This post was authored by Payal Kohli, MD, fellow-in-training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

I don't even know where to begin about how great yesterday’s Fellows in Training (FIT) Mix 'n’ Mingle event was.  It started off with me spotting Dr. Deepak Bhatt, one of my all-time favorite mentors who I was hoping to catch a glimpse of to congratulate him on the presentation of the CHAMPION-PHOENIX trial.  I then saw Dr. Michael Landzberg, the most beloved adult congenital cardiologist of Boston, who taught me what a Fontaine was during my third week of my internship.

On my way to get a refill of my soda, I spotted Dr. Robert Harrington, who I am convinced will change the landscape of clinical trials on the west coast and who graciously invited me and my colleague Dr. Fatima Rodriguez to a Stanford Alumni event later that evening.  I'm only just getting started!  There were so many other amazing mentors in attendance, including Dr. Valentin Fuster, Dr. Lynne Stevenson, Dr. Pat O'Gara, Dr. Jeff Popma to name a few. The list was truly endless and I felt like I was in Hollywood with the stars, not knowing who to see next.

Next, I ran into Dr. Phil Green, who was my resident when I was an intern, and we recounted stories about practical jokes we used to play on each other, along with Dr. Tariq Ahmad and Dr. Nihar Desai.  I saw at least five generations of residents from my Brigham and Women's/Massachusetts General Hospital family, including Dr. Ehrin Armstrong who was my resident when I was a scared third-year medical student.

I think everything about academic medicine was perfectly crystallized into this one single event -- research, ideas, collaborations, networking, mentoring and education. This was truly a microcosm of the ACC meeting.

My only complaint?  I wish it was longer!

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