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Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.
Artificial intelligence can enhance—not replace—human expertise in health care by addressing systemic inefficiencies, preserving institutional knowledge, and supporting clinicians in delivering better patient care.
How organizational culture drives top talent away [PODCAST]
Surgeon Suhaib J. S. Ahmad discusses his article, "Why even the best employees are silently quitting health care." Suhaib explores the phenomenon of highly competent and once-passionate health care professionals disengaging and leaving their roles, often without overt complaint. He argues that this "silent quitting" stems not just from issues with the system or individual leaders, but critically from a dysfunctional organizational culture characterized by a lack of clear values, poor communication, and an environment where mediocrity and toxicity can thrive. Suhaib contrasts this with a thriving culture where employees feel empowered and listened to, referencing the Google walkout as an example of employees feeling safe to speak up. He emphasizes that leaders must actively engage with staff, understand their needs, and foster open dialogue to shift the culture from "survival mode" to one of growth and shared vision. For employees feeling stuck, Suhaib suggests that actively choosing to move to a better environment or to stay and strategically work on issues is preferable to silently disengaging. The conversation offers a call to action for leaders to ask their teams: What don't we talk about around here that we should be talking about?
Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]
Medical students Vineeth Amba and Archita Goyal discuss their article, "What's driving medical students away from primary care?" They share the widespread discouragement medical students encounter regarding primary care careers, despite initial aspirations to serve communities. Vineeth and Archita highlight the ongoing crisis in primary care, evidenced by a decline to just 25 percent of the physician workforce, high burnout rates, and a projected U.S. shortage of approximately 68,000 PCPs by 2036, which impacts patient access for about 100 million people. They argue that underinvestment is a core issue, contrasting the 5–7 percent of health care spending primary care receives with the 35 percent of visits it handles. The discussion explores how increased investment, as exemplified by initiatives in states like Delaware, Rhode Island, and Oregon, and the proposed PC4YOU legislation in Massachusetts, can transform the field. Vineeth and Archita explain that PC4YOU aims to shift to value-based care, mandate 15 percent primary care spending by 2029, and incentivize innovations to improve health equity and make primary care a more sustainable and attractive specialty for future physicians.
Combating physician burnout with a coaching leadership style [PODCAST]
Family physician and certified executive leadership coach Lisa Herbert discusses her article, "From burnout to breakthrough: How a coaching culture transforms health care." Lisa shares her personal journey with physician burnout, a crisis affecting 54 percent of physicians, and how discovering coaching revolutionized her approach to leadership and her career. She explains that a coaching culture, which emphasizes curiosity, continuous growth, and collaborative problem-solving over traditional command-and-control management, is a powerful antidote to burnout. Lisa outlines a roadmap for physician leaders to build this culture, starting with self-awareness, mastering fundamental coaching skills, and institutionalizing coaching practices. The conversation highlights the ripple effect of coaching, extending beyond physician well-being to improve patient interactions, medical training, and even personal relationships, ultimately benefiting health care organizations through better retention and patient experience. Physician leaders are encouraged to explore coaching, while executives should assess how organizational systems can support this transformative shift.
Generative AI 2025: a 20-minute cheat sheet for busy clinicians
Generative AI tools are rapidly transforming clinical workflows by automating routine tasks, enabling faster information access, and supporting education, while requiring careful oversight to ensure safe and effective use in health care.
Unraveling the mystery behind one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications: preeclampsia
Molecular advances are enabling a proactive, biology-first approach to predicting and preventing preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication, with the potential to transform maternal and fetal health outcomes.
I was trapped by fear of what others thought. This is what set me free. [PODCAST]
Physician coach and marriage and family therapy graduate student Jillian Rigert discusses her article, "Fear of other people's opinions nearly killed me. Here's what freed me." Jillian shares her harrowing journey through medical discharge from the military and transitioning out of surgery residency, which plunged her into guilt, shame, and a near-fatal struggle with self-worth tied to her career and others' approval. She describes how isolating and starving herself, she reached a rock bottom where apathy paradoxically led to a turning point: publishing deeply personal articles on KevinMD. This act of vulnerability, initially a way to get her story out before an anticipated death, brought unexpected support and began to lift the shame. Jillian explains her process of recovery, which involved detaching her worth from career achievements and, crucially, from the fear of other people's opinions. She emphasizes that understanding others' judgments as reflections of their own biases, and cultivating a curious, compassionate, and non-judgmental mindset towards herself and others, were key to her freedom. Jillian's powerful message is that your life is paramount, and she encourages listeners to question why they might prioritize external validation over their own self-perception, advocating for self-compassion and seeking support to reclaim their narratives.
When credibility is your only asset: the cautionary tale of DrKoop.com [PODCAST]
Historian and ethicist Nigel Cameron discusses his article, "How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General's startup." The conversation chronicles the dramatic history of the iconic dot-com era company, from its modest beginnings as a personal medical record system to its meteoric rise as the world's top health site. Nigel explains how the company's core strategy was to leverage the unparalleled credibility of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, leading to a wildly successful IPO that raised over $84 million. The discussion then details the company's rapid collapse, focusing on the ethical blunders, like blurring the line between advertising and information, that eroded public trust. This episode serves as a cautionary tale about brand credibility, startup hubris, and the ultimate indignity Dr. Koop faced when his name and brand were sold in a fire sale after accumulating over $200 million in losses.
Your only client is the truth: Navigating the space between medicine and law [PODCAST]
Nephrologist Saad S. Alshohaib discusses his article, "Why truth still matters in the courtroom: lessons from a physician witness." The conversation provides a profound reflection on his decade of experience serving as a medical expert witness, a role he describes as walking a "narrow bridge between medicine and the law." Saad shares his seven core principles for physicians called to testify, emphasizing that their ultimate loyalty must be to the truth, not the side that hired them. The discussion covers the importance of integrity over convenience, clarity over complexity, and honesty over comfort. He makes a compelling case for seeing the humanity in both the patient in the chart and the clinician accused of making an error, and using testimony not just to judge, but to heal the system. This episode is an essential guide for any medical professional on navigating the ethical complexities of the legal system while holding fast to the truth.
How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]
Entrepreneur, AI enthusiast, and wellness advocate Vaishali Jha discusses her article, "Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?" The conversation explores the vital need for new perspectives in health care, arguing that the system often overlooks the voices of young people. Vaishali explains how Gen Z, having come of age during numerous health crises, brings an essential viewpoint rooted in lived experience, digital fluency, and a desire for more human-centered care. The discussion highlights how young people are already taking the lead in normalizing mental health conversations, building culturally relevant digital tools, and advocating for their peers. This episode serves as a call to action for health care systems to invite young people to the table not as future leaders, but as current, essential voices who can help build a more inclusive, responsive, and compassionate future for all.