Mentoring—More Than Ever: Mentoring During COVID-19

• July 01, 2020

• Hema Anwar , Kaiser Permanente

On March 2, I started a new position, grateful and excited for the upcoming challenges. As I joined my first meeting, which was on COVID-19, I had little idea of what was to come. Working as a health care lawyer during a pandemic takes an emotional toll, regardless of whether you are in your first year of practice or your 27th. Our workloads are intense, but inevitably there is a sense of helplessness because we can only do so much to support our front-line providers and staff. Most of us became health care lawyers to make a positive difference. Responding to this pandemic has created both a supreme challenge and opportunity to fulfill that mission. During the last four months, the mentors and mentees in my network have been critical in guiding me and one another through the ambiguity to define a clearer path forward. In this spirit, I have shared insights from a few of my trusted health law mentors and mentees.