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FOR THOSE WHO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO NOT BE BELIEVED - This episode is part educational, part political statement - the increasing censorship of justice in this country, either directly through bans or indirectly through threats, is making it harder to learn and be the best healthcare professionals we can be. Still, listen to Victoria (she/her) talk to herself about what it means to let your patient take the lead as well as giving yourself the radical acceptance to exist as you are. Then, if you're able, get out there and stand up for our public libraries, public schools, and our patients' right to self-determination and bodily autonomy. Maybe one day, we'll be able to re-record this episode and publish it in full.

Lots of love, V

Cover art: Miguel Alt (@altarcana)

You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @vmdwip

FOR THOSE CONTRADICTING THEMSELVES, CONTAINING MULTITUDES - Despite being close to the end of this series, we have not yet found a single right answer or path forward to making the world a better place. And honestly, we won't find it in this one either. It turns out that being human means being messy and complicated in our best efforts to navigate our own lives, and in this episode, Victoria (she/her) and Dr. Steven Crossman (he/him) celebrate the complexities of their lived experiences and attempts at change-making. Being able to hold multiple (seemingly contradictory) truths opens our hearts to the reality of our patients, our communities, and even our own. As beautiful and vital a skill that is, especially for healthcare professionals, it's not a skill often taught in our training! Come along as we talk about being opinionated AND open-minded, evidence-based AND patient centered, resilient AND able to walk away. And then, contemplate what it means to be entirely satisfied with your present situation AND excited to continue growing as we hear about radical acceptance in the next episode...

Music: Joe Chey
Cover art: Miguel Alt (@altarcana)
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @vmdwip

[Victoria Ngo and her guests do not represent the official opinion of any institution they may be affiliated with, nor do they necessarily endorse each others' opinions. In fact, these episodes may not even reflect their own beliefs a year from now, as we are all learning and growing together.]

FOR CHANGEMAKERS LOOKING FOR A PUSH TO KEEP TRYING - After collaborating on a multitude of projects, from coordinating lunch lectures for peers to confronting race based algorithms in the hospital, Sarah (she/her) and Victoria (she/her) reminisce on their four years together and identify how to not only see lengthy projects to their ends, but also to sustain movements across generations of students. Sarah applies the tenets of Care discussed in episode 3 in her numerous roles as a student leader, and it's been a privilege to watch her empower and uplift other students while continuing to show up and step up again and again and again. In this episode, we learn that with a big spoonful of hope and a dash of strategy, each of us can also reliably show up and step up for the people and causes we care about!

Find Sarah Beaverson on Twitter at @beaversonsarah!

Music: Joe Chey
Cover art: Miguel Alt (@altarcana)
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @vmdwip

[Victoria Ngo and her guests do not represent the official opinion of any institution they may be affiliated with, nor do they necessarily endorse each others' opinions. In fact, these episodes may not even reflect their own beliefs a year from now, as we are all learning and growing together.]

FOR THOSE READY TO BE BRAVE - Speaking out for what you believe in can be scary, but in this episode, Victoria (she/her) and Dr. Meera Pahuja (she/her), a palliative care and infectious disease doc and the first faculty member to stick her neck out for us, talk about what it means to be brave. Hear Dr. Pahuja share her story of finding courage in her lived experiences as the two of them piece together how each of us can build the strength to fuel our actions, despite a particularly hostile political climate. Indeed, the norms in medicine work hard to make us feel small and scared, but when we're on the right side of things, we can work harder.

Music: Joe Chey
Cover art: Miguel Alt (@altarcana)
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @vmdwip

[Victoria Ngo and her guests do not represent the official opinion of any institution they may be affiliated with, nor do they necessarily endorse each others' opinions. In fact, these episodes may not even reflect their own beliefs a year from now, as we are all learning and growing together.]

FOR THOSE FINDING THEIR VOICE TO BE ALLIES FOR EACH OTHER - Looking for ways to turn "accountability" into concrete actions, Victoria (she/her) and Susie (she/her), an MD-PhD student, discuss tangible ideas we've tested in our attempts to make immediate changes for ourselves and others amidst the chaos of institutional oppression. Although we are always working toward true justice, advocating for the institutionalized token concept of, "diversity, equity, and inclusion" is often still a matter of survival for students of color. We do all that we can to help each other and our patients of color keep all our heads above the water! From finding methods to interrupt harm in real time to identifying which people in power are actually on your side to growing from your mistakes so you can speak up in solidarity with those who have identities different from your own, this episode speed-runs through what it means to us to be a problem solver and a chaos navigator. Then, we invite you, no matter who you are, into the space. As Susie so beautifully says, our differences can be sacred.

You can find Susie Turkson on LinkedIn!

Music: Joe Chey
Cover art: Miguel Alt (@altarcana)
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @vmdwip

[Victoria Ngo and her guests do not represent the official opinion of any institution they may be affiliated with, nor do they necessarily endorse each others' opinions. In fact, these episodes may not even reflect their own beliefs a year from now, as we are all learning and growing together.]

FOR THOSE CARVING OUT SAFE SPACES FOR OTHERS GROW - Taking the concept of "love" into more tangible actions, Victoria (she/her) and Judy (she/her), a family medicine faculty member, discuss Judy's path into medical education and how she has learned to nurture environments that allow students to self-actualize into their fullest selves. While Victoria contemplates the ways that education can be liberatory after reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Judy grounds the conversation in specific experiences, values, and tools. Together, they find circumstances that allow people to stretch their imaginations and capabilities beyond what they think is possible, all while leaning on the wisdom of the group to guide the next best steps. The strongest movements are rooted in strong values and community, and the source of it all is a deep sense of care.

Music: Joe Chey
Cover art: Miguel Alt (@altarcana)
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @vmdwip

[Victoria Ngo and her guests do not represent the official opinion of any institution they may be affiliated with, nor do they necessarily endorse each others' opinions. In fact, these episodes may not even reflect their own beliefs a year from now, as we are all learning and growing together.]

FOR THE DAYDREAMER WHO KNOWS WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS MEDICAL-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX - In this episode, Sam (they/them), a family medicine bound fourth year medical student, and Victoria (she/her) explore how to balance a joyful and loving career in medicine with criticism of self and systems, to not only hold us accountable to our values, but also radically expand our imaginations for what we could make possible. Whether you believe our medical system can be reformed (and we don't), we've chosen to become healthcare workers because we know there is no pure way of doing "social justice." After all, maybe we learn and grow and create more in our messy humanity than in our roles as physicians.

Music: Joe Chey
Cover art: Miguel Alt (@altarcana)
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at @vmdwip

[Victoria Ngo and her guests do not represent the official opinion of any institution they may be affiliated with, nor do they necessarily endorse each others' opinions. In fact, these episodes may not even reflect their own beliefs a year from now, as we are all learning and growing together.]

FOR THE WEARY HEART YEARNING TO FEEL FULL AGAIN - Join Victoria Ngo (she/her) and Amy Coffin (they/them), a third year medical student, in discussing the dichotomy of love and rage in social justice work, from the day-to-day of hospital dynamics to larger pushes for institutional change. Working in medicine can break us, but our relationships and community give us something worth healing for. 

Music: Joe Chey

[Victoria Ngo and her guests do not represent the official opinion of any institution they may be affiliated with, nor do they necessarily endorse each others' opinions. In fact, these episodes may not even reflect their own beliefs a year from now, as we are all learning and growing together.]