Honoring Faculty Excellence in Mentoring

Pamela L. Mellon, PhD

Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Sciences 
Chocolate Persimmon

"Pam has opened doors for women at UC San Diego for decades. As chair and member of many faculty search committees, promotion committees, and Department Chair review committees, she has emphasized the importance of gender neutrality in an effort to maintaining open doors for females. With respect to promoting the careers of women, she has been a leader in junior faculty mentoring programs, both formally and informally to many."

Victor Nizet, MD

Pediatrics, Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics
Tigerstripe Fig

"Victor manages not only to give constructive feedback on ongoing research projects but also to structure an overall plan for each mentee and provide guidance in how to achieve the next milestone in their path to success. I was once told that “5 minutes with Dr. Nizet equals an hour with any other mentor,” and I have found this to be a true statement (although meetings with him are not limited to 5 minutes!)." 

Alison A. Moore, MD, MPH

Medicine, Geriatrics and Gerontology
Variegated Eureka Lemon

"In academia, it is still incredibly difficult to succeed as a woman, as evidenced by the very few women who hold top University positions. As the Division Chair of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Dr. Moore has achieved that. More impressively she is actively and successfully pulling women up with her. Dr. Moore has helped me maintain focus on my ultimate career goal (research independence). Aside from these academic successes, what has been of greater value to me is Dr. Moore’s constant encouragement, and advocacy."

Robert N. Weinreb, MD

Ophthalmology
Kaffir Lime

"Like so many of my colleagues who are faced with challenging clinical, scientific or academic problems, I first often think “What would Dr. Weinreb do?” But, invariably, I (we) typically call and obtain his advice at any time of day or night. He also advises us on prioritization of competing responsibilities and provides strategic insight and tactical options for addressing departmental and organization politics. He educates and stimulates, knows when to adopt and maintain a low profile, and intervenes when support is needed. This had had a lifelong impact that did not end after the completion of formal training for me and countless other mentees."

Darcy Wooten, MD, MS

Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Dapple Supreme Pluot

"In the 4 years since she joined the leadership of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship program as Assistant Program Director, she has dedicated herself to improving the mentoring, health and wellness of our fellows and they LOVE her for it. Dr. Wooten has used her magic touch on every aspect of our program from weekly didactics and conferences, to introducing a Twitterstorm of educational and quality improvement tidbits while on daily rounds. This program is followed by hundreds of people across the country. She also began a family sib program to encourage interaction between our senior fellows and new fellows (of course with fun names such as “The Gram Positives” and “The Acid Fast Bacilli”) and hosts journal clubs and relaxing mixers in her own home."

ADRIANA TREMOULET, MD, MAS

Pediatrics, Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics
Issai Kiwi

"As a native Spanish speaker and someone with exceptional organizational and leadership qualities, Dr. Tremoulet was able to create a multi-center collaborative network across Latin America. At every opportunity, she brought junior colleagues on board and mentored them in the intricacies of multi-national collaboration. Dr. Tremoulet has helped launch the career of dozens of Latin American scholars."

RONALD ELLIS, MD, PHD

Neurosciences and Psychiatry
Anna Apple

"Despite his already busy calendar and all his responsibilities, he agreed to meet with me on the weekly basis to discuss the different steps of the project and offer me valuable guidance. He was available at any time to help me with any difficulty along the way. Other than the research aspect, he also inquired about my well-being and supported me during the hardships of my life."

JAMES MURPHY, MD, MS

Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences
Fan-stil Pear

"Jim’s genuine commitment to doing what is morally right and best for others (be it patients or mentees) makes him an ideal role model. Jim’s mentorship has extended beyond career, as he has helped me uphold values critical to work-life balance. Jim recently mentioned that he sees helping students and residents excel in what they are passionate about as his priority."

ANDREA Z. LACROIX, PHD

Epidemiology
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Longevity Science

MARIA J. MARQUINE, PHD

Medicine and Psychiatry

DAVEY SMITH, MD, MAS

Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health