Many significant aspects to consider related to retirement planning in academic medicine are covered in-depth this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast with our guest Lawrence Appel, MD, MPH.

Dr Appel is The C. David Molina, MD, MPH, Chair in Medicine with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is the Director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, a joint program of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Appel holds a primary appointment as Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine with joint appointments in Epidemiology and International Health.

During this interview, Dr. Apple discussed his meticulous retirement planning process, including creating spreadsheets to outline his transition from full-time to part-time effort.

He emphasized the importance of considering not only financial aspects but also personal goals and relationships in retirement planning.

• You can learn more about the financial aspects to retirement in Faulty Factory Episode 215 – Investing Basics for Faculty and Retirement Planning with Yuval Bar-Or, PhD

In this week’s episode, Dr. Apple highlighted the practical side of succession planning and leadership development within his research units, to ensure a smooth transition for his colleagues and trainees’ post-retirement.

His intentions are to remain involved in research activities post-retirement, albeit in a more supportive and advisory role.

We hope that by listening to this week’s episode and hearing about Dr. Apple's thoughtful approach to retirement planning, it will provide you with guidance for your own efforts, whether it's sooner or later, when the time comes for you to navigate a purposeful transition in this phase of life.