Having a mentor in your life can be transformational — something I am grateful to have experienced firsthand. Especially for those of us who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented in health care, it is no exaggeration to say a supportive mentor and sponsor can change the very course of your life and career.

To that end, one special moment for me this year was launching our Presidential Fellows Program. Designed to cultivate the next generation of diverse health care leaders, the program offers faculty a one-year fellowship centered on personalized leadership training, including coaching, networking and mentoring. Fellows are paired with mentors from across our system and will learn about models of effective leadership, negotiation techniques and conflict resolution.

Meaningful inclusion demands that we create an environment where everyone can thrive and no one feels isolated. It is a combination of many deliberate acts that we build upon through programs like this. I am so proud of and excited for our inaugural class of mentees, and I look forward to seeing the extraordinary heights they will achieve.

Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA
President, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Executive Vice President, Mass General Brigham
The Elizabeth G. and Gary J. Nabel Family Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School