WDS Young Physician Spotlight Interview - Jennifer Adams, MD

 WDS Young Physician Spotlight Interview - Jennifer Adams, MD
Interviewed by Brianna Olamiju, MD and Amaris Geisler, MD

1.)      How did you become involved in the WDS and what benefits do you think WDS membership provides for residents/young physicians?

I learned about the free resident membership for WDS and signed up to stay in the loop during my first-year of dermatology training at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. I was later chosen for the WDS mentorship award during my senior year which supported a rotation with the National Hansen’s Disease Program- reinforcing my career foundation for infectious disease dermatology.  Although WDS mentorship, networking with colleagues, scholarships and service opportunities have long been available to support residents/young physicians, I have also loved to direct our current residents to their fantastic recent resident lecture series (the repository of prior recorded lectures are available on-demand)!

 

2.)      Are you in private practice or academics? At what point did you decide that you wanted to do private practice versus academics?

Although I always suspected that I would be happiest in an academic setting with my love for infectious disease dermatology, I started my career in private practice due to limitations with a partner’s job (in a region without an academic center). I quickly found that I missed the volume of high complexity referral cases of my training along with the joy I had with teaching. The stars aligned 6 years ago when I learned of a brand-new dermatology department starting at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE where the priority was to design a dream department with the north star of a team-based culture & passion for all things dermatology. We also were able to create a thriving dermatology residency program- the first in our state in over 40 years. It has been beyond fulfilling to be a part of those dreams coming to life and absolute affirmation for my career choice. 

 

3.)      Advice to young physicians regarding leadership?

Remember that everyone starts out on the ground floor and give yourself grace. Often, I find that young trainees or faculty set internalized unrealistic expectations that they should know everything from day one. This is part of the “imposter syndrome” phenomenon, discounting all of your qualifications that got you to where you are at. Each leadership opportunity will help you get more comfortable with the uncomfortable, until one day you look back and realize how much you’ve grown. Just trust the process and say yes to those leadership opportunities and you will learn along the way.

 

4.)      Who were/are your mentors?

Mentorship has had a tremendous impact on my trajectory, and although I can’t recognize all of those relationships within this interview, I will at least highlight a key mentor quality. Drs. Ashley Wysong and Robert Kirsner have not just been strong mentors on my journey (with advice & guidance) but they have also been sponsors. A sponsor goes beyond advice and advocates for you when you are not in the room. They direct opportunities for career advancement your way and put their name on the line to vouch for you. I will always be grateful for the way they have been mentors and sponsors and aim to continue to pay it forward!

 

5.)   What are you working on now?

Within 6 short years, UNMC Derm has grown from 0 to 15 providers, ramped up to a 12 resident complement and fellowships starting this next year, even still, the need for dermatologic care is vast in Nebraska. As interim chair, I am working on continuing to grow our “Field of Dreams” department and meet that need. This includes getting to iron out the details for our brand-new dermatology building on campus to teach and care for Nebraskans for many years to come.

·         In the infectious dermatology sphere, my HIV-Dermatology clinic continues to grow, and I am working with our UNMC biocontainment and emerging infectious disease colleagues on some exciting developments!

 

5.)      Do you have advice to young physicians on achieving work/life balance?

There is no stagnant balance or formula, it is more of a waxing/waning of priorities through the seasons of life. You have to start with reflection on what you truly want to prioritize and decide what cannot get dropped. For example, I take a vacation day on first day of school so that I can walk my son to school and pick him up right as the day ends and do a fun celebratory dinner. When I sign him up for sports/activities I make sure to pick the leagues where I can be there for all the games. If there is a big deadline coming up for a work project, I may have to catch up on the weekend, but I ensure that I set aside time the following weekend to spend with friends & family.

 

7.)   What do you like to do in your free time?

My son and I love dropping by the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo on the weekends to walk around (it was voted #1 zoo in the nation again this year)! I am also a big fan of a local tree-ropes course where you can zipline/swing/climb obstacles in the Fontanelle Forest tree canopy. Otherwise, escape rooms or board games with friends are always a hit for me!