January is National Mentoring Month. This month celebrates the importance of mentoring and how the relationship built between mentor and mentee impacts one's life and career. In recognition of National Mentoring Month, we talked to one of the Department's mentor-mentee pairs, Dr. Katherine A. Hajjar, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics and the Brine Family Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Dr. Deyin H. Hsing, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, about the benefits of mentoring and how it's impacted their careers. They offer advice and share what they enjoy most about working together.
Katherine A. Hajjar, MD (Mentor)
What is your approach to mentoring?
There is “greatness” – a special talent - in everyone. You just have to find out what it is. 
What are successful mentoring techniques that you find most beneficial to the mentor-mentee relationship?
I like to show the mentee the path to discovery, but I encourage them to actually make the discovery themselves. It is better to show them a path, rather than to provide the ultimate answer. This approach builds confidence and encourages independence.
What do you enjoy most about mentoring?
I enjoy seeing my mentees succeed and come to the realization that they can do more than they thought they could. A large part of success in research is overcoming self-doubt.
How has being a mentor impacted your work?
Being a mentor has led me to focus more on the careers of others, rather than just my own. It’s important to develop the next generation, and to include women and members of under-represented in medicine groups when working toward the future. This has been a source of great satisfaction!
What have you enjoyed most about working with Dr. Hsing?
I have admired Dr. Hsing’s drive and commitment to the research, despite a difficult and demanding clinical schedule. She is incredibly hardworking, and truly has the “fire in the belly!”
Deyin D. Hsing, MD (Mentee)
What is your advice for others looking to find a mentor?
Look for a mentor right away at all stages of your professional life. Do not assume that your boss is your mentor since he/she has some many other people and things to worry about already. Find someone who understands your own career goals and has the time to fully guide you.
How has having a mentor helped your career?
I struggled a lot during the first 10 years of my career after completion of training without a mentor. Since finding a mentor, I have been able to truly focus on building a meaningful academic career under the guidance of my mentor.
What do you think makes a good mentor?
Someone who is available and experienced in guiding mentees. Someone who has had a successful career with a path that is like what you would like to achieve. Someone who is not worried about telling what will work and what might just be a waste of your time. Someone who truly has your success in mind and is fully dedicated to helping you succeed.
Lastly, how has Dr. Hajjar's mentorship impacted your career?
Finding Dr. Hajjar as my mentor has been a tremendous experience for me in the sense that I have finally found someone who is fully invested in my success in a career path I have chosen. She is tough but fair. She has helped me focusing my research efforts and to not only ask meaningful questions but also find ways to answer them through research experiments. I have learned a lot from her with respect to how to perform research with scientific vigor and to always dig deeper when it comes to scientific investigations. Despite her busy schedules, she has remained available to me when it matters the most. Even though I had a bit of a late start on embarking on my translational research career, I am confident that Dr. Hajjar is the one person who can guide me to success.