Real MD

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.   

This episode of the RealMD podcast took place at the AAMC national Learn Serve Lead conference in Seattle this past November. I get to talk to one of my greatest collaborators, colleagues, and friends, Shira Kaplan who is the Director of Leadership Programs at the AAMC. We discuss why leadership development is so important during medical school and how institutions can get started. This episode is also about creating meaningful partnerships. When two passionate people connect on a shared area they care about, change can happen.

Joseph Grenny is a mentor and friend. His work as a researcher, author, and business owner has helped countless professionals level up their abilities to lead teams, navigate conflict, and influence change. In this episode, we talk about his career path, two of his books (Crucial Conversations and Influencer), and thinking at scale which means having a belief or calling that as individuals we can do large scale work that impacts the world. He has an incredible ability to translate his experiences into medicine and tell stories to illustrate. Most of all his lifelong commitment to training for the work he is doing now to help change the lives of criminals, drug addicts and unsheltered populations is inspiring. 

Medical school moves very fast and it is great when we can take a moment and process the experience. In this episode, I sit down with second year medical students, Blake Findley and Alizah Folau, they also both serve as RealMD leaders. We talk about what it’s like for them right now in med school, how their reasons for pursuing medicine have evolved, keeping their “why” alive, and a national conference called RISE that they both attended last summer. What struck me most was the idea of bringing humanity into medicine and what that looks like now and in their future. So great to sit down and catch up. 

This episode is a rebroadcast of an interview from the AAMC's Learn Serve Lead Conference in Nashville last November, 2022. It features a conversation between Dr. Adina Kalet, the Director of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for Transformation of Medical Education at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Dr. Tom Hurtado from the University of Utah.

Storytelling is a basic need and central to community building. Medical education can be pretty selfish in that people have to focus on building themselves, but being a medical care provider is fairly selfless in that you're caring for whomever might come before you. RealMD brought storytelling to the University of Utah to create a space to practice some of the listening that medicine requires and as an opportunity to take interest in the lives of the people around us. The theme on this storytelling night was “In Transit.” People were encouraged to share stories about arriving in unexpected places, life taking unexpected turns, and meeting someone on the go. We hope you enjoy four of the stories we heard that night.

Dr. Sara Stern wears a lot of hats and enjoys having a wide of variety of roles. In addition to being a Pediatric Rheumatologist, she is a faculty member, researcher, and RealMD coach. She also recently took on a new role as faculty co-director professional identity formation. In this episode, I love how she talks about taking risks to grow and Navigating dark spots to create the life she wants. In her journey, she found people who believed in her before she believed in herself and when she was at a crossroads they helped her take control and move forward. 

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing two founding members of the Utah Medical Orchestra, MS4 AnnaLeah Larson and MS3 Heather Smith. The MSO, as they call it, is a rapidly growing volunteer orchestra composed of students, professionals, and staff in the healthcare community in Salt Lake City who hold large scale performances each semester and also perform as ensembles for patients. In this episode I talk about Heather and Annaleah’s journeys into music and medicine, what is transferable, and their passion to stay connected to the musical community. One transferable skill that I was particularly struck by is the concept of listening and yielding. Classical musicians are in a constant state of adjustment to the people around them, listening and being humble enough to yield as needed. In medicine we must recognize that to do our individual parts well, we also need to listen, recognizing the contributions that are occurring around us, and yield as to the expertise and strengths of others. From an identity formation perspective, I also connected with their individual process of claiming and reclaiming their musical identities. I can appreciate on a personal level the literal dusting off of an instrument and reawakening an important part of who you are. So often, when we are handling the rigors of life, we can forget to claim the parts that bring us joy and replenish us for the long road ahead. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Dr. Katherine Anderson is a geriatrician who advocates for her patients and a developer faculty, she knows how to build people up. In this episode, she shares light bulb moments throughout her professional journey including how she “fell into” her specialty, how she navigates being a “yes” person, and how she goes about setting life goals. I was struck by the wisdom she receives from her patients to not have regrets and prioritize family and the things she cares about now. This life philosophy has helped her navigate struggles including her recent journey as a patient. It is clear that Dr. Anderson cares about staying true to who she is no matter the context. 

Dr. Francis Filloux is a pediatric neurologist and faculty member at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. In recent years, Dr. Filloux has become an amazing RealMD coach and loves working with students as they navigate the inevitable uncertainties of medicine. He treats students like they are family. I think this is the take home message from our conversation. As you navigate your life and career, you will struggle with uncertainty and when you do there are people who will emerge who can help you. Fran’s story about his career demonstrates this. He also offers such strong reassurances: It’s okay to feel uncertain; you will get through it; and there are people who will help you.

Today’s episode features Erica Rojas. She is a colleague of mine who I really appreciate working with. Erica wears a lot of hats at the school of medicine including her roles as a learning specialist in the academic success program, Associate Director of the PROMISE2U  program, and teaching multiple undergraduate courses all while pursuing her PhD in education and being a mother. What stands out to me is how clear much she loves learning and helping all students, particularly underrepresented populations. She is passionate about her work and her story as a first generation student is powerful, she truly wants to take what she learned as a student and help students navigate the system. What came through loud and clear is that everyone feels like an imposter, that we have to work to manage these

Trisha and I had a great conversation about life as a medical student and staying grounded. We covered a lot in our interview but what struck me is her wisdom including the connection her life purpose has to her family, creating authentic relationships, learning how to lead, and bringing her culture including all intersecting identities with her wherever she goes. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

This week’s episode features Dr. Ivette Lopez. She earned her PHD in population health and from the moment she began her journey, she knew that everything she does from research to outreach would be for the benefit of the diverse and vibrant communities she has served for past three decades. Dr. Lopez tells her story of finding meaning in her career and talks about how our medical students have a unique opportunity to learn by working alongside community health workers.

This week’s episode features Dr. Mark Harris. He serves at the University of Utah as the Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education, Associate Chief Medical Officer, and Designated Institutional Official of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. We discuss his journey as a first-generation medical student in Glasgow, Scotland to coming to the US and switching specialties. Mark also talks about his love of academic medicine and improving professional identity development of residents. Lastly, Mark talks about how being a drummer makes him a better physician.

This week’s episode features guest host Savannah Gelhard. She is a third-year medical students and serves as a RealMD facilitator. Savannah had a chance to sit down with fellow third-year Erik Tokita. He was driven to medicine by a desire to help those in his community. Throughout medical school, he has focused on balancing the rigorous workload with enjoying life and having fun with his classmates through memes.

This week’s episode of the RealMD podcast features Dr. Sara Wikstrom. She is an internal medicine physician and faculty member at the U of U and strong advocate for students and residents. In this episode we talk about her journey and connections she made to medicine. She also shares how she navigated choosing a specialty.

Dr. Susan Sample has dedicated her career to creating spaces for narrative in medicine. She has a PhD in Communication and directs the Initiative in Narrative, Medicine, and Writing at the Center for Health Ethics, Arts, and Humanities at the University of Utah Health Sciences. She is assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Writer-in-Residence at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). In this episode, we talk about what narrative is, how it fosters self-knowledge, and the value of hearing stories as well as writing your own. She also shares her journey into narrative medicine and affirms as stated by Dr. Rita Sharon that Self-knowledge is “the physician’s most potent therapeutic instrument.”

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger interview Christina Tushman and Shira Kaplan about conflict management in medical leadership and medical education. They share their insight working with a large network of medical schools across the country. We talk about the importance of communication for working effectively with teams and succeeding in medicine. 

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger interview Dr. Robert Glasgow about how it is possible to be a surgeon, hold administrative leadership positions, and still make it to your kids’ events and then home for dinner most nights.

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger interview Dr. Dale Hull about overcoming hardship, treating individuals as a whole, and the importance of "non-task touching." Dr. Hull tells his personal story of spinal cord injury rehabilitation as well as the founding of Neuroworx. We also talk about the value of a Masters in Public Administration, learning how to run a non-profit, and what physcians can learn from being a patient.

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger interview Dr. Peter Chalmers about how he decided on a career in orthopaedics over other surgical options, how he chose his residency program out of several impressive options, and how research can allow a physician to have a much wider impact on patients around the world.

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger interview Dr. Tom Hurtado about identity & leadership development, graduate populations, and how to answer the question of "Why am I here in Med School?".

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger interview Tony Tsai about advising others, tracking new ideas, and helping connect people with their purpose. 

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger interview Dr. Sara Lamb about working smarter, not harder, and making things happen. 

As we gear up for Season 3 next month, we are posting throwback episodes from the first season (formerly called: Unleashing the Doctor Within) that started it all. In this episode, Sam and Bridger give an introduction to the podcast and let our listeners know what to expect from this season.