SoundPractice

Michael Yafi, MD, MHA, brings together a remarkable range of talents as a pediatric endocrinologist, medical educator, and accomplished pianist. At McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, he serves as a division director and fellowship program director. Music, which he fondly associates with his “previous life,” continues to shape the way he approaches medicine and teaching.
In this episode of SoundPractice, Dr. Yafi joins host Mike Sacopulos to share the story of his journey from medical school in Damascus, Syria, to a career in pediatric endocrinology in Houston. Along the way, he offers an inspiring look at how music and visual art have become a meaningful part of his work in medicine.
Founding Doctors in Recital, an annual charity concert
Guiding a fellowship program through the national transition from three years of training to two
Using works by Velázquez, Dalí, and Munch to teach medical students about diagnosis, empathy, and the history of disease
The conversation also highlights Dr. Yafi’s passion for the medical humanities and the chance encounter with a pianist-physician in Leeds, England, that led him from public health to pediatric endocrinology. It is an engaging exploration of the many ways art can deepen medicine, enrich education, and support healing.
Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.
https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1434477669

Edgar “Eddy” Chedrawy, MD, MS, FRCSC, FACS, MHA, CPE, FAAPL, MCPDC, is a physician leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning the operating room and the executive suite. He has held leadership roles in private and public health systems across the United States and Canada and serves as chair of the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) Board of Directors.
In This Episode
Dr. Chedrawy traces his path from cardiac surgery training at McGill University and a transplant fellowship at Stanford University to an unexpected introduction to hospital leadership in Chicago. That experience led him to earn a master’s degree, AAPL certification, and the Certified Physician Executive (CPE) credential.
He and host Mike Sacopulos discuss:
The skills required to lead clinical and non-clinical teams
Chedrawy’s international consulting and teaching work in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia
AAPL’s domestic and global initiatives, including micro-credentials, the CMO Academy, enhancements to the CPE program, and an early-career leaders task force
New international partnerships in Saudi Arabia and with the Consortium of Medical Schools of Africa (COMSA)
Dr. Chedrawy’s journey highlights the value of pairing clinical expertise with purposeful leadership development — and the difference physician leaders can make within their organizations and across the global healthcare community.
Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.
https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.2458767699

Private equity has reshaped much of American healthcare over the past decade, and few observers have seen that shift from as many angles as Greg Schaefer. As CEO of Schaefer Enterprises and a partner with Patriot Growth Insurance Services, Schaefer has insured medical practices through private equity acquisitions, sold his own insurance agency to a PE firm in 2019, and watched his wife sell her dermatology practice to a PE-backed rollup in 2018.
In this episode, host Mike Sacopulos talks with Schaefer about:
Why healthcare — especially specialties such as dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, dentistry, and behavioral health — has become a prime target for private equity investment.
What physicians often misunderstand about deal structure, including cash, equity, holdbacks, and earnouts.
How ownership changes can affect malpractice coverage, consent rights, and physician autonomy after closing.
Schaefer also offers practical guidance for physicians considering a sale, including what to ask, what to protect, and where to seek expert advice before signing. The conversation closes with a look at the Forward Motion Fund, the nonprofit he and his wife founded to support Parkinson’s research.
Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.
https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.6693847187

Student debt, market noise, and the psychology of investing come under the microscope in this episode of SoundPractice. Host Mike Sacopulos welcomes Ed Coburn, leader of Cabot Wealth Network, a financial publisher based in Salem, Massachusetts, that has helped investors build wealth since 1970. Coburn is editor of the Cabot Investing Guide and author of the forthcoming book Investing Without Hype.
In this candid conversation, Coburn explains how physicians can build sound financial habits in an attention-scarce world. He discusses why intelligence can become a liability for investors, why a written plan matters more than a hot stock tip, and how AI and financial influencers have added to the noise investors must learn to filter out.
Key Topics
Balancing student loan repayment with early retirement savings
Understanding why smart, high-achieving professionals can become overconfident investors
Defining “investing without hype” and recognizing how attention-driven media can distort decision-making
Separating signal from noise by watching for red flags such as absolute predictions and overconfident language
Avoiding common behavioral mistakes during volatile markets, including loss aversion and emotional attachment to stocks
Clarifying the difference between disciplined investing and gambling
Resource
Know Your Investor Profile
Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.
https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1026723178

In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos talks with Kardie Tobb, DO, MS, CPE, FASPC, FACC, FACOI, a board-certified cardiologist specializing in cardiometabolic disease prevention. Dr. Tobb is founder and medical director of the Cone Health Heart and Vascular Cardio-Obstetrics and Women’s Heart Health Program in Greensboro, North Carolina, and clinical integration officer for the Cone Health Center for Health Equity — a role she built not through a formal job posting, but by joining committees and stepping forward to address problems no one had officially claimed.
Her message is clear and practical: leadership does not require a title. Early- and mid-career clinicians are well positioned to identify gaps, build coalitions, and advance solutions that support organizational priorities — provided they understand the culture, frame their ideas effectively, and follow through on their commitments. Dr. Tobb speaks from experience: in her first year as an attending, she launched a free women’s heart screening event that now draws more than 300 participants each year.
This conversation is essential listening for any clinician who has noticed a problem, questioned whether it was their place to speak up, and stayed silent.
Dr. Tobb explains what it means to lead without formal authority, how it differs from holding a title, and why early-career clinicians often have a leadership advantage: fresh perspective. She also offers practical ways to begin leading informally, including joining committees with purpose, bringing solutions with problems, and delivering reliably on every commitment.
Informal leadership also requires a mindset grounded in intentionality, ownership, curiosity, data, and storytelling. Dr. Tobb also identifies common pitfalls, including mistaking an isolated observation for a systemwide problem, moving too quickly, leaving out front-line stakeholders, and neglecting personal well-being.
Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.
https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.6954760958 

Vidhya Prakash, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FAMWA, Chief Medical Officer and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Population Health at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine, joins host Mike Sacopulos for a candid conversation about her AAPL-published book, The Leadership Learning Curve: A Woman Physician's Journey as Chief Medical Officer.
Dr. Prakash traces her path from an immigrant childhood in Cincinnati through infectious diseases, Air Force service, and hospital executive leadership. She speaks candidly about imposter phenomenon, adaptive versus technical problem-solving, and leadership lessons from military service, while also describing her role in founding the Alliance for Women in Medicine and Science (AWIMS) at SIU, a grassroots initiative that has measurably improved faculty promotion and tenure equity.
Listeners will hear practical guidance on balancing clinical practice with executive responsibility; distinguishing adaptive from technical leadership; treating leadership as both an art and a practice; reframing failure; applying Air Force leadership principles of integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do; and helping more physicians, especially “accidental leaders,” step into leadership roles.
Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.
https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.2882398846