The Medicine Mentors at UT Houston

Gabriel Aisenberg MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He received his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1989. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Sanatorio Mitre in Buenos Aires, and fellowships at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Texas, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Aisenberg is board certified in internal medicine, certified by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry for the treatment of opioid addiction, and is board eligible in infectious diseases. He has received numerous awards for teaching and patient care, including the Dean's Teaching Excellence Award, the John P. McGovern Outstanding Teaching Award, the DuPont Master Clinical Teaching Award and the Smythe Outstanding Teacher Faculty award.

Dr. Gabriel Aisenberg tells us that one way to ensure a successful mentor/mentee relationship is to make sure your goals align: be clear about what you want to achieve as a mentee and see if your mentor can fulfill those needs. And if they can’t? Dr. Aisenberg says there is no shame in acknowledging that the mentorship isn’t working and moving on to the next person. If you think of the duration of your entire career, your time as a trainee is relatively short. Dr. Aisenberg reminds us, “it's important to be influenced by those that will positively impact your way of practicing, of learning, of conducting research or whatever is in your mind when you're trying to grow as a physician or a scientist.”

Pearls of Wisdom:

1. Role models add value to our lives, regardless of whether they are formally our mentors or not. Even the negative role models are valuable because they help you see what you don’t want out of your career.
2. The most successful trainees show caring, and have wisdom, which is the understanding of how to apply knowledge. Knowledge matters, but not as much as caring and wisdom.
3. When you reach that point in your training when you feel underappreciated, overwhelmed, and underpaid, remember your personal statement, which you wrote in the early moments of your career, making a commitment to care for others.

Robby Wesley, DO is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the McGovern Medical School at UT Health. He completed his medical degree at The University of North Texas Health Science Center-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and residency in Internal Medicine at the McGovern Medical school at UT Health. After completing residency, he joined the educational ranks as a Chief Medical Resident and then transitioned to Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Wesley serves as the Site Director for the Lyndon B Johnson Outpatient Center Medicine Clinic, and also as the Quality Officer for the Division of General Internal Medicine, helping organize quality improvement and patient safety projects for residents. He is also the Co-Director of their Primary Care Career Focused Track for medical students. He was recently awarded the Herbert L. and Margaret W. DuPont Master Clinical Teaching Award for his teaching efforts.

Today, Dr. Robby Wesley shares with us the traits and habits of successful residents: medical curiosity and reading. First, Dr. Wesley explains that medical curiosity is what leads a resident to not just accept an unusual presentation as part of the diagnosis. Instead, look into it. Is it a rare presentation of a known disease? Or another type of rare disease? Don’t leave those cases untouched. Then, Dr. Wesley recommends reading when you’re most tired. If you always wait for a break or when you have time off, that will never happen. Then, your medical knowledge will just slip away. But if you read a little, even when you’re tired, that information will sink in and build layers, which will pay off throughout your career.

Pearls of Wisdom:

1. When you experience medicine as both a physician and a patient, that changes your perspective of medicine because you understand the fear and anxiety of the patient.
2. When you walk into a patient’s room, take five minutes to talk about life in general before you get to medicine. Get to know your patient beyond their medical issues.
3. As a mentor, don’t take it for granted that the mentee understands what you’re saying. Create an environment that allows for errors, discussion, and questions.

Renee Flores, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine. She is also an Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. and the Fellowship Program Director of the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program at the McGovern Medical School of University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Flores received her medical doctorate from St. Matthew's University School of Medicine. She also completed a masters in Health Service Administration from St. Joseph's College of Maine. She is board certified in internal medicine as well as hospice and palliative medicine.

Some people see challenges as insurmountable obstacles. Other people, like Dr. Renee Flores, see them as breadcrumbs which mark the path to take. Today, Dr. Flores tells us how the first job she got after residency had her questioning her decision to be a physician. But she stuck with it long enough to learn that she was indeed cut out to be a physician, and to learn what she did not want in a job. Then, during residency, she encountered a difficult patient in his 70s with dementia. Instead of backing off, that’s when she realized she wanted to specialize in geriatrics. Even now, the difficult patients are her favorite to treat because they’re so challenging. Leaning into challenges can bring joy and satisfaction.

Pearls of Wisdom:

1. If your first job is a struggle and makes you question whether medicine was the right choice, maybe it isn’t medicine that’s wrong for you. Maybe it’s just the wrong job. Use that opportunity to clarify what you don’t want in a job.
2. Define success by happiness, because if you’re not happy with what you’re doing, you won’t be successful for long. Medicine is stressful. Balance that with joy.
3. When stress threatens to overtake you, a good sleep can recharge your batteries. Also, remember that your life is more than just medicine. Engage in a hobby, be part of a group, do something that energizes you outside of work.

Gus Krucke, MD completed his medical education at the University of Texas in Galveston in 1991. He is trained in internal medicine, emergency medicine, and HIV, with critical care and procedural expertise. He joined the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Houston in 2002. He is an active staff at Memorial Hermann Hospital, Lyndon B Johnson General Hospital, and Thomas Street Clinic. He is the 2010 recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. In addition, he received the General Internal Medicine Statewide Preceptorship Program Decade of Service Award in 2011.

Dr. Gus Krucke shares the four traits of the most successful trainees:  They know themselves, they work hard, they care deeply, and they are always willing to question what they know. Today, Dr. Krucke explains that successful trainees are a little unsure, especially in the beginning. They acknowledge when something isn’t their area of expertise. It’s those who don’t know what they don’t know who are dangerous. Those who will become great clinicians, question themselves, yet don’t put themselves down, which is also an important distinction. It is important to realize that “There is a difference between being inquisitive, and being self-defeating because of self-criticism.”  

Pearls of Wisdom:

1. Mentees need to remember that mentorship is a two-way street. Approach potential mentors with respect and a specific request, rather than just showing up and saying “Tell me what I need to know!”.
2. For mentees transitioning to a mentor role, remember what it’s like to be at the bottom of the totem pole: the overwhelm, the questioning your choices. That will help you be empathetic towards your mentees.
3. No profession is like medicine, that allows you to have such a direct impact on the lives of others. When you start to feel frustrated, remember why you got into medicine in the first place: to make a difference.

Vineeth John, MD, MBA, is Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. John is also the Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Section and is actively involved in various educational initiatives directed towards enhancing domain expertise among psychiatry residents. He received his medical training from Christian Medical College in Vellore, India and completed his residency in general adult psychiatry at Tufts-New England Medical Center and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital. In addition, he holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. Over the past decade, he has been studying the effect of disruptive styles of leadership in organizations and presenting his research at national and international conferences.

Today, we learn about the three C’s: Curiosity, Creativity, and Collaboration. Dr. Vineeth John shares a systematic approach to inspiring more creativity in medicine: It begins with finding our flow state, and is enhanced by finding creative partners that make up for our personal deficits. He also believes that strong mentorship has good Chemistry (Ok…there are four C’s) in which mentors often see their reflection in their mentees and mentees often aspire to become like their mentors.

Pearls of Wisdom:

1. Reference the three C’s: Curiosity, Creativity, and Collaboration - these are essential ingredients for success in life.
2. Creativity can be enhanced by identifying your own flow state, and finding a creativity partner they can keep you in that state.
3. Mentorship requires chemistry: A strong mentoring relationship is where a mentor sees his reflection in the mentee, and the mentee senses that their mentor is who they would want to become more like. When we find that match, we should not second guess ourselves.

Jennifer Swails, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, the Co-Director of Interprofessional Education, and Program Director of the internal medicine residency program at McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Swails received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Davidson College, and her M.D. from Weill Cornell. She then completed residency training in internal medicine and primary care at Brigham and Women's Hospital and joined the faculty at UT Houston in 2012. Dr. Swails has received numerous awards for teaching and patient care, including the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, the Dupont Master Clinical Teaching Award, and the John P. McGovern Outstanding Teaching Award.

Often in Dr. Jennifer Swails’ career, she struggled with feeling like she had to choose between being smart or likeable. Today, we learn that it’s okay to be both. It works to our benefit to express when we’re facing difficulty, and we need to be honest when life gets complicated. Dr. Swails’ best advice for students and residents is to be honest when we need help. She advises us to look for the mentors who will provide a safe space for us to express our concerns and struggles. And in the end, it’s that honesty and vulnerability that will lead to a greater reward.

Pearls of Wisdom:

1. As Glennon Doyle stated: Disappoint everyone in the world, but not yourself. When we’re honest with ourselves, we may take the risk of disappointing a few other people—but it’s important not to let ourselves down.
2. Lower the stakes when it comes to mentorships: It’s not always so formal. Ask a mentor if you can simply shadow them for a few hours, or talk to them about what they do. It will go a long way and make a big impact on you.
3. Have an attitude of resiliency throughout your career. The key qualities of a great residence are having a deep sense of purpose.