Faculty Factory

When it comes to exploring the science of an optimized life, Mark Guadagnoli, PhD, is the ideal subject matter expert.

Joining us for a special reunion appearance on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week is Dr. Guadagnoli, as we further examine the ways we can jumpstart change to optimize our lives while fully engaging with the sea of demands within academic medicine.

At the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Dr. Guadagnoli serves as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Director of Learning and Performance, and Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Neurology.

Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/jumpstart-change 

As we approach our 300th Faculty Factory podcast episode, we’ve yet to have a conversation about the insightful strategies surrounding the often-overlooked skill of writing promotion letters. This technical yet crucial component of faculty advancement warrants attention, and we are honored to be joined by Mary Beth Phelan, MD, MBA, on this week’s show.

Dr. Phelan makes her inaugural appearance on our podcast this week. At the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), she serves as Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Advancement, Chief of the Division of Emergency Medicine Ultrasound, and Director of the Advanced Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship. These roles also include her position as chair of the promotion and tenure committee.

Important Resources from Today’s Podcast:

• Writing an External Letter of Review for Promotion [pdf]

Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/promotion-letters 

Making his Faculty Factory debut in a memorable way this week is Michael Gottlieb, MD, RDMS, FAAEM, FACEP. 

Naturally, here at the Faculty Factory Podcast, our ears perk up when we hear about the intersection of podcasts, learning, research, and academic medicine. We are joined by Dr. Gottlieb this week to learn all about his research into how the way content is delivered within an educational podcast impacts the actual learning takeaways for the listener and how much of that information is retained.

Dr. Gottlieb serves as Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vice Chair of Research, and Director of the Emergency Ultrasound Division in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

It’s a fascinating discussion, and we hope you buckle up for the journey that Dr. Gottlieb leads us on! As you will soon learn, the lion’s share of today’s conversation covers a lot of findings from his research for the recent study he co-authored, entitled “Educational Podcasts: Effect of Content Delivery Timing on Knowledge Acquisition and Retention,” which was published in Academic Medicine. 

You can learn more about that here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38551950/

If you want more Faculty Factory resources, please visit our official website: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

In the latest episode of the Faculty Factory podcast, Rachel Walden, MS, ELS, makes a highly informative return to discuss considerations for becoming a more effective writing coach in academic medicine.

Rachel is the Director of Editorial Services and an Assistant Professor with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. She is a board-certified editor in the life sciences and provides education and training on scientific writing and publishing for residents and faculty.

Rachel reminds us that countless faculty members do not naturally consider themselves writing coaches. Instead, they often feel pressured to revise manuscripts for less experienced authors, which ends up failing to equip trainees with the skills to become proficient scholarly writers.

Learn more: https://facultyfactory.org/coach-writing/  

When it comes to managing expectations and accepting the realistic limits of our professional and personal lives (no one can do everything), our guest this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast has some strong words of encouragement.

Join us for this week’s edition of our podcast as Sarah Andrews, MD, makes a return appearance to discuss prioritizing what matters most as an academic medicine professional facing seemingly endless competing demands on our time.

For those that are new to our show, Dr. Andrews is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Did you catch her first appearance on the podcast with us? You can check out “Habits and Hacks with Sarah R. Andrews, MD,” here: https://facultyfactory.org/sarah-andrews/

This week’s discussion also includes wisdom on dealing with disappointment when you feel the pressure to please everyone in your life, both at home and at work. (Spoiler alert: it is impossible to please everyone, so you must be comfortable with saying no, and that takes practice.)

In this interview, Dr. Andrews also touches on the importance of including our family and colleagues in the decision-making process of uncovering what’s most vital by simply asking them from time to time, “What’s most important to you?”

The message from our guest this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast is resoundingly clear: despite all the headaches and stressors that come with it, medicine overall should be fun. When it is no longer fun, that should be the litmus test for taking a step back and reevaluating where you are and how you will shape the next phase of your career.

We are honored to be joined by Carol Ziminski, MD, on the show this week. Specializing in rheumatology, she is a retired associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is also the co-chair of The Academy at Johns Hopkins.

Reflecting on her own retirement journey, Dr. Ziminski candidly recounted the challenges of transitioning from full-time practice, a decision influenced by administrative changes within her division.

She emphasized the importance of knowing when it’s the right time to step back and make a career-altering move, recognizing that such choices are profoundly personal and should be based on a variety of factors, including the question of whether you are still having fun.

The interview highlights the need for more innovative programs like the Academy, which not only honor retirees' contributions but also ensure their continued engagement in the academic community.

Dr. Ziminski and the Academy prove that retirement can be a new beginning, filled with purpose and connection.

About “The Academy”

According to its official website – which you can visit at www.hopkinsmedicine.org/the-academy – “The Academy at Johns Hopkins supports the continued research, teaching, and service of retired faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Honoring our retired faculty for their exceptional wisdom, intelligence, and experience, the Academy actively engages retired faculty in the Johns Hopkins community in ways that benefit our students, patients, disciplines, and institution, and that support their ongoing professional fulfillment.”

This week marks the formidable return of Ann Brown, MD, MHS, to the Faculty Factory as she joins us to discuss managing difficult behaviors and navigating awkward and challenging conversations, both professionally and personally.

Dr. Brown often coaches faculty on overcoming these situations in her current role as an executive coach. With extensive leadership experience in academic medicine, she is the former Vice Dean for Faculty at Duke University School of Medicine, a position she held for more than 11 years.

She emphasizes the importance of recognizing personal emotional triggers and stepping back to understand the context of difficult conversations in today’s podcast.

According to Dr. Brown, the first step is awareness. By cultivating curiosity rather than judgment, we can “get to a better place” regarding healthier dialogue, collaborative workplace settings, and improved relationships moving forward.

Contact, Dr. Brown via email: [email protected]

Learn More:  https://facultyfactory.org/toxic-behavior/ 

In the age of distractions, and a time of “doing more with less” in academic medicine, our guest on this week’s edition of the Faculty Factory Podcast is Dr. Ashley Paul, MD, who offers us hope.

Specializing in treating patients with movement disorders, Dr. Paul is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Paul is an expert in productivity, focusing on a technique we’re calling “chips and chunks.”

In case you missed her first appearance on our show or need a refresher, you can explore Faculty Factory Podcast Episode No. 254, “Happiness in Academic Medicine Comes from Better Time Management,” here: https://facultyfactory.org/happiness-in-academic-medicine/.

This time, she brings us even more efficient time management approaches and email hygiene guidance, discussing how she organizes her inbox to prioritize essential communications while eliminating unnecessary noise.

Dr. Paul emphasized the importance of maximizing productivity in small increments rather than relying on long, uninterrupted blocks of time, which can feel daunting. She introduced the concept of “chips,” small tasks that can be completed in a short timeframe, and “chunks,” larger tasks requiring more significant focus.

Breaking work into manageable parts allows us to make progress even amidst a very busy schedule.

In addition to this guidance, she helps us tackle digital distractions with useful tips. She offers us strategies for overcoming the constant barrage of interruptions, such as deleting social media apps from our phones altogether.  

"Our phones are constantly pinging for our attention, making us feel busy all day long, and we don't create the time we need to be truly and deeply productive," she said.

Highlighting the value of establishing boundaries, she pointed out that being unavailable doesn’t mean neglecting responsibilities; rather, it fosters a healthier, more sustainable balance.

More Resources: https://facultyfactory.org/

While all our careers are sure to encounter different twists and turns along the way, remembering your core values and knowing what drives you are things that can sustain you even in the most uncertain and challenging times.

This sentiment is outlined powerfully in this week’s edition of the Faculty Factory Podcast with our first-time guest, Andrew Dwyer, PhD, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN.

Dr. Dwyer is an associate professor at the Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing (CSON) and is a principal investigator in the Massachusetts General Hospital and G.H. Harvard Center for Reproductive Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Dwyer is a Macy Faculty Scholar (Class of 2023).

When it comes to professional identity formation, it’s all about reflecting on the things that fuel you, and taking the time to discover what truly aligns with your values to build that foundation for long-term success.

To jumpstart this self-reflection exercise and foster self-awareness, one of the things Dr. Dwyer shares with the graduate students he works with is the importance of asking a few fundamental questions:

• What is it that you love?

As Dr. Dwyer helps us navigate the intersection of personal values and professional identity, he emphasizes the theory of Ikigai. This is a concept from Japanese philosophy that inspires individuals to identify what is genuinely important to them and to lead a life rich in purpose and happiness.

For more resources: https://facultyfactory.org/

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.