The Doctor's Art - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Seeing Beyond Disability | Dashiell Meier Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

Approximately 1 in 700 babies in the United States are born with Down Syndrome. Yet, despite how common this condition is for people, we don’t often have the chance to hear their stories. In this episode, we are joined by Dashiell Meier, a young aspiring filmmaker and disability advocate who has Down Syndrome. Over the course of our conversation, we have the wonderful opportunity to explore how Dashiell sees the world as he reflects upon the stereotypes that society holds against people with disabilities, discusses what makes his favorite doctors stand out, shares his passion for storytelling, and offers advice to clinicians on how to better connect with patients who have disabilities.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How Dashiell currently helps Stanford medical students learn to communicate with patients with disabilities - 1:47
Dashiell’s academic interests and career aspirations in the entertainment world - 3:22
Dashiell’s interactions with doctors and what makes his favorites stand out - 5:22
A discussion of the stereotypes that people with Down Syndrome face - 7:42
What Dashiell wishes people knew about Down Syndrome - 11:00
The movement for people with disabilities that Dashiell is spearheading, and what he hopes to achieve through it - 19:10
Advice on building good relationships with people who have disabilities - 27:00
The projects Dashiell intends to create as a filmmaker - 32:04
How to develop greater empathy for people with disabilities - 34:46
Advice to new clinicians and trainees on how best to interact with patients with disabilities - 37:10

You can follow Dashiell’s film and video projects on his YouTube channel. You can also follow him on Twitter @DashiellMeier.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.

Adventures Through the Human Body | Jonathan Reisman, MD Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

From Tanzania to India, from Tibet to Antarctica, Jonathan Reisman, MD, our guest in this episode, has practiced medicine in truly diverse regions of the world. Dr. Reisman's talents and passions are unparalleled in their variety; he is, among many things, an emergency physician, naturalist, food writer, travel writer, and wilderness survival expert. He is the author of The Unseen Body, an exploration of the human anatomy through all of its miraculous, mundane, bizarre, and surprising parts, presented through the eyes of a lifelong adventurer. Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Reisman shares his experiences traveling through the most remote areas of the world, what his voyages have taught him about health and illness, the impact of emerging digital technologies on the doctor-patient relationship, and much more.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How a love of the natural world led young Dr. Reisman to travel abroad and ultimately to the medical profession - 2:04
Dr. Reisman’s early adventures studying sociology in the Russian Far East - 5:30
The parallels between exploring the natural world and the human body - 9:26
The puzzle-solving aspects of medicine and the impact of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence - 12:18
Dr. Reisman’s reflects on his time practicing medicine in India, Tanzania, Nepal, and Antarctica, and the importance of the physical exam in these settings - 21:15
The strengths and limitations of the physical exam, especially as they relate to the clinician-patient relationship - 31:53
How artificial intelligence will complement human physicians in the future - 36:38
What Dr. Reisman believes is critical to the future of medical education - 46:12
Dr. Reisman’s advice to young clinicians on how to keep their curiosity alive - 55:10

Dr. Jonathan Reisman is the author of The Unseen Body: A Doctor’s Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of the Human Anatomy.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

Supporting the Mental Wellness of Physicians | Caroline Elton, PhD Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

For all the deeply rewarding moments medicine offers, it is also a profession often intensely challenging on both systemic and personal levels. Our guest in this episode is Caroline Elton, PhD, an occupational psychologist who has devoted her career to counseling doctors and medical trainees in the National Health Service and various medical schools in the UK. She is the author of Also Human: The Inner Lives of Doctors, which discusses the physical, mental, and emotional toll of medical training and practice. Among other issues, she writes about how doctors deal with guilt and shame, gender and racial discrimination in health care training, the erosion of the clinician-patient relationship in modern medicine, and how clinicians can build emotional resilience. Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Elton shares what led her to this work, exposes the many shortcomings in how doctors are trained today, and explores how we can create a more humane path forward.

In this episode, you will hear about:

What led Dr. Elton to her unique work in counseling physicians - 2:04
Reflections on both the compassion and the callousness Dr. Elton witnessed as she observed physicians (her patients) in their working environments - 10:01
A review of medical training in the UK versus the US - 15:16
A discussion of Also Human: The Inner Lives of Doctors and the concept of moral injury - 19:51
The kinds of patients Dr. Elton sees in her present work - 25:00
How institutional cultures can come to valorize toxic, brutal expectations placed on physicians - 27:03
How Dr. Elton’s managed her first patient, a doctor who was planning on quitting medicine just weeks after beginning her postgraduate training - 32:49
A discussion of how sexism and other forms of bigotry factors into burnout - 38:20
Why the screening process for selecting future doctors should be improved - 43:37
How a trainee can prepare themselves for the psychological demands of a medical career - 48:00
Advice to administrators and executives of how best to serve the psychological demands of their medical workforce - 50:34

Dr. Caroline Elton is the author of Also Human: The Inner Lives of Doctors.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

Shaping American Medicine | Jack Resneck Jr., MD Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest professional association of physicians in the United States, comprising more than 270,000 clinicians across all medical specialties. It is involved in all aspects of American medicine, from establishing standards of care, to reforming medical education, to lobbying for health care policies. Our guest in this episode is Jack Resneck Jr., MD, chair of the department of dermatology at the University of California San Francisco and President of the AMA from 2022 – 2023. In this conversation, we explore Dr. Resneck's personal journey in medicine, how the AMA is addressing physician burnout, how the AMA is coming to terms with its own history with race relations, how digital health is transforming medicine, how health care reimbursement rates are determined, and how doctors can play a more active role in advocating for their own work.

In this episode, you will hear about:

Dr. Resneck’s early years as a self-described ‘policy nerd’ and growing up in a physician family - 2:10
How Dr. Resneck first became involved with the AMA - 6:01
A brief review of the history and mission of the AMA - 8:23
A discussion of the epidemic of burnout and how the AMA is addressing it - 12:45
A survey of the AMA’s current policy priorities - 23:42
A conversation around the incentive discrepancies around primary care medicine and how the AMA’s Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) is addressing this - 29:26
How artificial intelligence and other new technologies are shaping the future of medicine, and why physicians must take an active role in their development - 36:25
Reflections on the history of the AMA’s race relations and what the modern medical establishment must do to remedy health discrepancies, including The AMA’s Strategic Plan to Embed Racial Justice and Advance Health Equity - 47:15
Dr. Resneck’s optimistic view of the future of the profession - 55:08

In this episode we discussed several reports and articles, including:

The Flexner Report, a 1910 survey of the medical profession that was used to standardize medical education.

How Being a Doctor Became the Most Miserable Profession by Daniela Drake.

The Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a recently-passed legislation aimed at helping physicians.

Follow Dr. Resneck on Twitter @JackResneckMD.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

A Space for Mystery | Elisha Waldman, MD Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

Matters of faith and spirituality are seldom openly discussed in medicine. But for our guest in this episode, pediatric palliative care doctor Elisha Waldman, MD, these issues are a daily fixture of his work. Dr. Waldman is former associate chief of the Division of Pediatric Palliative Care at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and former medical director of pediatric palliative care at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He is the author of the memoir This Narrow Space, in which he describes his seven years working as a pediatric oncologist at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel, while grappling with the ethical and political complexities that came with treating his Muslim, Jewish, and Christian patients. Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Waldman discusses his formative religious upbringing, delves deep into what it means to be present with patients in moments of suffering and existential anguish, and examines what his experiences have taught him about the enigmas of life, death, faith, and identity.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How Dr. Waldman’s early interest in religious studies influenced his pursuit of a career caring for children with cancer - 2:12
Dr. Waldman’s religious upbringing as the son of a conservative Jewish rabbi - 7:00
A discussion of spiritual care in medicine and what it means to be a “spiritual generalist” versus a “spiritual specialist” - 13:49
Reflections on what brought Dr. Waldman to Jerusalem and what it was like to practice medicine in such a diverse and politically complex city - 23:01
How Dr. Waldman finds the emotional fortitude to continue giving care and comfort to children who are seriously ill - 26:11
A discussion of powerful and beautiful moments in accompanying patients through suffering - 33:40
How pain differs from suffering and what physicians can do once they recognize that difference - 48:13
Dr. Waldman’s advice to young clinicians on being present and curious with patients - 57:25

Dr. Elisha Waldman is the author of This Narrow Space: A Pediatric Oncologist, His Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Patients, and a Hospital in Jerusalem.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

On Leading the National Academy of Medicine | Victor Dzau, MD Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is an independent organization that provides expert evidence-based guidance on issues of health, biomedical science, and health policy. Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, recognizing individuals who have shown exceptional professional achievement and commitment to service. In this episode, we are joined by Victor Dzau, MD, who has been president of the NAM since 2014. He previously served as President of the Duke University Health System, Chairman of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital of Harvard Medical School, and Chairman of Medicine at Stanford Health Care. As a leading scholar in cardiovascular medicine, his pioneering research laid the foundation for the development of blood pressure medications widely used today. Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Dzau discusses his challenging upbringing as a refugee of the Chinese Civil War, describes his dedication to health equity and global health; explores the work of the NAM, and passionately shares why clinicians should be more involved in public discourse.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How growing up as a refugee of the Chinese Civil War shaped Dr. Dzau’s path and practice as a physician - 2:27
How Dr. Dzau’s became a physician-scientist - 7:06
The circumstances that led Dr. Dzau to take on issues of global health - 11:03
Reflections on how Dr. Dzau stays in touch with the deeper meaning of medicine - 13:05
A discussion of the values Dr. Dzau holds in his various roles - 17:41
The difficulties Dr. Dzau faced during his education and career and how he recovered from burnout - 20:04
A description of the purpose and mission of the National Academy of Medicine - 28:36
How new members are elected to the NAM - 32:26
A survey of the current issues the NAM focuses on and how Dr. Dzau thinks about the political dimensions of his work - 36:25
The need for medical professionals to better communicate scientific facts with the broader public - 41:25
Advice to early-career clinicians on leadership - 45:32

Dr. Dzau delivered the Boston University Class of 2020 Commencement Speech, in which he discussed his own experience of burnout.

You can follow Dr. Dzau on Twitter @VictorDzau.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

The Underside of Medicine | Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

While this podcast has largely featured clinicians sharing the joy they have found in medicine, in this episode—breaking with tradition—we speak with a physician left disenchanted by her experiences working in medicine. Our guest is Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD, a minimally-invasive and bariatric surgeon who conducts research on gender equity and implicit bias in medicine. At Stanford Hospital, she advises initiatives to promote physician well-being and diversity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her frontline experiences were featured in Newsweek, NBC, CBS, and other press outlets. Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Salles shares fiercely honest accounts about the difficulties she has faced as an immigrant, minority, and woman in medicine. Her stories are by turns saddening, shocking, and amusing, but ultimately invoke us to reflect on the part we can all play to create a more just and inclusive path for current and future physicians.

In this episode, you will hear about:

Dr. Salles’ path to medicine and her regrets along the way - 2:11
The social pressures within medicine to overlook the downsides and hardships of a medical career - 7:11
Why Dr. Salles chose surgery as a specialty - 11:02
How, upon accepting her first academic position , Dr. Salles found herself in an environment that did not adequately support her surgical practice and her research - 14:12
The systemic and cultural factors that led to the lack of support Dr. Salles faced - 23:03
Dr. Salles’ research on gender equity in medicine - 29:57
A discussion of the challenges of life as an academic physician - 32:13
How Dr. Salles made the decision to put herself over her career and leave her academic position - 36:47
Why it can sometimes seem that hospitals are exploiting physicians - 41:12
Advice on how institutions can better promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their culture - 47:32

Learn more about Dr. Salles’ work on her website and follow her on Twitter @Arghavan_Salles.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

Guiding New York City Through COVID-19 | Dave A. Chokshi, MD Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

In the first half of 2020, New York City quickly became the American epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 200,000 cases reported in the first few months. The city came to a standstill as thousands of people died alone in hospitals and bodies piled up in freezer trucks that could not transport them away fast enough. In August 2020, amid this cataclysm, Dave Chokshi, MD assumed position as New York City's Health Commissioner and began the arduous task of repairing a broken city and restoring public trust among its residents. Prior to this work, Dr. Chokshi led the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation and was a White House Fellow at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. In this episode, Dr. Chokshi joins us to share the core values that drive his public health work and how he navigated the challenges of leading New York City through COVID-19.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How Dr. Chokshi, early in his life, came to understand the association between health and opportunity - 3:52
A discussion of how privilege impacts the opportunities available to individuals and how this recognition affects Dr. Chokshi’s medical work - 7:40
How Hurricane Katrina revealed to Dr. Chokshi the flaws in our existing health systems - 15:48
Dr. Chokshi’s involvement with Universities Allied for Essential Medicine - 19:34
An account of Dr. Chokshi’s tenure as New York City Health Commissioner during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic - 24:31
Dr. Chokshi’s principles of effective leadership - 32:31
Reflections on the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and how indebted society is to nurses and hospital house staff - 37:15
Dr. Chokshi’s personal philosophy on maintaining a balanced sense of humility - 53:48
Five lessons for medical trainees and clinicians on staying connected to what makes medicine meaningful - 57:38

Dr. Chokshi briefly discussed his early work with the Committed Communities Development Trust in Mumbai, India.

You can follow Dr. Dave Chokshi on Twitter @DaveChokshi.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

Choosing Happiness | John Leland Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

In 2015, New York Times journalist John Leland set out to follow the lives of six people over the age of 85. What John learned shattered his preconceived notions about aging, loneliness, and loss. The resulting 2018 book, Happiness is a Choice You Make, became an international bestseller and delved into how these older individuals found wisdom and joy in the later stages of life. In this episode, John joins us to discuss the transformational exploration he undertook and lessons on living well he has discovered from this journey.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How a college music reviewer came to write for The New York Times - 1:41
How John’s exploration of aging began when he was initially—reluctantly—assigned to write a series of articles on old age and retirement - 5:04
Reflections on how John’s expectations of aging — including loss, sadness, loneliness — were transformed over the course of this writing project - 9:01
How John discovers his interview subjects - 11:38
A discussion of John’s book, Happiness is a Choice You Make, and the lessons he learned from his subjects -14:44
Advice to young clinicians on finding moments of happiness in their careers - 26:19
John’s surprising realization that elders are not “depressed all the time” - 33:53
A discussion of John’s recent article, in which he was documents the last days of Shatzi Weisberger, a nurse and prominent death educator - 36:53
Reflections on how John’s relationships with older adults have changed his perception of death - 40:07
Advice to clinicians on how they can better help older patients connect with what makes their lives meaningful - 45:03

John Leland is the author of the book Happiness is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old.

He is also a staff writer at the New York Times. In this episode we discussed his articles How Loneliness is Damaging Our Health, and She Preached About Death Without Fear. Could She Practice it?

You can follow John Leland on Twitter @JohnLeland.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

On Medically-Assisted Dying | Stefanie Green, MD Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

One of medicine's thorniest ethical questions concerns the lengths to which a physician should go to ameliorate suffering, including the use of medical means to hasten death. Yet, particularly for those who care for patients with, or for those who live with, serious illness, this question is all but inevitable. In this episode, Stefanie Green, MD, the current president of the Canadian Association of Medical Assistance in Dying Assessors and Providers, shares her experiences helping patients die and how she views this branch of medicine. Dr. Green has been at the forefront of the change in legal regulation and clinical practice around medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada. In her 2022 book, This is Assisted Dying, she shares the delicate, challenging, and humane moments she has witnessed while navigating this unique work.

Disclaimer: This episode does not advocate for or against medical assistance in dying. Rather, it seeks to understand why a clinician may choose to perform this work. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How Dr. Green transitioned from a career in maternity care to medical assistance in dying (MAiD) - 5:14
A brief legal history of MAiD in Canada, beginning with Rodriguez v British Columbiaand including the sea change that came with Carter v. Canada - 6:39
An overview of how MAiD works today in Canada - 12:14
How MAiD works in the United States, specifically in California, and the role of prognosis in a patient’s eligibility for MAiD - 15:43
Dr. Green’s reflections on how two decades working in maternity prepared her for MAiD - 20:45
The specific process by which Dr. Green helps her patients die - 24:13
The first patient encounter in which Dr. Green provided MAiD - 27:53
Reflections on the frame of mind Dr. Green must adopt in order to perform this work - 35:04
How Dr. Green processes the difficult emotions arising from her work - 43:22
Dr. Green’s reflections on her role as a patient advocate when handling family conflicts at end of life - 47:50
Advice for clinicians about connecting with patients through empathetic presence - 51:35

Dr. Stefanie Green is the author of This is Assisted Dying.

You can follow Dr. Stefanie Green on Twitter @DocSGreen.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.