Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: The Power of Mentorship

I didn’t always want to be a surgeon. My original plan was to pursue a career in journalism — to be an editor at a fashion magazine — but instead I fell in love with biology during my sophomore year of high school. My father was a paramedic and the director of emergency medical services in my hometown. He provided my first exposure to health care by letting me tag along to the local hospital and the EMT certification classes he taught. My aunt, who I adored, passed away from renal cell carcinoma in her 40s. Watching my dad in action and losing my aunt made me realize I wanted to help people, so I pursued a career in medicine.

It wasn’t until my surgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) that I met a surgeon who looked like me. I’m only the third black female to train in MUSC’s residency program — and I graduated in 2017. There are 372 chairs of departments of surgery in the United States, and just last month the first black female chair was named when KMarie King, MD, MS, MBA, was chosen to lead Albany (N.Y.) Med.

The pipeline for underrepresented providers needs to be developed. I didn’t go into academic surgery solely to become a top clinical researcher — I want to advance equity in health care, for patients and providers. I want to be a face in surgery for underrepresented physicians, so they have someone to connect with for mentoring and guidance.

I want to advance equity in health care, for patients and providers.

I did not have the experience of training under a Black female surgeon, but looked up to my fellow co-residents who were blazing a trail for me. As we work to move the needle forward in advancing diversity in medicine, having more underrepresented faculty in positions to provide much needed mentorship to the next generation is key.

My goal as a mentor is to help my mentees succeed, to see something in them that they don’t see in themselves, to encourage them to aim for the stars and to help keep them focused.

It’s difficult to serve as a willing and effective mentor if you’ve never realized the benefits of such a relationship. Additionally, not everyone has an interest in being a mentor or the skills to do it successfully. You need to be part advisor and part coach, and open to addressing the specific needs of individual mentees. You also need to possess a passion for mentoring in order to do it well.

One of the well-cited reasons for the dearth of women or underrepresented professionals in male- or majority-dominated fields is a lack of mentors. That’s why it’s important for minority providers and women to be visible in mentorship roles and take on the responsibility of guiding those who come next. I’ve been heavily involved in mentoring those from underrepresented communities since medical school. My visible presence in academic medicine is to show students and my trainees that it’s possible to be a female surgeon, wife, mother, daughter, friend and mentor.

Sponsorship, which is different than mentorship, involves someone in a leadership position helping gain visibility and promotions for a junior- or mid-level professional. I’m a junior surgeon, so I rely heavily on sponsorship to move my career forward. In turn, as a sponsor, I look for opportunities to increase representation of junior faculty members, women and minorities. I’m on the diversity, equity and inclusion committee of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. When I ran a session during a virtual conference in January, I developed a panel comprised of a diverse group of experts. I was intentional in giving exposure to qualified professionals who bring new voices to the table. More of that is needed throughout health care.

The diversification of surgery has to be authentic, intentional and ingrained in the culture of health care and supported by leadership. As the assistant chair for inclusion and wellness for my department and a junior member of the faculty, my diversity immersion efforts wouldn’t be successful without the support of my department’s chairman. The support from leadership for what I’m trying to accomplish helps to ensure my colleagues respect my efforts and take them seriously.

There’s an innate human tendency to go with what you know — to hire, promote or train someone with whom you’re familiar or comfortable. That eliminates the possibility of working alongside qualified professionals who provide important perspectives different than our own.

Leadership and mentorship in surgery must reflect the cultural diversity of our communities and patient populations. We must create a culture of acceptance where opinions from people of different races, genders, religious beliefs and sexual orientations are welcomed and valued. This must be treated as a dedicated call to action across all levels of health care. OSM