February 2026 News You Can Use Editorial

 By Noelle S. Sherber, M.D., F.A.A.D. 

WDS News You Can Use Committee

The Women’s Dermatologic Society is celebrating the 35th anniversary of our mentoring program this year! Throughout National Mentoring Month in January I asked WDS members to share the best bits of advice they have received through mentorship, and in sharing them here I hope we can all benefit from this shared wisdom.

We can trace the idea of mentorship to Homer’s The Odyssey. When Odysseus’ son Telemachus awaits his father’s return home, Athena, the goddess of intelligence, appears in the form of Mentor, a longtime family friend, to offer support and guidance. It is thought that this depiction is the origin story of what we consider mentorship today. One of the most meaningful mentoring relationships since my freshman year of college has been with Greg Nagy, the Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard, who has lectured and written extensively about the significance of Mentor in the idea of mentorship. He notes that Athena declared her intent to put menos into Telemachus, which can be translated as “mental strength.” Before his conversation with Mentor, Telemachus is described as napios, meaning “disconnected.” Mentor’s guidance is what forges the connection between Telemachus and his heroic path, and we can take this idea into the present day: mentorship is rooted in connection. While some connections conferred by great mentors may be connections to people and opportunities, mentorship can also give us the mental strength to illuminate connections between our own ideas so that we can see things in more clear and innovative ways.

Dr. Deirdre Hooper (whose partner in Audubon Dermatology is our WDS President, Dr. Sarah Jackson!) became my mentor through the ASDS Future Leaders Program and gave me the following great advice:

“In general, say yes to everything, do a good job, and it will all come together.”

Dr. Molly Stoud:

“My mentor, Shadi Kourosh, instilled in me a classic Islamic proverb “Trust in God, tie your camel”  Meaning we should always have faith and positive outlook that everything is going to work out in our favor, but also make every effort, and take practical, sensible actions to avoid a runaway camel situation!”

Dr. Cather McKay:

“Beyond the endless clinical knowledge, one thing I always remember from one my mentors, Dr. Erin Boh, is "creature comforts come first". She would usually say this in the context of making sure we took time to eat lunch even on very busy clinic days. This can be extended to overall work-life balance, and the importance of taking care of ourselves so that we can show up fully for our patients.”

 

Dr. Susan Massick:

“One of the best pieces of advice I received from a mentor was that I controlled my own career journey, whether that meant to push forward, to slow down, to pivot in a new direction, or to prioritize what I felt was most important. That included advice that my first job out of residency did not have to be my “forever” job. I have had a unique career timeline, even taking two full years off after the birth of my second child, and I now practice full-time in academic medicine. Hoping to pay it forward, I have the privilege of working with and mentoring medical students and residents. I encourage trainees to not feel so pressured to fit into a rigid mold or to feel confined to a single timeline. Senior residents want so much to get started with the rest of their lives that they feel compelled to sign the first contract they’re offered or not to consider other employment opportunities. For mentees, take the time to find the right fit, the right colleagues/future partners, and the right work-life balance but don’t be afraid to pivot and readjust. Seek out more than one mentor—you can have multiple mentors who can help advise you on different aspects of your life.”