Virtual Mentor

An Interview With...

Elizabeth C. Penick, PhD
Professor and Director of The Psychology Division
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Recipient of the:

1. Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award "The Jayhawk" 2006

WHAT IS YOUR HOMETOWN?
New Orleans, Louisiana

WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE KUSOM FACULTY?
1980

HOW/WHEN DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE?
Father was a surgeon.

IS THERE A TEACHER OR MENTOR WHO HELPED SHAPE YOUR CAREER?
Yes.

HOW OR WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE KU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE?
I came with a group of researchers.

WHAT KINDS OF PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES OR ADVANTAGES DOES BEING A FACULTY MEMBER AT KUSOM PROVIDE? WHAT ABOUT CHALLENGES?
KU offers enormous diversity to researchers and clinicians.

PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS?
Writing, seeing patients, teaching.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR OUTSIDE INTERESTS?
Travel and bridge.

IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU ENGAGED WITH THE GREATER KANSAS PUBLIC?
I give many lectures to different organizations about mental health and mental illness.

DO YOU HAVE AN INSIGHT OR PHILOSOPHY THAT GUIDES YOU IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL WORK?
I am never bored.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT THE WORLD (OR THE WORLD OF MEDICINE/SCIENCE), WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would triple the funding for research.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHANGE YOU'VE EXPERIENCED IN YOUR FIELD SINCE YOU WERE A STUDENT?
The developments of specific technologies to measure behavior and the brain behavior relationships.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE?
I believe that the medical professional will play an even greater role in society in the future.

WHAT PARTICULAR SKILLS ACQUIRED DURING YOUR GRADUATE CAREER DO YOU FIND MOST VALUABLE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAREER TODAY?
To think critically.

WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO:
MEDICAL STUDENTS:
GRADUATE STUDENTS:
JUNIOR FACULTY:
To all of them my advice is to find something to do that you really enjoy and then learn to do that well.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE KEY REASON THAT LED TO YOUR SELECTION OVER ALL OTHERS IN FOR BEING PRESENTED ONE OF THE AWARDS LISTED ABOVE?
I honestly do not know: I was surprised and quite honored by the award.

AS A VIRTUAL MENTOR, PLEASE OFFER YOUR ADVICE TO NEW AND/OR JUNIOR FACULTY ON A TOPIC OF YOUR CHOICE.

TOPIC: Mentors have a list of over 100 topics from which to choose for this interview.
ADVICE: I really found this difficult because the answer to almost all of these topics is: it depends on the situation, the person in the situation and the resources available. I like my answer I gave above. That is, the most important thing is to discover what it is that you really enjoy doing and then do that well. The solutions to specific problems almost always follow naturally. Especially, if one is willing to seek out the advice of others with more experience.