Robert Hyland Award for Excellence in Mentorship: Profiling Dr. Gary Newton
First, Gary’s mentees recognized his approachability and availability, and felt as though he made mentorship a priority. As one nominator wrote, “I have appreciated that while he is insanely busy, he doubled my allotted meeting time with him…so that we can have an additional 30 minutes to discuss things more in-depth.”
Second, Gary’s emphasis on work-life balance for junior faculty was clearly important to his mentees. Gary values his family and encourages others to do the same. Several of his mentees acknowledged the role he played in helping them step back from clinical or academic work during critical times in their personal lives, and appreciated that his support had empowered and encouraged them to do so.
Finally, Gary’s mentees praised his ability to give advice that was neutral, unbiased, and in their best interest. One wrote, “He has managed to provide guidance while seemingly being able to distance himself as my supervisor. Even while contemplating jobs at external sites, he both evaluated opportunities without bias (often emphasizing external site advantages) and guided me on presentations.”
Gary has clearly had a profound impact on the lives and careers of the junior faculty whom he has mentored, perhaps best summed up by one of his mentees as follows: “It has been very comforting to know that someone in a high-level leadership and administrative position truly is willing to take a personal interest in my career and well-being.”
