the country, she helps her fellows build and leverage a mentorship mosaic to address pivotal conversations and foster effective mentoring relationships. “Get a bunch of people to think together about your career. It’s really amazing.” Pearls of Wisdom: 1. We should use our time wisely while getting to know the patient. How can we achieve that? As Dr. LaCasce suggests, by combining our review of systems as we’re doing the physical exam, spending that extra minute to get to know the patient, because, ultimately, we are best positioned to deliver the care our patients deserve when we really know them. 2. We should use mentorship wisely by engaging with not just one but a group of mentors on pivotal conversations that can really change the trajectory of our careers. The first step should be to build a mentorship mosaic of professionals who can be our sounding board. 3. How do we start exploring the decisive question of, "Who am I?" It starts with being honest with ourselves, wherein lies the ability to recognize our strengths and goals without fitting into a predefined supposition. This will help us pave the way forward in our lives and careers.