Kaitlyn Dykes, MD, serves as chair of ASH’s Trainee Council. She is a third-year internal medicine resident at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.
1. If you were to compile a bucket list, what would top that list?
As a hematology-oncology fellow and a new mom, these days my bucket list is practical. My focus is embarking on a fulfilling and successful career while nurturing and raising my daughter.
2. What ASH luminary do you most admire? (Who’s your ASH-lebrity?)
Dr. Hetty Carraway, who is currently chair of ASH’s Committee on Training. She is a practicing hematologist-oncologist with expertise in hematologic malignancies at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Carraway is a thoughtful leader and an excellent listener skilled at identifying the root of issues and proposing elegant solutions. I greatly admire her leadership style.
3. What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best advice I received was from my dad: “Surround yourself with positive and motivated people, people who you admire.” Following this advice has helped me find success in all aspects of life. It has led to great connections with friends and coworkers, and great mentee-mentor relationships.
4. When I’m down, _____ brings me up.
My family! They are my support system, and I am proud of them!
5. What’s your one can’t-miss presentation or event at the ASH annual meeting?
ASH-a-Palooza! This special trainee-only event that kicks off the annual meeting helps trainees make connections and learn about opportunities within ASH. The event includes opportunities to network, receive mentorship, and eat FREE FOOD!
6. What’s your hidden talent?
Being efficient while still being thorough, a skill I’m continually honing as a new mom in medical training.
7. If you could wave a wand and change one thing about the practice of medicine, what would that be?
I would reduce the cost of health care for our patients, eliminating cost-related barriers to care. Second, for trainees, I would give them a free 25th hour in the day, to use for wellness, studying, or whatever else they wanted.
8. What do you see as the next big advance in hematology?
I think we will increasingly see the movement of immunotherapy and targeted therapy-based approaches into the front lines of treatment for hematologic malignancies, minimizing the use of chemotherapy and improving long-term outcomes for our patients.
9. When starting my career, I wish I had known …
I am applying for my first attending job, so the jury is out on this question!
10. What’s your favorite movie?
It’s a series, not a movie, but one of my favorites is Call the Midwife. Based on the memoirs of a 1950s midwife, it captures the human side of medicine, and the challenges faced by midwives of that era. Similarly, the 2019 miniseries Chernobyl dramatized a major historical event, focusing on disaster response and its lasting effects on public health and medical practice. Both series highlight important themes in health care and history.
