October MentorVet Mentor of the Month: Dr. Brent Mayabb, DVM
We are highlighting the well deserving Dr. Brent Mayabb, DVM for this month’s Mentor of the Month!
Brent Mayabb, DVM
MentorVet Mentor
Dr. Brent Mayabb, DVM, is an amazing mentor for our community. He is humble, kind, and dedicated to supporting early career wellbeing. His unique mixture of industry and small animal experience provides a unique perspective.
Brent's mentee, Ricky Walther, from the Spring 2022 semester shared, "I have loved the mentor experience! Dr. Brent Mayabb has been fantastic at helping me to grow my leadership skills as well as given me valuable insight into how to prioritize my professional development to help me reach my career goals."
Read below all about Brent’s perspective of mentoring and why he loves to give back to younger veterinarians.
Dr. Mayabb, tell us a little bit about your career journey. What do you currently do in veterinary medicine and how did you end up here?
I started my career like many veterinarians, working in general private practice. I moved to industry about 19 years ago, and have had many different roles since then, ultimately leading to my current position of Global Chief Medical Officer for Royal Canin.
Why did you choose to be involved with MentorVet?
Sir Isaac Newton is credited with the phrase "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants." The progression of my own career is because of people who have mentored me - in other words, I was standing on the shoulders of those giants. I am absolutely convinced that there is no way I would have had the opportunities I did without others helping me along the way, and I hope to be able to do something similar for others.
Will you share an example of something you and your mentee have discussed?
An interesting topic that we've discussed is how to navigate complex and matrixed corporate hierarchies - who to involve at what level, how to get things done, how to build a career path, etc. Working in a corporate environment is different than working within a practice, and it takes a bit of time to learn and adapt. By sharing some of my own mistakes and experiences, we may have shortened the learning curve a bit.
What is the most enjoyable aspect of being a vet mentor?
Being able to help someone else figure out answers to their challenges really makes me happy. I try to just be a sounding board and ask questions and not just give my opinions. That moment when the light goes off and someone finds their own answers is the part I love the most.
What is one thing that you have learned through your time mentoring for MentorVet?
I love that I'm actually being mentored myself. Some people see mentoring as flowing in one direction, but in fact, I'm learning just as much from the person I'm mentoring by seeing his perspective and hearing about his experiences.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received from a mentor or the best piece of advice that you have ever given?
"No one cares what you know until they know that you care." To me, this means that skill, expertise, and knowledge are often on the outside looking in until you open the door with empathy and compassion.
Would you recommend volunteering as a mentor for MentorVet to other veterinarians?
I would definitely (and have) recommend(ed) volunteering as a mentor to other vets. We're all where we are because of the help of others. Why not be one of the people who has a positive impact on the life of a colleague?
What is your favorite self-care activity?
Anything to do with music - listening to it, learning to play it, watching others play it, reading about it, etc.
What else I like to do for fun:
In my off time, I like to be active by hiking with my dog, Eli.
I stay connected to practice at a local shelter clinic. Last winter we did a volunteer vaccination clinic in an underserved community. (shown in the second picture above)
I also really like trying local beer whenever I get the chance during my travels for work or leisure.
Thank you, Dr. Mayabb!
We love having you speak into our community!
Interested in becoming a mentor for MentorVet like Brent? We are always looking for more mentors to join our community! — Check out some next steps here!