Dr. Margaret Chan

Posted on 22nd July 2012 by Svetlana Dotsenko

Margaret Chan is the Director-General of the World Health Organization. Chan has previously served as Director of Health of Hong Kong Government (1994-2003), representative of the WHO Director-General for Pandemic Influenza and WHO Assistant Director-General for Communicable Diseases (2003-2006).

What determines success at the organization such as the WHO?

Have a thick skin. You must to stay true to your goals and not get pulled into many different directions by different interest groups.

Of course as a professional, you must have technical competence and have to know what you’re doing. You have to adhere to the highest standards of medical science, medical evidence, to make the best decisions. You have to stay neutral and true to science and your professional training.

Prof. Nicholas Christakis

Posted on 13th July 2012 by Svetlana Dotsenko

Harvard Professor Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, MPH, PhD, is an internist and social scientist who conducts research on social factors that affect health, health care, and longevity. He is a Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Professor of Medical Sociology in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School; and Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

How does academic mentorship work?

Essentially, academic mentorship works a lot like marriage insofar as it’s a two-person “market.” A student cannot just decide to be a mentee, just like I could not simply decide to marry my wife without asking her first. Plus, it takes time and commitment to build a relationship.