Developing a 360 Degree View in Medicine with Dr. Adrian Tyndall

Dr. Tyndall assumed the role of the Interim Dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine on July 31st 2018. He is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and has been the Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine since 2008. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Emergency Medicine Residency at the University of Maryland. In addition, he received his Master’s Degree in Health Services Management and Health Policy from Columbia University, NY. Prior to his recruitment to UF, Dr. Tyndall held academic appointments at Cornell and SUNY Downstate and served as a residency program director for emergency medicine. At UF, he has served on the board of directors of UF Health Shands at the University of Florida since 2010. He was the Chair of the Dean’s council for diversity, inclusion and equity at the University of Florida from 2010-2018. He was also the senior medical school representative to the Council for Faculty and Societies at the Association of American Medical Colleges from 2013-2018. He was also named a 2018-2019 fellow of the Council of Deans of the AAMC. He is a member of the Board of Directors and Immediate Past President of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation. He has been inducted in both the Alpha Omega Alpha as well as the Gold Humanism honor societies. His research interests focus on brain injury and health services research. He is also an editor for the upcoming 10th edition of the emergency medicine text book - Rosen’s Emergency Medicine - Concepts and Clinical Practice. He was most recently appointed to the role of Associate Vice President for Strategic and Academic Affairs at UF Health. As mentees, according to Dr. Adrian Tyndall, we must be bold in pursuing mentors. Today, Dr. Tyndall explains how mentorship is a bi-directional relationship: The mentee must actively show interest in the mentor and their areas of research, and in turn, this will activate the intrinsic motivation in that mentor to invest their time in the mentee. Simply put, it’s all about give and take. On top of that, we’ll learn how mentorship is helpful in self-reflection: All of us have blind spots, and we’re able to achieve a “360 degree view” of our trajectory when we ask for guidance from mentors and peers. And Dr. Tyndall reminds us that if we look around and we don’t like what we see, we have to have the courage to adjust our forward trajectory. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Mentorship is a bi-directional relationship. As the mentee, we need to show our interest in the mentor and their work. In turn, that will activate a mentor’s intrinsic motivation in the mentee. 2. As physicians, we need to know how to refuel our energy tank. Self-reflection is key, and seeking guidance from those around us will give us a 360 degree view of our journey. 3. There are four core values to live by in medicine (especially as a student): Self-reflection, balance, confidence, humility.