My Mentor
“You’re forgetting what this is all about.”
For Hospitalist and Internal Medicine Clerkship Site Director, Federica Fromm, DO, her mentor planted a seed of love for taking care of people.
Long before she was a doctor,
…before she had even graduated from high school, Federica Fromm’s mother suffered a stroke. A family friend who would become her mentor, Dr. Elvira Parravicini, stepped in to guide her through her NYU PreMed days.
ELVIRA PARRAVICINI, MD
Neonatologist at Columbia University Children’s Health and Founder of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program.
The key to my journey was as much a result of hard work and dedication on my part as much as it was faithfulness from my mentor to me every step of the way. Once accepted to medical school, the path was clearer, but the hardship remained. Hours were spent learning physiology, anatomy and pathology and that passion to care for others was starting to fade. Dr Parravacini aware and concerned of my struggle, started to organize bedside rotations for me outside of my curriculum, she wanted me to shadow providers who loved their profession so I would not lose sight of my end goal.
Along with that she planned weekly dinners where these providers, nursing staff and students would come together and share the struggles and joys of their work.
I still remember the time she sent me to see this nephrologist…
I realized over the years that you can have all the tools to get you to where you want to go but it is not the same to do it alone as it is if you are accompanied.
Dr Parravacini initially pushed me, then led me and now walks side by side with me as we both practice medicine in very different fields but share the same ideal — love and care for the human in front of you, first and foremost, while practicing medicine to the best of your ability.
Planting a Seed of Love
With the help of a few colleagues and friends, Drs. Fromm and Parravicini founded the American Association of Medicine and the Person. Since 2009, yearly medical conferences have welcomed healthcare professionals — from CEOs to unit coordinators to medical and nursing students — to share with panels and speakers their passion and success, with the goal to reawaken and sustain the love for our profession.
The most recent conference took place here in Minnesota in October of 2023.
Federica Fromm, DO, is the new IM Clerkship Site Director
