David M. Aronoff, M.D., FIDSA, FAAM is a physician-scientist with a primary focus on maternal-child health and infections that complicate pregnancy. He has been highly involved in the diagnosis and clinical care of COVID-19 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. As immediate past chair of the IDSA Foundation’s Mentorship Program Committee, Dr. Aronoff is a champion of career development and was integral to the success of the Foundation’s first Virtual Mentorship Meeting during IDWeek 2020.
For the first time ever, the Mentorship Program went 100% virtual and still took place around IDWeek. Through this program the IDSA Foundation was able to host it’s very first Virtual Happy Hour & Cooking Class with Chef Elijah Miligan, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native and founder of the collaborative dinner series, Cooking for the Culture. The normal in-person luncheon pivoted to the Virtual Mentorship Program Luncheon which featured guest Speaker Valerie Vaughn, MD, co-author of The Mentoring Guide: Helping Mentors & Mentees Succeed followed by a 30-minute panel discussion and Q&A with ID experts. While our mentees and mentors missed meeting each other face to face, one program participant commented “best zoom I have been on the entire year of 2020.” while attending our happy hour.
“For mentors, [Mentorship] provides an opportunity to help people succeed while passing the baton to the next generation. For mentees, it provides access to a source of inspiration, advocacy, advice, and motivation.” – David M. Aronoff, M.D., FIDSA, FAAM
The IDSA Foundation is grateful to Dr. Aronoff for his leadership, commitment and dedication to the Mentorship Program.
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