The summer months are a season of transition in medicine. New residents and fellows step into their roles—bringing energy, curiosity, and potential—and graduating trainees advance into the world of the attending. Across our profession, careers quietly but meaningfully move forward. These moments offer us an opportunity to reflect—not just on progress but on how that progress happens.
At its core, leadership is not about titles or authority. Leadership is the ability to inspire others to do great things; it is distinct from management. While management ensures execution, leadership builds people. It is about lifting others up, building the bench for the future, and having the integrity to do the right thing, especially when it is difficult. It also requires the humility and awareness to know when to lead, when to partner, and when to step back and be led.
In many ways, mentorship is where leadership becomes real.
At CHEST, mentorship is not passive—it is an active commitment. Through our programs, committee engagement, and opportunities surrounding the annual meeting, we intentionally connect early career clinicians with experienced leaders who can guide, challenge, and support them.
I am a product of CHEST’s leadership and mentorship, and I credit a large part of my personal and professional success to the organization. In 1999, I left my academic job and joined a private practice in the suburbs north of Chicago. By chance, I was contacted by Nancy Collop, MD, Master FCCP, at CHEST to participate in an upcoming sleep-related educational program. And the rest is history.
Formal and informal mentoring and coaching by senior leaders and clinicians helped me develop skills in how to develop and present a lecture, organize a meeting, and accept and provide constructive feedback. These opportunities eventually led me to participation in the Networks, committees, and eventually, Board of Regents. It’s as simple as that. And if can happen to me, it can happen to anyone who is willing to engage with the organization.
The CHEST Travel Grants program, supported by our donors, is another strong example of how CHEST helps many clinicians develop. These grants do more than support attendance; they create relationships. Each recipient is paired with a mentor who helps shape their experience during the meeting and beyond. In 2025, to celebrate CHEST’s 90th anniversary, we awarded 90 travel grants. (And this year, we’re awarding 91 travel grants!) That represented 90 opportunities for connection, for guidance, and, potentially, for transformation. Because sometimes, a single conversation can change the trajectory of someone’s career. I have served as a mentor for this program for the past three years, and I continue to learn and be inspired by every mentee with whom I work.
This is how we build the next generation of leaders—not by chance but by design.
To succeed in the years ahead, we must embrace a learning mindset. We must be willing to think differently and remain open to change. The pace of medicine is accelerating, and expectations are evolving just as quickly. Those who thrive will be the ones who remain curious, adaptable, and committed to growth. And within that change lies tremendous opportunity.
At CHEST, we are committed to creating that opportunity. We continue to invest in mentorship while strengthening the pipeline of future clinicians through partnerships. One such partnership is our work with the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. We are also advancing team-based care by supporting advanced practice providers through initiatives like the Critical Care Advanced Practice Provider Certification and expanding critical care education. And we will continue formal and informal mentorship programs through CHEST Travel Grants, Networks, and committees.
These efforts are important—but organizations alone do not create opportunity. People do. Leaders do.
So I will close with a simple call to action.
Reach out to your mentees. If it has been a while, reconnect. Send a message. Schedule a conversation. Offer guidance, encouragement, or simply your time. Also, reach out to your own mentors and coaches and thank them for their time, commitment, and wisdom.
Because leadership is not defined by what we accomplish alone but by what we enable others to become.
And often, it starts with a single conversation.
This article was originally published in the Summer 2026 issue of CHEST Physician.
