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A Conversation With Eliot N. Mostow, MD, MPH
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. I have been thinking quite a bit lately about our effect on society in general. Our work helps people in their lives to be more productive and better able to enjoy themselves with friends and family. Making the correct diagnosis and developing a plan to which the patient can adhere with reasonable cost and effort will often improve their life.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. Mike Rindler, an interim CEO at a local hospital, has a mantra that I often repeat, “Work hard, be nice, accommodate when possible.” My father used to like the Thomas Edison quote, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” I like listening to others and seeing if there is a fit for me in each situation.
Q. Are an understanding and appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. The humanities encourage us to view the world from different perspectives visually, culturally, and historically. An understanding of the humanities is important to the extent that it inspires a level of humility. For physicians, evidence shows that humility improves diagnostic accuracy and may improve patient care in general. Humility is also associated with gratitude, which seems to be an important point with respect to avoiding burnout or moral exhaustion.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. There are so many great patients and interactions: the contact dermatitis diagnosis that was a second opinion for a patient who was told his leg could require amputation (he kept applying more neomycin-containing ointment); the amelanotic melanoma (always humbling), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and early and late melanoma diagnoses; the many patients with psoriasis and severe atopic dermatitis whose lives are now changed by biologic drugs; the many patients with acne whose lives are changed by addressing their symptoms; and the family of boys to whom I suggested “create your destiny” and they took that to push themselves to and through medical school.
Q. Which medical figure in history would you want to have a drink with and why?
A. Sir William Osler, who was a great writer, diagnostician, and motivator of others to do the right things for patients.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. I have so many heroes and mentors. I mentioned my father, but I must also include Leon Gordis, PhD, who was a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health (now the Bloomberg School of Public Health) where I got my MPH as part of the public health service epidemiology fellowship after my internship. He was an exceptional teacher who showed me how to take control of a classroom and work to make sure students understand the discussion.
I can thank so many at the University of Michigan dermatology program, including Drs Voorhees, Ellis, Griffiths, Rasmussen, Johnson, Cooper, and more, for exceptional lessons in so many areas about how to diagnose and treat patients with skin problems.
I can also thank Dr Steve Helms, a scholar and caring physician, and Dr Bob Brodell, who passed the baton to me as chair of the dermatology section at NEOMED. His enduring lessons encouraged me to “do more” and “get things done.” He is a true leader in dermatology nationally and now at the University of Mississippi.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. My father was the first board-certified endocrinologist in our city and was passionate about patient care. He never got to know me as a physician because he passed away when I was 18.
