MODEL Lead Showcase
Featuring William Collins, MD
May 30, 2024
The MODEL (Mentorship, Opportunity, Development, Empowerment, Leadership) program, initiated by the Department of Medicine, is a department-wide, cross-divisional, mentoring and development program specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the CE and UML faculty lines. Launched in January 2024, MODEL is championing a dynamic new mentoring culture across the department.
This May, we are pleased to spotlight MODEL Lead William Collins, MD. In addition to his dedicated work as a MODEL Lead, he is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford DoM and a practicing physician at Stanford Healthcare.
Describe your mentoring style. What do you think are the most important attributes of a good mentor?
I try to have a listen-first style. Whenever I meet with a mentee or trainee, I try to hear their own reflections first. I find most people are very self-aware. They know their strengths and weaknesses. And once I hear what they are most concerned about, I try to adapt my advice and help.
Rarely, I will encounter someone who is not as self-aware, or who has a very different reflection to how I have assessed them. When I do, I try then to think both how I might be wrong in my impression of that person as well as how to help bring that person to a different awareness that may help them flourish.
Who was your most influential mentor, and what was the most important lesson you took away from that relationship?
Cliché, but my most important mentors have been my parents. They both have had success in their careers, but they have very different approaches. Seeing this difference up close has taught me the importance of first understanding what makes you, you. From there, you can adapt a lot without losing your core self. This flexibility around a solid core is what I think really makes a person successful.
Why do you think it is important to establish and promote a culture of mentorship within the DoM? I.e. What might that look like when we are successful?
Organizations are successful when they take care of their people. Mentorship is a powerful way for us to invest in each other, and I very much appreciate the DoM sponsoring the MODEL program to advance mentorship.
When the program is successful, faculty will not feel intimidated but motivated to ask each other for help. We will actively look for ways to bring each other up.
Share a moment or experience in the MODEL program that significantly impacted you/was memorable.
When I was first meeting one-on-one with my mentees, multiple individuals stated how happy and excited they were to be a part of this program. My mentees are amazing, and they have already helped me so much with ways to make the program better.
Where do you find the most joy in your work with the MODEL program?
The most joy comes when I see mentees engaging during one of our sessions. A little flicker of interest goes a long way.
"Organizations are successful when they take care of their people. Mentorship is a powerful way for us to invest in each other, and I very much appreciate the DoM sponsoring the MODEL program to advance mentorship.
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