“During my first year of medical school, my mentor was the head of anesthesia for shock trauma. I initially had no idea what anesthesia really was–I thought I was going into some form of primary care. By shadowing him every Friday night, I came to realize that anesthesia is a very integral part of a team that cares for someone in an extremely acute setting. I really like the hands-on, fast-paced, urgent aspect of anesthesia. After residency, I did cardiac and pediatric anesthesia fellowships, and Dartmouth invited me to come back and do pediatrics.
Meditation is important to me. I believe in setting time aside for yourself. You should listen to your heart and nurture your passions, even if they are not on the popular path. It takes courage to do something that other people may not see as worthwhile, especially if it doesn’t involve a title or a plaque on the wall. Mental wellness is very important. We do so much to take care of our physical health, but we often don’t do enough to nurture our mental health. Naturally, that is the most important thing to start with, and physical health follows along.
I would like to build a virtual wellness studio. I would like to discuss imposter syndrome—thinking we don’t belong—because no one talks about it. I used to think I wasn’t doing enough. I looked around and thought, I’m surrounded by all these amazing people. I always believed that I had to be like these people, but what I eventually realized was that my goal in life is just to be the best that I can be with the gifts that I have. That will be my contribution to the world, not following in someone else’s footsteps. I want to make my own path and share my gifts with others. I want to build it with a community of other women. Women helping other women is very important.” – Dr. Lisa Chan, Hanover, NH
