According to Dr. Rod Rodich, mentoring is one of the most affordable and powerful ways to change the world. In academic plastic surgery, these changes include helping promising medical students, residents, fellows, or faculty reach their potential, encouraging them to pursue a research career, and giving them the advantage of mentorship, so they do not have to rely on trial and error. mistake, and leaving the field in better condition than when they entered.
Dr. Noordhoff was the first plastic and reconstructive surgery mentor in Taiwan. As a worthy man of wise character, he gave due credit to his associates and disciples and constantly acknowledged them. He cultivated future leaders in all major fields of plastic surgery by building a world-class academic medical center in the early 1980s. He had the vision of identifying those inspired young surgeons and helping them pursue academic careers.
In this conference, I want to describe how I was able to meet this great man and be trained by his disciples, in reconstructive microsurgery in this country, 28 years ago. As well as describe the way this mentorship influenced my professional career.
Previous mentors in my country, Mexico, inspired me to look for the training I wanted in other parts of the world, including Taiwan. Upon returning to my country, I began my academic practice in Reconstructive Microsurgery in the same hospital where I trained in plastic surgery. Since then, I have trained more than 50 national and international formal fellows and have received more than 300 international visitors, who wish to learn under my tutelage. My experience focuses on Breast, Head and Neck surgery, and limb reconstruction. My main research interest focuses predominantly on Microsurgical Reconstruction of Craniomaxillofacial Deformities.
I want to convey to all of you how I walked this path from trainee to mentor and honor all the mentors who influenced my professional development, in the same way that Dr. Samuel Noordhoff did with many members of the Taiwanese Society of Plastic Surgery.

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