The landscape of academic surgery has become increasingly complex. Young academic surgeons are now confronted with the task of juggling administrative, clinical, educational, and research responsibilities. While decades ago, young faculty would look toward a single “triple threat” mentor, trainees and young junior faculty now must assemble a team of mentors who can help him/her craft a career trajectory for success in academia. In addition, with the emergence of team-based science and an emphasis on clinical “crew management,” faculty must hone their leadership skills to be effective in the research and clinical environment.
While many books focus on specific research or technical surgical topics, there is a need for an accessible, user-friendly text on the subject of surgical mentorship and leadership. In particular, there is a strong desire among trainees and young surgeons to learn about mentorship, as well as define leadershiptools. Currently, there is a gap in the market for a definitive reference on surgical leadership and mentorship.
This text will provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art, definitive surgical mentorship and leadership reference. It will also offer a practical, helpful guide that reviews select topics on leadership and mentorship and provides key information on how to launch a successful “young” surgical career. This text will focus on key points in identifying mentors, highlighting mentor-mentee “pearls,” and defining key leadership traits to succeed as an academic surgeon.
This text will serve as a very useful resource for young surgical faculty, as well as fellows and residents in a broad array of surgical training programs. Chapters will have multiple “call out” boxes to highlight key lessons learned, as well as provide mentorship and leadership “pearls.” All chapters will be written by experts in their field and include the most up-to-date information from national and international leaders.
