Lifelong Mentorship with Dr. Anil Rustgi

Anil Rustgi, MD, is the Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Irving Professor of Medicine, and Chief of Cancer Services at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia campus. Dr. Rustgi is a world-renowned physician, scientist, and leader in the field of gastrointestinal cancers, spanning from molecular pathogenesis to pre-clinical models to clinical studies. He has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, is the former President of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA), Editor-in-Chief of Gastroenterology, and recipient of the AGA Friedenwald Medal for lifetime achievement. “You’re always in touch with your parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and so forth…the amount of contact may vary, but the contact should never cease. The mentor-mentee relationship is the same.” Tune into another conversation on The Medicine Mentors as we take a deep dive with Dr. Anil Rustgi on what makes the mentor-mentee relationship so powerful. Because ultimately, “one doesn’t stop being a mentee and should continue being a mentor.” Pearls of Wisdom:   1. Have two mentors that work with each other and aim at having lifelong mentorship. We shouldn't stop being a mentee and should always continue being a mentor. 2. A mentor should always be thinking about the mentee and both should have a periodic engagement to celebrate the successes and give support during failures. 3. To influence the landscape, we should get engaged in professional societies, volunteer at the local level to influence patient care and healthcare policy, and aim at participating in the community.