The gifts of a research career

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860 Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills 2 00:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260 to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor. 3 00:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340 As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients. 4 00:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380 When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find 5 00:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780 that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research 6 00:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200 program. 7 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480 Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit. 8 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580 However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs. 9 00:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200 For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians 10 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800 the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor. 11 00:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,080 Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene. 12 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,620 Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast. 13 00:01:03,620 --> 00:01:07,800 I'm your host, Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is such a privilege to be talking with you today. 14 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,480 Thank you for taking the time to tune in and to listen. 15 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:18,200 I keep talking because you keep listening, and I want to thank you that you would create 16 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,960 space for me to share my views and my thoughts with you. 17 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:23,760 And so thank you. 18 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:25,280 Thank you for listening. 19 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:33,480 I want to invite you, if you have time available, on Monday, November 20th at 6 p.m., I'll be 20 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:40,040 talking about five key, five critical steps in the transition from clinician to research 21 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:41,040 leader. 22 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:42,560 You don't want to miss it. 23 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,360 You should show up there. 24 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:49,600 Use information on the podcast website, clinicianresearcherpodcast.com. 25 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,040 The banner will give you information. 26 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,680 Or you can go to our website, coedcoach.com, and look for events. 27 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:02,180 And in case you miss it, there will be another webinar, and I will continue to do things 28 00:02:02,180 --> 00:02:05,400 and share things that will help you make your transition. 29 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,840 And I want to thank you for letting me help you do that. 30 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:14,840 If you are not going to be available, you can still sign up, and that means that you 31 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,320 will get the recording once it becomes available. 32 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:23,720 So please sign up and learn all that I want to share about making that transition, which 33 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:24,720 is critical. 34 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:25,720 Okay. 35 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:31,000 Today, I'm talking about the gift of a research career. 36 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:39,480 And I really want to, you know, talk first about how my life has changed since I made 37 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:45,480 the transition from being a full-time clinician to leading a research program. 38 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:51,760 I will tell you that I've always had the dream of leading a research program, but I didn't 39 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:55,160 know how. 40 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,760 I didn't understand what was necessary. 41 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:03,400 I had no idea about the structures that needed to be created to support your research and 42 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:09,880 your writing, I had no idea about how to write a research question, how to think about a 43 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,840 research question, how to even answer a research question. 44 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:18,200 And I think I was completely confused every time I would submit a grant and get all this 45 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:19,200 awful feedback. 46 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:24,240 And I kept thinking, why is this not working? 47 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,120 But it was what I wanted to do. 48 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:33,320 The real of the pursuit was really because I had this dream of research just being my 49 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:34,800 life, being my experience. 50 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:43,200 So I may come across potentially as extroverted on the podcast, but I really love to be by 51 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:44,200 myself. 52 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:45,960 Give me a book and give me eight hours. 53 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:52,200 I will like curl up in a corner and just read, read, read, read, read. 54 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:54,640 At least that's what I did when I was younger. 55 00:03:54,640 --> 00:04:00,320 And even now as an adult, my happy place is sitting and writing and thinking big thoughts 56 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:05,960 and synthesizing information and synthesizing data. 57 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,580 It's what I've always enjoyed doing. 58 00:04:08,580 --> 00:04:11,440 And so research really allows me to do that. 59 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,360 And so, but I didn't know that. 60 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:19,520 I didn't recognize that that would be a gift in the research for me until I really started 61 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:21,600 to make the transition. 62 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:26,720 And the reason, so I want to share with you the gift of a research career is that many 63 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,880 times are very focused on the challenges of the research career. 64 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,400 Oh, I have to write another grant again. 65 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:34,720 Or the grant was rejected. 66 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:35,720 What? 67 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,320 It's been four times. 68 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,840 It's been submitted four times. 69 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:42,520 There's a lot of frustrations. 70 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:43,520 Don't get me wrong. 71 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,360 I am not even here to take your frustrations away. 72 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,280 But what I am here to do is to show you the gift. 73 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:55,680 Just to show you the gift to look to because the moment you have a clear sense of the gift 74 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:03,040 that you get from a particular endeavor that you undertake, it changes your experience. 75 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,960 You're no longer, oh, I have to go through a slog. 76 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:13,840 You're more really thinking about, okay, I just have to jump through four obstacles to 77 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:16,080 get to the vision to get to my goal. 78 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,160 Okay, I can do that. 79 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,920 But the key is clarifying what your goal is. 80 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:28,320 And that's why I want to share with you gifts, the gifts of leading a research career. 81 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:33,520 And I want to share them with you so that you can focus on those gifts rather than focusing 82 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:39,200 on the challenges because the challenges, again, they are just part of every endeavor. 83 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:45,180 So I would like you to point out, point to one place in your life where you have not 84 00:05:45,180 --> 00:05:46,820 had any challenges. 85 00:05:46,820 --> 00:05:51,540 And if you can do that, then I will submit to you that perhaps you can have a research 86 00:05:51,540 --> 00:05:53,640 career without challenges. 87 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:59,120 But if life is full of challenges, then I'm going to assure you that your research career 88 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,160 will be full of challenges. 89 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,680 But I don't want you to focus on the challenges because the challenges are just a free gift 90 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,360 that comes with their research career. 91 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,760 I want you today to focus on the gift. 92 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:18,120 The very first gift I want to share with you is the gift of intellectual freedom. 93 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,800 That is such a beautiful gift. 94 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:30,840 The gift to think expansively, the gift to craft discourse, the gift to synthesize knowledge, 95 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:34,000 the gift to write. 96 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,480 It is the gift of intellectual freedom. 97 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:39,560 No one has to tell you what to think. 98 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,000 You don't even have to agree with all of the experts. 99 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:46,800 You could be the one dissenting voice in the universe. 100 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:51,360 And if you can write it eloquently enough, and if you can justify it well enough, and 101 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:55,240 if you can cite enough literature, you can write it. 102 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,280 Somebody will accept your publication. 103 00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,240 You will be that dissenting voice. 104 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,360 It will be beautiful. 105 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:09,040 To most of us, not dissenters, we are kind of mostly, you know, we're like, yes, this 106 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:10,200 is what the literature says. 107 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,680 I agree wholeheartedly. 108 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,480 But then the literature is obviously never all in harmony. 109 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:21,040 There is always, you know, there are always things that are different from what we consider 110 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:22,960 to be dogma. 111 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:28,480 So the gift of intellectual freedom is really freedom to think. 112 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,520 Think in the way you want. 113 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:31,960 Think in a way that enhances you. 114 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,400 Think in a way that transforms you. 115 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,920 And you know, it is freedom of thought. 116 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:40,200 And sometimes people balk at that because they're like, well, you can't just think anything 117 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:41,200 you want. 118 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:47,120 And in reality, I will say that as clinicians, we do love science. 119 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,040 I mean, science is what led us to patient care. 120 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:51,280 We love patient care. 121 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:52,560 We love to take care of the patient. 122 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:58,120 We love to think critically about what it means to make things better. 123 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:04,600 And so our intellectual freedom is about investigating that further and answering questions that 124 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:06,000 benefit patients. 125 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:11,960 So yes, I think that intellectual freedom for clinicians is a beautiful gift of a research 126 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:13,040 career. 127 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:14,040 And it really is. 128 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:17,040 And I mean, it's the gift and the challenge, right? 129 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,480 Because if people don't like your ideas, they may not want to fund them. 130 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:26,840 But the most important person to like the ideas that come out of your mind is you. 131 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:36,320 And if your intellectual abilities, if your intellectual freedom blesses you and you enjoy 132 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:44,840 it, and you love it, you can be strategic and think about how to fund your continued 133 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:46,720 intellectual freedom. 134 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:51,840 So the first gift of a research career is your intellectual freedom. 135 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:59,280 That may be for me the highest and most powerful gift that a research career has given me. 136 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,860 That's number one. 137 00:09:01,860 --> 00:09:05,080 Number two is flexibility. 138 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,960 Flexibility. 139 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,560 The gift of a research career is flexibility. 140 00:09:11,560 --> 00:09:19,180 Now, the people who appreciate flexibility the most are people who have had to or have 141 00:09:19,180 --> 00:09:23,580 experience in flexibility in their careers. 142 00:09:23,580 --> 00:09:31,080 As an example, when I started in my faculty career, I was seeing patients five days a 143 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:32,080 week. 144 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:34,680 Yes, it was 80% time. 145 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:38,400 I was 20% protected to do research. 146 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:44,560 But somehow that math came down to five days a week. 147 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:45,560 It was rough. 148 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:52,040 I had a young child at home, another one on the way. 149 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:57,040 Clinic started at 8 a.m. every day I was in clinic. 150 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:02,720 Procedures because at the time I was, I staffed apheresis procedures. 151 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:08,680 They started between 730 and 8 a.m. and you needed to be there to see the patient. 152 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:14,760 I was literally always running out the door to make it through traffic so that I could 153 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,200 start to see the patients. 154 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,440 And then when the day ran long, I was literally there. 155 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:25,520 Well, I can't say I was closing the door because the doors of the hospital actually never closed. 156 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:26,520 But I was there late. 157 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:33,120 So it was one of those things where, I mean, you know, I don't even have to say this. 158 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:34,840 I'm preaching to the choir. 159 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,840 When the patient shows up, you better be there. 160 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:40,280 Like what is your excuse? 161 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,000 The patient is in the room. 162 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:43,280 Where are you? 163 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,400 And so there's a kind of inflexibility with that. 164 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:51,840 And the other piece of it is if the patient is crashing, do not tell me you have dinner 165 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:52,920 reservations. 166 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:54,960 It's the reality of patient care. 167 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,520 And again, I'm preaching to the choir here. 168 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:03,920 And so to be honest, even though that's so noble and so awesome, and we do love to be 169 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:08,960 able to really give of ourselves in that way and really serve someone to where you're like 170 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:13,840 you are crashing and I was there for you because I'm your doctor, I'm responsible, I will do 171 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:14,840 this for you. 172 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:16,720 It is a beautiful thing. 173 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,400 I do not denigrate it. 174 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,320 But it is also a challenging thing. 175 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:27,760 Is a beautiful thing to be able to give your life in service of another. 176 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:33,400 And it is also a challenging thing when you have to do it Monday through Friday, every, 177 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:38,600 every week, month after month, it is challenging. 178 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:47,080 And so one of the things, having come through that, having had that experience, one of the 179 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:52,840 things that is a gift to me in my research career is flexibility. 180 00:11:52,840 --> 00:12:00,080 Now I said flexibility, I didn't say, oh, easy work, because being in research is actually 181 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:01,840 pretty challenging. 182 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:03,560 It's work in a different kind of way. 183 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:10,480 It's not physically tasking, but it's very, very intellectually heavy and sometimes emotionally 184 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:11,600 tasking as well. 185 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:18,200 So you get up from a full day of working within your research program and you are tired. 186 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:23,920 For me, it's good tired because I love the intellectual freedom that I get from the space. 187 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:30,360 So when I say flexibility, I'm not saying easy work, but I am saying flexibility in 188 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,640 the hard work that you do. 189 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:38,360 That means there is no such thing as a crashing research experiment. 190 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:43,840 Maybe two, three days of cell culture type work went to waste, you will do it again. 191 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:47,480 But there's no emergency within your research program. 192 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:53,160 And because of that, it gives you flexibility to work around your needs. 193 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:57,720 And so, for example, today I had a child who had a recital. 194 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,560 You know, ordinarily, I would not break my clinic. 195 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:06,120 I will not even cancel or end the clinic early so I could be at a recital. 196 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:10,000 It's just that the challenges of jumping through those hoops and then trying to reschedule 197 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,600 patients who are moved is so big. 198 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:17,000 Like the mere thought of it would cause me to shudder inside and I would be like, I will 199 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,240 miss this recital because I don't want to have to deal with the fallout. 200 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:26,560 But when it comes to my research program and I'm like, well, I pause meetings and I'm like, 201 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:30,680 well, this paper, I'm coming back to you as soon as the recital is over. 202 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:35,240 And it was such a beautiful thing to be able to get up, go do that, come back and keep 203 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:36,680 the day going. 204 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:42,440 It does mean that I was up later than I wanted to be, but I had the flexibility to do that. 205 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:46,400 And that is one of the greatest gifts of my research career. 206 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:51,420 And I will say, to be honest, it's right there, right up there next to intellectual freedom. 207 00:13:51,420 --> 00:13:55,360 And sometimes I'm not sure which is the more beautiful gift. 208 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:57,960 The flexibility is so important. 209 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:07,800 It's so powerful because having the flexibility allows you also to continue to pursue intellectual 210 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:11,200 freedom in the way you want to, in the way you desire to. 211 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:15,160 So intellectual freedom, number one, and then flexibility is number two. 212 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:19,440 And then within flexibility is designing your work, right? 213 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:23,120 Creating your own schedule, choosing your own schedule. 214 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,120 And all of that falls within the flexibility piece. 215 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:31,720 Number three, which these things are so, they're so high up there. 216 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,120 It's like, is impact really number three? 217 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:42,280 Impact is so, it's a close second to flexibility because the reason I came into medicine, I 218 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:46,960 don't know about you, but the reason I came in was to make a difference. 219 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,680 Because I look around and people are suffering and healthcare is just not where it could 220 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:58,960 be and people are marginalized in our healthcare system and I want change. 221 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:00,400 I want lives transformed. 222 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:01,760 I want people changed. 223 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:03,600 I want problems solved. 224 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,440 I want diseases cured. 225 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:07,440 It's my dream. 226 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:10,160 It's the reason I came into medicine. 227 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:17,360 And honestly, it didn't take me until the end of residency before I started to see that 228 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:22,640 the way we're doing healthcare now is not the way that moves us forward in the direction 229 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,040 I want to go. 230 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,720 Part of that is recognizing the limitations of the data we have available. 231 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:30,220 I'm a hematologist. 232 00:15:30,220 --> 00:15:35,360 Most of the stuff we quote, okay, we do have clinical trials, but we don't have the kind 233 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,400 of clinical trials that like cardiology has, for example. 234 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:43,400 So there's a lot, especially in my field of rare thrombotic disorders where we're looking 235 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,520 through the case series and we're like, this is a case series of 16 patients. 236 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:47,520 This is pretty phenomenal. 237 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:57,640 For example, I presented a case conference today and I pulled out a paper that had 71 238 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,440 patients and that was amazing. 239 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:07,000 And so we know that there are limitations to the data that we cite to care for our patients 240 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,880 and you're either going to settle and say, well, this is the way it is, or you're going 241 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:12,120 to contribute to the data. 242 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,440 You're going to contribute to the literature and that's what I want to do. 243 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,000 I came for impact. 244 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,960 I came for transformation. 245 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:22,480 I came for impact. 246 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,200 I came for transformation. 247 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:29,200 And my research program gives me opportunity to do that. 248 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:36,200 And so, you know, every time we submit a paper, not even that it gets published, but we submit 249 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:40,920 a paper, we look at this paper and we say, this was good work we did. 250 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,320 Oh my goodness, the satisfaction of that is amazing. 251 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:46,720 Like we already know it's going to have a home. 252 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:52,800 Yes, it may be, you know, three rejections away from its home, but we know it has a home. 253 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:57,920 And when it's finally published, other than the relief that the publication finally was 254 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:05,440 accepted, there is just the feeling of satisfaction that no matter how small, it is a contribution 255 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,600 to the literature and it makes a difference in somebody else's life. 256 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:15,880 And that is an unbelievable, wonderful thing to have as part of my career as a research 257 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:16,880 leader. 258 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,800 It is, you know, impact. 259 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:25,880 You can get impact in seeing patients, but for me, what I was looking for was more than 260 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:30,080 just, you know, the impact of seeing one patient after the other. 261 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:33,120 I really wanted to be able to help a lot of patients. 262 00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:38,760 And so research is a vehicle by which I'm able to do that. 263 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:42,760 The fourth thing, and again, these things are so amazing. 264 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:48,040 They're so, so, so beneficial is mentorship. 265 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:50,760 Oh my goodness, mentorship. 266 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:55,240 I don't know about you, but one of my favorite parts of being a clinician is being a teacher. 267 00:17:55,240 --> 00:18:00,160 I love to see the next generation of physicians be transformed. 268 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:02,140 I love to see it. 269 00:18:02,140 --> 00:18:06,480 I will tell you that my favorite thing to do clinically now is to work with residents 270 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:07,480 and fellows. 271 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:11,200 I love the joy and the enthusiasm that they bring. 272 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:14,960 And they just remind me of how, you know, how I was when I was a young person, when 273 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,520 everything was new and so exciting and so amazing. 274 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:23,760 I'm not a cynical person today, but you know, a lot of that stuff has lost its novelty. 275 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:25,760 It's like, yeah, I've seen it before. 276 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:30,200 I've seen TTP respond to plasma exchange. 277 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,440 It's a beautiful thing, but I've seen it before. 278 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:35,120 They haven't seen it before. 279 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:38,760 And it's just delightful to watch their joy and excitement. 280 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:44,880 It really literally is like watching a little child and not in a derogatory way, but just 281 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,040 in the excitement and the joy. 282 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,880 Oh, it's such a powerful thing. 283 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:56,480 And so mentorship is so important to me, not just because I get to help another clinician 284 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:02,080 scientist on their journey or even a clinician in my role as a clinician, but because of 285 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:08,600 how it changes me, because of how it humbles me, because of how it reminds me of all the 286 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,920 things I still don't know. 287 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:13,080 And it's okay. 288 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:18,240 And because of all the brilliant sharp minds that surround me and challenge me to think 289 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:23,960 differently or to make my thinking explicit, to lay it on the table and say, this is why 290 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:30,760 I think the way I think, or to say, this is why I think this paper should take this shape. 291 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:36,840 To be able to share that with another generation of physicians is incredible. 292 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:43,120 And so your research career gives you the gift of being a mentor, because in being a 293 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:46,480 mentor you're being transformed in the process. 294 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:51,520 And it is unbelievable. 295 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:56,480 Number five, and this definitely is not one of the top four, but it's a very important 296 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:02,120 one too, is collaboration synergy. 297 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:07,360 You know, I think I wanted to say collaboration, but then I added the synergy because it's 298 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:12,780 not just the collaboration, it's the synergy that comes from collaboration. 299 00:20:12,780 --> 00:20:17,280 So the book that's on my mind right now that I need to share with you, it's called Who, 300 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:23,120 Not How, The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork. 301 00:20:23,120 --> 00:20:27,400 It's by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy. 302 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,840 Great book, I totally recommend it. 303 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:34,560 And I think it's so relevant to this conversation of collaboration synergy, because if you think 304 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:39,400 about it, you are a master clinician in your own right, you have your field of expertise, 305 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:40,880 you are good in this area. 306 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:44,200 And what you're not so good at is other stuff. 307 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,760 I'm a master hematologist. 308 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,760 I'm good on the rare thrombotic disorders. 309 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:50,760 But am I a cardiologist? 310 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:51,760 No. 311 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:52,760 Do I want to be? 312 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:53,760 Definitely not. 313 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:58,480 No disrespect to any cardiologist listening to me. 314 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:03,080 I think cardiology is a great field, just not for me. 315 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,960 But many of the things that I do are relevant to cardiology. 316 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:13,480 For example, I'm particularly interested in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, TTP, 317 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:17,640 and it presents sometimes as myocardial infarction. 318 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:19,240 That's a cardiology problem. 319 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:24,200 But I'm a hematologist treating a hematologic disorder, and I need a cardiologist on my 320 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:28,240 team as my partner working with me. 321 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:36,600 And so I bring my hematology, hemostasis thrombosis brain, and my cardiology partner brings their 322 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,480 heart amazingness. 323 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:40,480 And we come together. 324 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,800 Oh, the synergy of that is beautiful. 325 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:44,440 I don't have to learn more cardiology. 326 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,840 I don't need to go back to fellowship, shudder, shudder. 327 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,120 Oh, real shudder. 328 00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:53,960 I don't have to go back and do another residency or a fellowship in cardiology. 329 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:54,960 I don't have to do that. 330 00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:00,880 But I can connect with my cardiology colleague, and we can make amazing things happen in our 331 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:05,760 research program, as I think critically about the hemostasis thrombosis issues, and they 332 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:08,640 think critically about cardiology issues. 333 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:10,440 The synergy is beautiful. 334 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:11,840 I enjoy that. 335 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:17,200 Just two minds coming together and just, oh my gosh, it's so beautiful. 336 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:18,200 Mm-hmm. 337 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:22,400 It's amazing. 338 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,000 And that's when you leave where you're trying to do everything by yourself, because being 339 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,640 a research leader is definitely not about doing all things by yourself. 340 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:34,680 It's definitely about doing as little as possible by yourself and really resourcing teams to 341 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:36,080 support you to do that. 342 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:37,600 That sounds like business. 343 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:38,600 Yes. 344 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:40,600 Yes, it kind of is like business. 345 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:44,520 And the most beautiful things in business relationships are just when you can partner 346 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,160 with another partner. 347 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:47,800 The synergy is really amazing. 348 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,120 So that's number five, collaboration, synergy. 349 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:54,720 And I can't separate the two because it's so beautiful. 350 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:56,720 They can't be separated. 351 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:58,040 Okay. 352 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,600 Number six is big picture thinking. 353 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:09,520 Oh, I love when I sit down and I think about the data before me, and I think, hmm, what 354 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:10,520 does this mean? 355 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,000 How do we interpret this one? 356 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,120 What do we say about it? 357 00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:20,000 And to start to think, okay, where does it fit in the big picture of the literature? 358 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,840 And you know, oh my goodness, you know, people have been writing papers for a long time. 359 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,080 There's a lot of stuff that's accumulated over time. 360 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:28,480 It's a lot. 361 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:32,520 And so when you write a manuscript, or even when you're, you know, writing the introduction 362 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,800 to your grant and you're trying to situate your work within the context of other people's 363 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:41,120 work, it's a big, big deal. 364 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:45,440 And you really have to like step back and expand your mind to grab it all. 365 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:46,920 And then you can't even do that. 366 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:48,920 It's so big. 367 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:55,120 And so it is such a powerful thing to think big and to think, okay, well, what's possible 368 00:23:55,120 --> 00:23:56,120 here? 369 00:23:56,120 --> 00:23:58,080 Based on this data, what's possible? 370 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:03,640 And even to think big about, can I solve this problem of early TTP diagnosis? 371 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:04,980 Can I be the one to do that? 372 00:24:04,980 --> 00:24:06,720 How would I do that? 373 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,840 It is so wonderful to be able to think big. 374 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:10,040 It just transforms you. 375 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:11,680 It just, you know, takes you out of your mind. 376 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,200 It's like, whoa, this is so good. 377 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:15,200 Yes. 378 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:20,360 Big picture thinking is gift number six. 379 00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:22,960 Gift number seven. 380 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,240 Gift number seven is creating the future. 381 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:32,880 I love the fact that when I'm writing my research proposals, and this is not thinking about 382 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:37,320 whether they're going to be accepted or funded or not, it's that I have to create a future 383 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:43,920 that does not yet exist on paper or in a Word document or pages, if that's what you use. 384 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:48,480 Yes, I am creating the future as I write. 385 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:53,800 And sometimes I'm creating the future and there's this sense of incredulity, like, hmm, 386 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:57,340 this sounds fanciful, but I'm going to put it down anyway. 387 00:24:57,340 --> 00:25:01,420 Because what, you know, research proposals help you do is to take the big pie in the 388 00:25:01,420 --> 00:25:04,440 sky idea and just make it practical and concrete. 389 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:05,440 It's like, great. 390 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:09,280 I know that you're going to transform health care and tell me your approach. 391 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:11,160 And then, you know, the reality check. 392 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,920 It's like someone pours a bucket of cold water in your head and you have to, like, make it 393 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:16,280 real. 394 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:17,840 But you're writing the future. 395 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,400 It's a future that hasn't happened yet. 396 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:25,600 And because you write it down and you think about the critical components of it, you're 397 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:31,280 giving voice to a future that's going to come to pass because you dared to put it down on 398 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:32,520 paper. 399 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:34,200 That is incredible. 400 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,180 And I hear some of you cynics saying, yeah, that's if it gets funded. 401 00:25:37,180 --> 00:25:40,560 And the truth is, no, it's not about whether it gets funded or not. 402 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:45,200 It's about the fact that you dare to put an idea down on paper that you all of a sudden 403 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,500 have now created space to bring to pass. 404 00:25:48,500 --> 00:25:54,160 Because the kinds of ideas that you work on, I hope you're working on ideas that you actually 405 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:59,160 care about, are the kinds of ideas that are so exciting or should be. 406 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:06,080 But I hope that's what you do, that the moment you commit it to paper or you commit it to 407 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:10,240 a Word document, your mind starts to go to work thinking, how can we get this done? 408 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,040 How can we get this done? 409 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:14,280 And OK, so maybe the first funder doesn't fund you. 410 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:15,780 Who else can fund you? 411 00:26:15,780 --> 00:26:21,960 And all of a sudden it activates within you a desire to see your work go all the way. 412 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:26,440 And all of a sudden you become creative about how do we get this future that we just put 413 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:27,720 down on paper? 414 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,400 How do we get it to come to pass? 415 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,580 And yes, maybe that means that you're submitting a couple of grants here and there and then 416 00:26:33,580 --> 00:26:38,040 you're piecemealing it and sending this piece off and that piece off doesn't matter. 417 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:42,260 All that matters is that you've created a future with your mind. 418 00:26:42,260 --> 00:26:45,600 And all of a sudden you want to see it come to pass. 419 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,360 It is so amazing. 420 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:53,240 It's so good. 421 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:54,640 I really enjoy that. 422 00:26:54,640 --> 00:27:00,440 I enjoy sitting down and just thinking, wow, I'm creating a future that does not yet exist. 423 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:01,760 It's a beautiful thing. 424 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:06,720 And so, yeah, six months later, somebody may come back around and say, rejected. 425 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:08,920 Ha ha, not discussed. 426 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,640 And yeah, that's painful, but they cannot take away. 427 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,900 They cannot take away the fact that you've already birthed. 428 00:27:15,900 --> 00:27:22,560 You birthed something amazing and they cannot take away the fact that whatever you birthed 429 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:27,360 is already taking root in your mind and you're already thinking about how do I bring it to 430 00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:30,400 pass whether they fund me or not. 431 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:36,160 And so creating the future is gift number seven of your research career. 432 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:37,780 So I just told you about seven gifts. 433 00:27:37,780 --> 00:27:39,520 Number one is intellectual freedom. 434 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:40,520 Number two is flexibility. 435 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,480 Number three is impact. 436 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:43,480 Number four is mentorship. 437 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,160 Number five is collaboration synergy. 438 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:47,840 Number six is big picture thinking. 439 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,640 And number seven is creating the future. 440 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:53,560 And I tell you, these are amazing gifts. 441 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:55,800 These are amazing gifts. 442 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:59,720 And I invite you, I invite you to think about your research career. 443 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,080 Think about the gifts that you already have from your career. 444 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:03,480 I only told you seven. 445 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:05,160 There's so much more. 446 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:06,160 What are some of those gifts? 447 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:10,200 Now I want to invite you to make a list today of all the gifts that have come to you from 448 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:11,200 your research career. 449 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,640 Or maybe you don't yet have a research career. 450 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:14,640 You're imagining one. 451 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:15,640 You're dreaming of one. 452 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,120 What are the gifts that you hope your research career will give you beyond the ones that 453 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:22,480 I've already said? 454 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:25,240 Write them down and share some of them with me. 455 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:26,240 Come find me. 456 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:28,240 Come find me on Instagram. 457 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:30,360 Find me on Facebook. 458 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:36,000 Find me on LinkedIn and share the gifts that you either already have or you're expecting 459 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:37,560 from your research program. 460 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:39,320 I would love to hear them. 461 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:44,160 Better still, leave me a voicemail on the podcast voicemail. 462 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,000 That's clinicianresearcherpodcast.com. 463 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:51,560 And then leave me a podcast voicemail and I will incorporate your podcast, I mean your 464 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:55,160 voicemail into a future episode. 465 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,560 I have to tell you that it's been a pleasure to talk with you today. 466 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,120 That was so fun telling you about the gifts of my research career. 467 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:06,440 I want to go now and create so many more of those gifts. 468 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:07,440 And I hope you do too. 469 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:09,360 Thanks for taking the time to listen. 470 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,560 It's been a pleasure to talk with you today. 471 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:20,480 Have a great, great day. 472 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:25,840 Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher Podcast, where academic 473 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:31,200 clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they 474 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:32,600 have a mentor. 475 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:38,600 If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself. 476 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:40,440 Someone else needs to hear it. 477 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:44,520 So take a minute right now and share it. 478 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:49,960 As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation 479 00:29:49,960 --> 00:30:11,000 of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.