Road to Resilience

Oncologist Gabriel Sara, MD, is a maniac about the truth. Whether delivering a tough diagnosis, or sharing his feelings with colleagues, he refuses to sugarcoat. It's a lesson he learned as a medical intern in war-torn Beirut, where the truth was a matter of life and death, and over the years it's become central to his practice. On this episode, Dr. Sara talks about how he uses radical honesty to build trust, empathy, and resilience. Dr. Sara is Medical Director of the Chemotherapy Infusion Suite and Executive Director of the Patient Services Initiative at Mount Sinai West. Enjoying Road to Resilience? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. And help us bring you more great stories by completing a 5-min listener survey. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Links:Dr. Sara's homepageHematology-Oncology Infusion Center at Mount Sinai WestMount Sinai Cancer Services TeamDivision of Hematology and Medical OncologyThe Helen Sawaya Fund (Dr. Sara is co-founder and director)Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

When writer Marisa Bardach Ramel was a teenager, her mother, Sally, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Amid the sadness and uncertainty that followed, they made an extraordinary decision to write a memoir together. Now, almost 20 years later, The Goodbye Diaries: A Mother-Daughter Memoir, has at last been published. On this episode, Marisa talks about how cancer strained and ultimately strengthened her relationship with her mother, and reflects on how the act of writing brought them closer together when it mattered most. Enjoying Road to Resilience? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Help us bring you more great stories by completing a quick listener survey. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

Parenting trends come and go—remember “tiger” moms?—but the challenge of raising resilient kids remains as critical as ever. How can we make sure our children respond to stress in a healthy way? And how do we support our kids without becoming “snowplow” parents? Aliza Pressman, PhD, a developmental psychologist and co-founding Director of The Mount Sinai Parenting Center, makes the case for “authoritative” parenting, which researchers have linked to the most positive outcomes for kids. Since it takes a village to raise a child, we think you’ll find Dr. Pressman’s insights valuable whether you’re a parent or not. Dr. Pressman is also co-founder of the SeedlingsGroup, a team of educators and psychologists that helps clients navigate the challenges of parenting, as well as the host of the parenting podcast Raising Good Humans. Enjoying Road to Resilience? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Help us bring you more great stories by completing a quick listener survey. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

Learning to overcome your fears is a key stepping stone to becoming resilient. But it’s easier said than done. Fear memories—from agonizing missteps to traumatic experiences—have a way of haunting us. On this special Halloween episode, Mount Sinai neuroscientist Anthony Lacagnina, PhD, takes us inside the brain to understand why. Dr. Lacagnina’s work helps explain why fear memories are so tenacious and raises the possibility of treating them with surgical precision. Dr. Lacagnina is a postdoctoral fellow in the Clem Lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-host of the podcast Brain Matters. Enjoying Road to Resilience? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Help us bring you more great stories by completing a quick listener survey. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

George flees anti-gay violence in his native Ghana and seeks asylum in the United States. This is the story of what happens next. Featuring Elizabeth Singer, MD, MPH, director of the Mount Sinai Human Rights Program. The program provides medical evaluations to support the claims of victims of human rights abuses who are seeking asylum in the United States. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) provided legal services to George. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

A new study has found that optimists have a substantially reduced risk of cardiovascular events and premature death compared to pessimists. Lead author Alan Rozanski, MD, explains why optimists are healthier than pessimists, what optimism really means, and how to start seeing the glass half-full. Dr. Rozanski is a cardiologist at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Help us bring you more great stories by completing a quick listener survey. Enjoying the podcast? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

Nobody knows what was in the dust cloud that blanketed Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. But we’re increasingly sure about the health consequences, including asthma, PTSD, and cancer. On this episode, a 9/11 health expert and a volunteer responder talk about what it was like to work at Ground Zero, what we know about 9/11-related illnesses, and what their experiences taught them about resilience.Help us tell more great stories by completing our listener survey. Enjoying the podcast? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Links:Michael Crane, MD  World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence at Mount SinaiMedical Monitoring Exam (YouTube) Monitoring Exam at the WTC Health Program at Mount Sinai (YouTube)Mount Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational HealthWorld Trade Center Health Program (official homepage)New York City’s 9/11 Health Website9/11 Environmental ActionServing Those Who ServeFealGood Foundation EMDR International AssociationMusic by BlueDot SessionsCheck out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

Five kids. Four Grammy nominations. One pear-sized brain tumor. When a life-threatening diagnosis turned comedy writer/director Jeannie Gaffigan’s life upside-down, she and her husband, comedian Jim Gaffigan, turned to faith, family, and of course—humor. Jeannie's new memoir is “When Life Gives You Pears" http://bit.ly/2HqD5KU. Joshua Bederson, MD, Chair for the Department of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Health System, performed the surgery that saved Jeannie's life http://bit.ly/2MFEX6E. Help us tell more great stories by completing our listener survey (http://bit.ly/2knrxzR). Enjoying the podcast? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/2Nve2Kt). Recorded at CDM Studios in New York City. Music by BlueDot Sessions.Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

Mount Sinai researchers have published the first large, empirical study examining the mental health of children in immigration detention. Co-authors Craig Katz, MD, and Priscilla Agyeman, MPH, talk about what they found and what it means for all of us. More about the study (http://bit.ly/2yl3swP). The Mount Sinai Human Rights Program (http://bit.ly/2OqPRyL). Dr. Craig Katz (http://bit.ly/2yrHo3r). Help us tell more great stories by completing our listener survey (http://bit.ly/2knrxzR). Enjoying the podcast? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/2Nve2Kt). Music by BlueDot SessionsCheck out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.

Overwhelmed by grief for patients who had died, an oncology fellow embarks on a self-care journey that leads to unexpected places. Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD, Director of Quality for Cancer Services at the Mount Sinai Health System, shares the ritual she uses to process loss, offers tips on having hard conversations, and reflects on the end of life. // Dr. Smith's profile: (http://bit.ly/2LfeBHh). Help us tell more great stories by completing our listener survey (http://bit.ly/2knrxzR). Enjoying the podcast? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/2Nve2Kt). Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.