Sri Radhakrishnan matched into general surgery last March. We had an opportunity, post Match Day celebrating, to talk about his identity as a leader and how it informed his specialty choice. A core aspect of Sri’s leadership style is the desire to create and support community. He talks about realizing a need for deep connection when his class started medical school during the pandemic. To me, Sri reminds us all of the value of community and also realizing who you are as a leader begins and ends with listening and serving the needs of those around you.

Adam Sharp is CEO of Galvan Health and his journey to this point is uniquely his own. His path started out as a business undergrad, playing on the U of U basketball team, and an unexpected pivot to medical school. Residency led to a surprising interest in research coupled with a desire to change the way patients access and use data to better inform their decisions. Adam’s journey reminds us that the twists and turns give us the greatest lessons. His story speaks to the challenging task of aligning our head with our heart in order to trust ourselves, keep our family and friends close, and make an impact through our work.

Dr. Brian Stagg is an Ophthalmologist and clinician scientist. In this episode, we talk about his experience during residency, feeling happy with his specialty, and still burning out. Brian talks about how in that moment, he started asking himself important questions that led to a life changing self-reflection process. This conversation reminded me how important it is to remember and hold onto your stories when the future is unclear, this allows the past to help inform the future. 

Sadie Robinson is in her second year of emergency medicine residency, she is a former RealMD facilitator, and U of U Alum. In this episode we look back at her time in medical school, the process of choosing her specialty, and formative experiences that helped her grow. We also look forward to her current role and the things that bring her meaning. Throughout Sadie’s journey she has noticed the value of taking time to process experiences and build community. Most of all, the message that she encourages is to give yourself grace. In whatever stage of training and during the inherent challenges you will face along the way. 

Dr. Beth Vukin has spent the last 20 years as a pediatric hospitalist in an academic setting. Her medicine, as she puts it, is talking to people and listening to the words they use. Lately, this has translated into her own podcast called Real Talk with Kid Docs. We had such a great conversation and I was struck by her story of being undiagnosed while practicing medicine. She went from having a clear path to dealing with uncertainty and this has changed her perspectives, reprioritizing her values. Beth also reminds us how important it is to take care of ourselves and that it’s okay to notice when your batteries are low, take a break, regroup and then figure out your next steps. 

Eli Bunzel is a fourth year orthopedic resident who helped start the RealMD program. It is so great to stay connected to former students who made RealMD possible. In this episode, we reminisce about the early days and also how the program impacted his own journey. Eli talks about navigating the hurdles of medical school by remembering his strengths and nurturing deep relationships with mentors who advocated for him. His message of doing the internal work to discover his purpose is a much needed message during medical school. Our job is to find and hold on to our strengths and be willing to ask for help along the way. He also reminds each of us that no one is expecting you to have it all figured out (except maybe you) and sometimes you have to get out of your own way to pursue life’s work. 

Mike Aldred is one of our House Advisors and a long time member of the Student Affairs Team. One thing is for certain, Mike loves working with medical students. In this episode he talks about the process of finding yourself. Both in the context of his own journey into education and his work helping students find their own career path. For Mike, it always comes down to knowing and applying your strengths. I also include a recording of Mike at a recent RealMD storytelling event where he talks about finding his way.

I have been cheering on the side lines for Maci Winn ever since she started medical school (I of course cheer for all our students.) I love Maci’s story, she is an MDPhD student and competitive weightlifter. I have been inspired by her ability to pursue two things she loves and how she is willing to both try and accept failure in order to do so. In a profession like medicine, we need more of this mentality to not put your life on hold to pursue medicine but to carve out space for the things you love while becoming a physician. It doesn't mean that at certain points you can do it all, but we must not put off who we are and the things that bring us joy to a faraway future time. Maci’s story is still a work in progress and it doesn't need to have a happy anecdote or have a polished ending. Like all of us, she is a work in progress. Thanks for sharing your message that you would rather risk failure than not try. I hope this episode reaches those who need it! 

For this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Gretchen Case. Her career is fascinating and shows us there are more opportunities and pathways than we think there are, if we can broaden our thinking. She is committed to an interdisciplinary education through her work as Director of the Center for Health Ethics, Arts, and Humanities, as a faculty member in internal medicine, and the department of theater. We talked about so many things but what comes up for me is the idea of rethinking failure. When you make a change in your life or experience a shift in your career interests, it doesn't have to be defined as failure, comparisons with peers are not helpful, you are just finding your own way. Also, so much of what we learn on our nonlinear journeys is not wasted but can be transferable if we allow it. Gretchen’s stories and life journey followed a thread that has worked well for her, not to say it has been easy but she has clearly found joy. I will bring her back again cause there is more to talk about. 

Dr. Andy Smith is a clinical care pediatrician, faculty member, and course director at the U. He is also a great, authentic human who you won’t forget after meeting. In this episode, we talk about how he built his career but I think curated is a better word. He did this through a variety of experiences as an EMT in Chicago before medical school as well as helping Aids patients in Malawi and amazing clinical experiences in rural locations to pursue his why: to take care of the sickest patients. But for Andy, his ultimate goal is to practice the kind of medicine where can be fully present. This desire carries over into his family life and all the work he does. We also talk about recently launching SCoPE (a 6 week introductory course for medical students) and being willing to make big changes that help students build a closer knit community right from the start. Bottom line: I love working with Andy and yes it was hard to stay on topic (stay on for the bloopers at the end!). Thanks in advance to Ali and the time she spent editing this episode.