Konstantinos Arnaoutakis, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine In the Division of Hematology and Oncology. He also serves as the Program Director of Hematology Oncology fellowship at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His primary research interests are lung cancer and novel therapies. He is the Coordinator of the Thoracic Malignancy disease-oriented committee (DOC).

“They say it takes two to tango.” Recognizing the value of the mentoring relationship means understanding both sides have their own perspective. Join us in a discussion on the Medicine Mentors with Dr. Konstantinos Arnaoutakis and his mentee, Dr. Arya Mariam Roy, as we dive into the specifics of mentorship from both sides of the coin. Tune in as we chat about how important it is for mentees to initiate mentorship and how a mentor can help their pupils in more than one way, as Dr. Arnaoutakis says, “successful physicians never became successful on their own.”

Pearls of Wisdom:   1. A self-made man is a flawed concept based in ignorance. Just so, successful physicians never become successful without a mentor.  
2. A mentor wears many hats. They should be invested in your professional as well as your personal development. In such a long-standing relationship, they should invest time into the work you’ve put in as well as giving honest feedback. 
3. The mentee should  take the first step into the mentoring relationship and be able to follow through with expectations of working hard, being trustworthy, and caring.  4. Trustworthiness comes from caring well for your patients, for yourself, and for the community in general. Don’t worry about your capability, as long as you’re hardworking, honest, and care, capability will come along with that.