As retina fellows, we have been guided by generous and skilled mentorship along our journey through medical school and residency. Once in fellowship, we often find ourselves becoming mentors ourselves— a transition that raises many questions. Here, I (TB) share with you the teachings gleaned from interviews with five prolific mentors: Yoshihiro Yonekawa, MD; Ajay E. Kuriyan, MD, MS; Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD; Rebecca Soares, MD; and Jayanth Sridhar, MD. 

THEO BOWE, MD: WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A MENTEE?

Dr. Yonekawa: Mentorship is an integral component of academic ophthalmology and draws many of us into the field. There’s nothing better than watching your trainees succeed! Mentorship is a two-way road—the best relationships are when both the mentor and mentee are genuine, committed, communicative, honest, supportive, and understanding of the bigger picture. Make sure to treasure your mentors and mentees like family. The best mentor-mentee relationships turn into friendships that last a lifetime. 

Dr. Kuriyan: The best mentees have a combination of motivation and intrinsic interest in expanding their knowledge. They are organized and have excellent attention to detail. Additional skills are helpful, such as experience with statistics and scientific writing. 

Dr. Rachitskaya: In medicine, we are all perpetual mentees and mentors. In my experience, a trainee should have multiple mentors. Some might be great at advising on research or surgical challenges but might not be as good at mentoring on wellbeing and work-life balance. I work with a lot of trainees, and I find it helpful when a mentee is prepared and has an idea of what they would like to discuss and focus on during meetings. Additionally, follow-up and ongoing communication is important to ensure both parties follow through on the plan. 

Dr. Soares: I connect with mentees who are motivated to find a way to step beyond the bounds of what’s expected. From a research perspective, I have worked with a few mentees with unique skills outside of medicine—a background in coding or statistics, for example. While their skills were not directly connected to the project at hand, they found unique ways to use their expertise to drive projects forward. From a clinical and surgical perspective, I find it rewarding to coach mentees who are responsive to feedback and request it in the first place. It shows enthusiasm for learning and malleability. 

Dr. Sridhar: The best mentees are enthusiastic, humble, willing, and organized. In addition, they are flexible in their interests and schedule, understanding that even the best mentors have other time demands clinically, surgically, academically, and personally. 

DR. BOWE: HOW DO YOU LEAD A PRODUCTIVE GROUP OF TRAINEES THROUGH A PROJECT?

Dr. Yonekawa: Ensure that everyone has a solid understanding of your vision for the project. Recognize each trainee’s unique strengths and assign roles accordingly; if someone has a superpower, make sure to unleash their potential. Credit everyone for their hard work, and include everyone as coauthors; decide on the authorship order before starting the project so that everyone has the correct expectations and to avoid any hard feelings later in the process. Make sure everyone contributes to the project they are authoring. One of the reasons I love research is because it can serve as a launching pad to take trainees to new heights, whether it’s in training or at the podium.

Dr. Kuriyan: As a mentor, it is helpful to spend time teaching medical students the basics of chart review and data entry. It also helps to have a clear delegation of tasks and a plan from the beginning of the project. Ideally, mentors can identify additional projects or case reports to provide all members of the research team the opportunity to lead publications or presentations and play a meaningful role in different aspects of disseminating the research, not just collecting data.

Dr. Rachitskaya: There are different demands on trainees’ time during the various stages of training (eg, more and less demanding rotations, examinations, interviews). Research, though, moves along different timelines. Setting realistic expectations is key to success. Clear communication and frequent check-ins are essential to productive research.

Dr. Soares: Delegate. You cannot do everything yourself. Projects become much more thoughtful and creative when many minds are working together. Massive projects become more efficient when each person has a small role. Don’t be afraid to communicate.

Dr. Sridhar: Set expectations in advance and conduct scheduled check-ins. Recognize the power difference that exists between the attending, fellow, resident, and medical student. As captain of the ship, the attending should outline everyone’s responsibilities.

DR. BOWE: HOW DO YOU SUPPORT TRAINEES APPLYING TO RESIDENCY AND FELLOWSHIP?

Dr. Yonekawa: The biggest role you have is to help trainees realistically assess their chances of matching, where to apply, and how many programs they should apply for. The second biggest role you have is advocating for them during the application process.

Dr. Rachitskaya: Applying and interviewing for the next step in training is both an exciting and stressful time. The process is more complex now that some interviews are conducted virtually and some metrics historically used to differentiate candidates are changing. Be prepared—practice interviews can be quite helpful.

Dr. Soares: Honesty about the process and your own experience is important. Mentors should highlight the advantages of each program they are familiar with and be candid about the disadvantages. It is equally important to be honest with the mentee about their own abilities, needs, and weaknesses. Their success depends on finding a good fit for them.

Dr. Sridhar: Put yourself in your mentee’s shoes. Think back to your time as a student applying to ophthalmology and what advice you wish you had been given. Recognize that each mentee’s needs may be different. Begin the mentoring process by asking questions. This will help you be most effective as a mentor.

DR. BOWE: HOW DO YOU HANDLE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION?

Dr. Yonekawa: I like using personal anecdotes for letters rather than a generic template. Letters are so much more interesting and meaningful that way. Because programs see letters from us all the time, the writer’s credibility can wane if they upload similar letters for every applicant.

Dr. Kuriyan: I only write a letter of recommendation if I feel I can write a strong one. I ask applicants to provide me their application materials prior to writing the letter so I can review them and incorporate their background into the letter. It is important to be honest when supporting a candidate, as you want your recommendations to be trusted and respected.

Dr. Rachitskaya: Trainees should ask people who know them well and can comment on various aspects of their application. I frequently write letters for trainees who do research with me. If there is a part of their application that I am not familiar with, for instance their surgical skills, I reach out to my colleagues who have seen the applicant operate. I also meet with the applicant before I write a letter of recommendation so that I can ask questions and learn more about them. 

Dr. Soares: I strongly believe that everyone has strengths, which a good writer can elucidate. However, I also try to be honest with the candidate if I don’t know enough about them. From a candidate’s perspective, it is very important to know a mentor outside of just data collection and research. They can reach out to talk about the mentor’s experiences and goals and ask how to get involved. When a mentor is familiar with the trainee’s personality and clinical talents, it is much easier to write a vivid letter of recommendation. 

Dr. Sridhar: I generally ask my students to give me at least 2 to 4 weeks to write a letter and to provide as much information as possible. I recommend that students work with me clinically and academically so that the letter of recommendation carries more weight and assesses the candidate from more than one perspective. 

DR. BOWE: WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO FELLOWS STEPPING INTO A MENTORING ROLE?

Dr. Yonekawa: Mentoring is an integral aspect of your own training. I worked with numerous students and residents when I was a fellow, and that was such a fun and fulfilling aspect of fellowship. My happiest day during fellowship was when our students matched into residency and our work came full circle. 

Dr. Kuriyan: Make sure you feel comfortable with your own clinical and surgical duties first. Then you can focus on your research efforts and figure out how to successfully incorporate other trainees into your projects. Creating a system of scheduled check-ins around your clinical schedule is very helpful for assessing the progress of your trainees. Trainees are usually eager to have more clinical exposure, so offering opportunities in the clinic and the OR will go a long way with them. 

Dr. Rachitskaya: The best fellow awards usually go to fellows who take interest in junior colleagues and use every opportunity to teach and engage them. For example, I enjoy overhearing my fellow going over an OCT finding with a medical student or resident. Getting trainees involved in research projects and guiding them is another way to start building mentorships. 

Dr. Soares: It is easy to be a mentor in the clinic because there is always someone below you eager to learn and get involved. The easiest way to become a mentor in the clinic is to give constant feedback. If you identify something good that a trainee has done, voice it, no matter how small. I tend to use the feedback sandwich: good feedback, constructive/negative feedback, good feedback. With continuous communication, you let trainees know that you are invested in them. 

Dr. Sridhar: If you love teaching and mentoring, don’t be afraid to lean into it! Students will always gravitate to a motivated mentor. Be realistic about your own training needs and avoid biting off more than you can chew. It’s never too early to be a great mentor, and it’ll make all the difference to a mentee!