The Our Stories Podcast

What a delight to present a podcast conversation with Dr Nate Wilson, one of HMO's newest faculty members. In this podcast you will get to hear about Dr Wilson's enthusiasm for multiple medical specialties, and how he found his way to oncology, and then melanoma. Interest in helping people, taking care of the whole person, was instrumental in his choice of medicine as a career, and his specialization was inspired by many thoughtful mentors in MI and TX. Outside of cancer care, Dr Wilson is able to renew his energy and protect his wellbeing with family time and exercise which have been lifelong practices for him (both his origin family in MI, growing young family in ATL). Dr Wilson shares with us his remarkedly kind thoughts about HMO and WCI, as well as his plans for practicing whole person medicine going forward. How lucky we are to have Dr Wilson with us!

HMO Wellness is excited to present a conversation with one of our new neuro-oncologists, Laura Donovan, MD, in this episode of the Our Stories podcast. In this episode you will get to hear about Dr Donovan's journey into medicine, a plan she had since childhood, and then into neurology and eventually to the space of caring for people dealing with brain tumors. One of her mentors in NYC was instrumental in helping her "frameshift" into a mindset of having skills to help people create and deal with "plan B," the plan you have to make with cancer becomes part of your life. Dr Donovan is looking forward to working with the entire neuro oncology team and recalls fondly her days of being an Emory medical student when she experienced the "collegiality and camaraderie" of the Emory community. When not in clinic, you may find Dr Donovan exploring Atlanta's beltline, restaurant scene or taking in a sporting event. We are lucky she has made the move from NYC to Atlanta to be part of our team!

HMO Wellness is so pleased to present a conversation with the new Director of Survivorship Services, Neil Iyengar, MD. Dr Iyengar comes to Atlanta via Chicago, where he grew up, and then New York, where he did his training in oncology. In Chicago Dr Iyengar was brought up by parents who encouraged his interest in science, in particular physiology (a science museum with a walk-through heart helped), and his pediatrician who role modeled a way to learn about people and use scientific knowledge to take care of them. In New York Dr Iyengar was inspired to study oncology through the lens of lifestyle medicine during a time the obesity and cancer connection was becoming a targeted area of research and intervention. The opportunity to implement survivorship programs for Winship, as well as the lovely tree canopy of Atlanta, convinced Dr Iyengar and his family (twin 7-year-olds!) to move to Atlanta this year. Please enjoy this podcast and then be sure to introduce yourself to Dr Iyengar!

The Our Stories podcast series is pleased to present a conversation with Kevin Bonney, PhD, one of the newer HMO faculty members. In this podcast you will get to hear about Dr Bonney's journey to Atlanta by way of Michigan where he grew up, to Chicago for schooling at Northwestern and then NYC where he worked at NYU developing a passion for teaching. Here at Emory Dr Bonney will be working in HMO (alongside Dr Larry Boise), the School of Medicine (alongside Dr Holly Gooding) and the Laney Graduate school to help evaluate and develop educational programs for learners throughout the training spectrum. Outside of work Dr Bonney is able to recharge with time in nature, taking long walks, or hitting the gym. He has already experienced some welcoming Southern greetings from Emory staff and faculty, and let's continue to offer these to Dr Bonney and each other as we cultivate good energy in our workspaces.

HMO Wellness is pleased to share a conversation with Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, PhD, who graciously shares her story with us for this episode of the Our Stories Podcast. Dr Barnholtz-Sloan comes to Atlanta after work in Cleveland, South Florida and at the NCI. Her training was in Texas with time spent in Austin and then Houston where she got her PhD in biostatistics. She was draw into STEM at a young age (first in her family!) and had several mentors who guided her to work in health care sciences during the exciting time of the human genome project was becoming central to research in science and medicine. With her move to Atlanta,  Dr Barnholtz-Sloan looks forward to working with team members to help advance their scientific inquiry as we continue to translate data into medical care and statistics into information that helps patients and families dealing with cancer. In this episode you will her about how Dr Barnholtz-Sloan tends to her own wellbeing including walking (she's an early riser!) with her dog (a lab), and practicing Pilates. Take a listen and then be sure to send Dr Barnholtz-Sloan a warm welcome to Winship and Atlanta!

How fortunate we are to have Lisa Sudmeier, MD, PhD, record her story for this episode of the HMO Wellness Our Stories podcast. To kick of the podcast Dr Sudmeier shares how her mom’s work as a nurse, and the appreciation patients had for the work her mom did, inspired her to go into health care. Great mentors in training at Wash U in St Louis and then in Wisconsin (her home state) encouraged Dr Sudmeier to follow her interest in both science and patient care where she felt she could have the broadest impact on the cancer fight. Persisting in the research space has been difficult, especially given the time and cost of high quality research, but Dr Sudmeier’s commitment to “moving forward with making human life better,” and having “fantastic” colleagues and trainees to mentor, makes the hard work worthwhile. Dr Sudmeier feels so confident in the treatments available at Winship, that when her father needed cancer care, she had him come here to WCI (recording unfortunately missed this remark). Many thanks to Dr Sudmeier for persisting in the difficult space of research which is so vital to patients and families dealing with cancer!

HMO Wellness is excited to share the latest episode of Our Stories podcast, a conversation with Troy Grant, MHA, manager for Financial Planning and Analysis. Get ready to hear about Mr. Grant's journey from accounting to healthcare operations which started right out of college in Florida. Thankfully Mr. Grant had a great experience with a talented and caring mentor in his first job, a relationship that lasted for years. Since coming to Atlanta, Mr. Grant has seen, experienced and learned much from work in multiple different spaces including Tenet physician services, Emory Clinic North and now the ever-expanding enterprise of HMO which started with just one clinic/infusion space in building B and in Midtown. Trusting, high quality, relationships with coworkers has been a key component of Mr. Grant's joy in his job. When not caring for our department's financial wellbeing, Mr. Grant spends time in nature (especially a cabin in north GA) and time with his family, including 2 kids who have followed his footsteps into similar careers. Take a listen and so you may learn more about one of HMO's most dedicated team members!

Shipra Gandhi, MD, MS, one of HMO's newest faculty members, has graciously shared her story in this episode of the HMO Wellness Our Stories podcast series. Enjoy hearing about Dr Gandhi's inspiration for going into medicine and oncology including growing up in India with multiple medical family members where she noticed the impact you might have on people's lives by working as a physician. Oncology provided just what Dr Gandhi wanted in a career, an opportunity to be in a close relationship with patients as they navigate ever evolving cancer treatments and celebrate wins like finishing treatment and ringing the bell. Outside of clinic, Dr Gandhi enjoys time with family including her two young daughters who love playgrounds and are excited about their first winter in Atlanta after 13 years in Buffalo. Given her dedication to patients' quality of life and commitment to team-based care, Winship has done well to recruit Dr Gandhi! If you have not done so already, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome Dr Gandhi to HMO!

HMO Wellness is proud to present a conversation with Nishi Shah, MBBS, MPH, who is a physician scientist in our hematology division. Given the positive experiences as a young person training at Emory, and a love for Atlanta (shout out to Piedmont Park), Dr Shah joined the myeloma faculty group after training in Arkansas and New York. In this podcast Dr Shah shares her early formative experience watching her father advocate for community members and connecting them with people who could help during difficult times. Going into medicine felt like a "next level" way to be of service to the community, and oncology provided Dr Shah an opportunity to work in a challenging field that also provided a since of fulfilment given the treatments we are able to offer patients who come to Winship from all over the southeast. Work life balance is an ongoing effort, but when she is home with her two kids Dr Shah tries to focus on teaching small skills and enjoying reading to them. For new trainees and faculty, Dr Shah offers this wisdom, "take it slowly, build connections," there are "tremendous resources" here, you just need to find your niche.

HMO Wellness is pleased to present another Our Stories podcast, this time with Jacob Berchuck, MD, a newer member of HMO who is taking care of patients with GU cancers, engaging in clinical research and collaborating with oncologists across disease groups. In this episode, Dr Berchuck shares his journey into medicine which began as a young person going to clinic with his grandfather. His interest in taking care of patients dealing with cancer grew from experiences in his family when all four of his grandparents' lives were affected by cancer. Although dealing with a cancer diagnosis is challenging, Dr Berchuck finds hope in the progress that has been made in treatment modalities. When not in clinic or the lab, Dr Berchuck enjoys being part of the Atlanta community (especially the Decatur square given the popsicles & bookstores that delight his kids). Thanks for taking a listen and congratulating Dr Berchuck on his first year in HMO!