The Doctor's Art

How do we care for patients when medicine can no longer cure? Physicians are trained to extend, preserve, and restore life, but medicine takes on a different meaning when the goal shifts from finding a cure to providing comfort. Few understand this better than Shekinah Eliassen, CEO of George Mark Children's House || Center of Excellence in Pediatric Palliative Care – the first freestanding pediatric palliative care center in the U.S. After losing her first child to a terminal brain condition, Shekinah transformed her grief into purpose, dedicating her career to ensuring that children with life-limiting illnesses receive care infused with dignity, love, and meaning. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, we explore: ?? What palliative care truly means and why it’s more about living than dying. ?? How George Mark Children’s House creates a home away from home where children can spend their final days surrounded by love and making the most of the time they have left. ?? Common misconceptions about palliative care and the limiting factors that currently prevent pediatric palliative care from expanding.? ?? How to navigate difficult conversations with families facing unimaginable loss. ??? How rituals, memory-making, and presence can bring meaning to the final days of a child’s life. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/dQ8vMnt2 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dPcKjqPP If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share it with your friends and colleagues. For more conversations on meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, visit thedoctorsart.com. #PalliativeCare #ChildLife #RespiteCare #MedEd #TheDoctorsArt #MeaningInMedicine

What does it mean to be an effective physician leader in today’s evolving healthcare landscape? Physicians are trained to diagnose and treat disease, but not always to lead. Yet, as administrative burdens grow and physician burnout rises, leadership skills have never been more essential. Peter Angood MD, president of the American Association for Physician Leadership?, has spent years helping doctors build the skills to lead in an increasingly complex system. After years of making life-or-death decisions in the operating room as a trauma surgeon, he turned his focus to transforming patient safety at The Joint Commission and championing #PhysicianLeadership. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, Dr. Angood discusses: ?? Lessons from the trauma bay—what it takes to stay calm and be decisive in life-or-death situations. ???? Why all physicians are leaders and how to strike a balance between patient safety, teamwork, and physician autonomy. ?? The importance of unlearning outdated mindsets and why humility, self-awareness, and adaptability are key to effective physician leadership. ?? How physicians can bridge the gap with hospital administrators and the key skills doctors should develop to lead meaningful change. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/drRtQsdt Spotify: https://lnkd.in/duKvQ5na If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share it with your friends and colleagues. For more conversations on meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, visit thedoctorsart.com. #Leadership #MedEd #MeaningInMedicine #TheDoctorsArt

Is #PrecisionMedicine truly the future of healthcare, or are there glaring pitfalls we've been overlooking? We’ve been told that tailoring treatments to our genetics will revolutionize healthcare, reduce costs, and eliminate disparities. But has any of that actually happened? We sit down with Jim Tabery, author of Tyranny of the Gene: Personalized Medicine and Its Threat to Public Health, and professor at University of Utah to critically examine the promises—and drawbacks—of precision medicine. As Professor Tabery argues, the relentless pursuit of precision medicine may be distracting us from more fundamental public health priorities—like addressing the environmental and social factors that drive disease in the first place. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, Professor Tabery discusses: ?? How his father’s experience with targeted cancer therapy led him to critically examine the promise of precision medicine. ?? Why personalized medicine is driving up healthcare costs instead of lowering them. ?? The ethical challenges of collecting genetic data from diverse populations under the promise of reducing healthcare disparities. ??? The role of #AI in the story of precision medicine, and how we should be wary of the unexplored risks of the AI revolution that hide behind the hype and big money that fuel it. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/d3SmhQXD Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dC88vvU7 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share it with your friends and colleagues. For more conversations on meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, visit thedoctorsart.com. #Genomics #PublicHealth #MeaningInMedicine #TheDoctorsArt

Meet Sonia Vallabh, a trailblazing prion researcher and co-founder of the Prion Alliance. After losing her mother to a rare genetic prion disease and discovering she inherited her mother's mutation, Dr. Vallabh and her husband, Eric Vallabh Minikel, left their former careers to embark on a race against time, becoming scientists dedicated to developing a cure. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, Dr. Vallabh discusses: ??The emotional journey of grappling with her mother’s rapid and mysterious decline due to prion disease and learning of her own diagnosis. ?? How she and her husband transitioned from lawyer and engineer to researchers leading a prion disease lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard ?? What prions are and the groundbreaking work her lab is doing to develop therapies for prion diseases. ? Reflections on living with urgency, the preciousness of time, and their deep impact on what it means to be human. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/dS_zjk2H Spotify: https://lnkd.in/d5VbR-xJ To learn more about Sonia’s work and the Prion Alliance, visit: https://lnkd.in/gUVDVEwy www.prionalliance.org If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share it with your friends and colleagues. For more conversations on meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, visit thedoctorsart.com. #Neuroscience #RareDiseases #Genetics #Neurodegenerative #MeaningInMedicine #TheDoctorsArt

Meet Judge David S. Tatel, a distinguished federal judge on the D.C. Circuit and civil rights lawyer. Judge Tatel has dedicated his career to advancing voting rights, educational equity, disability rights, and protections for marginalized communities—all while navigating the challenges of progressive blindness due to #retinitispigmentosa. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, Judge Tatel discusses: ?? His experience being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager. ??? How he navigated law school and building a legal career while gradually losing his vision. ??? Visual elements of life that he misses, how he now "experiences" vision, and how his family plays a crucial role in helping him visualize the world. ?? Reflections on the state of democracy in the United States and the unique challenges it faces going forward. ?? How his guide dog, Vixen, has transformed his life, giving him new independence and changing his perspective on his blindness. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/drrDBrJz Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dqSgFik9 To learn more about Judge Tatel's career and his journey with retinitis pigmentosa, check out his new book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice: https://lnkd.in/dGwp6v5W If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share it with your friends and colleagues. For more conversations on meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, visit thedoctorsart.com. #Democracy #CivilRights #Law #Disability #Healthcare #TheDoctorsArt #MeaningInMedicine

We are thrilled to share that The Doctor's Art has received a Bronze Award for Best Podcast Series in Health & Wellness at the 2024 Signal Awards! ?? Thank you to our incredible guests, listeners, and everyone who supports our mission to explore meaning in medicine and the art of healing. Here’s to more meaningful conversations ahead! https://lnkd.in/eXva7wKi

Bryant Lin has spent years advocating for lung cancer research in Asian American communities, and now, he is courageously using his personal journey with stage IV lung cancer to teach the next generation of healthcare professionals.?In a truly unique and inspiring course at Stanford, he offers his students a deeply moving perspective on life, illness, and the practice of medicine. Two years ago, we had the honor of having Dr. Lin as a guest on our podcast. Together, we discussed his career journey, his dedication to the medical humanities, and why medical innovation should integrate patient stories. Though our conversation occurred prior to his diagnosis, his insights on the importance of human connection in medicine are now more powerful than ever. With this course, Dr. Lin continues to embody the compassion and strength that have defined his career as a physician and educator. Listen to our conversation with Dr. Lin here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/d3ZnvQjK Spotify: https://lnkd.in/d9EGkVKD

Meet Dr. Rachel Clarke, a palliative care physician in the NHS, 3x?bestselling author, and former broadcast journalist. Dr. Clarke entered medicine after a career in journalism, discovering along the way that her gift for language and storytelling became one of her most powerful tools in comforting patients through their most vulnerable moments. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, Dr. Clarke discusses: ?? Her unconventional journey from journalism to medicine and how both careers have influenced her practice of palliative medicine. ?? The profound impact of conversation and storytelling in helping patients and their families confront mortality, suffering, and loss. ??Why suffering and love are inextricably linked, and how confronting death can lead to deeper connections and transformation. ??? What drives her moral commitment to palliative care and how she helps medical trainees develop empathy and humanity alongside clinical skill. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/eaKapdZJ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJKGbhyU To learn more about Dr. Clarke's work, including her new book, "The Story of a Heart," check out: https://lnkd.in/eCHKUzjr If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share it with your friends and colleagues. For more conversations on meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, visit thedoctorsart.com. #PalliativeCare #Hospice #Medicine #Journalism #Healthcare #TheDoctorsArt #MeaningInMedicine

Meet Joseph Sakran, a trauma surgeon and Director of Emergency General Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. At 17, Dr. Sakran was shot in the throat by a stray bullet, an experience that nearly cost him his life and transformed his future. Today, he is a passionate advocate for gun violence prevention and a leader in public health initiatives addressing this urgent issue. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, Dr. Sakran discusses: ?? His harrowing experience of being shot and undergoing life-saving emergency surgery as a teenager, and how these events inspired him to become a trauma surgeon. ?? How his injury has informed his general outlook on life, the way he interacts with patients and their families, and his future ambitions. ?? Why it's important for healthcare workers to engage in advocacy, especially through storytelling, and some impactful strategies to do so. ???? The "Four Ps" that guide his clinical practice and advocacy and how this philosophy can be helpful for medical trainees. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/d3hTDP6X Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dkcJrFvV If you liked this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share our episodes with your friends and colleagues. To engage in more conversations about meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, check out thedoctorsart.com. #Trauma #TraumaSurgery #PublicHealth #Medicine #Healthcare #MeaningInMedicine #TheDoctorsArt

Meet Euan Ashley, a cardiologist and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. He is renowned for his pioneering work in precision medicine and #genomics, which has helped transform how we understand and treat disease. In this episode of The Doctor’s Art, Dr. Ashley discusses: ??How accompanying his parents on house calls as a child and witnessing a beating heart in medical school fueled his lifelong aspiration to become a doctor. ?? The promise of #PrecisionMedicine, where treatments are tailored to an individual's genetic makeup, and its potential to prevent diseases before they appear and revolutionize how we treat rare genetic disorders. ?? His optimistic view of artificial intelligence models in healthcare, including their ability to bring expert medical care to underserved populations, and his concerns about accuracy and bias in AI-driven care. ?? The importance of seeing patients as whole people with lives beyond their diagnoses, and how that perspective brings meaning to his work in the cardiac ICU. Listen to the episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/dejP_aeX Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dtVUDuXH If you liked this episode, please follow us on LinkedIn and share our episodes with your friends and colleagues. To engage in more conversations about meaning, humanism, and progress in medicine, check out thedoctorsart.com. #Cardiology #Medicine #BioTech #AI #MeaningInMedicine #TheDoctorsArt