I am still turning this over in my head, that Dr. Ricardo Nuila says the purpose of Arts and Humanities is...beauty. I have not thought of it in that way before, and he has really made me think about the role of beauty in my life, in my work, in small and big spaces of good and bad. I think this is a must listen! Dr. Ricardo Nuila, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and sees patients at Ben Taub hospital in Houston, Texas as part of the Harris Health System. Ben Taub is a safety-net hospital where the focus in on a given individual’s healthcare problem. He is also a writer, and his pieces on health disparities, politics and medicine, and art and medicine have been published in VQR, The Atlantic, The New York Times Sunday Review, The New Yorker, and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Emily Dickinson was one of the first poets that I was introduced to when I was younger, and Dr. Ricardo Nuila refers to one of her lines, Tell the truth but tell it slant. We talk about this, about nuance and context, and how that relates to algorithmania. It comes back to metacognition, gestalt vs algorithmic thinking. Dr. Ricardo Nuila, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and sees patients at Ben Taub hospital in Houston, Texas as part of the Harris Health System. Ben Taub is a safety-net hospital where the focus in on a given individual’s healthcare problem. He is also a writer, and his pieces on health disparities, politics and medicine, and art and medicine have been published in VQR, The Atlantic, The New York Times Sunday Review, The New Yorker, and The New England Journal of Medicine.

I love talking about metacognition, in hopes of improving how I think, how I diagnose, and how I learn. Dr. Smoller loves to teach and is interested in learning theory, and he has active research experience in learning/teaching visual recognition through pattern recognition, fast thinking. And yet, algorithmic thinking (slow thinking) is important, too. Our conversation is based on a lecture he gave at the recent March, 2024 International Society of Dermatopathology meeting. Don't miss this conversation! Dr. Bruce Smoller MD trained in anatomic and clinical pathology at Harvard's Beth Israel Hospital and in dermatopathology with Dr. Scott McNutt at Cornell Medical School/ New York Hospital. He has worked at Stanford University, rising to the rank of Professor of Pathology and Dermatology as well as at the University of Arkansas, where he was Chair of the Department of Pathology and the Director of Dermatopathology from 1997 to 2011. In 2011, he became Executive Vice President of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. Since 2014, he has been Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services and Professor of Dermatology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Smoller is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology and served as the President of the American Society of Dermatopathology, receiving the Nickel Award, which recognizes lifetime excellence in teaching, from the American Society of Dermatopathology. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of American Pathologists in 2022. He has written over 300 articles and has primary involvement in 18 books.

Three magic words to help conquer fear, that may also be a secret to having a long and productive career. I really enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Bruce Smoller, a giant in the field of dermatopathology and pathology. Also tune in next week for Part 2! Dr. Bruce Smoller MD trained in anatomic and clinical pathology at Harvard's Beth Israel Hospital and in dermatopathology with Dr. Scott McNutt at Cornell Medical School/ New York Hospital. He has worked at Stanford University, rising to the rank of Professor of Pathology and Dermatology as well as at the University of Arkansas, where he was Chair of the Department of Pathology and the Director of Dermatopathology from 1997 to 2011. In 2011, he became Executive Vice President of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. Since 2014, he has been Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services and Professor of Dermatology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Smoller is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology and served as the President of the American Society of Dermatopathology, receiving the Nickel Award, which recognizes lifetime excellence in teaching, from the American Society of Dermatopathology. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of American Pathologists in 2022. He has written over 300 articles and has primary involvement in 18 books.

I am always curious about how others continually improve, and Dr. Thomas Brenn gives good insights on this. Learning in whatever way works for you, getting exposure to new things in ways that you can remember, discovering true mentorship...it's definitely a fun journey. Dr. Thomas Brenn MD PhD received both his doctorate degrees in Germany. He completed postdoctoral fellowships  in Genetics and Pathology at Stanford University, residency training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and dermatopathology and soft tissue pathology fellowships with Dr. Phillip McKee and Dr. Christopher Fletcher. He has worked in the United Kingdom, Canada, as well as the US and is currently based at the University of Michigan.

I love to talk to people who are honest and confident in their honesty! Dr. Richard Carr is an internationally known expert in dermatopathology and pathology, and he speaks honestly about emotional intelligence as a muscle, recognizing our own weaknesses, and tailoring emotional intelligence to the individual. Being hypercritical can be a strength in that you think deeply about things, and it is worth hearing how he deals with hypercritical thoughts. Dr. Richard Carr trained in dermatopathology with Dr. Phillip H. McKee and Dr. Eduardo Calonje at St Thomas’ hospital and the St John’s Institute of Dermatology. He received the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) Diploma in Dermatopathology (set at expert referral level) and consults on cases throughout the United Kingdom. After being educated in Sheffield which is north of London, he started practicing in London with “big city ways”. He has now been practicing in the same community for 25 years in Warwick, England. He is a dedicated teacher, locally, nationally, and internationally. He is married with two daughters.

Dr. Ron Stotts has been meditating for decades, and he shares some of the foundational building blocks of being able to transformatively lead. Learn about "big mind", "STOP", and how to breathe. We touch on emotional intelligence, self-compassion, other compassion, and more. Dr. Ron Stotts, PhD explores what is possible for individuals, organizations, nations, and the world. He guides people into the highest levels of conscious leadership where they create a 40% percent increase in productivity and profit through creating what are referred to as “learning” or “developmental” organizations to bring out the best of all the stake holders involved. Dr. Stotts is a three-time best-selling author, has a Ph.D. in psychology, is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic, and has been a meditation teacher for decades. 

Dr. Mitesh Patel is a physician and behavioral scientist! He helped found the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, a first for healthcare. We talk about behavioral nudges, both for healthcare and home life, and the small things that we can each do to nudge behavior. Dr. Mitesh Patel MD MBA is a physician executive and behavioral scientist. He is currently Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Ascension , the largest non-profit healthcare system in the US. He works on strategic vision and implementation of programs to transform clinical care using behavior nudges, EHR Apps, machine learning, artificial intelligence, remote patient monitoring, and virtual care. Previously, he was the Founding Director of the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, the world’s first behavioral design team embedded within health system. 

LOOK AGAIN! A world full of colors can become gray due to habituation. Waking ourselves up to truly see the amazing things around us, as well as the problems that should be fixed, takes dishabituation. This conversation focuses on habituation and dishabituation, how they are defined, and what we can do to get life to resparkle. Cass R. Sunstein is the nation’s most cited legal scholar and is also a prolific writer of popular nonfiction. His most recent book, which he coauthored with Dr. Tali Sharot, is Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There, which will be hitting bookstores on 2/27/24. He is also the coauthor of Nudge with Dr. Richard Thaler as well as the coauthor of Noise with Drs. Daniel Kahneman and Olivier Sibony. He served in multiple different capacities in the US government and has advised the United Nations as well as the World Health Organization. He is currently the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School.

Dr. Angelina Hong wrote about love and medicine, describing  “the blurry spectrum, balancing out physical, mental, and emotional pain with the immense honor of saving and cherishing human life, while simultaneously struggling to reconcile our altruistic goals with realistic but necessary human incentives.” Her writing resonates with me. Dr. Angelina Hong, MD, is currently an internal medicine resident at HCA Healthcare in Florida. She attended the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine and the University of Houston for her undergraduate degree. She is a poetess who has written about love and medicine, and in honor of Valentine’s Day, she is here today.