Wellbeing Checkup - Season 9

Kate Boatright, VMD, reflects on being a female in a veterinary leadership role and provides her best advice for other women in the industry on overcoming common challenges and taking time to care for yourself. She also shares what the awareness month means to her, women who inspire her, and much more.

Tosin Smith, MD, a glaucoma specialist with Glaucoma Associates of Texas in Dallas, shares 3 self-care tips that fellow surgeons may find helpful for managing work-life balance, burnout, and physician wellness.

Registered dental hygienist and consultant Brandi Hooker Evans, RDH-ER, MHE, MAADH, advises dental professionals on how just a small lifestyle change like going for a walk rather than scrolling on the phone can have lasting positive change.

Recently appointed as Medical Director of Oncology at Thyme Care, Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, speaks with The American Journal of Managed Care on what patients with cancer should expect from value-based care (VBC) providers, as well as recommendations for VBC providers when expanding to new communities.

Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, chief of the Division of Oncology and Hematology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and co–editor-in-chief of the journal ONCOLOGY, discusses how she combats stress and burnout, the importance of living a rich and satisfying life outside of work, and how she and her colleagues maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Maria T. Abreu, MD, discusses how important it is for doctors to take some time out of their day everyday to unwind and think.

Jennifer M. Taylor, MD, MPH, provides advice on how physicians can avoid burnout based on her discussion that took place at the Society of Women in Urology Annual Clinical Mentoring Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Millicent McCarren, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Allegheny Health Network, spoke with Contemporary OB/GYN about the many challenges in getting younger patients into the office earlier for their annual woman visits. McCarren also discusses the importance of these early visits, why adolescent girls are delaying their well woman visits, and how health care providers can mitigate these challenges.

Rebecca Silbermann, MD, MMS, discusses the drug combination from the phase 3 GRIFFIN study and how it showed health-related quality of life improvement in patients with multiple myeloma.

This segment talking about the health impact of being on a plant-based diet. Author Denise Stegall, who wrote the book: "Healthy Living, Happy Life- A Practical Path to Finding the Healthy Lifestyle that Works for You", discusses how to implement a plant-based diet, offers some resources on finding recipes, and the ancillary benefits associated with being on a plant-forward diet such as aiding with climate change.

Amy Spizuoco, MD, talks about the ever growing problem of doctor burnout in the US, how she personally tries to combat it, and the advice she has for both patients and other clinicians to try to stay positive and present in your practice.

Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, explains how a lack of diversity in your workplace can affect your overall wellbeing and mental health. He also offers some solutions for how you can support BIPOC staff members in your clinic or hospital.

Harneet Kaur Walia, MD, and Manmeet Singh Ahluwalia, MD, talk about their love, careers, family, and how they balance it all.

It is common for physicians to mask their emotional distress in front of colleagues and patients, making it crucial for clinicians to be on the lookout for signs of distress among their peers, according to Rebekah Bernard, MD, family physician and national speaker on physician wellness and practice management. Dr. Bernard shares common signs of emotional distress to be aware of, discusses how to start a dialogue about mental health with a colleague, and offers 3 suggestions for physicians on connecting with peers and caring for their own wellbeing.

Cindy Jackson, DO, FAAP, discusses staying physically fit through horseback riding. Jackson has been horseback riding since she was a kid and believes that people who start horseback riding as a child can continue doing so throughout their lifetime.

Recently appointed as vice chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s (NCCN) new Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Directors Forum, Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, a thoracic surgeon and assistant professor at City of Hope, speaks with The American Journal of Managed Care on advice she would give to resident doctors and other health care professionals just entering the health system in promoting health equity in their practice and managing marginalized communities.

Preventative care is an important part of maintaining your health and wellbeing. Colleen Patel, PharmD shares her definition of preventative care, its importance, and her favorite ways to practice it. As a pharmacist and financial coach, Patel believes some of the best investments you can make are in your mental and physical health.

We often hear about Fear Free environments for pets in the veterinary space. However, on this episode of “Wellbeing Checkup,” Dr. Peter Weinstein, president of PAW Consulting, described his concept of a Fear Free environment for employees as well. This promotes a safe, comfortable workplace for all free of hostility and toxicity, improving staff members’ mental health and ultimately, helping to provide the best care to patients and clients.

Sisters Michelle Pearlman, MD, and Amy Pearlman, MD, recently left their careers in academic medicine to start a private practice together. In this episode, they share why they made this move and emphasize the importance of self-care.

When it comes to maintaining a personal touch with telehealth appointments, appropriate patient selection is key, explains Krupal Patel, MD, MSc, FRCS(C). Patel and his team also conducted research on both patient and providers’ opinions of telehealth, and found that many providers actually still felt connected to their patients, even if their visits were virtual. Similarly, patients also felt that they had better connection to their clinicians, highlighting that telehealth could be a fantastic option that offers more flexibility for both patients and providers.

Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC, is an infection preventionist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL discusses how she handles burnout herself by reading and walking her puppy. She describes how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected morale and burnout in her colleagues.

Jeff Andrews, MD, details why it’s important to get regular tests and screenings for cervical cancer.

Dermatology Physician’s Asssistant Renata Block talks about how clinicians can recognize the physical manifestations of stress in patients, and the advice she gives to patients about de-stressing (tips that she follows, herself)

Radiologist Jonathon Lee, MD, shared insights from his experience on the insidious nature of burnout, emphasized the link between work-life balance and productivity, and discussed a recent partnership between the teleradiology service provider vRad and the behavioral health consultancy VITAL WorkLife to help promote well-being for vRad teleradiologists.

Postpartum depression (PPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) in pregnant and postpartum women are severely underdiagnosed and undertreated. What can we do to help these patients? In this episode of Wellbeing Checkup, Anita Clayton, MD, of the University of Virginia and Nathan Bryson, PhD, of Reunion Neuroscience discuss PPD and MDD diagnoses in pregnant and postpartum patients, as well as the potential of more convenient, faster-acting psychedelic-derived treatments for PPD and MDD.

Dr. Sharon Cohen stresses the importance of recognizing and raising awareness of cognitive decline. Medical director of the Toronto Memory Program, Dr. Cohen provides perspective on the need for therapies like lecanemab and access to them at the earliest stages of decline.