The WISER Podcast

Listen in to hear Dr. Beth Willingham discuss her novel otolaryngology hospitalist service at Emory University Hospital, her transition from private practice back to academics, and a reflection on some of her most memorable patients thus far. Music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions and is available by Creative Commons licensing. The post Episode 10: ENT and Ethics with Dr. Beth Willingham first appeared on WISER Podcast.

The gender gap in urology is one of the most staggering in all of medicine: only 8% of practicing urologists are women. On top of this, a 2017 study in the journal Urology showed that women are also disproportionately underrepresented in both educational and administrative leadership positions within urology–only 3% of department chairs, 8% of residency directors, and 9% of fellowship directors are women. Listen in to this episode to hear Dr. Akanksha Mehta’s thoughts on gender disparities within urology, as well as her path to becoming a urologist and her take on balancing motherhood and medicine. Music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions and is available by Creative Commons licensing. The post Episode 9: Joining the Old Boys Club: A Journey into Urology first appeared on WISER Podcast.

Dr. Virginia Shaffer is a colorectal surgeon at Emory and the scientific director of the Emory Crohn’s and Colitis Center. Listen in to hear Dr. Shaffer discuss the role of managing expectations when fighting burnout, the importance of self-nomination within academic medicine, and her perspective on the future of IBD research. Select quotes below: “[Regarding burnout], I don’t think that there’s one solution that is good for everybody. I think that you, as a person, have to decide what are the things that are important, and then put them on your schedule. Unfortunately, when you’re a resident, you’re on borrowed time… and I think that’s what adds a lot to the difficulty in terms of living your life in a fulfilled way.” “For IBD patients, a lot of quality of life years (QOLYs) get ignored. We focus a lot on mortality – but no one technically dies from IBD, unless there is a severe complication. The QOLYs, though, are so affected, because it is a lot of the time young people. Then they can’t work. Then they’re on pain medications. I think the disease burden of IBD has been severely underestimated. On the other hand, you think of cancer, and everybody is like, “Oh my gosh, you have cancer!” There are then all of these resources… and you never hear of someone who can’t have a cancer operation because they don’t have insurance. Somehow, we figure out a way to take care of them. No one would be refused chemotherapy, yet we have people in their 20s who are refused anti-TNFs and biologics for IBD. Yeah, they’re technically not going to die next year if you don’t give it to them, but if you look at how their quality of life is impacted, especially over their lifespan… I don’t think that aspect [of IBD] has been fully explored.” Links to references in order of mention: Liselotte Dyrbye, et al. Association of Clinical Specialty With Symptoms of Burnout and Career Choice Regret Among US Resident Physicians. JAMA. 2018;320(11):1114-1130. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2702870 The Dead by James Joyce: http://www.online-literature.com/james_joyce/958/ The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Storey-Mountain-Thomas-Merton/dp/0156010860 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris: https://www.amazon.com/Theodore-Roosevelt-Modern-Library-Paperback/dp/0375756787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1546727300&sr=1-1&keywords=the+rise+of+theodore+roosevelt Music in this episode is by Kevin MacLeod and is available under Creative Commons License. The post Episode 8: Dr. Virginia Shaffer on Balance, Burnout, and IBD first appeared on WISER Podcast.

In Episode 7, we continue our conversation with Dr. Diane Payne, an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine and the Director of Hand Trauma at Grady Memorial Hospital, as we discuss gun violence in Atlanta. After completing her surgical training in Hawaii, where she treated one gun shot wound after a hunting accident, she began working at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. In 2013, Grady treated 538 gun shot wound victims. “When I first started at Grady, I was astounded by the number of ballistic injuries we took care of on a daily basis. I couldn’t understand why all of these people were getting shot. I would say to my partners, “What is this?” The answer was always the same. “Welcome to Grady. That’s just how it is.” So I started questioning that. Why is this the way it is, and why are we accepting that? It almost feels like we’re numb to it… How can we keep people from falling into the water instead of pulling them out ever time?“ Listen in to hear how Dr. Payne started PIVOT, The Program to Interrupt Violence Through Outreach and Treatment at Grady Memorial Hospital, how the project has grown, and her vision for Atlanta’s future. Make sure and check out her feature on WABE, NPR’s local Atlanta radio station, as well. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)The post Episode 7: Dr. Payne and Gun Violence in Atlanta first appeared on WISER Podcast.

Dr. Payne first joined the world of medicine as a physical therapist. After practicing for 5 years, with the support of her family and a constant desire for the next challenge, she decided to return to medical school. With a strong background in rehab medicine and orthopedics she attempted to maintain an open mind but ultimately ended up pursuing a career in orthopedic surgery. “Through my clerkships I tried to really picture whether or not I could see myself doing these different things…and then I did my orthopedic rotation and I was home, I just felt like this is where I belong” Dr. Payne began her medical training at the University of Kansas School of Medicine followed by an orthopedic surgery residency at Duke University and a fellowship in Hand and Microvascular surgery, also at Duke University. Dr. Payne specializes as both an orthopedic trauma surgeon and hand and microvascular surgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital. She is the current director of Hand Trauma for the Grady Health System. When not operating she is involved in multiple research projects, including a focus on gun violence research, and mentoring young women, through programs such as the Perry Initiative. Tune in to part one of this WISER podcast episode to learn about Dr. Payne’s journey and listen to her advice on following the path that is right for you, no matter the obstacles. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it… and there will be a lot of people who tell you that you can’t do it for various reasons. Be it that you have breasts, be it that you’re small in stature or you’re not strong enough, or you don’t have enough willpower… and they don’t know what they’re talking about.” In part two, we will explore the PIVOT trial and Dr. Payne’s involvement in gun violence research in Atlanta, Georgia (recently featured in WABE for her work on this as well). Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).The post Episode 6: Diane Payne, MPT, MD first appeared on WISER Podcast.

Dr. Jahnavi Srinivasan grew up in El Paso, Texas, an arid climate reminiscent of her family’s roots in South India. While her father was an accomplished mathematician, she had no medical influences in her family growing up. She attended Northwestern University for a combined undergraduate/medical degree program, after which she spent two years in as a neurosurgery resident at Emory University before transferring to Emory’s General Surgery Residency Program. Now a general surgery attending at Emory University, Dr. Srinivasan has found several niches within general surgery to excel within. Her clinical interests include complex GI and inflammatory bowel disease, and she is the current Surgical Director of the Emory Crohn’s and Colitis Center. She also takes great interest in laparoscopic technique and residency education and skill training, and has spearheaded the development of a robust simulation program as part of the Emory General Surgery Residency Program. Further, Dr. Srinivasan is involved in global surgery through the Emory Haiti Alliance, an annual Emory initiative that sends surgical teams to offer free medical attention and operations to patients at L’Hôpital Sainte-Thérèse de Hinche. “If you do global or rural work with any consistency, there are probably more lows than highs. If you’re gratified, you’re probably not doing it hard enough or right enough, because there are so many problems that you have to address… But it’s been great in many ways – it has taught me a lot about my colleagues and what they’re capable of. Most of all, it’s made me continuously hopeful for the next generation. I think the medical students that do this are really the best we have to offer. They’re pretty impressive people.” In this episode, Dr. Srinivasan also speaks to a phenomenon that has been borne out in medical and business literature alike, that while self-confidence in high-achieving professionals is gender-neutral, appearing self-confident and auto-promotion translates into influence much differently for men and women. “Everyone gets stereotyped a little bit. I was always the kind of resident that was pretty outspoken, pretty business, didn’t have a hard time standing up for what my opinion was. I think, for women, that’s not always considered a flattering trait, and so I do feel, at times, that I have been delegitimized by people referring to me as being brusque or bristly in ways that they would never refer to a guy who’s similarly opinionated and decisive. In fact, I have several male faculty members who speak pretty similarly to me, but they’ve never been told in the process of advocating for a patient that there was something temperamentally incorrect with them. I have definitely been told that.  In response to being asked how women can be assertive without being labeled: “There’s nothing wrong with being decisive and assertive. The thing that is wrong is the people that judge you for being a woman who is decisive and assertive. It’s really easy to get frustrated, and to think that you need to change something about yourself. You have to be circumspect and introspective enough to realize when you have faults that you can change. But stand strong in the things that you admire in people, men and women alike.” Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) and Punk Rock Opera (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Punk_Rock_Opera/). The post Episode 5: Dr. Jahnavi Srinivasan, Surgical Educator and Global Surgeon first appeared on WISER Podcast.

At the age of six, Dr. Mara Schenker began training in the Korean martial art of taekwondo. She continued studying and competing in taekwondo through college, reaching impressive milestones such as becoming a black belt as well as a world champion in the sport, before being sidelined by orthopedic injuries, ultimately requiring three separate hip surgeries. She endorses a longstanding peripheral interest in the sciences and medicine, but it was this exposure to orthopedics that ultimately influenced her to pursue medical school herself — she describes the research behind orthopedic surgery as “the first thing that I ever found that I liked as much as taekwondo.” After completing medical school at the University of Chicago, residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and fellowship at Harborview Medical Center at the University of Washington, Dr. Schenker now focuses on the trauma side of orthopedics. She is the current director of Orthopedic Trauma Research at Grady Memorial Hospital and oversees dozens of current research projects at the level 1 trauma center. Listen in to this WISER podcast episode to hear her insights about surgical proficiency, confidence in the workplace, and the rewards of being an orthopedic surgeon, excerpted below: “I can’t imagine doing anything more satisfying than what I do. There’s such an incremental improvement from somebody who’s flopping around on the bed with a broken femur to coming in two weeks later walking with a cane. It’s about as gratifying in a short-term sense as any career could be.”  Links to publications in order of mention: “The Paradox of Excellence” by Thomas J. DeLong and Sara DeLong, Harvard Business Review, June 2011. The Confidence Code by Katty Kay & Claire Shipman.  “How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business Review, July-August 2011. HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself Association Between Physician Burnout and Patient Safety, Professionalism, and Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. (requires Emory login) The post Episode 4: Dr. Mara Schenker, a Black Belt Orthopedic Surgeon first appeared on WISER Podcast.

Dr. Carla Haack finished high school at 15, college at 19, and medical school at 23 years old. At an age when most students are just beginning med school, Dr. Haack moved from her home in Puerto Rico to Atlanta, Georgia to begin general surgery residency at Emory University. “My mom is the one who never let it cross my mind that I couldn’t be whatever I wanted to be, that I would achieve whatever it is that I set out to achieve. It didn’t matter that I was a female and a minority and small and brown… it didn’t matter. It wasn’t on my radar. It never occurred to me that it couldn’t happen because she simply never let us entertain the thought.” Following her residency, Dr. Haack remained at Emory and became a faculty member of the Emory Department of Surgery at the remarkable age of 28. Her career thus far has been marked by numerous awards and accolades, as well as multiple clinical appointments and duties, resulting in a demanding schedule that she balances via incorporation of both yoga and meditation into her daily routine. She serves medical volunteer as well: following Hurricane Irma in 2017, she was the 40th medical provider to arrive in her home land of Puerto Rico, and she has returned nearly ever month since the storm to continue providing medical care for those in need. photo: Matt Moyer, M ROCK Productions. http://www.mrockproductions.com/stories/#/health-care/.The post Episode 3: Dr. Haack, Young But Experienced first appeared on WISER Podcast.

The daughter of a general surgeon in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Styblo was no stranger to the world of surgery during childhood. While her father was logging long hours at the hospital, she matched his commitment as an aspiring dancer, practicing classical ballet throughout her youth and young adulthood. However, she turned down a scholarship at Joffrey Ballet School in New York City to instead attend Stanford University, where she earned a combined bachelors/masters degree in biochemistry with a research focus on tumor markers. She also spent time studying marine biology, spending a summer at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, before attending her father’s medical school alma mater, St. Louis University School of Medicine.  She continued at St. Louis University as a general surgery resident before completing a Clinical and Research Fellowship in Surgical Oncology in Virginia. Years later, she became a leading surgical oncologist at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and joined faculty at Emory University. The family legacy of surgeons was still to continue, though: in 2016, Dr. Styblo’s daughter joined the general surgery residency at Emory University. Listen in to hear Dr. Styblo’s advice to her aspiring surgeon daughter, as well as her reflections on the similarities between surgery and ballet, excerpted below: “I think about the parallels between ballet and surgery a lot. They both require a lot of physical stamina and a lot of discipline. Also, with corps de ballet and pas de deux, you have a partner. Some partners you click with, they anticipate your moves, and you know they’re going to be there when you jump, versus not, which doesn’t work out well.”“In many ways, with the type of surgery I do with immediate breast reconstruction, first with Dr. Bostwick and then with Dr. Losken, it’s the same idea. You work with someone enough that you think alike, you approach problems the same way, and you know that when you’re ready for them, they’re going to be walking in the room because they can anticipate what you’re going to be doing. You’re also on your feet a lot and you have to learn to work with other members of the team… and technically, you’re in a theater for both.” The post Episode 2: Dr. Styblo, Breast Surgeon and Ballerina first appeared on WISER Podcast.

Dr. Barbara Pettitt was the third woman ever to have been accepted as a surgical intern at LA County General Hospital. The first woman to join the program was a Catholic nun in the 1940s, who eventually dropped out of residency mid-way and returned to her convent. The second woman was a current senior resident who had just requested six months leave from the program to take care of her young child. Dr. Pettitt recalls this about her general surgery residency interview as an intern: “…the first words out of his mouth were, ‘Why should I take you into this residency program when every other woman I’ve taken has failed?'” Following this, she did complete her general surgery residency at LA County. Before completing a fellowship in pediatric surgery, she took a year off and attended the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts as a voice major. Dr. Pettitt practiced for many years as a pediatric surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia before transitioning into her current role as Director of Medical Student Education for the Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, where she is beloved by her medical students. The post Episode 1: Dr. Pettitt, Beloved Educator first appeared on WISER Podcast.