Mentee: Emily Balding
Mentor: Amy McMichael, MD
During the mentorship program, my mentor and I met approximately every three months via Webex for about 30 minutes. At these meetings, I was able to seek her counsel and advice regarding research, conferences, away rotations, and other derm-related opportunities. I was also able to update her on the progress I had made regarding previous things that we had discussed. This model helped to keep me accountable as I prepared for each meeting, making sure that I was staying on top of my goals and following through on what I had committed to. Through my mentor, I was able to join another student and a research fellow who were working on a case series regarding the trichoschopic findings of alopecia areata in patients with skin of color. This research project helped me to both grow in my understanding of skin of color and alopecia as well as further develop my research skills.
Our manuscript was recently accepted for publication! Furthermore, my mentor helped me to formulate my own research project based on my interest in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). This project has since evolved into two manuscripts based on a retrospective chart review, for which our IRB was recently approved. We are also planning to conduct a prospective study to evaluate the qualitative impact for patients of surgical management for HS lesions. My mentor was also able to give me personal advice on how to strengthen my application for residency, including focusing on meaningful contributions to the organizations I was already involved with rather than simply having a title. I was also encouraged to become more involved with our home dermatology program, including attending biweekly case conferences and the quarterly meetings - opportunities I had not been aware of. Most importantly, I have developed a strong relationship with my mentor through our time together and felt comfortable asking her to continue meeting informally during my fourth year. Altogether, I know that my journey toward dermatology has been immensely benefited by my SOCS mentorship experience.