Research Mentoring Testimonies

Mentor: Dr. Justin Taylor

I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Justin Taylor for taking a chance on me early in my academic career. As an undergraduate with limited research experience, he trusted that I would work hard, stay curious, and grow into the role. That trust fundamentally shaped my trajectory. Beyond research, Dr. Taylor has been a true mentor—supporting my move to Florida, offering thoughtful career guidance during the medical school application process, and playing a pivotal role in my acceptance to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His mentorship has had a lasting professional and personal impact on my life.

Dr. Taylor's mentorship provided my first opportunity to engage in meaningful, high-level research. He emphasized rigor, ownership, and intellectual curiosity, allowing me to contribute substantively rather than peripherally. This experience was foundational to my medical school application and has continued to shape my academic development throughout medical school. The research skills, productivity, and confidence I gained under his guidance remain directly relevant as I pursued research opportunities during medical school, and also while I prepare my ERAS application and pursue a competitive residency pathway.

When I interviewed with Dr. Taylor, I was candid that I was likely underqualified on paper, but I promised that I would be the hardest-working person in the lab. He took a chance on me, trusted that commitment, and brought me into a highly productive and prestigious research environment. He also supported my move to Florida, which allowed me to pursue both my professional development and important personal goals. That early trust and flexibility enabled me to grow rapidly as a researcher and set the foundation for my medical career.

As a mentee, I learned the power of trust and early investment. Dr. Taylor showed me that believing in someone before they are fully proven can unlock extraordinary growth. As a mentor myself now, I strive to model that same approach providing opportunity, setting high expectations, and offering guidance while allowing independence.

The most rewarding part has been seeing how early mentorship creates long-term ripple effects. Dr. Taylor' guidance continues to influence my academic productivity, leadership roles, and career decisions years later. Knowing that this relationship still actively shapes my path as I apply to residency underscores how impactful genuine mentorship can be.

Mentoring Tip: Invest early and trust generously, but pair that trust with accountability. When you say you are going to work hard and take ownership of an opportunity, follow through on your commitments. Giving motivated trainees real responsibility, clear expectations, and guidance builds integrity, confidence, competence, and lasting professional growth.

Mentor - Dr. Cynthia Levy

What has catalyzed my research most isn't a specific technique or methodology, it's Dr. Levy's belief in me. She trusts that I can learn anything, accomplish anything. That trust is contagious; it motivates me to keep growing, to seek out new resources and ideas, to be creative in my approach to research questions. Despite her demanding schedule, she is intentional about dedicating time to mentorship, even on her busiest days. She's taught me that being a mentor is a commitment, one she honors fully.

One afternoon, Dr. Levy came to my desk to discuss an idea for a network meta-analysis. I got so excited that I stayed up all night studying and writing a research proposal. The next morning, I came in with something ready to show her. She was surprised. She read it, and she liked it. At the end of that day, she came back and told me she had "very high expectations" for me. Those words weren't intimidating, they were fuel. Throughout that entire project, I carried them with me. Her belief in me made me believe in myself.

As a mentee, I've learned that ethics and integrity in research are non-negotiable, there is no meaningful science without them. I've also learned that we don't get anywhere alone. Dr. Levy has shown me the value of collaborative networks, of appreciating the staff at our center, of intentionally building relationships. Perhaps most importantly, she's taught me a three-part standard I carry into every project: do it right; do it right and the best way possible; do it right and the best way possible, all the time.

The most rewarding part of being a mentee? All of it. When I arrived, I was like raw data, unprocessed, full of potential but needing to be cleaned, structured, polished. Dr. Levy accepted me exactly as I was and, with patience and kindness, helped shape me into something more. Two and a half years later, I'm not just a better researcher or physician, I'm a better person. She has given me trust and autonomy, opened doors I didn't know existed, and made me part of something bigger than myself. This woman is a superwoman.

My mentoring tip: Remember that mentorship is a two-way commitment. It requires intentionality from both sides, the mentor who shows up fully, and the mentee who comes ready to be shaped. Build the relationship on trust; it's the foundation of everything else. And never forget that the goal isn't just professional development, it's human development. The best mentorship doesn't just make you better at what you do; it makes you better at who you are.

Mentor: Dr. Roger McIntosh

I am deeply grateful to my mentor, Dr. Roger McIntosh, whose generosity, patience, and unwavering belief in my potential have been a constant source of motivation.

Our mentoring relationship accelerated my research by helping me refine my questions and approach problems with greater clarity. Thanks to his strategic insights, I was able to transform early ideas into a coherent research direction.

During a difficult moment in my personal life, I told my mentor I felt incredibly unlucky. He gently replied:"It's not luck, my dear. It's cause and effect. If you believe you're unlucky, your universe will follow. Stay positive. One thing at a time." His words shifted my mindset and stayed with me. And the support has gone both ways. During critical moments in our work, I was ready to step beyond my formal role and offer all the help I could. Those experiences strengthened our collaboration and deepened my appreciation for what a true mentoring relationship can be.

From him, I learned how to balance ambition with patience, and how to navigate research with resilience.

Being a mentee means learning to trust the process, to ask for help, and to grow through dialogue. What I value most is the sense of partnership, knowing that my development matters to someone who has already walked this path.

Mentoring Tip: Seek feedback actively and treat it as a collaborative tool rather than a judgment.

Mentors: Dr. Maria Alcaide, Dr. Neil Schneiderman and Dr. Barry Hurwitz

Thank you Maria Alcaide , Neil Schneiderman and Barry Hurwitz mentors! Challenging me, supporting me, the so what? question- networking and of course Love!

As a Professor of Medicine, still having to re-do the entire paper based on mentors guidance, becoming humble, to accept that I am always learning and grateful for other perspectives that come with the best intentions.

As a mentee I have learned to be grateful for all the guidance and support. As a mentor I have learned to let go of expectations on the mentee as I do my best to provide the support and guidance but is up to the individual mentee to take on the opportunity to grow or not.

Rewarding to me is to know that I am never alone, that we are all here in academics, in Medicine and in this world to support each other to learn, grow, evolve and help this beautiful planet and this can only happen when we collaborate and expand our perspectives together. Life is more FUN!

Mentoring Tip: Have different types of mentors that can guide you in the different aspects of life so you can bring balance and evolution to your life.

Mentor: Dr. Tatjana Rundek

I am deeply grateful to Dr. Tatjana Rundek for her exceptional mentorship and for creating an environment that values rigor, collaboration, and personal growth. Her support has helped me grow as a researcher and clarify my long-term career direction.

Working under Dr. Rundek's mentorship has transformed the way I approach research. She taught me how to plan my work strategically, focus my time on what truly matters, and write in an efficient, thoughtful, and impactful way. Through her guidance, my projects evolved from isolated analyses into clinically meaningful, translational research grounded in prevention and real-world relevance.

During my first year, I struggled to balance multiple ideas and projects. Dr. Rundek helped me step back, clarify my priorities, and reshape my goals into a coherent research direction. That moment taught me how powerful mentorship can be. It comes from helping someone find their own path.

I learned how to work with intention, discipline, and purpose. I also learned the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and how diverse perspectives can push research toward stronger clinical relevance and broader impact.

The most rewarding part has been feeling genuinely supported while being encouraged to pursue what truly inspires me. Dr. Rundek has fostered confidence in my ideas and helped me develop the skills to pursue my long-term goals with clarity and independence.

Mentoring Tip: Create space for your mentee to discover what truly motivates them, and then help them build the structure and skills needed to pursue that vision with confidence.

We were funded by the Fogarty International Center for over 15 years and trained ~ 35 mentees in Pediatric HIV from Brazil, Zambia Haiti, the Dominican Republic (DR) and other countries where Pediatric HIV has had an impact. Approximately half of the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) sites in Brazil are directed by trainees from our program.

I was able to collaborate with our Fogarty trainees in Zambia (Dr. Chipepo Kankasa, and others) on a 15 year NCI funded project investigating of the epidemiology of HIV and HHV8 among Zambian mothers and their infants and children when the prevalence of HIV among pregnant Zambian women was ~ 30%. I have had long-term research collaboration (over 15 years) with Dr. Eddy Perez-Then in the DR initially as part of the NIAID funded study of Microbial Translocation, Immune Activation, and Altered Bowel Microbiome Study (MITABS) in HIV affected infants (both perinatally infected and exposed uninfected) and subsequently since 2017 as part of a continuing series of studies on Blood Based Molecular Diagnsois of Tuberculosis in Dominican children. Eddy completed his PhD in Global Epidemiology here at the University of Miami while funded by the Fogarty Center.

One of our Brazilian Fogarty trainee's, Dr. Jorge Pinto, came into my office wanting to leave the program because of his poor command of English. I convinced him to stay and enrolled him into a "Rapid Introduction to English" course at the main campus. He completed his 2 years of training and returned to Brazil where he is now a Professor and the Site PI for the IMPAACT funded site at the University of Minas Gerais.

The tremendous potential of international collaborative research and how it can benefit medical science.

Because of the availability of funding and the emphasis on promoting international collaboration and cooperation, we have been able to make significant advances in the scientific and medical response to the HIV pandemic.

Mentoring Tip: Persistence

I want to thank all my mentees: your intellectual curiosity feeds my energy in my everyday life.