ACGME Well-Being Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin is joined by Bret Stevens, director of medical education and associate designated institutional official (DIO) at McLaren Oakland, and Reanna Benedict, director of GME operations and assistant DIO at Lexington Health. Drawing on their leadership experience and service on the ACGME's Coordinator Advisory Group, they explore how community-building and professional...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin is joined by Julie Beckerdite, director of education for the Departments of Pathology and Psychiatry, and Carrie Racsumberger, fellowship program manager in the Department of Pathology - both at Mass General Brigham. Together, they share insights from their work on the ACGME Coordinator Advisory Group in a practical conversation on the relationships that shape th...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin welcomes Dr. Daniel Saddawi‑Konefka, associate professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of the Emotional PPE Project, for a thoughtful conversation on improving access to mental health care for health care professionals. Dr. Saddawi‑Konefka shares the origins of the Emotional PPE Project, created during the COVID‑19 pandemic to connect cli...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin welcomes Dr. Chris Bundy, executive medical director of the Washington Physician Health Program and chief medical officer of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs, for a comprehensive conversation on the role of Physician Health Programs (PHPs) in supporting physicians and protecting patient safety. Dr. Bundy explains how PHPs have evolved over the pa...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin is joined by Nick Yaghmour, director of Resident Experience, Well ‑ Being, and Milestones Research at the ACGME, and Dr. Greg Wallingford, assistant professor of Internal Medicine and assistant dean for Professional Fulfillment and Well ‑ Being at Dell Medical School. Together, they explore how the 12 well ‑ being items included in the ACGME annual Resident/Fello...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin is joined by Melanie Pigott, the residency coordinator of the emergency medicine program at the Medical University of South Carolina, and Cindy Thompson, a senior program administrator for the orthopaedic surgery program at West Virginia University, for a focused conversation on program coordinator well‑being in graduate medical education. Program coordinators pl...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Kristen Demertzis, clinical psychologist and director of GME Well‑Being at Northwell Health. They explore how thoughtful, system‑level approaches can strengthen the well‑being of residents, fellows, faculty members, and program leaders across a large academic health system. Dr. Demertzis shares her journey into resident well‑being work, the import...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin welcomes Dr. Kerri Palamara, Gill and Allan Gray Family Endowed Chair and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, to discuss the evolution and impact of physician coaching in graduate medical education. Dr. Palamara shares how her journey led to developing scalable, faculty-driven coaching programs that foster psychological safety, agency, and...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Greg Guldner, director of GME Well-Being and assistant dean for Graduate Medical Education at Loma Linda University Health. They discuss how self-determination theory (SDT)—the most widely researched framework for understanding human motivation—can guide meaningful, system-level change in medical education and training. Dr. Guldner explains how au...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Kimara Ellefson, national director of Strategy and Partnerships for the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Health (KNN). Together they explore how the concept of flourishing—defined as "a wholeness of being and doing"—can transform the culture of medicine beyond burnout prevention toward purpose, belonging, and growth. Dr. Ellefson discusses...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Adam Neufeld, family physician and clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary. Drawing on his research in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Dr. Neufeld explains how autonomy, competence, and relatedness—the three universal psychological needs—shape motivation, engagement, and well-being in medical education and practice. Together the...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Elliott Higgins, director of Health and Well-Being for UCLA's Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. Together they explore the development of the Well-Being Influencers Survey for Health Care (WISH)—a validated, non-proprietary tool that measures the organizational conditions shaping clinician well-being. Dr. Higgins discusses ho...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Saadia Akhtar, professor of emergency medicine and senior associate dean for Trainee Well-Being and GME at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. They explore the evolution of Mount Sinai's GME Well-Being Champion Program—an initiative that empowers faculty champions across specialties and sites to identify local challenges and drive meaning...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Sydney Ey, clinical psychologist and founder of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Consult Service for Leaders and Teams. Together, they explore the emotional toll leadership can take within graduate medical education (GME), especially during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ey discusses how the consult service offers psychologica...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Dr. Paul Chelminski from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Dr. Mukta Panda, CLER Field Representative at the ACGME. They discuss their involvement in well-being initiatives and their active roles in the Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine (CHARM). The conversation focuses on suicide prevention, exploring both immedia...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Corey Feist, founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation. They discuss Corey's involvement in suicide awareness and prevention initiatives following the tragic death of his sister-in-law, Dr. Lorna Breen. The conversation focuses on the immense pressures faced by health care professionals, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Corey...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Dr. Alan Nager, professor of pediatrics and division director for emergency medicine and transport medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. They discuss the tragic loss of Dr. Nager's daughter, Sarah, a pediatric resident who died by suicide. The conversation focuses on Sarah's life, her passions, and her journey in medicine. Dr. Nager shares his i...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Dr. Sid Zisook, professor of psychiatry at the University of California and director of the Physician Peer Support Program. They discuss their pioneering work in suicide prevention at the University of California, San Diego, including the development of...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Dr. Srijan Sen, professor of depression and neurosciences in the Department of Psychiatry and director of the Francis and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center at the University of Michigan. They discuss Dr. Sen's extensive research on depression in medical residents, exploring the relationship between depression and suicide. The conversation...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Dr. Will Bynum, an associate professor of family medicine at Duke University. They discuss the challenges of transitions in graduate medical education, particularly from medical school to residency, and the associated risks to well-being and mental health. Dr. Bynum explains how transitions can heighten feelings of shame due to new responsibilities, un...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Drs. Tyra Fainstad and Adrienne Mann from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They discuss their creation of the Better Together Physician Coaching Program, which aims to support medical professionals during transitions, particularly from medical school to residency. Dr. Fainstad shares her struggles with seeking approval and anxiety during...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Dr. Jim Naples, an assistant professor of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School and residency director at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. They discuss the challenges of transitioning from medical school to residency, focusing on Dr. Naples' personal struggles with the "surgical yips" during his education and training. He describes the anxiety...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin discusses the challenges of transitioning from medical school to residency with Dr. Andrea Tou, a pediatric gastroenterology fellow at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Dr. Andrew Sullivan, an occupational environmental medicine resident at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Walter Reed National Medical Center. Dr. Tou shares her e...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin interviews Dr. Jon Courand, a pediatrician and Dean for Well-Being in GME at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. They discuss Dr. Courand's journey into resident and faculty well-being work, highlighting his creation of the Transition to Residency Risk Index. Dr. Courand shares his experiences as a program director and critical care atte...

In this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin and Dr. Greg Guldner discuss mental health and well-being in graduate medical education (GME). They highlight the reduced stigma among current residents/fellows but note the persistent underutilization of mental health services. Dr. Guldner explains barriers such as time constraints, prioritization issues, and the impact of depression on seeking help. He emphasiz...