Faculty Factory

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/

Beatriz Tapia, MD, EdD, MPH, is our guest on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week as we discuss the evolving academic medicine landscape and the role of faculty development programs in ensuring success for faculty while keeping up with these changes. Dr. Tapia is the Interim Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Assistant Dean of Faculty Development & CME, and an Associate Professor, Pediatrics, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine. The AAMC’s Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA) has played a crucial role in organizing and coordinating these efforts. We applaud the volunteers contributing to the GFA, including Dr. Tapia and many others! You can read Dr. Tapia's AAMC presentation: "Assessing the Role of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development Offices in the Contemporary Academic Medicine Landscape."  “We are seeing changes in terms of developments of new schools, and we saw an opportunity to really ask, who constructs an Office of Faculty Affairs and what are the current roles and have they changed?” she told us. It probably comes as no surprise that research and hard work are at the forefront of determining the next steps for faculty development and the role and tactics of the faculty affairs department to ensure we keep up with the changing times. Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/ 

Eric S. Holmboe, MD, is our guest this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast as we talk all things “outcomes-based approaches.” Dr. Holmboe previously served as Chief Research, Milestone Development, and Evaluation Officer with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In October 2023, he was named CEO of Intealth. “You want to make sure you’re meeting the needs of the public and the community you are serving, and the ultimate outcomes are about how well are we caring for the health and health care of the people we serve,” he told us. Please visit the FacultyFactory.org website for more information:  https://facultyfactory.org/

Today’s Faculty Factory Podcast includes a mock, role-play coaching session as Rachel B. Levine, MD, MPH, joins our show to discuss embracing a coaching mindset. As a recurring guest on our show, this is Dr. Levine’s fourth time as a guest on our podcast. She currently serves as a Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Faculty Educational Development with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Office of Faculty Development. While listening to today’s coaching demo, pay attention to the coach’s use of 'curious questions,' which are fundamental to a productive coach-coachee relationship. "A curious question is a question only the person being asked the question knows the answer to," Dr. Levine said. Some Key Resources Related to Today’s Episode: International Coaching Federation’s Core Competencies  Career Development Coaching Camp  Faculty Factory Coaching Services Please be sure to catch up on the previous Faculty Factory interviews with Dr. Levine here: Organizational Savvy, Relationships, Followership, and Sponsorship with Rachel B. Levine, MD, MPH Educational Competencies with Rachel B. Levine, MD, MPH Thanks for being a loyal listener to the Faculty Factory and please submit a suggestion for a topic you would like us to cover or nominate a guest for us to interview by contacting us here. When you are done listening to today's episode, please make sure to more resources on our website: https://facultyfactory.org/