On this week’s episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast, we discuss what it means to be a compassionate leader through authenticity, along with general pearls of wisdom that we know will leave you inspired by our first-time guest, Keshia Pollack Porter, PhD.

Dr. Pollack Porter is the Chair and Bloomberg Centennial Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. She is internationally known for her work in social determinants of health, health equity, and promoting safe environments.

As we learn throughout today’s broadcast, compassion is the hallmark of Dr. Pollack Porter’s leadership style.

With a rich background in injury epidemiology and faculty development, Dr. Pollack Porter joins our show to highlight the importance of showing your “human side” when leading faculty members. This approach will have undeniable ripple effects throughout your institution and culture, especially among those in the early stages of their careers.

As the chair of the department, it’s easy to lose sight of the things that “make us human” or “make us whole,” such as family, friends, hobbies, and community involvement. It might be time for many of us to take pause and revisit the importance of these activities as we build meaningful lives and find ways to adjust what may have previously been a rigid, inflexible routine.

Although it often feels that our whole life revolves around work, as Dr. Pollack Porter points out, “I truly believe my purpose is not to have my job be my full identity.”

She expounds on this approach with wisdom and encouragement throughout this very special and timely discussion on compassion, leadership, and finding balance between professional responsibilities and personal fulfillment.

Learn more: https://facultyfactory.org/

Kathy Forbush, MBA and MS, returns to the Faculty Factory Podcast this week to discuss identifying leadership competencies among faculty within the academic medicine community and beyond, offering insights applicable to professionals at any stage of their careers.

Building on our previous discussion from 2023, Kathy shares the process of updating JHU’s leadership competency model to be more inclusive and reflective of shifting needs. 

She is the Executive Director for HR-Talent Management at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), where she is responsible for conducting talent acquisition and leading learning and organization development functions for JHU. 

The last time she joined us was in September 2023 for an interview titled “Identifying (and Fixing) Where Faculty Struggle with Leadership,” which you can revisit here: https://facultyfactory.org/leadership-struggles/. 

You can learn more about her recent article that she co-authored with colleagues in the Journal of Healthcare Leadership, entitled “Inspiring and Preparing Our Future Leaders: Evaluating the Impact of the Early Career Women’s Leadership Program,” here: https://www.dovepress.com/articles.php?article_id=94680.

Learn more about the Faculty Factory: https://facultyfactory.org/.

Transitioning to a life after full-time faculty work without losing your identity is what we’re discussing with our guest Darrell G. Kirch, MD, on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week.

Dr. Kirch has an formidable ability to lead and build teams having served as the President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) from 2006 to 2019. He is an educator, biomedical scientist, clinical neuroscientist, clinician, and psychiatrist. He has held several major leadership positions at academic medicine institutions throughout North America and beyond.

We are honored to call Dr. Kirch “a friend of our show” and he previously joined us for an episode recorded in 2019.  You can revisit the first episode with Dr. Kirch from a few years back here: https://facultyfactory.org/best-of-the-faculty-factory-podcast-an-interview-with-darrell-g-kirch-md/  

As the end of a full-time faculty career approaches, many of us instinctively think about retirement. However, there's an alternative mindset that can pave the way for a fulfilling future: preferment.

Rather than solely focusing on retirement as an endgame, let’s consider how to curate a "Preferment Portfolio"—a balanced mix of passions, pursuits, and projects that ignite our enthusiasm and secure our identities.

It’s not uncommon for someone to struggle with finding an identity beyond their CV. After all, the demands of working as faculty in academic medicine can be so powerful that they overshadow many other aspects of our life.

The good news for those struggling with this phenomenon, which often coexists with burnout, is that Dr. Kirch has excellent wisdom to impart in today’s interview for building this portfolio.

This approach could help you future-proof your priorities and create a life safeguarded from burnout. You can start today by reflecting on the aspects of your academic life that have brought you joy and fulfillment. How can you integrate these elements into your future beyond your traditional full-time role when the time comes?

Today marks episode number 300 of the Faculty Factory, and we’re going to celebrate with a two-part episode. First, we have our founder and podcast host Kimberly A. Skarupski, PhD, MPH, joined by Heather Brod, talking about their newly published book, The Insider’s Pocket Guide to Navigating a Faculty Career in Academic Medicine.

This is followed by Dr. Skarupski reading a list of every single guest we've ever had on the show. These 300 episodes wouldn't be possible without these amazing people. To every one of you who have joined the show or simply tuned in, thank you for being a part of this community.

The Insider’s Pocket Guide to Navigating a Faculty Career in Academic Medicine aims to outline a pathway to achieving a rewarding and prosperous career in academic medicine. You can learn more here.

The book is designed to guide faculty through the complexities of an academic career, addressing essential topics such as career preparation, promotion, and work-life integration. As we celebrate this milestone 300th episode and our new book, we encourage listeners to continue seeking opportunities for collaboration and leadership. Always keep in mind that great achievements often start with small initiatives and the courage to take action. For more resources: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

We’re setting out on a mission to make faculty and learners' lives less stressful this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast with our exciting first-time guest, Jessica Seaman, EdD.

Dr. Seaman serves as Assistant Professor of Medical Humanities, Co-Director of the Gold Track Curriculum, and Assistant Dean of Faculty Development at Creighton University School of Medicine in Phoenix.

How can we help learners avoid some of the worst consequences of chronic stress that can lead to deep-seated anxiety and depression?

As you’ll hear within this discussion, there are many strategies to explore, and one of the top approaches is to create psychologically safe spaces for learners at our academic institution. This encourages a proactive stance in the fight against the ill effects of chronic stress by offering a variety of support strategies.

As we learned in today’s show, there is a lot of forward-thinking work happening at Dr. Seaman’s institution (which, as we mention in the interview, has campuses in both Nebraska and Arizona), and compassion is built into its mission.

We must also remember, as we discussed in today’s episode, that rigidity can create more stress. None of these practices are set in stone; we must revisit them, assess their effectiveness, and strive to avoid complacency by adapting with the times, all for the betterment of our learners.

If you want to learn more about anything we discussed on this podcast, you can reach Dr. Seaman at: [email protected].

We’d also love to hear from you at the Faculty Factory Podcast: What are we doing well? Where are we missing the mark? Do you want to be a guest (or nominate a guest)? Make sure to send us a message through the Contact Us page of FacultyFactory.org: https://facultyfactory.org/contact-us/.

Important news and notes for the academic medicine community about building safe artificial intelligence systems are discussed in depth on this week's Faculty Factory Podcast.

We’re excited to be joined by first-time guest Eric Nalisnick, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University for this timely discussion.

Alongside thoughts on the current state of incorporating the human element into these systems, one thing will remain abundantly clear after listening to today’s discussion: these A.I. systems, when left unchecked, are unreliable for work that allows no margin for error (i.e., medical practice, tax returns, etc.).

Large language models, like ChatGPT, are effective for low-stakes tasks, brainstorming, and bouncing ideas off of in order to stimulate creativity or encourage alternative ways of thinking.

With the ongoing and rapidly growing integration of artificial intelligence in the medical, research, and education fields, maintaining safety, ethical standards, and ensuring that the human touch is not lost are central themes in today’s interview.

“Integration and efficiency are something I hope we will see from A.I. systems, as opposed to more erosion of the human aspect,” he optimistically mentioned in the closing moments of our podcast

If you enjoyed today’s podcast or found it useful, consider listening to previous Faculty Factory interviews related to the topics Eric discussed with us:

• Episode 284 – Ethical Considerations of Artificial Intelligence in Academia with Anjalie Field, PhD

All things “micro” and “mini” are being discussed on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week. In the context of today’s discussion, “micro” is simply another way of saying expedited, streamlined, and not requiring a massive amount of time.

Our guest is Alice Fornari, EdD, FAMEE, RDN, a friend of this podcast over the years, making her third appearance on the program. She serves as Vice President of Faculty Development with Northwell Health and Associate Dean with Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York.

In terms of micro, we’re discussing micro learning, micro teaching, and micro mentoring, along with how to deliver and track the effectiveness of these resources.

Learn More:  https://facultyfactory.org/micro-resources/

In this week’s episode of the Faculty Factory, we’re navigating the complexities of the academic writing and editing process, including dealing with severe time constraints, as we turn the spotlight back onto Richard Edden, PhD, MSc, for his triumphant return to our show.

Dr. Edden is Professor of Radiology in the Department of Radiology and Radiological Science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Within his department, he also holds the position of Director of Post-Doctoral Fellows.

Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

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