From Sponsorship to Leadership: A Q&A with Dr. Kimberly Sanford

Kimberly Sanford, MD, MASCP, MT(ASCP), started her career as a medical technologist with no thought of transitioning to becoming a pathologist. But after an experience with a mishandled patient sample, she started a pathology client services department and her interactions with the clinical teams inspired her to pursue medical school. Throughout her career as both an MT and an MD, Dr. Sanford has been involved in volunteer opportunities that ushered her along a leadership path. As the current President of ASCP, she shares with us some of the lessons she’s learned throughout her career and as a female leader in pathology and laboratory medicine. 

Tell us about a defining moment in your career that has affected your current trajectory into leadership.
Upon starting my academic career, I became a member of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) female faculty program, named Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine, or WISDM. I worked with the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and she suggested I attend the AAMC Early Career Faculty Leadership Development Program. This program required support from my chair, Dr. David Wilkinson, and it helped create a trajectory for my career. One of the exercises in the program required each of us to create a timeline for promotion to associate level professorship. It forced me look at my institution’s promotion and tenure guidelines and then create a chart of milestones required at important time intervals to reach my goals.

A second defining moment was when I proposed to my chair to send me to the University of Virginia (UVA), to complete a fellowship program in Transfusion Medicine. I negotiated to spend half of my time as a fellow at UVA and half my time as faculty at VCU. I committed to compressing all of my clinical duties into two weeks so I could spend the other two weeks a month as a fellow and spread my fellowship over two years. This arrangement allowed for clinical coverage in Transfusion Medicine at VCU and allowed me to complete the American Board of Pathology requirements to take the subspecialty Transfusion Medicine board exams.

What do we need to do to bring more women into pathology and into medical laboratory science?
In Pathology, women comprise approximately 50% of the academic pathology faculty workforce but only 15% of Pathology department chairs are women. I think we have excellent representation of women in the field of pathology and laboratory medicine but a deficit of female leaders in our field. 

What advice would you offer women in pathology and laboratory medicine who want to move into a leadership position?
Sponsorship and mentorship are crucial for moving into leadership positions. Dr. Susan Roseff sponsored me for the ASCP Clinical Pathology Checkpath committee.  That was literally my introduction into ASCP and without that introduction, would I even be here today? Mentorship is equally important, both inside and outside of your organization. It is important to seek out these mentor relationships to provide you with guidance.

I also recommend taking advantage of every opportunity provided and look for professional development resources both within and outside your academic institution. Each of these activities provide you with an opportunity to network and develop relationships that may lead to sponsorship. I like the phrase, “Luck is when opportunity meets preparedness”. Being prepared when opportunities are presented is key to advancement.