Humans of LMP: Carrie Robinson

Each month we speak to a member of the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology community and find out more about them as part of an initiative from our Wellness, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee (WIDE).

This month, we feature Dr. Carrie Robinson, a pathologist who joined Mount Sinai Hospital and LMP from a career in the Navy.

How long have you been at LMP and what does your role involve?

I started at Mount Sinai Hospital, and LMP, in July 2023. I’m a gynecologic pathologist, and I also do cytology and breast pathology. Most of my day is spent at a microscope looking at patient specimens and providing a diagnosis. I also teach (and learn from) pathology trainees, including fellows, residents, medical students, and cytology tech students.  

Tell us about your research

I don’t really have a “research” niche, but I’ve kind of fallen into Quality and Lab Management as an area of interest.

What led you to pursue your current career path?  

I think I always knew I wanted to be a physician, and pathology was always on the list of possibilities. During my clinical rotations, I didn’t really love any of the clinics or wards. I am a bit of an introvert so seeing patients all day every day was interesting for a month-long rotation, but not what felt right for a career. The life of an anatomic pathologist was appealing to my need to have time to read and be thoughtful about writing a report that would impact a patient’s treatment – it important to get it right!  

Before I came to Mount Sinai, I was in the US Navy as a general pathologist. I learned and grew a lot in those 16 years – I lived all over the US, worked at 6 different hospitals and was medical director of 16 laboratories. I got to do a really great fellowship. I met people from all over and got really interesting opportunities I would not have been offered (or ordered to do) if I had been a civilian. A few years ago, military life was feeling very restrictive and not really compatible with my life goals, so I decided to try civilian life. I was ready for a big move, and Mount Sinai offered the job – here I am in Toronto.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of? 

When I was at a small community military hospital in Florida, we were not meeting requirements for our breast cancer biopsies and resections. It was really a collaborative effort between pathology and surgery and radiology that we improved recording required elements for therapeutic cancer markers to over 90% in 6 months.  

My favorite part of it was that I was able to work with professionals and technologists in multiple departments to improve our patient care. It did require me to get out of the lab and talk with different specialties, but it led to better relationships in the hospital. They knew an actual person in the lab now and could reach out afterward if there were any general lab problems. Working together increased trust and I think we had a more collaborative attitude going forward.

What was the best career advice you ever received?  

Don’t rush when you are signing out a case - you will make mistakes because you are not being thoughtful about it.  

There are relatively few instances that pathology needs really fast action (there are intraoperative diagnoses and transfusion services, etc) but most of the time, you can take time to consider your differential, show cases to colleagues, and proofread your report. It’s worth a few minutes to feel confident about what you are signing out.

What has been an important learning experience in your life? 

When I look back, I’ve learned from a lot of interactions, but the one that sticks out wasn’t a great experience for me. I had a colleague that had some professionalism difficulties, combined with milder competency problems, and I was feeling very junior and isolated. What I learned from it is that it’s ok to ask for help and guidance.

The situation gave me a lot of opportunities to consider the “big picture” in medicine in general, and that we are really here to do what is best for patients, however that may be. It’s a good idea to seek guidance from colleagues who are more experienced and who can guide you during professional challenges. It’s not a weakness.  

After everything had blown over, I experienced multiple instances of guiding other trainees and junior staff who said things along the lines of “wow, thank you – you are so knowledgeable about this” and I had to smile because I had gained that knowledge by making mistakes and learning from others. It’s not glamorous or exciting to say, “yes, I learned a lot from this really frustrating thing that happened to me, and I wish I’d done things a little differently”, but I know I can learn from the experiences – and you can learn from the experiences of others when you ask for help. People want to help.

Who is an influential person in your life and why?

I feel like it’s cliché to say my parents, but they’ve been the biggest influence of my life. They were both public school teachers and always valued education. In retrospect, I can appreciate how they sacrificed during my childhood and let my brother and me become the people we are. They’ve been supportive of me through a lot of life changes, and always provide a good sounding board when I needed to work though my thoughts. I mean, yeah, they’re boomers and don’t like that I dyed my hair purple, but if I called and said I need them, they’d be on the next flight. I don’t think you can undervalue people in your life that provide that kind of support.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

I’m trying to see a game in every major league baseball city. Unfortunately, I’m mostly down to places I don’t really want to go for any other reason. 

What activities do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

It’s currently winter, so I’ve been doing a lot of knitting – I’m getting more adventurous and I’ve made a few sweaters and some color work. I love reading. I enjoy hiking and being outside.  

What is your favourite album, film and novel? 

It’s so hard to narrow it down!

Albums: Transatlanticism/Death Cab for Cutie, Singing in the Rain soundtrack, Beethoven’s 3rd. I started scrolling my music library and only made it to the Ds. I can’t narrow it down.

Film: Notorious, Clue, Star Wars

Novel: I’m usually not a Sci-Fi reader, but I really liked the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.

Who would be your dream dinner guests? 

Tough question.  As an introvert, I would worry about being awkward around people I want to meet.  I’d pick a bunch of interesting people that I think would be super nice and carry the conversation by themselves: Betty White, Steve Irwin, Jim Henson, Dolly Parton, David Attenborough, Tom Hanks, Jimmy Carter, etc.

Where/what is your favourite place? 

Outside with a view. I was having a hard time picking a place, because I love mountains, and saguaro cacti, and lakes, etc. But I think if I had to choose, I’d be on a beach with a good book and a beverage with a little umbrella in it.

If you were stuck on a deserted island but had all your basic needs taken care of (i.e. food and water), what two items would you bring with you and why?

Internet access and an iPad. Yeah, that’s boring, but I mean, limitless access to books!  And all the time in the world. You could learn to do anything. And sunblock, for sure.