Tiam Mana Saffari

279 APPENDICES A A LETTER TO A YOUNG RESEARCHER Scientists stand on the shoulders of giants. It is without doubt that the realization of this PhD thesis is a product of great teamwork and is built on research that has been previously conducted. Although my name is written on the cover of this book that you hold in your hands, it would not have been possible to achieve this without the support and collaboration of many researchers and mentors. The journey of a PhD is not always an easy one. While many see a list of publications as a measure of success, I would like to also show you the other side . As a PhD candidate you will meet your own, unique obstacles on your way to graduation. We do not see the number of rejections for every paper, prior to its acceptance. We do not see the long nights andweekends of work. We do not see the failures. If you are struggling to hold on to your intrinsicmotivation, you are not alone . However, once you have reconnected with your intrinsic motivation, it will be easier to persevere through the hardest parts of your training and to manage the workload. I would like to encourage you to celebrate the victories, but also to embrace the failures because these allow you to grow. As my mentor Dr. Shin said many times “ Fall down seven times, stand up eight ”. In my opinion, building a career is not possible without having great mentors. I have been grateful to learn fromand to be supported by wonderful mentors. The truementors of my life have been my parents. The two most hard-working people that I have ever seen. My parents taught me the value of education, how to be authentic in my actions and most importantly: they taught me about humanity . Dear students and researchers, while you are rising in your journey of becoming a great surgeon, scientist or professor, please do not forget to stay human. Be kind to your colleagues and be patient to the ones you teach. Your impact can be tremendous for the next generation. Stand up for yourself or others in an unpleasant work environment. Speak up for diversity, equity and inclusion. Turn criticism into motivation and fuel to reach your goals. To the young researchers and medical students, our future leaders, know that you can make a change and make the world turn. Although my PhD journey has nearly come to an end, the road to be(coming) a good mentor and mentee will be ongoing. I have overcome many challenges during this journey and I know you can do that too. And with that, my goal to give back to the next generation becomes my next challenge.