News

Dr. Lindsey Westbrook’s path to a career in pathology and academia was filled with impactful experiences and supportive mentors that drew her into the field. Those experiences and mentors also helped shape her present day “pay it forward” mindset and approach to working with medical students and trainees.

Here, Dr. Westbrook reflects on an early experience in the lab on her pathway to her career in pathology, the importance of having—and being — a  mentor, and how her mindset brings connection and meaning to her work.

Was there a specific experience or moment that solidified your decision to choose a career in the laboratory?

I do vividly remember the first time I was introduced to the field. The summer before my senior year of college, I was accepted into a shadowing program at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. I was scheduled to spend half a day with a pathologist. At the time, I honestly had no idea what that meant.

That morning, I watched him gross several cases, including what he described as the largest thyroid he had ever seen. Then we spent time looking at slides under the microscope. I can’t fully explain why, but something about that experience just clicked for me. I found it fascinating from start to finish.

When I started medical school, that experience stayed with me, and I made a point to seek out more exposure to pathology. I don’t think there was a single defining moment that led me to pathology. It was more of a series of experiences that gradually drew me in.

Now that I interview medical students for pathology residency, I’ve noticed that most of them also discovered pathology before they even entered medical school. I think that really speaks to how important early exposure is.

Programs like the one I participated in can make a huge difference, especially for specialties like pathology and laboratory medicine that are not always part of required clinical rotations.

Have you had any mentors or role models who influenced your career choice? If so, how have they impacted your journey?

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have so many amazing mentors throughout my journey in medicine and pathology, and one of the things that has really stood out to me is how kind and generous the pathology community is.

What’s especially meaningful to me is that some of the people who have had the biggest impact on my career were individuals I only interacted with briefly, like the first pathologist I shadowed in North Mississippi, who probably doesn't even remember me. Even if we've only had short interactions, all of my mentors made the effort to offer guidance, encouragement, and support, sometimes even years later.

Mentorship has been so impactful in my own path, and it’s also become one of my favorite parts of being in academic medicine. I find a lot of fulfillment working with students and trainees, helping them explore the field and find their own direction. I feel very grateful for everything my mentors have given me, and their influence has shaped how I try to show up for others. I really make an effort to pay that forward whenever I can.

What steps do you take to maintain a strong sense of purpose and connection to the human side of healthcare?

Maintaining a strong sense of purpose and connection to the human side of healthcare can be challenging in pathology, especially since we don’t often interact directly with patients. I feel that most on long or busy days when it’s easy to get caught up in the volume of work and think in terms of cases rather than people. I try to be intentional about stepping back and reminding myself that every specimen represents a real person who is waiting for answers, often during a difficult or uncertain time. I do my best to approach each case as if it belonged to someone I care about, like a family member or close friend.

That mindset helps keep me grounded and brings meaning back to the work. It also pushes me to give each case the same level of care and thoughtfulness