A journey of love: the Wild-Farhi mentor-mentee pair in The North American Menopause Society Mentorship Program.

R obert A. Wild was a member of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Research Affairs Committee and therefore involved in the initial planning of the NAMS Mentorship Program. He recognizes the effort and work required by a mentor and mentee but characterizes it as Ba journey of love[ that ultimately is a very positive experience. Bringing the first mentor-mentee class into reality required some Blearning as you go[ and understanding of individual expectations and abilities, and thus, the importance of the inaugural class in this program and the value of my interviews with each mentor-mentee pair in establishing a foundation and guidelines for the future. Bob Wild, a lifelong academician, faced a daunting challenge in the NAMS Mentorship Program; he was paired with a private practitioner mentee with very little research experience. The story of the Wild-Farhi mentor-mentee pairing is unique, and I believe it will resonate with both academicians and private practitioners. After medical school at the University of Missouri, Bob completed his residency training in obstetrics-gynecology at Harvard. A tour of duty at the Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS, was followed by a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and a faculty appointment at Pennsylvania State University in Hershey. He moved to Oklahoma City in 1988, where, during his faculty years in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, he earned a master’s degree in public health and a doctoral degree in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. He now holds several appointments at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center: Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Adjunct Professor of Medicine (in Cardiology), Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics/Clinical Epidemiology, and Chief of the Gynecology Service at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Despite wearing these many hats, Bob has the hardearned luxury of having about 50% of his time available for administration, teaching, and research. So here was this very trained, highly experienced, well-published academician thrust into a scientific mentor-mentee relationship with a private practitioner. Before entering medical school, Mary Schupp Farhi earned a master’s degree in public health and epidemiology from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. In the midst of her master’s degree program, Mary made the decision to continue her education in medical school, thinking she would return to the field of public health. However, she discovered a new passion during her student rotation in obstetrics and gynecology. After graduating from the University of Minnesota Medical School, Mary completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Rush Presbyterian, St. Luke’s Medical Center, in Chicago, and she entered private practice more than 15 years ago. Ten years ago, Mary founded the Comprehensive Women’s Center, in two offices in suburbs of ChicagoVHoffman Estates, IL, and Wheeling, ILVand with a focus on prevention and wellness; she stopped obstetrics 6 years ago. She works in community hospitals that do not have residency programs.