This post was authored by Sarika Desai, DO, chair of the Arizona Chapter Women in Cardiology Member Section.

The ACC’s Arizona Chapter recently had their first women in cardiology (WIC) mentoring event. The eight panelists consisted of Elaine Niggeman, MD, clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona; Suzanne Sorof, MD, clinical assistant professor at Midwestern University; Sarika Desai, DO, general cardiologist at Arizona Heart Institute and volunteer faculty at Midwestern University; Shani Saks, DO, general cardiologist at AZ Heart Institute; David Biglari, DO, interventional cardiologist at VA Phoenix; Heemesh Seth, DO, pulmonology cardiologist at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center; and Nazi Ahmad, DO, hematologist/oncologist at Palo Verde Medical Group. These were all physicians in the community who were contacted because they teach students on a consistent basis and expressed a genuine interest in giving back to medical students so they can avoid potential pitfalls in their training.

This was the first time the WIC section organized a mentoring event to address the growing needs of medical students who wish to connect with physicians in the community but often do not have a forum in which to do so. Many students rely on their third or fourth year hospital/clinical rotations to obtain information on particular specialties, work life balance, medical student expectations, and general residency/fellowship questions.

We had approximately 100 medical students in attendance. After the event, several students greeted our panelists and expressed gratitude to our entire panel. One of the medical students, who is the current president of the Women’s Osteopathic Medical Association at Midwestern University, wrote an email to me which I’d like to share:

“I want you to know that I have already received feedback from many students stating that this has been one of the best events they have ever attended. Your stories, advice, and insight were particularly inspiring. Thank you for your honesty and willingness to strengthen both myself and my colleagues through sharing your experiences. As you know, this road is not easy. Having mentors, such as yourself, is priceless and shows us that we can aspire to become more than we may have dreamed possible.”- Kathryn Nelson

With these kindhearted words relayed after our event, I believe the ACC is truly making a difference at an earlier stage in the training process and inspiring more and more females to carry the torch forward. I thank the College and our chapter director, Lianna Collinge, and for the support of this event.

To get involved in the ACC’s WIC Member Section, visit ACC.org/WIC. To learn more about the ACC’s Mentoring Program, visit ACC.org/Mentoring.

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