Faculty Factory

Whether you refer to it as “imposter syndrome” or the “imposter phenomenon,” one thing is abundantly clear: you are not alone when it comes to dealing with it as a professional in academic medicine. This week on the Faculty Factory Podcast, we are blending together two incredible interviews from our archives that dissect this phenomenon with the precision and evidence-based arguments we cherish here on our podcast for a very special “best of” episode. First up, we hear from Cynthia Rand, PhD, who discusses imposter syndrome and how it can impact leadership roles in academia, including the tendency for individuals to make dispositional attributions to others and situational attributions to ourselves—which can exacerbate feelings of being an imposter. Next up, it's Donna L. Vogel, MD, PhD, who joined the Faculty Factory to share timeless advice on dealing with imposter syndrome, centered around her succinct takeaways for overcoming it over the long term as a faculty member. Both interviews we've clipped for this “best of” broadcast can help faculty members (especially those who are transitioning into a new role) and this advice is applicable to overcoming imposter syndrome in any environment. Interested in hearing the full conversations from these episodes? Click on the links below to explore each episode in its entirety: Episode 197 – Imposter Syndrome and Leadership Roles in Academia with Cynthia Rand, PhD Episode 84 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome with Donna L. Vogel, MD, PhD

Susan Matulevicius, MD, MSCS, a national expert on resilience and work-life integration, joins the Faculty Factory Podcast this week for a discussion to help us better deal with life’s inevitable stumbling blocks. Dr. Matulevicius serves as Associate Dean of Faculty Wellness and is a Professor of Internal Medicine, Cardiology, at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. To help us think about how to create professional well-being in academic medicine, she discusses the 5 Ps: Person Purpose Path Prioritization Permission “When you get down to it, our values generally align with our purpose, and it helps us refocus when we encounter those little stumbling blocks that life puts in our way,” she said. She also touches on the value of understanding your purpose in relation to Self-Determination Theory, which is an important paradigm related to this conversation. With reassurance, Dr. Matulevicius warmly reminds us midway through the conversation of something we all need to hear occasionally: “Sometimes it’s okay to not be okay." “Life and work are not always predictable, and sometimes your emotions aren’t predictable in the moment. It’s okay to recognize that you need more support to help you through that moment,” she said.  Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/Susan-Matulevicius

This week on the Faculty Factory podcast we welcome Vicki Freeman, PhD, MASCP, MLS(ASCP)cm SCcm, FACB, for an exploration for staying professionally active alongside some common challenges to at least be aware of in retirement from full time faculty life. Dr. Freeman is a professor emeritus and former tenured chair in the Utmb Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences. She's also the former associate dean for faculty development for the School of Health Professions. She was also a Distinguished Professor and a former Minnie Stephens Piper Professor. She was the director of the renowned UTMB Academy of Master Teachers among her many other contributions and positions held through her illustrious career in academic medicine. Her decision to retire was influenced by family and the challenges posed by COVID-19. She doesn’t see retirement as an endpoint but as an opportunity to pivot toward rest and other meaningful activities. It also serves as a nice way to avoid some of the workplace politics she no longer is obligated to navigate. “I’m just not interested in putting up with the politics anymore and when the politics start getting involved, I know it is time to check out,” she told us. Learn more: http://facultyfactory.org/vicki-freeman 

Joseph E. Losee, MD, MBA, FACS, FAAP, is Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a leading pediatric plastic surgeon. He discusses the Four R's of leadership: responsibility, regulation, resilience, and relationships. Losee emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence and executive presence in effective leadership, highlighting how charisma can shape first impressions. He advocates for work-life integration and continuous self-improvement, urging listeners to invest in their personal growth across these essential dimensions.

Conflict, stressors, broaching difficult conversations, and learning to say no—these are some of the “spookiest” challenges we've identified and addressed over the years on the Faculty Factory Podcast. Since our 2019 inception, we've explored how to handle these issues with confidence and grace, featuring a series of incredible interview guests. We’re excited to share highlights from five of these conversations with four different guests in this week’s episode. Since today is October 31st, we're delighted to present this “Best Of” episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast, showcasing some of the  most “spooky” challenges in academic medicine. These may be the things keeping you up at night, but rest assured, they are common and manageable. This “Best of” show includes highlights from the following episodes: Episode 299 – Best Supporting Practices and Strategies for Stressed-Out Learners and Faculty with Jessica Seaman, EdD Episode 79 – Managing Difficult Issues with Charles G. Irvin, Ph.D., DE, ATSF, FERS Episode 75 – How to Handle Conflict with Dave Yousem, MD, MBA Episode 72 – The Art of Navigating a Difficult Conversation with Dave Yousem, MD, MBA Episode 46 – Prioritizing and the Art of Saying No with Jennifer Haythornthwaite, PhD Interested in hearing the full conversations from any of these episodes? Click on the links above to explore each episode in-depth. About Today’s Speakers Jessica Seaman, EdD, serves as Assistant Professor of Medical Humanities, Co-Director of the Gold Track Curriculum, and Assistant Dean of Faculty Development at Creighton University School of Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. Jennifer Haythornthwaite, PhD, has joined the Faculty Factory for memorable episodes over the years with important feedback for our audience when it comes to time management and much more. Dr. Haythornthwaite is a professor in the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md Charles G. Irvin, PhD, DE, ATSF, FERS, is a Professor of Medicine, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Vice Chairman for Research Department of Medicine and Director of the Vermont Lung Center at the University of Vermont. He was named Associate Dean for Faculty for the College of Medicine in 2012. Dave Yousem, MD, MBA, is a frequent contributor to the Faculty Factory Podcast. He serves as Associate Dean for Professional Development at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is also the Vice Chairman of Program Development at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution.

Judy Tung, MD, an Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and expert in faculty development, discusses her innovative Leadership and Academic Medicine Program (LAMP). She highlights the importance of leadership skills for faculty well-being and retention. Tung explains the eight key leadership behaviors that enhance engagement and illustrates how role-playing and simulations can prepare faculty for real-world challenges. With a focus on transparency and trust, Judy advocates for evaluating faculty development programs to foster growth in academic medicine.

Lekshmi Santhosh, MD, MAEd, an innovative leader in medicine, joins our Faculty Factory Podcast this week to discuss building an array of mentors, each playing a different role in your life and career journey in academic medicine. She also encourages us to challenge conventional definitions of mentoring throughout this conversation. The concept of matrix mentorship invites us to explore the metaphor of a “bouquet of mentors,” which is a central theme of the interview. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Santhosh is an Associate Professor of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine and Hospital Medicine. She serves as the Department of Medicine’s Associate Chair for Mentorship and People Development and is the Associate Program Director for the internal medicine residency program at UCSF. She also holds the title of Gold-headed Cane Endowed Education Chair in Internal Medicine. Her passion for mentoring trainees, early-career faculty, and peers shines throughout this discussion. “Just knowing that one mentor is not going to be able to meet all your needs is really important,” Dr. Santhosh emphasizes. Thank you to a dear friend of the Faculty Factory, Joshua Hartzell, MD, MS-HPEd, FACP, FIDSA, for recommending Dr. Santhosh as a guest on our show. It was a very memorable and special debut on the Faculty Factory Podcast for her. You can revisit our leadership conversation with Dr. Hartzell: https://facultyfactory.org/joshua-hartzell/ And of course, if you have a guest you’d like us to invite for a conversation on our podcast, please send us a message: https://facultyfactory.org/contact-us/

With mergers and acquisitions (M&As) potentially reshaping the landscape of academic medicine, we are honored to welcome Elza Mylona, PhD, MBA, to this week’s episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast to explore this emerging trend. Dr. Mylona is the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development and also serves as a Professor of Foundational Sciences at Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In this timely discussion about a topic that impacts everyone the institution undergoing a merger or acquisition touches, we examine the economic and demographic pressures driving many of the M&As in academic medicine and beyond. Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

Carla L. Spagnoletti, MD, MS, has some promotion portfolio gems of wisdom for our listeners in her return to the Faculty Factory Podcast this week. At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dr. Spagnoletti serves as Professor of Medicine and holds the George H. Taber Endowed Chair in General Internal Medicine. In addition, she is the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, the Associate Division Chief for Education in GIM, and the Associate Director of the Masters and Certificate Programs in Medical Education within the Institute for Clinical Research Education. As discussed in this interview, there are many reasons why clinical faculty should seek promotion. However, clinical faculty often climb the ranks more slowly than their research counterparts. While Dr. Spagnoletti concedes that this is probably due to multiple factors—such as rigorous and competing clinical duties, a lack of understanding of the process, and not always seeing tangible incentives for pursuing promotion—it became clear that something needed to be done. Therefore, Dr. Spagnoletti set out to help faculty overcome the final hurdle in promotion: building a promotion dossier or portfolio. She helped form a supportive group to assist faculty in submitting and building this portfolio so they can initiate the promotion process. At her institution, this group is called the Promotion Portfolio Club (PPC). As a true clinician-educator, she designed it as a curriculum based on a few core theories commonly used in medical education. “One of the participants in a recent club told us, ‘I'm eternally grateful, as I can only imagine this task would have been incredibly daunting had I gone it alone,’ and that really captures the main reason why we started this project,” she said. Learn more: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

We are honored to have Farzana Hoque, MD, MRCP, FACP, FRCP, return to the Faculty Factory Podcast this week. This is her third appearance on the podcast, and this time she joins us to discuss her recently published article in the Journal of Brown Hospital Medicine entitled “WISE Framework: Teaching Guide for Early Career Hospitalists.” The article is based on the WISE Framework, which she formulated and discusses in depth during today’s chat. As she notes at the start of the interview, it is applicable to all specialties, not just hospitalists. She currently serves as an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. She also co-directs the Medicine Sub-Internship at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Additionally, she is the Medical Director of Bordley Tower at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Dr. Hoque’s previous two interviews with the Faculty Factory can be found here: Emotional Intelligence (EQ) for Unlocking Leadership Potential: https://facultyfactory.org/eq-leadership/ Embracing Culture Over Strategy: Lessons Learned in Academic Medicine: https://facultyfactory.org/farzana-hoque/ “After several days of thinking, I came up with this WISE framework. W stands for Watchful Observation; I for Insightful Awareness; S for Specific Feedback; and E for Empathic Communication,” she told us. Read Dr. Hoque’s recent article in the Journal of Brown Hospital Medicine entitled “WISE Framework: Teaching Guide for Early Career Hospitalists”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40191700/. You can follow along with her guidance and clinical tips for residents and fellows, and much more by subscribing to her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.FarzanaHoque.