A model in dermatology for long-distance mentoring.

INTRODUCTION Mentorship is an important element for a successful career in any field. Physicians who have had mentors report having more career satisfaction and believe that the relationship has positively affected their job experience and promotions in their field. However, multiple studies have documented that a significant number of young physicians report not having a mentor through training and their early stage of career. Within the field of dermatology, mentorship has recently been emphasized in many training programs through assigned mentors with a high degree of resident satisfaction. Once past residency, however, early career physicians may have fewer opportunities for mentorship, while they also may be expected to become mentors themselves. In 2005, the American Academy of Dermatology established an Academic Dermatology Leadership Program (ADLP). This program has been well received, with consistently positive formal and informal evaluations. Moreover, participants report very high retention rates in full-time academic practice ([75%).* An important component of the ADLP is the matching of participants, who are early in their career as academic dermatologists, with a mentor— often located at a distant geographic locations—as a way to help them succeed in the field and advance as leaders. In most cases, mentorship is conducted primarily via phone calls with only a few in-person meetings. While this approach can pose unique challenges, it has great potential, particularly in a field like dermatology. Most academic departments in dermatology are small, and the opportunity to be matched with a mentor from