Mentoring through teamwork: lessons learned.

This essay is simply a highly personal account of how one mentor has joined with a team of mentors, combined with special "permanent" employees, lively group interactions and high expectations for trainees to provide a fertile environment for the training of scientists. I also need to acknowledge the deep personal friendships that have developed and intensified with the Rankin Lab trainees and their families over the past 47 years. How fortunate we mentors are to have the opportunity to experience and learn with continuously refreshed bands of young, eager minds every year. I am eternally grateful to my mentors for providing such broad shoulders to stand on, to my colleagues for sharing their passion for teaching and science and especially to all of our trainees who chose the Rankin Lab to begin their journey in science. I am especially grateful for having my wife Barbara to share with me the joy of having been a part of this team. Good on ya Babs! To comment on this article, go to www.the-aps.org/forum-teamwork.