Surgical Mentorship and Leadership ― Building for Success in Academic Surgery

The landscape of academic surgery has become increasingly complex. Young academic surgeons are now confronted with the task of juggling administrative, clinical, educational, and research responsibilities. While decades ago young faculty would look toward a single “triple threat” mentor, trainees and young junior faculty now must assemble a team of mentors who can help him/her craft a career trajectory for success in academia. In addition, with the emergence of team based science and an emphasis on clinical “crew management” faculty now must hone their leadership skills to be effective in the research and clinical environment. 

While many books focus on specific research or technical surgical topics, there is a need for an accessible, user-friendly text on the subject of surgical mentorship and leadership. In particular, there is a strong desire among trainees and young surgeons to learn about mentorship, as well as define leadership tools. Currently, there is a gap in the market for a definitive reference on surgical leadership and mentorship. 

This text will provide a comprehensive, state-of-the art definitive reference on surgical mentorship and leadership. The book will provide a practical, useful guide that reviews select topics on leadership and mentorship, as well as provide key information on how to launch a successful “young” surgical career. This text will focus on key points on how to identify mentors, highlight mentor-mentee “pearls”, as well as define key leadership traits in being successful as an academic surgeon.

This text will serve as a very useful resource for young surgical faculty, as well as fellows and residents in a broad array of surgical training programs. Chapters will have multiple “call out” boxes to highlight key lessons learned, as well as provide mentorship and leadership “pearls.” All chapters will be written by experts in their field and will include the most up-to-date information from national and international leaders.

Charles R. Scoggins MD MBA

Professor and Vice-Chair for Operations & Finance 

Hiram C. Polk, Jr., M.D. Dept. of Surgery

Division of Surgical Oncology University of Louisville

Timothy M. Pawlik, MD, MPH, PhD

Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery

The Urban Meyer III and Shelley Meyer Chair for Cancer Research

Professor of Surgery, Oncology, Health Services Management and Policy

The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center