Why I Chose to Become an AUA Mentor: Harish Ramakrishna

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”- Isaac Newton wrote to fellow scientist Robert Hooke in 1675 and these immortal words have come to universally symbolize the fact that creativity, innovation, knowledge, and scientific progress do not exist in a vacuum. To me they are even more inspiring because they depict a profound sense of humility from arguably the most influential scientist of all time. The essence of mentoring and mentorship, in my opinion, is not far off from this metaphor. Those of us who are mentors did indeed stand on the shoulders of giants, in some form or other and it is our duty to “pay it forward”.

As a clinician-investigator with multiple complex leadership roles both in and outside of the operating room I have always been grateful to the select few “master” clinicians and researchers who shaped my thinking as a raw trainee and then junior faculty at the University of Pittsburgh.

Over the past two decades at the Mayo Clinic, I have had the opportunity to mentor medical students and trainees in anesthesiology and cardiology keeping the principles of clarity (of thought and communication), honesty, consistency, availability, diversity, equality, and a strong work ethic at the core of the mentor-mentee relationship. The most successful people are, in my opinion, those who ask the right questions and are willing to work to get the right answers! As AUA looks to the future, the best and the brightest in our specialty will benefit from its critical mass of talented members who are dedicated to fostering growth and excellence.

Learn More About Becoming an AUA Mentor

Author

Harish Ramakrishna, MD, FACC, FESC, FASE

Professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Associate Editor, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia

Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota