No one would argue that the training to become a neurosurgeon lacks clinical rigor. Many long intense years go into a Board certification. Neurosurgery education is never really accomplished. Sometimes the most powerful and ultimately useful lessons come from unexpected people and events. That was the case with Joseph “Jody” Stern, MD. Stern is a neurosurgeon specializing in complex spine and brain surgery. He has been in practice for more than 25 years and is a partner in the largest neurosurgical group practice in the country — Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates. The deaths of his sister and brother-in-law — and the experience of working with their healthcare teams — brought a new perspective to his work with patients, inspiring him to write Grief Connects Us.In his exceptionally thought-provoking and moving memoir, Grief Connects Us: A Neurosurgeon’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and Compassion, Joseph Stern, MD, grapples with grief and loss as he searches for compassion in a field notorious for neutrality. Hear Stern’s interview on how he became a better physician. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.3912432426

In a recent presentation at SXSW, Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, spoke about the potential of mindbending drugs such as psychedelics and cannabis in the context of physician leadership. While the level of interest in these substances was high, Lieberman emphasized the importance of responsible use and scientific research.Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD, is the Lawrence C. Kolb Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center. His work has advanced the understanding of the natural history and pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the pharmacology and clinical effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs.He is a member of numerous scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine. He has authored more than 500 papers and articles published in the scientific literature and written and/or edited ten books on mental illness, psychopharmacology, and psychiatry. Lieberman served as president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) from 2013 to 2014.During this podcast interview with host, Mike Sacopulos, Lieberman discussed the potential benefits and risks of using mindbending drugs in a clinical setting. He emphasized the need for rigorous scientific research and noted that while these substances may have therapeutic potential, they must be used with caution and under the guidance of trained medical professionals.As the field of psychiatry continues to evolve, it will be important for physicians to approach these substances with a balanced and informed perspective and to fully understand the effects of these substances on the human brain and behavior. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.5594327237

The 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey introduced us to HAL, a fictional artificial intelligence character that interacted with the astronauts. HAL would be pleased to learn that his AI progeny are helping to improve healthcare.In this episode, Mike Sacopulos interviews Manijeh Berenji, MD, MPH, a double board-certified physician specializing in occupational and environmental medicine as well as preventive medicine. Berenji is chief of occupational health at VA Long Beach Healthcare System, and she also leads the Environmental Health Clinic at VA Long Beach Healthcare System.Berenji discusses her work with veterans, including exposure assessments for veterans concerning Agent Orange and Open Burn Pits. Additionally, she explains the field of informatics as it applies to healthcare. Berenji shares her interest in clinical informatics and emphasizes the importance of digital tool proficiency for the future leaders of healthcare.As the vice chair of the Health Informatics section of the American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Berenji talks about the section's efforts to advance clinical informatics in occupational and environmental medicine.Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.8817344091

Neil Baum, MD, is a renowned leader in medical practice marketing and a pioneer in the field, having authored the first textbook on the subject in the 1990s. Today, Baum continues to share his knowledge through writing, lectures, and consulting on healthcare practice marketing. He has written a new book, Medicine is a Practice: The Rules for Healthcare Marketing.Baum, a practicing physician based in New Orleans, Louisiana, draws from real-world examples that have proven successful in his own healthcare practice. His mission is to aid physicians and medical practice administrators in creating the productive and profitable practice they have always envisioned.In this interview with host Mike Sacopulos, Baum shares tried-and-tested suggestions for enhancing relationships with existing patients and attracting new patients to the practice. As a bonus, Baum ends the interview with three hints for new physicians as they build their careers in medicine.Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org.https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.2775273837

Healthcare is fundamentally a scientific pursuit, from clinical skills to cutting-edge diagnostic testing. Medicine is also an art, and art plays a vital role in the success of patient care. Once such element of art is where healthcare is delivered. Physical structures can affect a patient’s experiences and outcomes. On this topic, SoundPractice host Mike Sacopulos interviews Sharon Woodworth.Sharon Woodworth, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, EDAC, ACHA, is the healthcare sector leader of HED, a national integrated architecture and engineering firm with more than 400 employees and elite clients such as USC, the VA Medical Center, and the U.S. State Department. Her sector specializes in designing innovative healthcare centers for efficient patient care. Woodworth’s career path that led to architecture is an inspiring one, and she is known for driving change in operations and care through design. Hear her thoughts on design of outpatient facilities, designing to retain healthcare providers, how design can support “lean” operational models for staff, and trends for the future. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.4406872646

The word Catholic is often capitalized and used in reference to the religious denomination. It may also be an adjective meaning comprehensive or universal. In this episode of SoundPractice we will be discussing the term in both of its definitions. The Catholic Church and Its Hospitals: A Marriage Made in Heaven? is a new book extensively researched and written by Patricia Gabow, MD, MACP, former CEO of Denver General Hospital. The Foreword of the book is by Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP.Hear about the role of the bishops and the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) in policy making for the Catholic health system. We also discuss surprising statistics about the extent, reach, and influence of Catholic Healthcare in terms of the number of beds and hospitals. From small hospitals built by nuns and nurses to now having four out of the ten largest healthcare systems in the United States being Catholic systems.There is another side to the story. Patients may not understand that certain reproductive care or end-of-life care are not available to them in a Catholic health system. Physicians who work in these systems may not understand the reach and influence of the ERDs. We will be exploring this issue in depth. In Gabow’s book, she provides a section on considerations for the Catholic health system’s return to mission fidelity.Join us for this insightful and thought-provoking discussion on the Catholic Church and its hospitals.Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.8167613232

At first blush the ideas of servants and leaders seem distinct, even mutually exclusive. How could an individual be a servant and a leader simultaneously? Perhaps the initial reaction to the juxtaposition of servant and leader is the issue. When approached from the correct perspective, the contradiction fades and connections come into focus.David M. Zechman, BSE, MPA, president of The Zechman Group, LLC, is a former hospital system president and CEO and is currently an executive coach and author of Driven by Compassion – 8 Values for Successful Servant Leaders.Zechman has spent considerable time on servants, leaders, and healthcare. He helps us to uncover leadership opportunities.Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1456167694

In this episode of AAPL's SoundPractice podcast, Mike Sacopulos interviews William MacDonald, the founder of My Financial Coach. MacDonald has an extensive background in executive compensation and benefit consulting and has founded several leading organizations in this field.Sacopulos and MacDonald discuss the areas covered by certified financial planners when working with clients, including retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning, and investment management. They also discuss the innovative solutions and strategies offered by My Financial Coach's subject matter experts and the ways in which clients are using the company's technology platform.The conversation then turns to the challenges faced by physicians in managing their personal finances, including student loan debt, managing cash flow, and planning for retirement. MacDonald continues the discussion with the importance of building employee benefits for both physicians and all employees and shares some successful strategies he has seen in this area.Sacopulos and MacDonald also discuss the alliance between AAPL and My Financial Coach, and MacDonald shares his motivation for creating the company. He emphasizes the importance of providing personalized financial coaching to clients and helping them achieve their financial goals.Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.8850249946

Malika Grayson, PhD, is a contributor to the best-selling book, Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM. Each contributor to the book has shared a personal career journey – including the barriers and challenges faced along the way.In this episode, Mike Sacopulos interviews Grayson about her career and her leadership. She is the founder of STEMinist Empowered LLC, an organization which focuses on empowering Women of Color who pursue advanced degrees through application consultancy and graduate program mentorship. A global speaker and bestselling author, Grayson has given dozens of workshops and keynotes and is the recipient of many honors including SWE Advocating Women in Engineering and Zellman Warhaft Commitment to Diversity Award.She also authored the best-selling book Hooded: A Black Girl's Guide to the Ph.D. Grayson’s keynotes and workshops are based on her experiences in academia and industry.Sacopulos and Grayson cover what makes a good mentor and networking for mentoring, canceling imposter syndrome, and Navigating the Impossible, and Success through Resilience – ABCs to STEM Success.Grayson’s passion for increasing the number of women through the STEM pipeline motivated her to create ASPIRE STEM, which provides financial assistance to young women from high school and secondary school who aspire to pursue STEM on the university level. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.3391245858

Peter C. Yesawich, PhD, and Stowe Shoemaker, PhD, are authors of the book, Hospitable Healthcare: Just What the Patient Ordered!, which explores how healthcare providers can learn from the hospitality industry to improve the patient experience.Shoemaker is Dean of the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality and holds the Andrew and Peggy Cherng Dean’s Chair at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Yesawich, is Chair of Hospitable Healthcare Partners, LLC, and formerly Chief Growth Officer of Cancer Treatment Centers of America® bringing a wealth of expertise in both industries to the discussion.Host Mike Sacopulos discusses with Yesawich and Shoemaker how many consumers feel that their experiences with healthcare providers fall short of their experiences with hospitality providers. They question whether healthcare providers could adopt principles of hospitality to enhance the patient experience. Through original survey data, examples, and interviews with hospitality and healthcare service practitioners, the authors argue that their model can address four trends impacting healthcare: Patient-directed selection of providersPricing transparencyDirect-to-consumer marketingPatient satisfaction as a factor in reimbursementBy adopting these principles, healthcare providers can improve the patient experience and outcomes.Overall, Hospitable Healthcare offers valuable insights for healthcare providers looking to enhance the patient experience. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.5319685074

Rachel Willand-Charnley, PhD, is a contributor to the best-selling book, Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM. Each contributor to the book has shared a personal career journey – including the barriers and challenges faced along the way.Willand-Charnley, formerly an Institutional Research Career and Academic Award (IRACDA) fellow at Stanford University, is an interdisciplinary applied organic chemist and chemical biologist specializing in organic chemistry, glycobiology, and cancer immunology and is an assistant professor in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at South Dakota State University.In this episode, Mike Sacopulos interviews Willand-Charnley about their career and passion. Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion. They transformed their fear into their passion. While on the path to transformation, they was helped and hindered by a variety of teachers and mentors. Their story inspires while pointing out inequities faced by some in the STEM fields. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.8699789260

AAPL believes that all physicians are leaders, and leadership comes in different forms and styles. Host Mike Sacopulos interviews Kyle Turner, PharmD, and Sarah Smithson, MD, MPH, on the concept and benefits of relational leadership. If you are unfamiliar with the term, this episode is for you. Smithson brings decades of clinical expertise to her role as vice president of partnerships and has been a dedicated member of the Intend Health Strategies extended team for more than ten years. Growing up professionally and clinically in the context of relational leadership, she thrives in inter-professional collaborations that support leadership development and health systems innovation, communication, and team-based care delivery. Turner is an assistant professor (clinical) at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacist in primary care at University of Utah Health. He is also a consultant and trainer for Intend Health Strategies, a non-profit organization specializing in leadership development for healthcare professionals. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.6303424695

We have all heard the saying, there are only two certainties in life. Today, we’re not going to be discussing taxes. The medical profession spends its efforts delaying physical decline and death. In this practical episode, the host, Mike Sacopulos speaks with Francesca Lynn Arnoldy. Francesca is a doula and educator as well as the author of numerous death lit books. She is a researcher with the Vermont Conversation Lab, and she was the original course developer of the University of Vermont's End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Programs.Arnoldy’s more recent book is, The Death Doula's Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared: An Essential Workbook to Help You Reflect Back, Plan Ahead, and Find Peace on Your Journey.Part how-to, part journal, this comprehensive guide will help you:Open to death wellnessExplore what feels unfinished and undiscovered.Develop healthy responses to intense emotions.Create meaningful remembrance projects.Clarify the values and requests you want honored.This immersive publication provides personal stories, professional anecdotes, and practical exercises throughout with sensitivity to all belief systems, cultures, identities, and histories of lived experience, inviting each reader to change and customize as needed to ensure alignment.https://francescalynnarnoldy.com/. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1720335461

Socrates tells us the unexamined life is not worth living. We can’t improve and move forward without an understanding of where we are. Our guests today, Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, and healthcare journalist Ken Terry, are on firm ground as they look to the future of healthcare. They have collaborated on a book, Feelin' Alright: How the Message in the Music Can Make Healthcare Healthier.Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, is the former president of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health. Ken Terry is a veteran healthcare journalist and author who has written two other books healthcare reform.Feelin' Alright leverages the emotional power of song lyrics to inspire healthcare executives to envision and build a more accessible, high-quality, and equitable healthcare system. Using music as a metaphor, the author encourages readers to examine what is problematic in the existing healthcare model and to take tangible steps toward a more consumer-centered healthcare experience.
Each chapter features Klasko’s multifaceted perspective and is anchored with a song that reflects the chapter's central themes. Topics explored include:Why consumers are starting to rebel against traditional healthcare.How technology can be used to transform healthcare through consumer empowerment.How medical education must evolve to prepare physicians for paradigm shifts.What radical changes are needed to decrease health inequity.Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.5156502170

Mark D. Olszyk, MD, MBA, CPE, is the editor of the new best-selling book, The Chief Medical Officer’s Essential Guidebook.This book is a compilation of dozens of medical executives' experiences and lessons, including what they wish they had known before becoming CMOs. A Foreword by Peter Angood, MD, chief executive officer of the American Association for Physician Leadership, puts the book in context for modern physician leadership.President Truman famously had a sign on his desk that read, “The buck stops here.” It was an acknowledgment that he was ultimately responsible for the actions of his administration. Chief medical officers can relate to Harry Truman’s position as being a CMO comes with significant responsibilities. Being a CMO is “the best job in medicine,” Olszyk says. He is about to defend that position while offering advice to current and future CMOs. In this episode, host, Mike Sacopulos, and Olszyk discuss the following: What are the traits and skills that make a good Chief Medical Officer?How do you build alliances and partnerships to ensure success?Learning stories from other CMO is a great way to learn; case studies and anecdotes were chosen carefully for the new book.Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.4154000651