Mentors Want Us To Succeed with Dr. Lauren Shapiro

Dr. Lauren Shapiro is the Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Montefiore Hospital. Her areas of interest include resident wellness, social determinants of health, clinical reasoning, and above all, resident education. Dr. Shapiro is originally from southern New Jersey and obtained her undergraduate degree in biology from Rutgers. After receiving her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she completed her residency at Montefiore in Primary Care/Social Internal Medicine. She has been recognised for her teaching with the Montefiore Residency Teaching Award and induction into the Davidoff Society for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching of Medical Students. She is passionate about providing excellent medical care, especially to the most underserved and vulnerable patient populations. Do you ever hesitate before reaching out to a potential mentor? Are you intimidated, or worried you are “bothering them”? Dr. Lauren Shapiro encourages us to undo that belief and know that mentors want to help us succeed and help us grow. Today, Dr. Shapiro teaches us ways to foster and maintain fruitful relationships with our educators, how to steer towards our true passions, and to remember why we started in the first place. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Be intentional in reaching out to mentors. Press beyond your doubts and make an extra effort to connect. Be persistent, even if this means reaching out several times. 2. Do not be afraid when you are confronted with a challenge. Ask for help on the front end, rather than waiting to fail and needing to ask for help down the road. 3. Do not forget the fundamentals during difficult times. Remember that our job is to care for people and leave them better than they were before they came in contact with us.