Neural networks: How mentorship shaped two neurologists’ careers

Emma Parolisi, M.D., was only 16 when she first showed up at a neurology clinic. A high school junior at the time, she made the commute from Waynesboro to Charlottesville during breaks from school to tag along as Kelly Gwathmey, M.D., a neurologist at UVA Health, treated patients. Gwathmey has been a mentor and role model ever since, someone Parolisi admired from day one and stayed connected with as she began charting her own path toward becoming a doctor. 

When the time came for Parolisi to apply to medical school, Gwathmey wrote her a letter of recommendation, and in 2019, they both ended up at VCU School of Medicine — Parolisi as an M1, and Gwathmey as a faculty member. Now, as Parolisi works her way through VCU’s neurology residency program nearly 12 years after they met, the two are not just mentor and mentee, but also colleagues. f

“It was such a full-circle moment,” Parolisi said of matching into the program in 2023. “I was so happy that I was getting to stay at VCU, and so happy knowing that she was here too.” 

The power of early exposure

Parolisi’s first glimpse into the world of medicine was through a dog-eared copy of “Dr. Coop’s Self-Care Advisor,” a 300-page reference guide circa 1997 she discovered on a shelf at her aunt’s house when she was a kid. She would flip through its pages for hours, poring over the detailed illustrations and descriptions of everything from colds to chronic diseases.

That same aunt worked as a teacher at a daycare for families of UVA employees, where one day she struck up a conversation with a neurologist — Gwathmey — picking up her daughter. When she mentioned her niece’s budding interest in neuroscience, Gwathmey agreed to let the high schooler shadow her in the clinic. Parolisi recalled the awe she felt walking into Gwathmey’s office for the first time, inspired by the confident, accomplished physician who would become her long-term mentor.

“I remember meeting her and just thinking, ‘This is probably the smartest person I’ve ever met,’” Parolisi said. “I knew that I wanted to be like her, and I wanted to be that person for someone else one day.”

Gwathmey was only a few years into her career as an attending physician at the time, and she said she was willing to take on young mentees like Parolisi because she knows firsthand how early opportunities can shape an aspiring doctor’s career.

“In my own journey, I started shadowing neurologists when I was in college, and some of those first patients I saw as an observer were the people who inspired me to go into neurology,” Gwathmey said. “I could imagine what Emma was going through, and I know how influential and impactful those experiences are.”

One of those defining experiences for Gwathmey was during her first year of medical school, when she observed as a neurologist delivered an ALS diagnosis to a young man with small children. The moment stuck with her, she said, and now she is the director of the VCU Health ALS clinic, chief of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine and program director of the neuromuscular fellowship.

Passing the torch

Gordon Smith, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurology, said Gwathmey’s mentorship of Parolisi exemplifies the supportive, collaborative environment that faculty in the department work hard to foster.

“We are fortunate to have an outstanding team of accomplished faculty who are fully dedicated to supporting students, residents and early-career clinicians, scientists and educators, and Dr. Gwathmey’s sustained support for Dr. Parolisi is a wonderful example of that culture in action,” Smith said. “Neurology is a small world, and having someone of Dr. Gwathmey’s stature serve as your mentor and sponsor will open up many doors and exciting opportunities.”

What sets Gwathmey apart as a mentor, Parolisi said, is not just her clinical expertise, but her ability to translate complex concepts into digestible material. Parolisi noted that when a physician is used to working with residents and fellows, it can be difficult to make the information accessible to someone without a medical background, but Gwathmey’s teaching methods resonated with her from the beginning.

“I knew the lobes of the brain, and that was kind of where it started and ended,” Parolisi said of her shadowing days. “I could see that she was making a very concerted effort to bring it down as much as possible to my level.”

When asked how meeting Gwathmey has impacted her and her career, Parolisi said the answer is simple: It changed her life. Parolisi is confident that she wouldn’t be where she is today had she not crossed paths with Gwathmey 12 years ago. She is determined to pay it forward in her own career, and has already found a knack for teaching — this summer, she received an award from the Department of Neurology for her commitment to teaching medical students. As a resident, Parolisi said that working with medical students is her “favorite thing,” and she plans to stay in academic medicine after completing residency and a neuroimmunology fellowship.

“In medicine in general, it’s so important to have someone around who’s been through the things you’re about to go through,” Parolisi said. “I love neurology, I’ve loved this whole journey, and I love being able to help students as they go through it, too.”