Operate with Zen

Dr. Elizabeth "Betsy" Koehne, MD is at the wonderful transition between training and complete surgical independence.  She is a urologist and Acting Instructor and Society of Urologic Oncology fellow at the UW School of Medicine in Seattle.  While she is may be junior is her surgical experience, she is seasoned in transcendental meditation, yoga, and incorporating mindfulness into her daily and surgical existence.  I learn a ton from Betsy every time we speak and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Dr. Bradley Erickson is a Professor of Urology, a reconstructive urologist, and Director of Functional Urology at the University of Iowa.  We are great friends and bonded over similar loves of baseball and skiing – sharing quite a few lift rides and challenging mountain runs in Colorado.  Brad is also an extremely accomplished academic surgeon from very early on in his career – in fact, that’s what brought us together.  I say this all because i had no idea, about 2-3 years into his practice, he had a major breakdown and called into question all of his motivations and purpose in surgery.  This podcast covers that breakdown and his pathway back to purpose through the darkness of anxiety and insomnia.  We talk about mindfulness meditation, dharma and the three H’s of hands, head, and heart, and achieving self-awareness and presence.  Throughout the podcast we talk about the insane privilege of being a surgeon and how that impacts us all as human beings.  I hope you enjoy. 

Diana Londoño, MD is a urologist in Los Angeles with a specific interest in coaching surgeons through tough times.  She is the founder of Physician Coach Support (https://physiciancoachsupport.com/), a free peer-to-peer service for surgeon personal development.  She is a mom, a yogi, and so much more!  We discuss how Buddhist principles guide coaching, how being both a healer and a teacher are important to our roles as surgeons, and gives practical tips on how to organize a surgical life for well-being.  Enjoy!

https://dianalondonomd.com/
https://physiciancoachsupport.com/

Kristin Chrouser, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Michigan and Section Chief of Urology at the VA in Ann Arbor Michigan. She is an expert in intraoperative stress - something all surgeons are familiar with - and tackles it through a variety of academic avenues.  We discuss physical stress through ergonomics and pain both in and out of the OR.  We talk about the OR environment and mindsets that are conducive to a healthy and long surgical career.  And we talk about how pain is the manifestation of so many stressful events in our life - whether they be physical, emotional, or psychological.  This conversation is fun and full of practical pearls on how to keep yourself pain free and healthy.

Jason Han, MD is a cardiac surgery resident at the University of Pennsylvania, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the founder of The Modern Surgeon.  Jason provides unique perspective from a trainee with his eyes uniquely on the future - he graduates from residency this year!  We talk about the changing perspective from student, to trainee, to surgeon and how being present and simplifying one's own principles can keep you grounded.  We stumble across this podcast's title, "The Space Between Technique" when we discuss all the things missing from surgical education - how to think and behave, not just operate.  It's a great conversation and I hope you enjoy!

Philadelphia Inquirer:
https://www.inquirer.com/author/han_jason/

The Modern Surgeon:
https://www.themodernsurgeon.org/
https://twitter.com/modern_surgeon
https://www.instagram.com/themodernsurgeon/?hl=en

Louise Phipps Senft is the founder and CEO of Baltimore Mediation.  She is a well-respected attorney and mediator.  Louise practices "Transformative Mediation" in a number of complex settings -uniquely in healthcare - where techniques of mindfulness (like presence and non-judgement) are implemented routinely.  She is an expert in personality assessment, personal and relational interactions.  In addition, Louise is the host of "Blink of an Eye" Podcast (https://blinkofaneyepodcast.com/) which chronicles her families experience with trauma, the medical field, and awakening.  I love talking with Louise and I hope you enjoy the conversation.

References:
https://www.baltimoremediation.com/louise-phipps-senft-bio/
https://blinkofaneyepodcast.com/
Books
The Essential Enneagram 
The Body Knows the Score

Humans are creatures of habit who crave control in sometimes uncontrollable circumstances.  In this episode, OWZ regular Angie Smith, MD and Professor of Urology at UNC Chapel Hill and I discuss "control" in a variety of surgical settings.  Control in the operating room, control in patient encounters outside of the OR, control over how we structure our lives, and how we achieve balance.  Parallels are drawn to illness uncertainty for patients and the conversation weaves through vacations, Nietzsche, mirror neurons, and fear.  I hope you enjoy.

David Canes, MD is a urologist at the Lahey Clinic in Boston.  He is incredibly thoughtful in his approach to medicine and his approach to life outside of medicine.  Early on in this podcast, we discuss not letting urology [or surgery] to be the only thing of which you are proud.  We talk passion projects and David's newest adventure (wellprept.com).  And we talk about ways to avoid "pressing play" - David's analogy for just going through the motions with a patient, but creating the environment in which you can be truly present with a patient, with a surgery, with your family, or your next adventure.  Enjoy!!

Check out WellPrept at: https://wellprept.com/

Amanda North, MD is an accomplished Pediatric Urologist at Montefiore in the Bronx.  She is also an outstanding advocate for surgeons - leading the movement to understand burnout in our specialty (urology) and women in surgery.  Our conversation meanders through fascinating topics with a focus on the key components of a sustainable career.  We even touch on Ted Lasso (see picture behind her).

Chris Jaeger, MD is currently a pediatric urology fellow at Boston Children's Hospital.  He is a recent graduate from the Ohio State urology residency where he co-created and implemented a 12-week wellness program for the residents.  Chris shares his experience with the research protocol, thoughts on institutional wellness, and identifies "priority domains" highlighted by his work and reflected in his daily wellness practice.  An excellent episode especially for trainees as they transition from residency to fellowship (or beyond).  And great for anyone involved or interested in a surgical trainee's experience.