Overview: Join us for an insightful conversation with Smita Agarkar, MD, CPE, FAAPL, a distinguished physician leader. She shares her journey from clinical practice to a significant leadership position offering valuable advice for early-career physicians and highlights the crucial contributions of women in healthcare leadership. Agarkar discusses her shift from outpatient to inpatient care, her leadership experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her current roles at Gracie Square Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine.
Women in Leadership:
Trends in healthcare leadership.
The importance of diversity and inclusivity in leadership roles.
Unique contributions of women leaders in healthcare.

Advice for Early-Career Physicians:
Overcoming unexpected barriers.
Importance of emotional intelligence and empathy.
Building relationships and being assertive.

Leadership Styles and Challenges:
Transformative leadership approach.
Building teams and changing culture.
Navigating complex healthcare environments.

Essential Leadership Skills:
Building relationships and accountability.
Trust, empathy, and active listening.
Importance of emotional intelligence.

Meta-Leadership:
Concept and application in healthcare.
Expanding thinking beyond formal boundaries.
Interdependence and unity of mission.


About the Expert: Smita Agarkar, MD, CPE, FAAPL, serves as Service Chief of Gracie Square Hospital, is Quality and Patient Safety Chair, and is an Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Listen Now: Gain practical advice and inspiration from a seasoned healthcare leader.
Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.


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Navigating Healthcare Leadership with Dr. Smita Agarkar

Smita Agarkar, MD, CPE, FAAPL

Professional Capabilities

Influence

Motivations and Thinking Style

Trust and Respect

Operations and Policy

Communication Strategies

In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos explores the critical skill of strategic thinking with Michael Gardner, MD, vice president and administrator of Women's and Children's Hospital at University Health in San Antonio, Texas. Gardner shares his extensive journey through physician leadership and breaks down why strategic thinking is essential for physicians who want to shape the future of healthcare.

Michael Gardner is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology as well as maternal fetal medicine. He is a certified physician executive (CPE) and in 2025 became a fellow of the American Association for Physician Leadership.

Why strategic thinking matters for physicians: Physicians bring a unique perspective that is essential for improving American healthcare. With healthcare consuming roughly 20% of GDP and outcomes that lag behind other developed nations, physician leaders must actively participate in strategic decision-making rather than exclude themselves from these conversations.

Strategic vs. clinical thinking: While clinical thinking focuses on immediate patient care with narrow attention to detail, strategic thinking requires a broader view of internal and external environments, long-term organizational goals, and the ability to embrace foresight and ambiguity. The key difference lies in scope and timeline — strategic thinking means planning months and years ahead.

Strategic thinking can be learned: Though some physicians may naturally gravitate toward systems-level thinking, strategic thinking is a skill that can be developed through mentorship, education, practice, and progressive leadership experiences. Starting with smaller leadership roles and building confidence prepares physicians for larger strategic challenges.

Physician leaders as translators: Successful physician leaders must learn to speak both clinical and business languages. While they don't need to match their CFO's financial expertise or their COO's operational knowledge, they must understand enough to communicate effectively with administrative colleagues and translate strategic concepts back to medical staff.

Gardner and his colleague Mark Guadagnoli, PhD, are developing a strategic thinking and planning course series for AAPL, including:

- An online strategic thinking course

- "The Who, What, Where, and When of Strategic Planning" course

- A hybrid strategic planning workshop in 2026 where participants will create actual strategic plans with ongoing guidance and feedback.

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org


Strategic Thinking for Physician Leaders with Dr. Michael Gardner

Michael Gardner, MD

Problem Solving

Strategic Perspective

Self-Management

Self-Control

Strategy and Innovation

Systems Awareness

Media relations is more than press releases — it's a strategic tool for driving hospital goals like patient acquisition, physician recruitment, and employee retention.

Key Insights

- Media vs. PR: Public relations is the tree; media relations is its largest branch. Both must align with organizational priorities, not executive egos.

- Platform Strategy: Tailor content for each platform. Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok. Know your audience and demographic.

- Crisis Management: Handle negative social media comments strategically —hide misinformation, engage critics through patient advocates, and turn them into ambassadors.

- Staffing Impact: Media relations enhance recruitment by showcasing employee recognition stories, cultivating a positive workplace narrative that attracts top talent.

Episode Overview

In this episode of SoundPractice, Mike Sacopulos interviews Dan Collins, senior director of media relations at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. With nearly three decades of experience at Mercy and a journalism background with the Washington Times and Baltimore Examiner, Collins offers expert insights into how strategic media relations can transform healthcare organizations.

Mercy Medical Center's success story is remarkable: the urban community hospital grew from seventh to first in Baltimore's women's health market share, thanks to their "magnet doc" philosophy — recruiting top-tier physicians whose reputations attract patients and peers. Collins explains the hospital’s innovative partnership with NBC affiliate WBAL for "The Woman's Doctor," a weekly TV segment running for over 30 years (likely the longest-running hospital media campaign in the U.S.).

The conversation explores tailoring content for different platforms, avoiding TikTok because of demographic mismatches, and managing social media crises by addressing misinformation while engaging critics directly. Collins emphasizes the importance of collaborating with hospital executives, ensuring media relations teams are part of strategic planning.

The episode concludes with how media relations support staffing challenges by creating recognition stories for nurses and other healthcare workers, demonstrating organizational values that aid in recruitment and retention.

Why It Matters
Patients choose doctors, not hospitals. Strategic media relations ensure the right physicians reach the right audiences at the right time.

Contact Dan Collins at dcollins@mdmercy.com 

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org.


Communications at a City Hospital with Media Relations Director Dan Collins

Dan Collins

Environmental Influences

Quality and Risk

Healthcare Process

In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos sits down with John Sawyer, PhD, ABPP-CN, a neuropsychologist and medical director of professional staff experience at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, who leads initiatives to address physician burnout and improve well-being across Ochsner's 40,000 employees.

With healthcare facing a workforce crisis — an aging population requiring more care, fewer physicians entering the field, and reduced discretionary time among practitioners — Sawyer shares Ochsner’s innovative approach to tackling burnout. Since 2017, Ochsner has focused on three pillars: building individual resilience, improving ease of practice by reducing administrative burdens, and fostering team and culture development.

Sawyer also introduces his framework of four archetypes of burned-out physicians:

- Over-Engaged: Taking on too much, with unclear priorities.
- People-Pleaser: Struggling with boundaries and delegation.
- Perfectionist: Over-documenting and micromanaging.
- Cynic: Problem-focused and rejecting solutions.

He emphasizes the importance of creating psychological safety, where physicians can openly discuss challenges without fear of career repercussions. Effective well-being programs should address the entire healthcare team, as physicians rely on engaged support staff to function effectively. Also, Sawyer encourages organizations to start well-being initiatives now, view them as investments in retention and recruitment, and commit financial resources to wellness efforts — even those not tied directly to RVU generation.

Whether you are a healthcare leader or practitioner, this episode provides actionable insights into combating burnout and making your organization "irresistible."

Connect with Dr. John Sawyer on LinkedIn. http://linkedin.com/in/john-sawyer-phd-abpp-cn-a1b842156

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org


Burned-Out Doctors: A Neuropsychologist's Guide to Physician Well-Being with Dr. John Sawyer

R. John Sawyer, II, PhD, ABPP-CN

People Management

Quality Improvement

Resilience

In this episode join healthcare executive and patient experience expert Susan Baker as she uncovers actionable strategies to increase patient loyalty and recommendations. From mastering respect-driven behaviors to leveraging social media testimonials, Susan shares insights that can transform your patient experience and drive revenue growth.

Discover how to:

- Define and demonstrate respect in every interaction.

- Empower patients by offering choices, not commands.

- Build trust by acknowledging preferences — even when compromises are needed.

- Nail the basics: introductions, empathy, wait-time acknowledgment, and clear communication.

Plus, learn how to strategically request feedback, optimize HCAHPS scores, and turn social media reviews into powerful marketing tools. Whether you're a physician leader or healthcare administrator, this episode is packed with practical tips to elevate your patient care approach.

Connect: Visit https://susanbaker.com/ to connect with Susan Baker

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Building Patient Loyalty Through Split-Second Kindness: A Conversation with Susan Baker

Susan Baker

In this compelling episode, we sit down with Mohamad Saad, MD, MBA, CPE, an internal medicine physician, healthcare leader, and certified coach, to explore solutions for two of healthcare's most pressing challenges: workforce disengagement and physician burnout. With 70% of employees disengaged and burnout at crisis levels, Saad presents a data-driven approach to organizational alignment and coaching that can revolutionize healthcare leadership.

Why it matters: Burnout and disengagement don’t just affect morale — they impact outcomes. Engaged employees are 1.5x more productive, and inspired employees are 2.25x more productive. Saad’s alignment framework connects organizational vision and goals to frontline work, creating purpose-driven teams that thrive.

Key Insights:

- The alignment triangle: How cascading vision → mission → goals → SMART objectives → projects, drives measurable improvements.

- Three types of alignment: Vertical (vision to frontline), horizontal (cross-departmental), and diagonal (interdisciplinary connections).

- Coaching vs. directing: Why empathetic listening and powerful questions unlock potential better than traditional leadership.

- AI’s role in healthcare: How artificial intelligence will amplify emotionally intelligent physicians while challenging those still developing intrinsic skills.

Real-world results: As a residency program director, Saad aligned resident quality improvement projects with hospital operational goals, significantly reducing length-of-stay for heart failure, pneumonia, and COPD patients.

Bottom line: Healthcare leaders need tools like organizational alignment and coaching to combat burnout, inspire teams, and prepare for the future. Saad’s insights offer actionable strategies for creating engaged, purpose-driven organizations.

Connect with Mohamad Saad, MD, MBA, CPE, http://linkedin.com/in/mohamad-s-saad-md-mba-cpe-dipablm-icf-coach-b80533371

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership.


From Burnout to Breakthrough: Dr. Mohamad Saad on Organizational Alignment and Physician Coaching

Mohamad Saad, MD, MBA, CPE

Self-Awareness

Differentiation

Motivate Others

Healthcare is changing faster than ever, but it is not just about new technology. It is about patients becoming active, equal partners in their own care. In this episode, Mike Sacopulos sits down with Bertalan Mesko, PhD, director of The Medical Futurist Institute and author of The Guide to the Future of Medicine, Technology, and the Human Touch, to explore how patient empowerment is reshaping the future of medicine.

Mesko explains why the biggest shift in modern healthcare is not AI or digital tools — it is the idea of patients becoming “members of their own medical team” and working side-by-side with their doctors. He shares practical advice for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and patients on how to navigate this new era, from mastering AI tools to building stronger doctor-patient relationships.

Key topics include:

- Why patients are the most underutilized resource in healthcare

- The importance of starting with partnerships, not technology

- Predictions for remote care and the challenges ahead

- Surprising insights into skills doctors will need in the future (hint: it involves AI prompts!)

This episode is packed with thought-provoking ideas about the evolving doctor-patient relationship and what it means for the future of primary care. Tune in to hear Mesko’s vision for a healthcare system that puts patients at the center, and why he believes medical future studies should become a scientific discipline.

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org.


The Future of Medicine with Dr. Bertalan Mesko

Bertalan Mesko, PhD

Technology Integration

Navigating Healthcare Leadership with Dr. Smita Agarkar

RECENT EPISODES

Strategic Thinking for Physician Leaders with Dr. Michael Gardner

Communications at a City Hospital with Media Relations Director Dan Collins

Burned-Out Doctors: A Neuropsychologist's Guide to Physician Well-Being with Dr. John Sawyer

Building Patient Loyalty Through Split-Second Kindness: A Conversation with Susan Baker

From Burnout to Breakthrough: Dr. Mohamad Saad on Organizational Alignment and Physician Coaching

The Future of Medicine with Dr. Bertalan Mesko

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Communications at a City Hospital with Media Relations Director Dan Collins

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Relational Leadership with Sarah Smithson, MD, MPH, and Kyle Turner, PharmD

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