Since the days of the legendary Mentor, friend to mythical hero Odysseus, and the real-life Hippocrates, father to Western medicine, mentors have fostered personal growth and professional achievement by teaching, challenging, and inspiring young men and women.

To help celebrate 40 years of Family Practice News, our "Mentors Who Mattered" contest celebrates those who’ve inspired you to make family medicine your calling. Thanks to all of you who've shared the stories of the mentors whose wisdom and support shaped your career choice and changed the way you practice medicine.

We encourage you to explore your family medicine colleagues' stories of mentorship and inspiration below!

I would like to share the story of my mentor, Dr. Allana Oak, who practices at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Edgewood, Ky. Allana was one of my attendings during residency. She is a family physician who went through an obstetrics fellowship. She was an integral part of my training in OB during residency. She also delivered my first son during my last year of residency. More »

Two Mentors Who Mattered

Sometimes we forget how we got where we are, the choices we made, or the paths we took to get there. I will never forget the day that my career path was carved out in the right direction, and it is due to my brilliant mentors, Marc Messineo, D.O., and Michael Terzella, D.O. More »

Full Circle

Little did my father know that by donating his time and knowledge to a struggling young medical student, he was actually teaching his own daughter to be the kind of physician he thought all physicians should aspire to be. More »

Most people think of a “mentor” as someone who guided them in a choice of profession or took an active part in their development in medicine. However, there are mentors who by the nature of their association with families providing continuity of care across many years become role models. More »

Dr. Hänschen Meyer was a lithe man, quick of movement; if alive today, he could have been a marathon runner. He had little hair and a ready smile. He was our family’s beloved physician and friend in Germany. More »

Medical school was physically and emotionally exhausting for all of us, but my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was pushing me to the brink. My orthopedic surgeon said, “If you are going to be a doctor, for God’s sake don’t pick family medicine – it will kill you.” More »

I first met Dr. Reynolds when I was in medical school. He practiced general medicine, and in addition to honing our diagnostic skills, he made the patient/doctor relationship a very important part of our training. Our first 2 years of training were at the classrooms of the University of Southern California’s campus. Our second 2 years were spent on the vast Los Angeles County Hospital wards. More »

As new residents in Family Medicine at UCLA in 1984, my colleagues and I faced the challenge of trying to fit into a university hospital setting that had not completely embraced the idea of educating family physicians alongside internists, oncologists, and pediatric neurosurgeons. More »

 'Roll Up Your Sleeves!'

I can still remember the day I decided to become a family doctor: It was my first day of my third-year rotation in pediatric surgery. When I arrived at my attending’s office, he said, “I would like to make a suggestion.” He instructed me to go across town to the Erie Teen Center in Chicago to shadow a doctor named Lisa Solinas, because he believed I would make a great connection with her. More »

The curtain parts on the third grade play, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” Two freckle-faced girls are dressed in identical yellow shirts with the black Charlie Brown zig-zag. Their short-cropped pixie hair and toothy grins shine as they bow for the final applause. Thirty-nine years later, the fading photograph of these two little girls brings a smile to Dr. Robert Feely as he remembers the play his daughter and I participated in together. More »

While I was a student in medical school, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Arthur Surloff, a neurologist who practiced in North Miami, Fla. He always started his lecture with a volunteer patient from his practice. I remember how exciting it was to get hands-on experience so early on in my career. More »

Dhanvantari, Minerva, Asclepius, Hippocrates, and Sir William Osler are but a few names from various cultures representing ancient to modern medicine. Inspiring and mentoring others is but an art, and truly a gift possessed by few. More »

Dr. Ed Ulrich was one of my favorite mentors and a special uncle who went to medical school when I was growing up on the same farm that he and my father, his older brother, grew up on. My dad had stayed on the farm, married, and had a large family. Uncle Ed in his med school years would often come back to the farm just south of the small town of Grand Chain, Ill. More »

When I attended medical school, I was given a foundation of scientific facts, a plethora of cases, and a basis of theory. I graduated 25 years ago and started working in a government-subsidized clinic. I was named its primary physician who also delved in obstetrics and gynecology. Although eager, I was governed by rules of the country’s health organization. More »

<< back to 40th Anniversary Homepage