Guiding Hands: A Physician-Researcher Mentorship in Sarcoma
An inside look at how the mentor-mentee relationship helps strengthen cancer research and care.
After Brooke Crawford, M.D., finished her one-year orthopaedic oncology fellowship under Francis Hornicek, Jr., M.D. Ph.D., the two surgeons never lost touch.
Their professional bond would endure two cross-country moves, three cities and almost 10 years. Now, they have reunited at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Crawford, the division chief of orthopaedic oncology at Sylvester and an associate professor of clinical orthopaedics at the Miller School, describes the year at Massachusetts General Hospital with her mentor as invaluable.
“It was great to see him at work, to watch him go through his thought process in how he would approach a case,” she said. “I learned so much from him.”
Heading West, Returning East
Dr. Crawford eventually applied to an open position at UCLA, where Dr. Hornicek was chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
“She was brought up (before the search committee) on her own merit,” said Dr. Hornicek. “She works hard and she sees obstacles as challenges she can overcome. She has never given up on her dreams or goals, but she’s also very compassionate and giving.”
These qualities — and her surgical and research skills — would again prompt Dr. Hornicek to recruit her to Miami when he was named chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at the Miller School in 2021. Though Dr. Crawford is originally from Oregon, where her family still lives, she did not hesitate to head back east. She was eager to continue their mentor-mentee relationship, albeit in a more formal way.
“There was a pretty big void after he left,” Dr. Crawford explains. “Everyone appreciated him even more.”
Reputation Attracts Recruits
Dr. Hornicek’s professional reputation is a big draw for younger faculty, Dr. Crawford said. An expert in complex pelvis and spine surgery, he became a pioneer in limb salvage at a time when amputation was common. In addition, Dr. Hornicek’s research on the cell and molecular biology of sarcomas and tissue banking is recognized internationally. He was the first orthopaedic surgeon to receive the Brian McGovern Award for Clinical Excellence at Massachusetts General Hospital, a prestigious honor from Harvard Medical School faculty.
With so many professional accolades, Dr. Hornicek’s commitment to the next generation of orthopaedic oncology surgeons may go unnoticed.
“There’s just no one I’ve met who is as good at promoting and working with junior faculty as he is,” Dr. Crawford said. “He opens doors for you. He makes sure you’re on the right projects. He’s very much into hiring the right people and being there to help them succeed.”
Dr. Hornicek sees the role of a mentor as that of a cheerleader. He uses every opportunity to introduce his mentees to other leaders in the field. For instance, he invited Dr. Crawford to speak at a conference in Spain later this year with an eye on promoting her international reputation.
A Guiding Hand
Mentoring, Dr. Hornicek believes, is a two-way street.
“You have to listen to what they want and guide them toward those goals,” he said of his mentees. “You also have to help them when they get frustrated.”
It does not mean you “impose your own values,” he added. “That can be difficult when you think they may not be pursuing the right decision or if they’re doing too much.”
Drs. Hornicek and Crawford talk almost daily to discuss cases, residents and fellows.
“We don’t always agree with each other,” Dr. Hornicek said. “But we do bounce ideas around.”
That informal give-and-take has taught Dr. Crawford how she can mentor residents.
“You have to be able to connect and understand what they want,” she said.
Paying It Forward
In Dr. Hornicek’s conception of mentoring, every group of physicians pays it forward. His mentor was the late Dr. Henry Mankin, former chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Now I mentor Brooke and Brooke mentors residents,” Dr. Hornicek said. “We build an interdependency. The junior faculty can benefit from advice, but so can all the faculty, me included.”
One important lesson? Today’s fellows, junior faculty and residents want a work-life balance, a term that was virtually unknown decades ago.
“It used to be that your social life was centered around your colleagues and you sacrificed part of your family time for work,” Dr. Hornicek said. “Brooke makes sure to set some time and energy for herself and I admire that. I’ve learned from her and it has changed me in a good way.”
Tags: Dr. Brooke Crawford, Dr. Francis Hornicek, mentoring, orthopaedic oncology, sarcoma, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center