Dr. Pamela Schaff and Dr. Donald Kohn were recognized for their mentoring efforts with both students and faculty.

The USC-Mellon Mentoring Awards honor individual faculty for helping build a supportive academic environment at USC through faculty-to-student and faculty-to-faculty mentoring.

Donald B. Kohn, M.D., professor of pediatrics and microbiology and immunology, and director of the Gene Therapy Program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, is a recipient of a “Faculty-to-Faculty” Mentoring Award.

“Mentoring is a fundamental aspect of medicine, with the slogan ‘See one. Do one. Teach one,’” said Dr. Kohn. “Mentoring young faculty, fellows and students has always been a major part of my responsibilities as an academic physician-scientist,” he said, adding “…it also is the most rewarding part.”

Pamela B. Schaff, M.D., associate professor of clinical pediatrics and family medicine, who maintains privileges in General Pediatrics at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, was a recipient of the “Faculty-to-Graduate” Mentoring Award.

“I’m so proud to have been honored by my students in this way – nothing is as professionally and personally satisfying as sharing who I am and what I’ve learned with those who will be the future of our profession,” Dr. Schaff said, adding, “I can only hope that I have been able to offer as much as I have gained in the process.”

In addition, the Culture of Mentoring Award, which recognizes a mentoring program or faculty development strategy in an academic unit that provides a vital resource for faculty growth and success, was awarded to the Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

“I am thrilled that the faculty at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles have received the Culture of Mentoring Award,” said Roberta G. Williams, M.D., vice president of pediatrics and academic affairs at Childrens Hospital and professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine. “This award recognizes the attitudes about, and process of, mentoring that supports the development of trainees, faculty and staff.

“At Childrens Hospital, we are constantly reminded of the courage and resilience of our patients. I believe that this fosters supportive professional relationships,” Dr. Williams said, adding, “We are indebted to Dr. Charles Gomer, who heads our mentoring program, Dr. Ami Shah, who leads the junior faculty activities, Drs. Donald Kohn and Gay Crooks, as well as Paula Thompson, manager of Faculty Services, all of whom personify excellence in mentoring."