WarDocs - The Military Medicine Podcast

The Heart of Healthcare Leadership with Maj Gen (Ret) Paul Friedrichs, MD- Ten Good Minutes on Leadership

Aug 20, 2025
Retired Major General Paul Friedrichs, MD, former Director of the White House Office on Pandemic Preparedness, shares invaluable insights on healthcare leadership. He emphasizes keeping patients at the heart of healthcare decisions and the power of gratitude among medical teams. Paul recounts a touching experience from Fallujah that illustrates the need for resilience in healthcare. He discusses the balance between adhering to standards and fostering innovation in military medicine, while suggesting noteworthy leadership books and the importance of mentorship.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Patient-Centric Leadership

  • Keeping the patient as the central priority prevents healthcare teams from losing their way.
  • All decisions and actions should derive from serving those who trust us with their care.
ADVICE

Use Gratitude To Strengthen Teams

  • Say thank you frequently to recognize and reinforce great team performance.
  • Then improve the environment so the team can deliver even better care the next day.
ANECDOTE

The Worst Day At Balad

  • In Fallujah 2 at Balad they received 73 combat casualties in 24 hours and still lost a patient Paul was leading.
  • He describes the leadership choice to acknowledge failure, then rapidly pivot to treat the next patients who depend on you.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app