The Fellow on Call: The Heme/Onc Podcast Episode 146: Career Development Series-Choosing Your Ideal Mentor
Feb 25, 2026
Hetty Carraway, leukemia program director and academic leader, and Alfred Lee, chief of classical hematology and seasoned mentor, discuss mentorship choices. They cover defining mentorship, learning from failure and resilience, picking mentors for different roles, when to renegotiate relationships, and practical scripts for awkward conversations. Short, actionable career-development talk for trainees.
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Use Advisors To Reframe Academic Failure
- Processing failure benefits from peers and advisors who normalize imposter feelings and broaden perspective beyond the immediate setback.
- Alfred Lee found medical school advisors provided balance and concrete next-step planning after his PhD setback.
Pathology Year That Pivoted Toward Hematology
- Hetty Carraway recounted doing a post-sophomore year in pathology because a teacher inspired her, which clarified she wanted patient-facing hematology rather than pathology.
- That immersive year improved her differential diagnoses and opened mentorship and research opportunities that steered her career.
Build A Three Person Mentor Team
- Seek mentors you want to be like across different dimensions: research skill, career model, and a nonjudgmental supporter.
- Alfred Lee recommended having at least three mentors serving those distinct roles simultaneously.