For Dennis Chang, MD, a professor of medicine at WashU Medicine, mentorship was key to shaping his career path as a hospitalist. From formal mentorship during his training to relationships he has developed throughout his career, mentors have helped him develop a career in academic medicine that fits his goals and interests.
“Even as a medical student, I remember seeing hospitalists and thinking that I wanted to be like those people,” Dennis said.
Now, as Director of Faculty Development for the Division of General Internal Medicine, Dennis aims to connect faculty with mentors, resources and opportunities to shape their careers.
“We’re going to build the infrastructure for people to have the opportunity to develop, no matter what area of their career they want to grow.”
Dennis joined Hospital Medicine in 2018, immediately taking on leadership roles, including as Interprofessional Thread Director and Co-Director of the Inpatient Clinical Immersion for Phase 1 medical students. In 2019, he was inducted into the WashU Medicine Academy of Educators. He has received numerous educational awards, including a Distinguished Service Teaching Award for Inclusion and the Clinical Educator of the Year Award at WashU Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency training at New York University School of Medicine.
Q&A with Dr. Dennis Chang
What made you choose a career in hospital medicine?
So I think there are probably a few main drivers.
Number one is: in residency, I always really liked my hospital teaching rotations. What I really enjoyed was the team dynamic of it. I really like the fact that you were the main person for that patient and that you coordinated all the care, and you got to interact with all the different physicians and interprofessional providers. There’s a strong team approach to hospital medicine.
I also really like that I could spend as much time with the patient as I wanted. I didn’t have a schedule that was set, so I had control of how my day would run and how much time I would spend with each patient.
And I think the other reason is that I had some great teachers and mentors who were in hospital medicine, and I think that also drove me to think, “Hey, I’d love to be like that person.”
What was one of the teaching or mentorship experiences that helped you choose hospital medicine?
When I was a resident, one of my attendings was a hospitalist who was closer to me in age, and I really connected with him in terms of my goals and values. I think he really helped me understand what my life could look like as a hospitalist.
Even as a medical student, I remember seeing hospitalists and thinking that I wanted to be like those people. Sometimes it’s those informal mentorship experiences, where you just see yourself in the people around you, that help shape your career.
Did you always want a career in academic medicine?
So, it’s interesting.
After residency, I wanted to be as far away from academics as I could be. I actively felt that I wanted to get out of that sort of space. I worked in a community hospital for a few years and really enjoyed that. I think that time away made me realize what I did and did not like about academics, and what I wanted to get involved in and what I didn’t want to be involved in.
What I really missed was the learning that you got from Grand Rounds and those kinds of things, as well as just having residents and students to teach and work alongside.
At that point, a couple years out of residency, I started thinking, “What do I really enjoy in life?” And I saw that I’d always been a tutor, even in high school and college. I realized how much I enjoyed teaching, and that I wanted to put my time into that.
Once I came back to academics, I really started to ask myself, “Well, how can I be a better teacher?”
And so, I attended workshops and other events, which helped me develop my skills. Education is just something that I’ve always enjoyed and always made it a part of my career.
What advice would you give to somebody who’s earlier in their career?
I would say that number one, you should look for a mentor that can help you navigate things. I think that no matter what, in any career, there’s things you don’t know. There are things you don’t even know to ask. And that’s where the mentor can be helpful.
I’ve always been lucky with mentorship in my career. When I first came back to academics, my division head was a really great mentor and I made sure to meet with him on a regular basis. He was really helpful in crafting my career and I would encourage others to seek out a mentor they connect with and trust.
The other thing is to look for opportunities to develop your skills. It’s not just the skill development that you get from attending workshops or sessions. It’s also the people you meet within them. Beyond your mentor, you can meet peers who are aligned with what you like, and they become your academic community. You can work on projects together, make mistakes together, and learn from them. And they also become someone you can confide in and share experiences with. Success is always a team effort.
So I think I would say try to find those people who are like-minded. Meet up with them, hang out, have a coffee with them, and find places where you can develop your skills because you’re never really finished growing and improving at your job. You can always get better, and so you always want to look for those opportunities.
As the director of faculty development, what are some of your priorities?
My priorities right now are:
Number one: Make sure that everybody has an opportunity to have some sort of mentorship in their careers. Whether you want to focus on education, research, clinical care—whatever your niche and passion—we want there to be an opportunity for you to identify that, find a mentor, and fulfill your goals so you can have a meaningful career. I think this begins with annual reviews. I want this to be a one-on-one meeting where you can connect with leadership, get expectations, get structured, helpful feedback, and help you achieve your goals. Number two: Create an environment and structure where people feel comfortable finding the opportunities that will get them where they want to go. I want us to develop a culture where we’re all trying to improve. None of us are afraid to make mistakes or to fail because we’re all just trying to improve.
Number three: I want to understand what our faculty are looking for. What are our goals and values? We’re in an exciting place with our new Division of General Internal Medicine, where we can ensure that the values of this new division are aligned with the values of the people working here. That way, we can all work together to move this division forward.
How does WashU Medicine or the Division of General Internal Medicine support faculty in their careers?
WashU Medicine in general has a lot of faculty development that occurs, whether from the Department of Medicine or the Academy of Educators or the Office of Faculty Promotions & Career Development.
We’re fortunate to have a lot of opportunities—WashU Medicine puts a lot of resources into this.
Within our division, this is a key priority and that’s what I’ll be focused on in my position as director of faculty development. We’re creating the infrastructure and opportunities for people to develop. We already have so many people who are growing in their careers—but I want to be sure that this is available to everybody across our division.
There’s a strong motivation and a push in our division to do this the right way, which I think is wonderful.
What would you say are some of the most important aspects of faculty or career development?
I think you have to start by listening to people in terms of what they need. The opportunities you provide should be aligned with what people are looking for.
It’s also important to help people understand exactly what it is that they want. You might be thinking, “I know I want to improve on something,” but you’re not exactly sure what that is.
So, we’re going to talk to people from across the division to get a better idea of what they want and need. Once we have that understanding, we’re going to build the infrastructure for people to have the opportunity to develop, no matter what area of their career they want to grow.
What gives you meaning or purpose in your life outside of medicine?
I have three boys. They’re 15, 12, and 10. So that’s really what drives me every day. I really enjoy spending time with my family, watching my boys do what interests them, traveling with my family and seeing new places.
I’ve also always played sports growing up whether it was pickup basketball games, soccer or tennis, which was my main sport. It’s a sport I’ve always loved and played in college but got burnt out from all the competition and pressure. It’s been really rewarding picking it up after 20 years and finding the joy again. I get the most joy in playing tennis with my middle son and, playing basketball with my boys in the backyard.
What has been your favorite thing about St. Louis?
So on a joking note, I love that there’s no traffic. I used to live in New York for a long time, and I grew up in LA. By comparison, the traffic here is nonexistent. I know I can always get where I need to go, and it’s not going to take me hours to get across town or get home from work.
I think we have always loved this friendliness of St. Louis and the Midwest. It’s been such a great place to raise a family. I’m able to go from work, get home, and still have time for the kids and doing stuff with them.
And honestly, I love it here—I love WashU Medicine. I really think that it’s such a collaborative, exciting place to work and it’s really been wonderful for my growth as a physician and as a teacher.