Outstanding faculty: Gurudutt Pendyala, PhD

Gurudutt Pendyala, PhD, the Robert Lieberman Professor of Anesthesiology in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology, will receive the Outstanding Mentor of Junior Faculty Award at the annual faculty meeting, which will be at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. It will be held virtually via Zoom, and the passcode is 2021.

• Name: Gurudutt Pendyala, PhD
• Title and unit: Robert Lieberman Professor of Anesthesiology, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology 
• Joined UNMC: 2008 
• Hometown: Hyderabad, Telangana, India 

What are the greatest rewards of mentoring? 

Walking alongside your mentees, showing a possible future and instilling confidence that it can be achieved.

Describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right occupation. 

Watching my mother who taught mathematics to high schoolers for 33 years. She always says, "All students learn and succeed but not at the same time and in the same way." This thought of hers stuck with me since my early childhood and has/will always be the driving force in my career. On a lighter note, my first name — Gurudutt in Sanskrit — translates to "the gift of the guru (teacher)." Call it destiny.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a mentor? 

"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth." -Dan Rather 

I consider this quote as the much-needed eye opener. While we want our mentees to be successful, it is imperative to make them realize certain of their shortcomings. Such conversations can be hard (most of the time) and easily be misconstrued as intimidation. Clarifying to them that this is but a part of their learning curve is the biggest challenge.  

How do you know when you've been successful as a mentor? 

Paying it forward — when your own mentees train their own. This always is a priceless moment that swells your heart with pride and ultimately is a testimony of your own success.