Blog Post #2: Getting to Know Your Colleagues

My internship at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has at times made me feel small—I’m surrounded by men and women with piles of degrees, whether we’re talking PhDs, JDs, etc. Most of my colleagues and supervisors are extremely intelligent and accomplished individuals, and even though I’m not quite there yet I’ve realized how incredible it is to have such personal access to them and their work. Through the first four weeks or so of my internship, I’ve managed to meet with many of the senior staff members in the Health Science Policy (HSP) division just to pick their brains, and I’ve developed a good relationship with my primary supervisor Rachel Kirkland, who is an associate study director.

Rachel has served as a mentor of sorts, and she possesses several traits that I admire. First, she has high expectations. I am glad she expects a lot from me and is not afraid to make it clear. I also admire her communication skills, because she frequently checks on my assignments and talks to me about any concerns. Rachel’s frequent interaction are a testament to her leadership and management skills, and they make me feel like I am contributing to the success of our study.

Other colleagues have served as informal mentors, and some of the best advice I’ve heard from them is that there’s really no specific path one needs to take to arrive at the IOM. One of my other supervisors has a PhD in Neuroscience and now is a senior study director on emergency preparedness. Rachel just received her law degree and didn’t even study health until law school. I’ve come to realize that working in policy requires a range of skills (often developed through lots and lots of education and experience) just as much as it does an expertise in a particular area.

Lastly, a couple weeks ago a new intern who’s my age arrived and we quickly became friends. He and I began to discuss our professional interests and he told me about all the meetings he set up with various doctors and policymakers in the DC area. I think this is my next step towards gaining more mentorship and guidance—finding more names from various IOM departments and simply expressing my curiosity to other staff members. Even a simple personal connection can go a long way in the future, and those types of discussions will likely help me to better understand my own interests.