A Conversation with Dr. Jennifer Christner

“The bottom line is that you can succeed absolutely anywhere, depending on what you put into it. It’s ‘all on you’ and you can make the biggest difference for yourself.”

Bio

Dr. Jennifer Christner is the Dean of School of Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. Over the last 20 years, she has been devoted to leadership and mentorship of physicians across a number of prestigious universities, from an Associate Pediatric Residency Director at the University of Toledo to an Assistant Dean at the University of Michigan to the Associate Dean at SUNY Upstate. She has pursued her interests in improving quality in medical education and medical education research. As a testament to her passion for students and teaching, she has been awarded teacher of the year multiple times.

What were some key experiences that shaped who you are today?

“I come from a lower middle-class family and my parents struggled for money a lot,” Dr. Christner reflects. “I always loved science and biology but one of the things that my mother always said to me was, ‘Jenny, make sure you can always provide for yourself and provide for your family.’”

Early on, the young Jenny discovered she had two passions – becoming a doctor and taking dance at Ballet Metropolitan in New York. Knowing a career path as a physician was a safer bet, she dropped her ambition as a dancer and headed to medical school.

But years later, as she approached her fiftieth birthday, Dr. Christner realized something was missing from her life. There was a lot of work, but not enough enjoyment. Seeing an ad for a local acting class, she nervously signed up. To her relief, she found other individuals who were also rediscovering their passions. This transition brought about more balance and fulfillment to her life.

Why have you focused so much of your career on education and impacting others?

“I think that I always knew I could never compromise. I would always have to choose something that I would love,” Dr. Christner responded. She knew from the beginning of her career that taking care of adolescents was something she was going to do.

This was not always easy. She states, “To be very bluntly honest, sometimes taking care of patients wasn’t my favorite thing about my career.” She longed for the freedom outside the walls of a hospital. The freedom to be a ballerina, a teacher, or something other than a doctor.

But as Dr. Christner’s resume and list of accomplishments continued to grow, her love for patients increased and she became passionate about building strong teams. “I gave orientations for all the team members and I would organize the call schedule. I loved doing that stuff. I think I began to realize that I loved a lot of the other aspects of medical care.”

Did you have to work hard at becoming a leader or were you born with this natural gift set?

“If you do the reading, they say anybody can be a leader,” Dr. Christner says, “You can learn how to do these things.”

She shares how as a teenager she worked at TJ Maxx, eventually moving her way up to the service desk where she worked as a price checker. In a humorous twist, the job did not begin as anything noble, but with the desire to own the same items she sold every day. “I wanted to be able to buy clothes for myself at TJ Maxx, so I was going to make sure I did a good job at work and was able to do it.”

While Dr. Christner would not say being selfish is always the right approach, she does point out that there is an aspect of looking out for yourself that is important. “Nobody’s going to look out for you better than you. If you don’t learn how to advocate for yourself, if you’re looking for somebody else to do something for you, that’s not the best way to go.”

What are some key qualities every mentor should embody?

“I think one of the things is they have to be willing to be really honest with you,” Dr. Christner begins.

She goes on to differentiate between mentorship and sponsorship and how a sponsor actively works to promote you. When she first began her medical journey, Dr. Christner was unaware of this concept. “I don’t even know if that was a term back when I was growing up but I naturally gravitated towards those type of people, people who were honest with me, who seemed to want to help me get to where I wanted to go and sponsor me or vouch for me.”

As someone who has benefitted from the positive aspects of sponsorship, Dr. Christner actively works to be an advocate on behalf of those she mentors.

What would you say are the key traits and habits of the most successful students that you’ve mentored?

“I definitely think part of it is being able to be an advocate for yourself. I think it’s really this very delicate balance of being confident versus cocky.”

Dr. Christner continues with this word of caution, “It’s okay to talk about yourself. It’s okay to talk about your accomplishments. You have to do that to get ahead, but there’s a way to do it that comes across as genuine, and as if you have something to offer rather than others should be so grateful that you deemed to walk into the room.”

“Some of the biggest things that I have learned have actually not come from physicians necessarily, but came from maintenance people, came from the cafeteria workers. You have to just be open to learning from absolutely everybody.”

For those who are going into residency soon, Dr. Christner encourages them to remember that it’s all on them. “The bottom line is that you can succeed absolutely anywhere, depending on what you put into it. No, it’s nobody else’s responsibility to teach you. It’s nobody else’s responsibility to make you learn. It’s nobody else’s responsibility to do any of that. It is all on you, and you can make the biggest difference for yourself. Stop expecting other people to hand things to you. You’ve got to make that difference!”

Pearls of Wisdom

1. Learn how to advocate for yourself. Do not beat yourself down and allow other people to dictate the narrative of your life. No one is going to look out for you better than yourself.
2. Be confident, but not cocky. Know the difference between the two and manage that tension well.
3. Know the names of those around you. These relationships will be invaluable in many practical ways.