Gut microbiota differs significantly between men with and without prostate cancer

169 about oncology as a specialty, he emphasizes it as an intellectually exciting field that allows collaboration with colleagues from many different backgrounds and disciplines. He also talks about the impact that oncologists can have on a patient’s life. Because oncology is a specialty that deals with a scary and often deadly disease, he says that the clinical care that oncologists give their patients is particularly rewarding. “We can give comfort and heal, and when we can’t heal, we can support patients and their families in their pain and suffering,” he says. Jan Buckner, MD, a clinical and research colleague at the Mayo Clinic who served as chair of the Oncology Department and chair of the enterprise Mayo Clinic Cancer Center during Dr Adjei’s tenure, recalls the passion for mentoring junior faculty that Dr Adjei expressed during his interview to become the director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Early Therapeutics Program. After becoming director, Dr Adjei acted on those words by placing junior faculty as principal investigators of phase 1 trials. “As a result of his leadership, he quickly established a large cadre of junior faculty clamoring to work with him in both lung cancer and phase 1 trials,” says Dr Buckner. Wen Wee Ma, MBBS, a medical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, is one of these mentees. “Dr Adjei exemplifies what a mentor and ‘boss’ should be,” Dr Ma says. “He has a strong sense of justice and fairness, and I’ve seen him advocating and fighting for colleagues who were unfairly treated.” Dr Ma points to Dr Adjei’s “impeccable” work ethic, in part illustrated by his availability (“yes, his email replies come at 3:00 a.m.”), and quotes another colleague who described Dr Adjei as “building a tent large enough that everyone is included, and no one left out.” “Dr Adjei is a visionary in the field, especially in anti-cancer drug development, and he constantly challenges the status quo constructively,” adds Dr Ma. “His impact on the field is far reaching, and his influence can be observed in the cadre of colleagues he has mentored over the years, mentees who span continents and are contributing to drug development from academia and industry.”