The PennHealthX Podcast

Latest Episodes:

26 - Dr. Nisha Mehta Part 1 - What is Unique About Physician Burnout? Apr 03, 2018

Show notes

This episode is a conversation I had with Dr. Nisha Mehta, who is a Penn Med alum! She is currently a radiologist, writer, speaker, and physician advocate. Her writing has been featured in Forbes, PBS NewsHour, Doximity, and KevinMD, among many others. She writes and speaks on many topics in medicine, including physician burnout, work-life balance, wellness, and personal finance. She is also the founder of the Facebook group, Physician Side Gigs, where over 15,000 physicians share stories of how they pursue passion projects both in and out of clinical medicine. I first heard Dr. Mehta when she was a guest on the podcast Docs Outside the Box, and was so proud to see another amazing Penn Med alum out there making an impact. I’m thrilled to share this conversation with you all, and to join the Physician Side Gigs group in a few years. Links: Dr. Mehta's Website https://www.nishamehtamd.com/ Physician Sig Gigs Facebook Groups https://www.facebook.com/groups/physiciansidegigs Some of Dr. Mehta's Writing https://blog.doximity.com/articles/how-this-radiologist-tackles-work-life-balance https://opmed.doximity.com/the-physician-side-gig-8fde6355bf0f https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2016/11/16/why-we-should-care-about-physician-debt/#4828d3847cf6 https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/nisha-mehta Doc's Outside the Box Podcast http://www.docsotb.com/ Side Hustles / Side Gigs https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/side-gigs

25 - Internship Minisode - Nancy Liu, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement at UCSF Feb 18, 2018

Show notes

Today’s minisode is an interview with another one of the HealthX summer internship funding recipients, and another fellow MS2, Nancy Liu. Nancy spent the summer at UCSF learning about methods used in patient safety and quality improvement work. She cold-called a number of research teams to see if they would be interested in having her join, knowing that she could secure outside funding. She was also able to participate in the Telluride Experience which is a conference for medical students and residents interested in patient safety. We’ve put together these shorter minisodes focusing on past internship funding recipients, because it’s about that time of year where med students start thinking about what they want to do over their summer and begin applying. Hopefully these quick episodes give you a broader perspective on different opportunities. We encourage you to think outside of the box, and don’t be afraid to do something completely outside the typical expectations of clinical or basic research. They’ll always be there as an opportunity in the future, I promise. http://pennhealthx.com/nancy-liu https://diatribe.org/ http://telluridesummercamp.com/

24 - Internship Minisode - Alejandro Cazzulino - Private Equity and the Medical Device Space Feb 12, 2018

Show notes

Today’s episode is a quick minisode with one of my fellow MS2s, Alejandro Cazzulino, or Cazz. We chatted a bit about his experience working for a private equity firm Healthpoint Capital, and one of their spinoffs, Innovahealth Partners that invests in medical device companies. Cazz was able to secure this internship with the help of HealthX funding that is available every year for Penn Med students who are looking to take on some untraditional work in a HealthX-related field. Students who are interested should check out the website pennhealthx.com, or inquire with current HealthX leadership to find out when that application will be live. We encourage you to think outside the box, and feel free to reach out to companies, firms, and research groups that you might otherwise shy away from if didn’t think they’d be able to pay you. http://pennhealthx.com/alejandro-cazzulino

23 - Emily Kramer-Golinkoff, How Non-Profits Are Fighting to Cure Cystic Fibrosis Feb 04, 2018

Show notes

Today’s episode is a conversation I had with Emily Kramer-Golinkoff, who spoke to Penn HealthX last semester about her experience as a patient with Cystic Fibrosis, and in founding Emily’s Entourage, a 501c3 that accelerates research for new treatments and a cure for CF. Since 2011, Emily’s Entourage has raised around $3 million, and has invested in research projects and start-up companies looking to develop drugs for rare missense mutations that cause CF. Emily received her undergraduate degree and Masters in Bioethics from Penn, and since founing Emily’s Entourage has been named a White House Precision Medicine “Champion of Change”, and received the 2016 RARE Champion of Hope for Advocacy Award. To learn more about Emily’s story and Emily’s Entourage, check out emilysentourage.org, or look for them on any social media platform. Map 2:00 – What is Cystic Fibrosis? What is a nonsense mutation, and why does it matter? 7:20 – What was Emily’s do-or-die moment that led her and her family to found Emily’s Entourage? Where do you even start? 12:35 – Marketing, storytelling, and sharing personal information on social media 17:00 – When did Emily’s Entourage begin to mature, and how do you keep it going? 20:00 – Working with The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 23:10 – Helping launch Talee Bio, a gene therapy company looking to cure CF, and venture philanthropy 30:00 – How can future physician leaders help empower patients to be champions for their disease? 32:30 – Meeting Cheryl Sandberg, and shaking President Obama’s hand at the White House 35:00 – Where to find more info/plugs Links Emily’s Entourage Website https://www.emilysentourage.org/ Social Media https://www.youtube.com/user/EmilysEntourage https://www.facebook.com/EmilysEntourage/ Publicity http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/08/health/cystic-fibrosis-emilys-entourage-turning-points/index.html https://inspirationalwomenseries.org/2017/07/14/inspirational-woman-interview-emily-kramer-golinkoff/ Talee Bio http://taleebio.com/ https://gallery.mailchimp.com/692ad2becf8753ce1c9c9a24e/files/53d6e425-a5b8-426d-9513-6626d0d1ab31/Philadelphia_startup_Talee_Bio_seeking_...brosis_Philadelphia_Business_Journal_copy.pdf The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation https://www.google.com/search?q=cystic+fibrosis+foundation&oq=cystic+fibrosis&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.2446j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Vertex Pharmaceuticals https://www.vrtx.com/

22 - Dr. Jake Brenner, Thinking Like a Medical Entrepreneur, and Penn Health Tech Jan 27, 2018

Show notes

Today’s episode is a conversation I had with Dr. Jake Brenner, who is pulmonary and critical care physician at Penn who splits his time between clinical work, developing technologies in the lab, and founding companies to bring those technologies to market. He completed his MD/PhD at Stanford, and participated in their Stanford Biodesign Fellowship program. He was able to spin two separate companies out of his involvement with that program, and is currently working on another called RightAir. In the episode, we hit on the Stanford Biodesign program, how to think like an entrepreneur, the companies he’s founded, advice for young medical entrepreneurs and engineers, and a bit on his future goals. This is an incredible episode for anyone interested in using their clinical knowledge to design, build, and commercialize medical technologies. Map 2:30 – Dr. Brenner’s Background and why he chose medicine and the MD/PhD 9:05 – Stanford and moving away from strictly biomedical research 14:35 – What does it mean to be an engineer? 19:00 – The Stanford Biodesign Fellowship 28:00 – Getting the inspiration to found Pevalon to help treat fecal incontinence in women 37:00 – Narrowing down the list of ideas from 300 to 8 - what makes a good idea? 44:00 – Choosing to specialize in pulmonary medicine and critical care, coming to Penn, and balancing having a family with the risks of being an entrepreneur 50:00 – Penn Health Tech, founding RightAir, and future goals Links Dr. Brenner’s Bio https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g353/p8561789 Br. Brenner’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakebrennermdphd/ Penn Health Tech Website https://healthtech.upenn.edu/ Stanford Biodesign http://biodesign.stanford.edu/ Pevalon and Fecal Incontinence http://eclipsesystem.com/ RightAir https://entrepreneurship.wharton.upenn.edu/startup-challenge-semifinalist-rightair/ https://www.design.upenn.edu/news/post/2016-idesign-finalist-spotlight-rightair https://soundcloud.com/user-414944777/thomas-uhler

21 - Justin Larkin, Co-Founding WellSheet to Improve the EHR Experience Jan 20, 2018

Show notes

Today’s episode is a conversation I had a few months ago with Justin Larkin, who is a fellow Penn Med student. Justin is one of the co-founders, and current CMO of WellSheet, which is a start-up that is using machine learning to identify, prioritize, and visualize patient health data across electronic health records. This company was launched out of the Penn HealthX Labs incubator completion, and remains one of the programs greatest success stories. Now that I’ve started my clinical rotations and have been working with EHR’s, it’s so clear why we need innovation in this space – EHR’s are a total mess. Justin studied at Brigham Young University before attending Penn Med for his MD, and taking time off to get his MBA at Stanford. He also has experience as an intern at Verily, otherwise known as Google Life Sciences, and he was the co-chair of HealthX from 2013-2015. In the episode, we discuss a bit about his background and how he ended up in medicine, founding Well-Sheet as a medical student, going to Stanford for his MBA and participating in the Stanford Biodesign program, and what his future plans are. A great episode for anyone who is still trying to find out how they want to best use their skills and interests in medicine, business, and innovation to improve the healthcare system. Map 2:00 – Going to BYU, playing football, and studying Portuguese 4:35 – Doing mission work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil 8:30 – Research at BYU, developing interest in health systems, and deciding to pursue medicine 13:20 – Getting involved with Penn HealthX and growing the program 15:40 – Founding WellSheet to fix EHRs and improve physician workflow 20:30 – History of EHRs – where did we go wrong? 27:30 – The early days of WellSheet – defining the problem youa re working on 29:00 – Being recognized by The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), and the next steps – figuring out WellSheet was the real deal 32:45 – Becoming the CMO and deciding how much to commit to the company 36:40 – Knowing when to get help from mentors, and partnering with the big EHR companies 42:20 – Getting an MBA at Stanford, and the difference between MBA programs 45:10 – Balancing family, school, and being CMO of WellSheet from across the country 46:45 – Stanford Biodesign – innovating in the med tech space 48:40 – Working at Verily (Google Life Sciences) and the role of tech companies in healthcare 53:55 – Where does Justin see his career going? 58:00 – Advice for those starting their medical education – branch out Links Justin’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinlarkin WellSheet Website https://www.wellsheet.com/ The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) https://www.healthit.gov/newsroom/about-onc Stanford Biodesign http://biodesign.stanford.edu/ Verily (Google Life Sciences) https://verily.com/ STAT Article on IBM Watson https://www.statnews.com/2017/09/05/watson-ibm-cancer/

20 - Dr. Ali Behbahani, Venture Capital and Medicine Jan 13, 2018

Show notes

Today’s episode is a conversation that Logan recorded with Dr. Ali Behbahani when he was here for the Penn HealthX conference in December to lead a workshop on thinking like a Venture Capitalist. Ali’s story is especially interesting because he actually worked in the business and investment world before completing his MD/MBA dual degree at Penn, and then decided to go straight back into finance and investing when he graduated. This is obviously not common for someone who goes to medical school, and it’s interesting to hear what Ali thinks about the path he took, and how he thought through his decisions. Map 2:00 – Ali’s Background and how he became interested in the business side of science/medicine 5:20 –Working in healthcare investment banking after graduating from Duke 9:35 – Going to medical school and completing a n MD/MBA degree 16:10 – Deciding to go back into the investment world after graduation 18:30 – Venture Capital and New Enteprise Associates (NEA) 32:15 – What does Ali wish he knew sooner in his career? Links Ali’s Bio http://www.nea.com/team/ali-behbahani-md

19 - Alastair Blake, The U.K Health System, and Consulting for McKinsey Jan 06, 2018

Show notes

Alistair Blake is a British-trained physician who went to Cambridge. He performed his residency in London, and has worked as health policy fellow for the NHS. He is currently an MBA-student at Wharton, and plans on working full time after graduation with the consulting firm, McKinsey. After speaking for a HealthX event on campus, he joined us to dive a bit deeper into his thoughts on the U.S vs. the U.K health systems, and what he has learned as a physician who wants to transition into the business world. Map 2:00 – Ali’s background and Education – growing up in Bradford, England and choosing medicine 3:45 – Medical education in the U.K is way different than in the U.S 7:40 – Why is Ali interested in health policy? 11:00 – working as a policy fellow for Professor Steve Field, the “head of primary care” 15:15 – incentivizing great practice to boost morale 17:15 – There are very few clinical voices high up in government, and junior clinicians can play a huge role 21:00 – Why come to Wharton? Why come to the U.S? How has Ali been enjoying his time in B-School? 24:30 – Trying to buy insurance as a foreigner after going to the emergency room 26:30 – McKinsey and consulting with a medical background 31:45 – The U.K system (NHS) and a few of the challenges it faces in the coming years 37:00 – The junior physician strike in the U.K 40:00 – What are some myths about the NHS and U.K system? 48:30 – What are Ali’s thoughts on where the U.S system should go from here? 55:20 – What is Ali’s long-term plan? Links Ali's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastair-blake-md-9080413b/ Bradford - Where Ali Grew Up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford Fellowship Ali Had https://www.fmlm.ac.uk/programme-services/individual-support/national-medical-directors-clinical-fellow-scheme Care Quality Commission in the U.K http://www.cqc.org.uk/ Professor Steve Field http://www.cqc.org.uk/about-us/meet-our-team/professor-steve-field-cbe Coverage of the Junior Physician Strike in the U.K - BBC http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34775980 NICE https://www.nice.org.uk/ Tony Benn video – “If you can find money to kill people you can find money to help people” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LnY-jy_cE0

18 - Dr. Patrick Brennan, The Role of a Chief Medical Officer(CMO), and Coaching in Healthcare Dec 29, 2017

Show notes

For our last episode of 2017, I hosted Dr. Patrick Brennan, the current Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). We touch on Dr. Brennan’s passion for infectious disease, how he began to take on leadership roles in medicine – including those with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and as an advisor to the CDC and Secretary of Health and Human Services – the role of a CMO at a large non-profit hospital, high-level coaching in healthcare, and advice for future healthcare leaders. It’s an episode packed with amazing takeaways and insights. Map 2:30 – Dr. Brennan’s novelty baseballs in his office and growing up a Philly sports fan 6:10 – Memories and epiphanies from medical school and residency at Temple University 10:30 – What influenced Dr. Brennan to focus on infectious disease and infection control? 15:05 – How do you get involved with administrative roles, and what do you have to watch out for? “Busy people get asked to do more.” 19:20 – Advising the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) 25:15 – The role of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in a large hospital system 30:00 – Pulling back the curtain on the day-to-day role of a CMO – what do you have to give up? 35:15 – The roles of coaches on Dr. Brennan’s life and career, and the role they serve at Penn Medicine – the “360 evaluation” 41:15 – What did Dr. Brennan need to improve upon to be a more effective leader? - giving feedback 44:55 – What would surprise people about how hospitals function? 47:30 – How has the ACA been both good and bad for hospitals? 50:30 – What would Dr. Brennan fix about the U.S healthcare system? 52:05 – What would Dr. Brennan do if he were starting his medical career over in 2017? 53:20 – Last thoughts and advice for future healthcare leaders. Links Release when Dr. Brennan was named CMO in 2005 (Bio) https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v52/n02/pb.html Atul Gawande’s New Yorker Article on Coaching in Medicine https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/03/personal-best 360 Degree Feedback https://www.custominsight.com/360-degree-feedback/what-is-360-degree-feedback.asp

17 - Dr. Arthur Rubenstein, Leading a Struggling Hospital System to Greatness Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to sit down with one of the most successful and respected healthcare leaders out there, Dr. Arthur Rubenstein. His accolades are too extensive to list in detail, but in short, Dr. Rubenstein is internationally known for his research achievements in endocrinology and diabetes, as well as for his role as the Dean of Penn’s Med School and as Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Healthcare System (UPHS) in the early 2000’s. We were able to touch on his upbringing and medical training in South Africa, how he found himself practicing in the U.S, being recruited to Penn Medicine to steer the system away from financial disaster, where he learned his leadership skills, and a bit about the roles that large academic medical centers play in their communities. Map 3:00 – Growing up in South Africa – playing cricket, choosing medicine, and his parent’s influence 7:50 – The influence of Apartheid, and the decision to leave South Africa 12:40 – Life in London, getting involved with research, and coming to the United States 18:35 – Dr. Rubenstein’s world-renowned diabetes research - the discovery and clinical usefulness of C-peptide 24:15 – Transitioning to administrative roles as a clinician 29:35 – Where did Dr. Rubenstein learn his leadership skills? 34:45 – Being recruited to Penn, and the dire financial situation of UPHS in the early 2000’s 41:45 – Changing the culture of a large institution – “the distributive leadership model” 48:30 – Building an outpatient center and raising money – enter Raymond Perelman and the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine 54:30 – a second donation from Raymond Perelman – renaming Penn’s medical school, and boosting morale 1:00:00 – recruiting Ralph Muller, the CEO of UPHS, and the importance of their working relationship 1:07:05 – settling disagreements between the leaders of hospitals – the most common issues 1:11:20 – the role of large health systems in their communities 1:18:00 – What would you change about the current healthcare system? - coverage for everyone 1:20:20 – If you could only read 3 things for the rest of your life? – Shakespeare, Churchill, and William Osler 1:22:20 – Book recommendations – The Undoing Project, Good to Great, The Four 1:24:40 – What would Dr. Rubenstein do if he were starting his medical career in 2017? Links Apartheid in South Africa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid Summary of Dr. Rubenstein’s Research Accomplishments in Diabetes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484474/ Article that Discusses Penn’s Financial Issues in the Early 2000’s http://impakter.com/adding-humanity-into-medicine/ Raymond Perelman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_G._Perelman Ralph Muller, CEO of UPHS https://www.pennmedicine.org/about/leadership-and-organization/meet-our-ceo Judith Rodin’s (previous President of Penn) Book – The University and Urban Revival http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14337.html Kahneman and Tversky https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-two-friends-who-changed-how-we-think-about-how-we-think The Undoing Project – Michael Lewis https://www.amazon.com/Undoing-Project-Friendship-Changed-Minds/dp/0393254593 Good to Great – Jim Collins https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others-ebook/dp/B0058DRUV6 The Four: The Hidden DNA of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google – Scott Galloway https://www.amazon.com/Four-Hidden-Amazon-Facebook-Google/dp/0735213658 Other Coverage of Dr. Rubenstein https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/john-george/2011/06/rubenstein-reflects-penn-medical.html https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uops-pah110509.php https://news.upenn.edu/news/arthur-h-rubenstein-mbbch-named-executive-vice-president-university-pennsylvania-health-system-

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