Faculty Factory

Joining us on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week is Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, FACP, FAAAS, FAIO, highlighting the importance of reciprocal mentorship in academic medicine where both mentor and mentee contribute and grow. In addition to her role as a prolific mentor, Dr. Jaffee is the Dana and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli Professor of Oncology, the Deputy Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, the Co-Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program, and the Inaugural Director of the Cancer Convergence Institute. Encouraging empowerment, Dr. Jaffee prompts mentees to actively engage, bringing forth their own agendas and aspirations. Beyond institutional confines, Dr. Jaffee actively seeks opportunities to inspire and guide others, finding joy in witnessing their growth. Navigating the responsibilities of research and mentorship, she tackles academic challenges with a dedication to nurturing talent. Her approach serves as a beacon for aspiring mentors and mentees alike, promoting honest communication, proactive engagement, and the celebration of everyone’s unique journey. Programming Reminder As of April 2024, our podcast has amassed nearly 92,000 total downloads and YouTube views from listeners across 95 countries. The Faculty Factory website has garnered over 42,000 web visits from users spanning 122 countries. Truly an international platform, we extend an invitation to you, or someone you believe our academic medicine community should hear from, to join us as a guest on the show. Visit the Contact Us page on FacultyFactory.org to send us a message or reach out directly to our host, Dr. Skarupski, at kskarupski@jhmi.edu.

Are you “doing” teaching, or are you being a teacher? When it comes to teaching in academic medicine, there is a fundamental difference, and we must lean into building a skillset that reflects the latter, as we learn in this week’s edition of the Faculty Factory Podcast with Karen Moniz, MEd (HSE), PhD(c). Karen emphasized the critical distinction between merely 'doing' teaching and embodying the role of a teacher, drawing from her extensive experience as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta. She previously served as the Faculty and Staff Development Program Director at that institution from 2018 to 2023. She highlighted the intrinsic value of teaching within medical education, stressing its implications for patient care, quality, and safety. Through personal anecdotes and observations, Karen illuminated the challenges faced by clinical teachers, particularly in navigating the complex and demanding clinical environment while simultaneously engaging in teaching activities. Karen is a major proponent of elevating the visibility and recognition of teaching within academic institutions, suggesting that valuing teaching not only benefits individual educators but also enhances patient outcomes and institutional success. When we value teaching it becomes a true win-win for all stakeholders in our community. Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/

We explore the transition from academia to industry and the challenges and opportunities that arise in this week’s edition of the Faculty Factory Podcast, with our guest Ludy Shih, MD, MMSc. Dr. Shih currently serves as Associate Professor of Neurology in the Department of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Shih has facetiously referred to her journey as “To the Dark Side and Back.” While we are major proponents of keeping our sense of humor here at the Faculty Factory, Dr. Shih’s story is truly one of bravery. Her journey serves as a blueprint for anyone in our field of academic medicine considering transitioning to industry. As Dr. Shih's story illustrates, returning to your academic roots is often feasible, even if your exploration of industry isn't what you ultimately want for your career. Equipped with newfound experience, you can seamlessly transition back to academia. We applaud Dr. Shih for joining our show to share her wisdom! Perhaps you'd like to join us as a guest or sponsor someone whom you believe we could learn from. You can contact our show by sending us a message at https://facultyfactory.org/contact-us/ 

Our friend, Guadalupe Federico-Martinez, PhD, also known as “Dr. Lu,” joins us this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast for a discussion about promoting various aspects of healthy behaviors among our faculty. Dr. Lu is a wellness counselor and consultant who coaches programs related to organizational culture and the promotion of healthy behaviors for better sustainability. She previously served as faculty at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, where she held positions as Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs and Career Development, as well as Associate Professor of Internal Medicine. An active member of the AAMC’s Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA), Dr. Lu spent 17 years at the University of Arizona before beginning her journey as a wellness counselor. You can reach Dr. Lu via email here: GMartin150@gmail.com At the heart of Dr. Lu's philosophy is the recognition that faculty members are multifaceted individuals with diverse needs and responsibilities. Too often, the focus in academia is solely on professional achievement, neglecting the importance of physical, emotional, and social well-being. Through her work as a wellness counselor and consultant, Dr. Lu aims to address this imbalance by guiding faculty members in navigating the complexities of their personal and professional lives. For more enriching podcasts and resources, please visit: https://facultyfactory.org/

Valerie Dandar, Director of Medical School Operations at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Department of Academic Affairs, joins the Faculty Factory Podcast this week to discuss the StandPoint™ Faculty Engagement Survey and some of its important findings. The StandPoint™ Faculty Engagement Survey (formerly called Faculty Forward) is a research-validated survey specifically aimed at the academic medicine community. You can learn more about StandPoint™ here: https://www.aamc.org/services/member-capacity-building/standpoint-surveys/faculty-engagement-survey As Valerie notes in this interview, the survey is voluntary and inclusive of academic medicine staff members, in addition to faculty. According to Valerie, "We have seen in our research statistically significant jumps in areas where schools put action plans and resources in place. Faculty and staff perceptions have gotten better over time and retention has improved which is really the point of doing this work." The survey findings are also known for very high response rates, in the range of 60% to 80%, according to Valerie. For more Faculty Factory resources, visit our website: https://facultyfactory.org/

The saying “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast” comes to mind as a theme of today’s conversation with Johnson George, MBA, PMP, CAHIM, on the Faculty Factory Podcast. This famous axiom underscores the importance of precision, consistency, and maintaining control as you go about your daily responsibilities and tasks. Relationships and human connection are to be key characteristics for our future leaders, as the frenetic pace of working in academic medicine can often make us feel like we're just robots plowing through to-do lists. We’re excited to welcome back Mr. George for today’s episode. He currently serves as Assistant Dean - Administration and Faculty Affairs at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School. Congratulations are also in order for Mr. George for being named chair-elect of the AAMC’s Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA) Steering Committee, as mentioned in today’s broadcast. Overall, Mr. George’s takeaway for our community of faculty development and faculty affairs personnel is that the future is bright for our next generation of leadership. Other themes explored in today’s conversation include: Intention vs. Impact. “What got you here won't get you there.” Community-building and empathy. Adapting to the changing times as leaders. Navigating generational differences and a multigenerational workforce with emotional intelligence. Catching Up with Johnson George, MBA, PMP, CAHIMS Did you know? This is not his first appearance on the podcast; it’s been nearly five years, though, since we heard from him on an episode from 2019 called “Catching up with Johnson George, MBA, PMP, CAHIMS.” Johnson brings an information technology background and thus an engineering-type mindset to his various roles in academic faculty affairs. Alongside leading with empathy, his unique background was a theme we explored in-depth on our podcast the first time Mr. George joined us. You can explore that episode here: https://facultyfactory.org/catching-up-with-johnson-george-mba-pmp-cahims/ You can also contact him here: Johnson.george@uth.tmc.edu

Joining us this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast is Robert Tillman, PhD, as we explore how developing high levels of self-efficacy can help make the challenges we face in academic medicine easier to overcome. With Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Dr. Tillman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education, Innovation & Technology. He also serves as the Director of Professional Development and Mentoring in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and as an Assistant Dean in Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development with Baylor. In this episode, he kicks off his inaugural appearance on our show with an insightful exploration of self-efficacy. “When we’re doing something we really like and we have a high level of self-efficacy, the challenges become easier to overcome,” he told us. As mentioned in today’s chat, if you work regularly with a coach, mentor, or someone else who assists you along your journey, it could be helpful to explore what sources of self-efficacy you need with them and even try to develop a checklist. Dr. Tillman will be joining us this spring for more episodes as we look forward to learning more incredibly insightful and helpful faculty development content from him. Please stay tuned to our podcast for new episodes every Friday, as he will be back soon! Self-efficacy boils down to believing in oneself, and in academic medicine, we can accomplish much more when we understand the sources of self-efficacy we need to flourish and discover how we can obtain it. Please visit our website for more resources: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

It may not be surprising to those of us working in academic medicine, but teaching can be cathartic, and there are strategic ways to embrace how it contributes to our wellness. That's essentially the thesis behind this week's episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast, featuring our guest Lyuba Konopasek, MD. Dr. Konopasek is Senior Associate Dean for Education at Frank H. Netter School of Medicine of Quinnipiac University. As Dr. Konopasek tells us in this interview, she is a “pediatrician first and a medical education nerd second.” As it will become clear by listening to today’s interview, within her career she has conducted a lot of research around wellbeing. Dr. Konopasek offers us two foundational tips for efficient and effective teaching. Not only do these tips aim to bring joy to the teacher, but they also bring joy to the learner due to the reciprocal gain in these healthy learning environments. Similar to having a healthy coaching relationship, an effective teacher tends to start from a place of curiosity while withholding judgement. Another hallmark of a healthy teaching environment is knowing who your learner is and adapting your teaching style accordingly. Tune into the full episode to learn more about today’s episode, and as always, we encourage you to visit us at FacultyFactory.org for more resources: https://facultyfactory.org/

This week, Farzana Hoque, MD, MRCP, FACP, FRCP, joins the Faculty Factory Podcast for her first appearance, and it’s a memorable discussion spanning some of the most important aspects of self-care. Dr. Hoque is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine and the Co-Director of the Medicine Acting Internship at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. She also serves as the inaugural Medical Director of Bordley Tower at SSM Health, Saint Louis University Hospital, and she is President of the Society of Hospital Medicine’s St. Louis Chapter. Dr. Hoque shares her unique journey as an international medicine graduate, a person of color in academic medicine, her experiences with promotion, lessons learned, emotional intelligence for physician leaders, and details about her vibrant and rapidly growing YouTube channel. You can visit her YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.FarzanaHoque To get in touch with Dr. Hoque: https://farzanahoquemd.com/ “People are the greatest asset. If people do not admire or trust us, we won’t be able to get anywhere. People skills are the greatest skills for anyone, especially for a woman of color in academia, and really in any industry,” she told us. When it comes to emotional intelligence, a gem of advice we receive from Dr. Hoque is that it’s important to take a pause, think logically, and avoid the emotions that might overtake your clear decision-making process during a challenging moment of stress. Visit FacultyFactory.org: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

Our friend Susan Pollart, MD, returns to the Faculty Factory Podcast this week with an interview highlighting the importance of supporting faculty at different career stages, with a strong focus on later career transitions. She currently serves as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development and the Ruth E. Murdaugh Professor of Family Medicine Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Dr. Pollart joined our podcast in two previous episodes, and you can catch up on those interviews here: A Faculty Factory Interview with Susan M. Pollart, MD, MS: https://facultyfactory.org/susan-pollart/ Graceful Self-Promotion for Advancing Your Academic Medicine Career: https://facultyfactory.org/self-promotion/ Congratulations are in order for Dr. Pollart, as she was awarded the AAMC’s 2023 Carole J. Bland Phronesis Award. You can learn more about that here: https://news.med.virginia.edu/honors-awards/susan-m-pollart-md-awarded-aamcs-phronesis-award/ Dr. Pollart emphasizes the value of creating flexible models that allow individuals to adjust their engagement levels based on personal circumstances, reducing burnout and increasing overall career satisfaction. The discussion touches on the concept of an Emeritus academy and explores the idea of a phased retirement approach. Furthermore, this insightful conversation with Dr. Pollart underscores the necessity of adapting institutional structures to meet the evolving demands of faculty members throughout their careers. Resources Mentioned: Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace With Today's Nontraditional Workforce book: https://www.amazon.com/Mass-Career-Customization-Workplace-Nontraditional/dp/1422110338 The Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program: https://drexel.edu/medicine/academics/womens-health-and-leadership/elam/ Learn More Visit FacultyFactory.org: https://facultyfactory.org/