Dr. Ny-Ying Lam has received the UW School of Medicine Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty Award for 2024. Her mentorship skills and dedication to training the next generation make Dr. Lam the ideal award recipient. Dr. Lam is an associate professor of rehabilitation medicine and the chief of service at UW Medicine Center—Montlake. Despite her significant clinical and administrative responsibilities, Dr. Lam has intentionally cultivated a welcoming, nurturing environment for women faculty in our department.
"I am truly honored and humbled to be receiving this award. As a member of the WIMS committee, I know that the other nominees for the award are also providing amazing mentorship across UW Medicine," says Dr. Lam.
Dr. Lam has consistently been recognized within the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as someone who fosters an inclusive and supportive environment. Her visionary work, expertise, and compassion have frequently been described as transformative by her mentees and other department members.
As an early career faculty member, Dr Lam found learning in a community to be more valuable as it helps to understand ways to navigate careers in academic medicine. Dr Lam asserts that having a group of peers to turn to along the career journey is comforting.
"Ultimately, the goal is to navigate through one's academic career, which can be done by helping lift each other wherein we all gain from the experience of learning together," she adds.
As an assistant professor, Dr. Lam formed an innovative peer monitoring group program to offer support and address women's challenges in academic medicine. Since its inception, the peer mentoring group has created quite an impact and has evolved exponentially. Dr. Lam was able to design a sustainable structure and cadence for group meetings, creating a model she could share with others.
"Since our group was at its ideal number of members, I encouraged another group of clinical educators to form their own. With the success of two groups and more structure and resources available, we could gauge interest across the entire department and launch several other groups," says Dr. Lam.
This program has now expanded, and all Rehabilitation Medicine faculty have been invited to join an interest-based peer mentoring group.
In addition to facilitating group mentorship opportunities, Dr. Lam is known as an exceptional individual mentor as well. One of her mentees notes that, “She has been a mentor that not only meets her mentees at their current state to make sure they are meeting milestones, but helps mentees achieve aspirational goals.”
Dr. Lam's unwavering dedication to nurturing and fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for women medical professionals has left an indelible mark on the future of this department. Dr. Lam was also recognized with the 2023 Teresa L. Massagli, MD, Award for Mentoring Excellence.
