Guest Lecturer Andre Churchwell, M.D., Shares Reflections on the Value of Mentorship
| Andre Churchwell, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, reflected on the value of mentorship as he spoke to an audience of about 150 people at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) on April 18.
Churchwell, a distinguished cardiologist, has served as a mentor for many up-and-coming clinicians during a career that has spanned more than 40 years. Among those mentees is Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, chancellor of UAMS and CEO of UAMS Health.
The chancellor introduced Churchwell at the event, describing a relationship that goes back to Patterson’s days as a resident at Emory University in Atlanta. Patterson told the story of his first experience placing a percutaneous temporary pacemaker in a patient. He said Churchwell guided him through the procedure and took the time to explain how he could improve his performance in the future.
“Instead of walking away from that experience thinking, ‘I’ll never be able to do this,’ I came away knowing that I could excel if I just tried hard enough,” Patterson said.
The chancellor lauded Churchwell for his wisdom, his empathy and his commitment to bringing out the best in others.
Cam Patterson, chancellor of UAMS and CEO of UAMS Health, introduces Andre Churchwell at the April 18 event.Image by Bryan Clifton
“Since that time at Emory, Dr. Churchwell has been a role model for me,” Patterson said. “I can’t think of anyone who is better suited to talk about mentorship.”
Churchwell’s presentation, titled “Reflections on ‘Hearing Voices’: The Impact of Mentorship on Medicine,” highlighted some of the key figures who invested in his life and career, starting with his “initial mentors” — his parents Robert and Mary Churchwell.
Robert Churchwell, a trailblazing journalist, created a “Wall of Fame” in his home library and challenged his children to garner achievements that were worthy of placement on the wall. He encouraged them to pursue their interest in science and medicine, but he also urged them to become familiar with books, music and art so they could better connect with their patients, Andre Churchwell said.
“Dad was right about that, as he usually was,” Churchwell said.
After graduating from Vanderbilt University with an engineering degree and Harvard University with a medical degree, Churchwell went to Emory University to complete his internship, residency and cardiology fellowship. That’s where he met J. Willis Hurst, M.D., the longtime chairman of the university’s Department of Medicine and a renowned cardiologist.
“Hurst openly and freely shared everything that he had learned in his career, and I listened intently,” Churchwell said. “Once he taught you, he stayed with you.”
Hurst’s lessons extended beyond cardiology, as he encouraged his students to live with empathy and integrity. He understood that “if you’re a better citizen and a better person, then you’ll be a better cardiologist,” Churchwell said.
Churchwell discussed several other mentors who influenced his career, including Don Giddens, Ph.D., who collaborated with Emory as chairman of aerospace engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology; John H. Stone, M.D., of Harvard Medical School; and Daniel Federman, M.D., also of Harvard Medical School. Churchwell said he also benefited from the mentorship of Levi Watkins Jr., M.D., who worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and went on to become a pioneer in the field of cardiac surgery.
Churchwell also highlighted the impact of H. Kenneth Walker, M.D., the former chief of medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He shared a story about how Walker once received an email from a veteran he had treated for a pulmonary embolism nearly 50 years earlier while stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War.
“This is a shining example of patient empathy and connectivity,” Churchwell said. “Think about all the patients you see and the connections you make. Are they so deep in resonance that someone will track you down after all that time?”
Churchwell said his mentors remained as pillars of support in the years and decades after they initially crossed paths. In many cases, he would pick up the phone and call them whenever he needed guidance or inspiration. Hurst was a prolific writer, and he continued to send messages to Churchwell until the final days of his life.
Although some of those mentors have passed away, their influence continues to shape Churchwell’s approach to practicing medicine, he said.
“Every day, I listen for their voices,” he said.