摘要：My career path to biomedical infor-matics, late at every stage, is pecu-liar if I compare myself to otherpsychologists. On the other hand, apeculiar path is the norm for mypeers who are loath to call them-selves ''informaticians,'' so tightlycoupled is their identity to theirformer lives as librarians, clinicians,engineers, or computer and socialscientists. In thinking about how Icame to be on the faculty of amedical school doing informaticsresearch, it occurred to me that mymentors had a powerful influenceand not all in the same way. Alas, afew tormentors almost derailed me.I dithered over that last descriptorbecause I could have more charita-bly called a tormentor an obstruc-tor, but consider this: The origin ofthe former word is from the OldFrench tormentum,anengineforhurling stones, which seems apt[1], and one of several synonymsis backscratcher—the irony of whichmakes me laugh. So for those ofyou wrestling with a midlife careerchange, consider this editorial a callto courage, as well as an abridgedguide to mentors and tormentors.First, I give you a brief backstory
