

Succeed in Medicine
Bradley B. Block, MD, Doctor Podcast Network
Was your medical education enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship.
This medical podcast fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. This show is the physician mentor you didn’t realize you needed.
Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice.
You don’t need another certification. You need a medical podcast that can be your physician mentor. It covers interpersonal skills, medical education, doctor personal finance, doctor charting, doctor careers, doctor mental health, physician soft skills, physician parenting, physician executive skills, medical decision making, medical professional development, physician side gigs, main gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, negotiating and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”
Guests have included Lady Glaucomflecken Kristen Flanary, Matt Abrahams, PhD, Gita Pensa, MD, Nneka Unachukwu, MD, Amy Fogelman, MD, Bapu Jena, MD, PhD.
A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!
This medical podcast fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. This show is the physician mentor you didn’t realize you needed.
Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice.
You don’t need another certification. You need a medical podcast that can be your physician mentor. It covers interpersonal skills, medical education, doctor personal finance, doctor charting, doctor careers, doctor mental health, physician soft skills, physician parenting, physician executive skills, medical decision making, medical professional development, physician side gigs, main gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, negotiating and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”
Guests have included Lady Glaucomflecken Kristen Flanary, Matt Abrahams, PhD, Gita Pensa, MD, Nneka Unachukwu, MD, Amy Fogelman, MD, Bapu Jena, MD, PhD.
A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 5, 2022 • 49min
Positive Philosophy: Ancient and Modern Wisdom to Create a Flourishing Life with Sanj Katyal, MD
Dr. Sanj Katyal is a radiologist and a student of positive psychology. He wrote the book that he wished he had read 20 years ago and he in order to share what he has learned with us. He combines the philosophy of the ancient stoics and Bhagavad Gita with the relatively new, science-backed positive psychology to help us live our best lives. We cover the trap of hedonic adaptation and how this applies to physician finances and how this concept can cause an initially exciting profession to become mundane, and how to resist this. We also discuss why we should all be meditating, practicing gratitude, and negative visualization – picturing yourself without to appreciate what you have. Our discussion just scratches the surface and for more, read the book to learn how to achieve what the stoics called eudaimonia – the state of human flourishing. Dr. Katyal holds a Bachelor of Science with University Honors in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Medical Degree from New York University School of Medicine. He is the Founder of Positive Psychology Program for Physicians and President of Optimal Life Imaging Group, PC. Dr. Katyal also holds certifications in Positive Psychology and Positive Psychology Coaching from Whole Being Institute. He has published and lectured extensively on well-being and the Science of Happiness to audiences ranging from college students to physicians. His research interests include developing a new model of optimal wellness incorporating principles from psychology, organizational leadership, health neuroscience and medicine. He is also investigating the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions on physician wellness/burnout. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at La Roche College teaching the class “How to Flourish: Lessons from Positive Psychology”. He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller Positive Philosophy: Ancient and Modern Wisdom to Create a Flourishing Life released in the fall of 2018. Dr. Katyal lives with his family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His hobbies include kayaking, writing, and traveling.
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Apr 1, 2022 • 39min
Private Equity Healthcare Deal Structures with AJ Shekar and Scott Davis of Provident Healthcare Partners
Provident Healthcare Partners is a healthcare specific investment banking firm whose services include mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing, and strategic advisory. On today’s show, we welcome back Directors AJ Shekar and Scott Davis. AJ is responsible for business development and deal execution across a range of services industries. During his tenure, he has advised dozens of companies that are considering strategic alternatives including strategic mergers and private equity recapitalizations. Scott leads transactions across a wide range of healthcare services sectors, focusing on business development, marketing, negotiation of deal terms, and due diligence efforts. This is a follow-up to our first interview from back in January where we covered the advantages of selling, even early or mid-career vs. trying to scale up a practice using your own capital. On today’s interview we talk about the standard deal structures and some of the variations they’ve seen. They also clear up a number of misconceptions that I had. Ultimately, private equity is playing the long game and physicians talk to each other, so if we feel like we’ve been taken advantage of, their model doesn’t work.
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 29, 2022 • 57min
It's Tyme to Watch Out for Lyme with Daniel Solomon, MD
Because borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete; a spiral! A little mnemonic device for the med students. Dr. Daniel Solomon is an infectious disease doctor on staff at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He went to med school at Yale, and then did both residency and fellowship at the Brigham, although fellowship was combined with Mass General, where he was on the HIV Clinician Educator track. He is actively involved in improving care at the intersection of injection drug use and infectious diseases, where he integrates addiction treatment and infectious disease care to improve infection and addiction related outcomes. He also teaches clinical reasoning at Harvard Medical School, and is a course director for the Harvard ID in Primary Care CME course, giving talks on immunizations and Lyme Disease. We start off talking about the measles outbreak, but the main focus of the talk is Lyme disease and it is chock full of useful information. We discuss the presentations of primary Lyme, early and late disseminated, the treatment and work-up. We discuss prevention in light of the fact that we both have 3-year olds that run around outside in Lyme endemic areas. We end by discussing how the presentation of Lyme can be missed, the symptoms hard to appreciate, and the tests sometimes difficult to interpret, but he helps us parse through all that and we end by differentiating chronic Lyme from post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, one of which is recognized by the CDC and infectious disease community. Find this and all episodes on your favorite podcast platform at PhysiciansGuidetoDoctoring.com Please be sure to leave a five star review, a nice comment and SHARE!!!
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 25, 2022 • 33min
Medical Education in a Video Game with Eric Gantwerker, MD, MS, MMSc, of Level Ex
Eric Gantwerker, MD, MS, MMSc (MedEd), FACS is a pediatric otolaryngologist at Cohen Children's Hospital at Northwell Health/Hofstra, associate professor of otolaryngology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, and vice president, medical director at Level Ex. Level Ex is a medical video game company that utilizes game technology and psychology to create interactive educational experiences for healthcare professionals. As the medical director, he oversees all the medical and educational functions of the company including strategy, design and development, and efficacy studies. We talk about video games, which is his favorite role-playing game and first-person shooter. OK, not really. We talk about the origin of Level-Ex, how he became a part of it, and the advantages of practicing challenging colonoscopies on your phone. Dr. Gantwerker holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) in medical education with a focus on educational technology, educational research, cognitive science of learning, and curriculum development from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Science in physiology and biophysics from Georgetown University. His clinical focus includes complex aerodigestive disorders, airway reconstruction, children with tracheostomies, persistent obstructive sleep apnea, and quality improvement.
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 22, 2022 • 45min
Introduction to Multifamily Real Estate Investing with Cherry Chen, MD
Dr. Cherry Chen, the Real Estate Physician discusses this potential source of stable, predictable, passive-income as an alternative to investing in the stock market. We discuss how she made her foray into this field, the tax advantages of real estate investment, why she chooses multi-family commercial real estate via syndication over crowdfunding or individual units, and how picking a syndication is like picking a doctor. http://therealestatephysician.com https://www.facebook.com/TheRealEstatePhysician/
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 18, 2022 • 19min
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Physicians? with Moshe Safran of RSIP Vision
Moshe Safran is the CEO of RSIP Vision U.S. He leads RSIP’s business development for the United States, which represents the company's largest market. Moshe works with the company’s partners to power their products and services by developing AI and computer vision modules. He also oversees customer communication and project management, while providing expert guidance in algorithm development, planning and execution of new projects. We discuss the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare, like which specialties are being the most affected, where he sees it taking us in the next decade, how they collect the data for machine learning, and how, as always, if something goes wrong, the liability falls solely on our shoulders. He is an experienced R&D leader in computer vision algorithms, from hands-on research and implementation to project management and business development. Moshe received his BS in physics and a graduate degree in computational neuroscience from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 15, 2022 • 41min
The Frugal Physician Discusses Frugality, Frugalness and How to Dance the Frug
In residency, we have to live with less. Less money. Less time. Less dignity. And after finishing, we are rewarded for our herculean efforts with higher income. Sometimes the time and dignity come back, too. In today’s episode, the Frugal Physician and I discuss the pitfalls that can come with that increased income and how falling into the materialistic abyss brings with it more financial stress and often less happiness. We discuss her journey to frugality and lessons learned along the way. https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 11, 2022 • 40min
Why is Palliative Care Underutilized? with Dr. John Mulder
Dr. John Mulder currently serves as the Executive Director for Trillium Institute, Chief Medical Consultant for Hospice and Palliative Care for Holland Home, and the Executive Director of Palliative Services for University of Michigan Health-West in Grand Rapids, MI. We talk about how he got started in palliative care, well before it was a recognized subspecialty, how the specialty has changed, and he helps to clear up some confusion about who should be referred to palliative care. We also discussed how more palliative care referrals can improve outcomes and decrease the cost of care and what systemic changes can help. Dr. Mulder has an appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine where he serves as the Director of the Division of Palliative Medicine, and he is currently the Director of the Mercy Health Grand Rapids Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program. He is also a member of the board of directors for the data analytics firm, Acclivity Health.
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 8, 2022 • 42min
Your Awesome Medical Device Idea with Michael Graffeo of Fluidform
Michael Graffeo, CEO of Fluidform, is a senior executive with a proven track record in the commercialization of innovative medical technology. Throughout his career, he has gained extensive experience translating highly complex devices and clinical data into successful businesses, both in the US and globally. Mike holds a BS in Engineering Physics and an M.Eng in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, as well as an MBA with high distinction (Baker Scholar) from Harvard Business School.
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

Mar 4, 2022 • 34min
Changing How We Think About Difficult Patients with Joan Naidorf, DO
We all have patients who frustrate us and we consider “difficult” because they don’t follow the rule book for good patient behavior. You will never change their behavior but the good news is that you can actually change the way you think about difficult patients. Dr. Joan Naidorf is a board-certified emergency physician and has practiced for nearly thirty years in the busy emergency departments of Inova Alexandria Hospital and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia. She recently published a book entitled Changing How we Think About Difficult Patients: a Guide for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals, so this is what we are discussing. We discuss ways to reframe interactions or change perspectives on patients that cause our blood pressure to elevate before we even walk in the room. Maybe it is a certain diagnosis or complaint that does this to us, or a frequent flier that never seems to get better. Dr. Naidorf gives us some techniques for grounding our thoughts and helping us empathize again. As an author and speaker, she has been sharing important ideas with students, residents and practicing physicians through various online and direct engagements. Dr. Naidorf trained at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. She was recently appointed to the editorial advisory board of The DO magazine.
This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! Disclaimer:This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.