Dr. Svetlana Ponorac, MD (Slovenia)

Mentor: Dr. Leopoldo Santos, MD

Sao Paulo, Brazil 2019

What were the major goals for your mentorship experience? To learn trichoscopy skills in order to diagnose hair disorders and to improve my knowledge in the treatment of hair disease.

What did you like best about your mentorship experience? Working under the supervision of an accomplished and skillful physician is such a rewarding experience and a privilege. Being a part of the everyday life of dermatologists in another region of the world broadens and opens your mind to different possibilities and ways of thinking.

Describe any special experiences with your mentor: I enjoyed very much our discussions of journal articles and the exchange of personal opinions and experiences.

Describe a skill acquired during your mentorship that you will definitely use when you return home: After my mentorship program I feel confident and adept at performing trichoscopy. I also expanded my knowledge of different treatment modalities for hair disease, as well as the interpretation of the histopathologic features of scalp biopsies. These skills will prove extremely valuable in my everyday clinical practice and career goals.

How will your mentorship experience impact your patient care and professional goals over the next year? The professional skills I gained during this program will enable me to initiate with confidence a subspecialized ambulatory clinic at our University. The interpersonal experiences with doctors and patients from another part of the world will serve as a source of inspiration to achieve my goals and create new ideas and projects that could involve international collaboration.

How will your mentorship experience make an impact five years from now, including for your region or country? It will serve as a strong foundation for my practice in hair disease. Currently there are no subspecialized clinics in hair disease in my country, so I believe my patients will experience great benefit from the skills I obtained during this mentorship. I will do my best to provide optimal care in addition to providing assistance and education for colleagues interested in this field.

Share a pearl you learned during your mentorship experience: Performing and interpreting trichoscopy of the eyebrows.