CHDS’ Sue J. Goldie, Jane Kim, and Ankur Pandya, with PhD student Janice Jhang discuss the pivotal role of mentoring in the field of decision science in the recent news story “A ‘Mentoring Tree’ of Health Decision Scientists Continue to Bear Fruit”by the Harvard Chan School. The discussion includes the importance of mentoring, paying it forward, and balancing priorities. Tips and advice for mentees are also shared, among other points.
The “mentoring tree” (pictured left) represents the interconnectedness of the community of decision scientists at CHDS and was fondly referred to in the article. The tree, created and gifted from Goldie to Milton Weinstein, Henry J. Kaiser Professor of Health Policy and Management, Emeritus, during a symposium that honored his career achievements, began with Weinstein and his mentors Howard Raiffa, Howard Hiatt, and Howard Frazier, represented as the roots of the tree art while the branches are the scores of Weinstein’s mentees, with Goldie, Kim, and Pandya all included. To this day, the ethos of mentorship continues to be the forefront for CHDS faculty. Goldie describes the CHDS faculty as “sharing a deep sense of commitment to decision science teaching and mentorship across the School and University.”
Part of the mentoring tree, Goldie and Kim’s mentor/mentee story began nearly 20 years ago when Kim was in the master’s program and then PhD program in health policy and decision sciences at Harvard University. “Kim credits Goldie with helping her advance her career by becoming a better researcher, leader, and mentor herself,” the Harvard Chan School article shares, continuing, “In addition to supporting their growth as independent scholars, mentors should give their mentees opportunities to engage in practice and policy.” For example, when Kim was a doctoral student, Goldie brought her to a clinical site in Haiti to get on-the-ground experience. “I think experiences like this one help young decision analysts recognize the importance of understanding the local context and ensuring their analyses reflect the real-world constraints facing public health decision makers,” said Goldie.
Pandya recalled his personal experiences being mentored by Weinstein, who was a huge advocate of Pandya’s. Pandya also discussed Goldie’s impact on focusing his line of research. In the article, Pandya shares, “When I was a mentee and received good mentorship, I remembered thinking, ‘Why are they doing this? They’re so famous in our field, why are they putting this much time and energy and thought into what I want to do and into helping me develop?’ And then I thought, ‘If I ever mentor someone else, I’ve gotta pay this forward. I’ve got to keep it going.’”
While completing her MPH in health policy, Jhang worked with Pandya to complete research on cost-effectiveness of cardiovascular disease interventions, and with Goldie for work supported by the CHDS Colowick Innovation Fund. In the article, Jhang shared, “Sue [Goldie] and Ankur [Pandya] played an important role in helping me learn how to navigate new spaces, like this academic environment… and what a path in academic research would look like.” Jhang was later accepted into the PhD program in health policy at Harvard University, concentrating in decision science, a program in which she began this Fall, 2024.
Learn more: Read the Harvard Chan School story, A ‘Mentoring Tree’ of Health Decision Scientists Continue to Bear Fruit
Related news: Goldie Receives Excellence in Teaching Award
Related news: Kim Honored for Mentoring
Related news: Pandya Receives Excellence in Teaching Award