Inside The Doctor's Lounge

By Physician Side Gigs

Inside the Doctor’s Lounge is a podcast by the Physician Side Gigs team, hosted by Dr. Nisha Mehta, which showcases popular topics from our online communities of over 220,000 physicians. We interview ... more

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FAQs about Inside The Doctor's Lounge:

How many episodes does Inside The Doctor's Lounge have?

The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.

Inside The Doctor's Lounge episodes:

July 21, 2026How Physicians Can Break Into Health Innovation & Tech, with Dr. Aaron Reinke & Jody Tropeano Greene
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Aaron Reinke, family physician, health tech advisor, and physician innovator, and Jody Tropeano Greene, Head of Content at HLTH. This episode flips the script — Dr. Mehta hands the hosting reins over to Jody, who interviews Drs. Reinke and Mehta about the Physicians @ HLTH program goals and how it has been impactful in helping physicians break into the health innovation ecosystem.
They discuss:
The history of physician involvement in healthcare innovation and tech conferences, and why physicians who have a meaningful seat at the table is the secret weapon so many companies in the health tech ecosystem need to stand out from competitors
How the Physicians @ HLTH program came to be, what its goals were, and how it has evolved into a place where practicing physicians can break into health tech through consulting, advisory boards, investing, and entrepreneurship
How Dr. Aaron Reinke leveraged the HLTH Conference to build an advisory portfolio, expand his network, and begin developing his own AI-powered solutions
Where they see the trajectory of physicians going in health tech in the future, particularly as AI has lowered the barrier for physicians to build healthcare solutions without large engineering teams
Practical advice for physicians looking to take their first steps into the health innovation ecosystem, whether through HLTH or otherwise
To learn more about the Physicians @ HLTH program, done in partnership with HLTH and Physician Side Gigs, go to https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/hlth or https://hlth.com/events/usa/agenda/programs/physicians-at-hlth/ . If you’re a physician, join us in Las Vegas in November 2027!
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
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48min
July 14, 2026Are We Using AI to Build the Healthcare System We Actually Want?, with Dr. Ami Bhatt
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Ami Bhatt, Chief Innovation Officer at the American College of Cardiology and the inaugural Chair of the FDA Digital Health Advisory Committee.
They discuss:
Why it’s so important for medical societies to be involved in innovation, and how to do it appropriately to navigate conflicts of interest
How shiny object syndrome can distract us from investing in the more boring, but more impactful, capabilities of AI
The dangers of ‘half knowledge’ and where AI enthusiasts need to be more careful in bold statements about AI capabilities
What patients would invest in if they were the ones allowed to deploy capital, and why we need to encourage patients who are trying to empower themselves with health tech
What healthcare would look like in 10 years if we used technology to fix the right problems
Learn more about Dr. Bhatt at https://dramibhatt.com/.
This episode is sponsored by our insurance agents directory at Physician Side Gigs, which includes resources for various insurance products, including disability, life, malpractice, home, and auto insurance. This curated list contains brokers who have been used by thousands of members in our communities. Find insurance agents by visiting https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/insurance-agents-for-physicians.
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48min
July 07, 2026How this Orthopedic Surgeon Found Freedom through Photography and Private Practice, with Dr. Mark Ayzenberg
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Mark Ayzenberg, an orthopedic surgeon who turned to photography as a respite from residency training. Today, he talks about how photography has created freedom outside medicine, and private practice has created freedom inside medicine, and why entrepreneurship is key to retaining joy in medicine.
They discuss:
How being in the right place at the right time and saying ‘yes’ allowed him to monetize his photography hobby during residency (and earn 20% of his annual resident salary with his first sale!)
Tips for building and scaling a photography business, including start up costs, leveling up your skills, marketing, pricing, & distribution
How he’s juggled his photography side gig through attending life, while securing commissioned projects for homes, hospitals, hotels, and office buildings
Why freedom, not money, is the real currency that prevents burnout
His advice for physicians about building the career that lets you keep loving medicine and avoid burnout, and why it’s important not to wait to start
See his work at https://www.phillyphotoart.com/ – Dr. Ayzenberg is a longtime affiliate partner, and gives our audience a discount. Feel free to mention Physician Side Gigs when you reach out.
This episode is sponsored by UpToDate. AI is everywhere in medicine, but not all AI is built for clinical care.  
For decades, medical professionals have continued to trust UpToDate as their go to resource for
evidence-based clinical content. Now, with Expert AI, UpToDate is extending its clinical knowledge into an AI-powered experience designed specifically for clinical use. * 
Unlike many AI tools that generate answers without clear sourcing, our Expert AI is: 
Developed by clinicians for clinicians
Grounded exclusively in UpToDate clinical content  
Built to guide clinical reasoning and reflect how you think through cases 
Transparent and traceable, with clear decision-making logic built into every response 
Quickly move from symptoms or a clinical question to clear, confident next steps with Expert AI in UpToDate – now included in all personal subscriptions in the United States.
Plus, PSG clinicians can save 15% with code PODP, and residents can save 20% with code PODR on an annual or longer personal subscription. † Visit utm.io/pod to subscribe. These offers are valid for a limited time and are subject to change. 
*Products not available in all regions.
† Proof of status is required for all trainee and student orders.
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
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1h 4min
June 30, 2026How This Physician Makes Over 1 Million a Year Doing Locums, with Susan Trocciola, MD
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Susan Trocciola, a cardiothoracic surgeon who trained at Cornell, NYU, and Texas Heart. She now earns over $1 million annually (which is significantly more than her prior employed salary), while taking at least 16 weeks off per year.

They discuss:
How she successfully transitioned to full-time locums after a cancer diagnosis prompted a major career reassessment, & how it’s more in line with her personal, professional, & financial goals
Her strategies for setting and negotiating her rates, working with recruiters, & spotting red flags in locums assignments and contracts
Why she prefers working with a locums company over contracting directly with hospitals
Who locums life is (and isn’t) a right fit for
Her empowering messages for all doctors about recognizing that you are the talent, & that you have more choices than you think you might
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
This episode is sponsored by our financial advisors database at Physician Side Gigs. This curated list of sponsors was made based on recommendations from physicians in our communities. They’re familiar with student loans, 1099 income, private practice ownership, and everything in between. If you’d like someone to help get your finances organized, or to help make sure you’re on track to meet retirement goals, check out www.physiciansidegigs.com/financialadvisors
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1h
June 23, 2026Taking a Medical Device from Idea to Reality, with Dr. Kevin Spencer, Co-founder and CEO of Ring Rescue
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Kevin Spencer, emergency physician and Co-Founder and CEO of Ring Rescue, a medical device designed to safely remove stuck rings from swollen fingers.
They discuss:
The long (but rewarding!) process of taking a medical device from idea to market, including funding, prototype, legal, regulatory, and go-to-market processes
How and why he chose this particular problem that he was seeing in the emergency room to focus on, and what early days of the company looked like behind the scenes
The realities of getting a medical device actually into hospital systems and practices, and how it transpired that his device was featured on the Pitt by Noah Wyle (!!)
What he enjoys the most about the entrepreneurial journey, lessons learned along the way, and advice for physicians pursuing a side gig
Learn more about Ring Rescue at https://www.ringrescue.com/.
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
This episode is sponsored by the Physician Side Gigs job board. Whether you’re interested in exploring jobs with private practices owned by our physician members or hospital systems, our job board features opportunities directly with the hiring company without having to work with a third-party recruiter, allowing you to control your search under your terms. If you’re considering a move or want to list an opportunity, visit physiciansidegigs.com/job-board to learn more.
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1h 8min
June 16, 2026When a Physician Side Gig Goes Horribly Wrong, with Benjamin Toh, MD and Stephen Chahn Lee, Esq.
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Benjamin Toh, MD, and Stephen Chahn Lee, Esq. Dr. Toh is a physician who was prosecuted by the federal government for a side job that he did for a few months in 2019, and actually had to serve time in federal prison.
They discuss:
How Dr. Toh got involved in this side gig, how it was pitched to him, and how, unbeknownst to him, the government felt it was in violation of Medicare requirements and Anti-Kickback Statute
How Dr. Toh may have been able to avoid serving time in federal prison had he been less naive and contacted an attorney earlier, and what doctors should know about what to do if they’re contacted about a government investigation
What the arrest, trial process, and jail time was like, and what got Dr. Toh through it
Red flags to watch out for and questions to ask when considering physician side gigs
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
By way of disclosure, Stephen Lee is one of our sponsored listings on our website attorneys page. More about that relationship can be found at www.physiciansidegigs.com/attorneys. As an additional general disclaimer, nothing on this podcast is intended to be individualized advice, and you should talk to your own counsel prior to making any decisions on the basis of this podcast. We are simply relaying Dr. Toh’s experience as told by him and his attorney for educational purposes.
This episode is brought to you by the side gigs databases at Physician Side Gigs, a tailored matching service available for free to our physician members. If you’re interested in opportunities such as consulting roles, advisory positions, expert witness work, disability & eligibility exams, AI training projects, and others, we help match doctors with open roles. Sign up for alerts of relevant opportunities that fit your background. Visit https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/physician-side-gig-matching-services for more information.
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1h 9min
June 09, 2026Expanding Your Professional Impact Through Advocacy, Innovation, & Storytelling, with Dr. Chethan Sathya
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Chethan Sathya, pediatric surgeon, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Northwell Health, and Founding Director, Center for Gun Violence Prevention.
They discuss:
How being proactive helped Dr. Sathya open up doors outside of clinical medicine, including everything from tech leadership and advisory roles to serving as producer for an Academy Award winning film
How his training in journalism has helped him to spread his message, why he feels research alone isn’t enough to influence policy, and why storytelling is critical to amplify impact and changes in healthcare
How bringing together coalitions of health systems, policymakers, community organizations, business leaders, and patients leads to out of the box solutions that create meaningful change
The importance of getting out of your echo chambers, & how progress depends on dialogue with those that have alternative opinions, not just giving expert opinions
Why “stay in your lane” may be the worst career advice physicians receive
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
This episode is sponsored by UpToDate.
There’s no shortage of AI in healthcare—but not all AI is built for medicine.
UpToDate® Expert AI goes beyond many open-source tools. Grounded exclusively in peer-reviewed UpToDate content, this solution delivers evidence-based AI recommendations with clear reasoning and traceable sources. *
Whether you’re answering clinical questions or exploring treatment options, UpToDate Expert AI helps you get trusted information faster, so you can be confident in your decisions and spend more time caring for patients.* And for clinicians who choose UpToDate Pro Plus, CME state-tagged topics make it easier to see which content meets state-specific requirements, reducing manual tracking and guesswork. †
Plus, PSG clinicians save 15% with code PODP, and residents save 20% with code PODR on an annual or longer subscription. ‡ Visit utm.io/pod to subscribe. These offers are valid for a limited time and are subject to change.
*Products not available in all regions.
† Visit www.uptodate.com/cme for CME details. Physicians may need to self-report credits per state board requirements.
‡ Proof of status is required for all trainee and student orders.
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56min
June 02, 2026The Past, Present, and Future of Physicians on Social Media, with Kevin Pho, MD
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Kevin Pho, MD, founder of KevinMD.
They discuss:
His decisions to start blogging in 2004 and to eventually start amplifying other voices in healthcare, what’s contributed to his success, and dealing with (and learning from) the occasional negative feedback that comes along with what he decides to publish
How his platform has evolved with the rise of other social media platforms, the realities of having to ‘feed the content monster’ while still being a practicing physician, and how doctors should approach decisions about which platforms to create content on
The pros and cons of the rise of the ‘physician influencer’ and what doctors getting involved in social media earlier in their careers should keep in mind
The business of social media, and how AI can be effectively leveraged to augment your social media presence while still preserving the authenticity that makes content valuable
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
This episode is sponsored by our insurance agents directory at Physician Side Gigs, which includes resources for various insurance products, including disability, life, malpractice, home, and auto insurance. This curated list contains brokers who have been used by thousands of members in our communities. Find insurance agents by visiting https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/insurance-agents-for-physicians.
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54min
May 26, 2026From Social Media to the Med Device Industry, with Austin Chiang, MD, CMO, Endoscopy, Medtronic
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Austin Chiang. Dr. Chiang is the Chief Medical Officer of Endoscopy at Medtronic as well as well known physician on social media.
They discuss:
How his role at Medtronic in part stemmed from consistently sharing authentic interests and expertise on social media, and his 3Ps for social media success
The role physician executives play in a med device company, how they help bridge clinical realities with business decisions, and skills they need to be effective, including communication skills, public visibility, digital fluency, and business literacy
How what makes a medical device successful is about so much more than just good technology, and what needs to go right in marketing, distribution, timing, & more
Navigating industry relationships ethically both on social media and clinically, and advice for physicians wanting to get involved with industry
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com , our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!
This episode is brought to you by the Physician Side Gigs job board. Whether you’re interested in exploring jobs with private practices owned by our physician members or hospital systems, our job board features opportunities directly with the hiring company without having to work with a third-party recruiter, allowing you to control your search under your terms. If you’re considering a move or want to list an opportunity, visit physiciansidegigs.com/job-board to learn more.
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54min
May 19, 2026Running for Congress as a Physician, with Tina Shah, MD, MPH
In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Tina Shah. Dr. Shah is a triple boarded critical care physician, former Chief Clinical Officer of Abridge, policy leader, and advocate who has served in multiple administrations as an advisor to the U.S. Surgeon General, and who is now taking that to the next level by running for office herself.
They discuss:
How she first entered the policy and advocacy world through organized medicine and as a White House Fellow at the Department of Veterans Affairs
How she (along with Dr. Mehta and other physicians in our communities!) helped pass prior authorization reform in New Jersey
What made her decide this was the time to run, and the career decisions she had to make in order to allow her to declare her candidacy
The process of running for office, how fundraising works, and what she’s learned throughout the journey
What she hopes to accomplish in Congress if elected, and how important she thinks it is that physicians have a voice in the future of healthcare
If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Shah, check out https://www.drtinashahforcongress.com/
Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com , our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!This episode is brought to you by the contract attorneys directory at Physician Side Gigs. Before you start a new job or renegotiate terms with your employer, it’s critical to have feedback from an attorney who understands physician compensation structures, local market rates, restrictive covenants, and termination clauses to avoid red flags and to give you peace of mind. Find attorneys who regularly work with doctors at physiciansidegigs.com/attorneys.
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56min

FAQs about Inside The Doctor's Lounge:

How many episodes does Inside The Doctor's Lounge have?

The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.