Faculty Factory

Okeanis Vaou, MD, FAAN, joins us for a new episode on the Faculty Factory Podcast to walk us through ways to combat toxic workplace environments and difficult behaviors. Interprofessional incivility is a growing problem that needs to be addressed, especially because, as we learn this week, toxic individuals (when left unchecked) are very skilled at cultivating institutional power to protect themse...

Today marks the 400th episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast, and to officially ring in this landmark achievement of our weekly podcast and its wonderful community that will soon reach its 8th birthday in December, we are ecstatic to announce the launch of our fourth book: "An Anthology of Academic Transitions: Faculty Factory Interviews on Retiring & Rewiring." Drawn from the Faculty Factory...

There are many Faculty Factory episodes to revisit and put on repeat when it comes to saving time. With all of us in academic medicine looking to make the most out of the 24 hours we're all allotted each day, we've reached back into our archives and pulled out crucial moments from three important past interviews on time management. Included in these clips are nuggets about how slowing down and bei...

A career trajectory in academic health is never linear, with unexpected twists and turns almost always thrust upon it. Navigating those ups and downs with intention is going to help you best prepare, as Amanda Termuhlen, MD, beautifully illustrates in this week's episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast. She joins us to unpack a four-part framework for approaching career transitions with intention r...

“Hustle culture” is ingrained in so many of us in this field, and as our guest on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week, Jennifer Bickel, MD, argues, the busiest among us need to slow down and find time for wellness the most. Dr. Bickel is a neurologist, and in 2024, she joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston as vice president and chief wellness officer. "Along the way...

In this "Best of" Faculty Factory Podcast episode, we're revisiting conversations with three incredible past guests to bring you a compilation broadcast exploring some of the most common hazards associated with social media, technology, and AI large language model (LLM) usage. These technologies can work wonders, but there are certain pitfalls to be on heightened alert for in academic medicine, an...

Heather Brod is back on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week for a look at finding and owning your own "Main Character Energy," a concept borrowed from internet culture that has very real implications when taken to heart by faculty. "What I've learned is that main character energy, at its core, is about agency. It's about how you are writing the script of your own life and not being a supporting...

Kathryn Burtson, MD, MHPE, FACP, is our guest on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week for a look into academic coaching and individualized learning plans, part of a broader effort to move graduate medical education forward. Dr. Burtson is a first-time guest on our show and a colonel in the United States Air Force Medical Corps. She is Director of Medical Education at Wright-Patterson Air Force Ba...

Since our Faculty Factory podcast's launch in 2019, we have had the honor of interviewing some of the world's most impressive people, with a constant recurring theme being that these folks know how to safeguard their time. In this Faculty Factory best-of compilation episode, we're diving into some quick-hitting time management tips packed into a quick 15-minute broadcast with some of the most powe...

In the final stretch before retirement, the anxiety about an impending change in identity can be palpable, but Angela Sharkey, MD, has a lot of encouragement for folks who are struck with those feelings as they approach the closing years of a career in academic health. She joins the Faculty Factory Podcast this week for her third appearance and a triumphant return to our show. Dr. Sharkey is Profe...

Daniel S. Eiferman, MD, MBA, FACS, Professor of Surgery at The Ohio State University in Columbus, joins us to discuss his new book, “Cut Open: A Surgeon's Stories of Loss, Resilience, and Growth,” and to explore some of the most important leadership skills in medicine you won't learn in formal training, this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast. Learn about the book: https://www.amazon.com/Cut-Open...

Daniel Shapiro, PhD, returns to the Faculty Factory Podcast this week for a conversation on what really separates thriving academic leaders from those who quietly wash out of their roles. Today's interview is based on a talk Dr. Shapiro recently gave for Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), titled "Chutes and Ladders." After conducting hundreds of 360 evaluations for chairs, institute...

We're joined by first-time guest Lacey W. Heinsberg, PhD, RN, on this week's episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast to examine many of the ethical considerations surrounding the widespread use of generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, etc.). Dr. Heinsberg is Assistant Professor of Health Promotion & Development in the School of Nursing, and of Human Genetics in the School of Publ...

Mandy J. Hill, DrPH, MPH, HIVPCP, is a first-time guest on the Faculty Factory who is highly aware of the unique challenges leaders face. She joins us this week to explore a critical yet often overlooked issue: the toxic feeling of a need to overperform in this field. Dr. Hill currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Population Health and Health Disparities, and Centennial Chai...

This week on the Faculty Factory Podcast, we're exploring overcoming adversity and stressful times for a very special "best of" episode. The snippets from today's podcast focus on viewing your career as a marathon, staying positive through unimaginable circumstances, and embracing a mindset of humility through leadership, teambuilding and mentorship over the course of your career in academic healt...

Lauren Maggio, PhD, MS(LIS), Editor-in-Chief of MedEdPORTAL, visits the Faculty Factory this week for a comprehensive look at the value of submitting to this open-access, peer-reviewed publication and why utilizing its resources throughout your career is a must. In addition to her role with MedEdPORTAL , Dr. Maggio is a Professor and the Director of Research in the Department of Medical Education...

This week on the Faculty Factory Podcast, David Niesel, PhD, tackles one of the most underexplored questions in academic medicine: do you actually know how to be happy outside of your career? It's a provocative starting point, but one that gets at something real in a broader discussion on being strategic when approaching retirement and transitions for leaders in academic health. "Not everybody is...

On this week's episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast, Donna J. Adams, EdD, discusses the noticeable rise in learner concerns over the past five years. Now that we are more than half a decade removed from the peak of the pandemic, managing these issues has become a top priority. With UTMB in Galveston, Texas, Dr. Adams serves as Program Director, Translational Research Education, in the Institute...

This week on the Faculty Factory Podcast, we’re talking about education once again, and this time it's all about exploring teaching that goes way beyond the status quo for a very special "best of" episode. The snippets from today’s podcast focus on technology, meeting learners where they are, avoiding cognitive overload, and introducing clinical and micro-scale instructional approaches. We're feat...

This week on the Faculty Factory Podcast, we explore what neurodiversity is and how it plays out in the workplace with our guest, Kelley J. Slack, PhD. Dr. Slack is an Organizational Psychologist in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. First things out of the gate, we learned neurodiversity is not a medical term but rather a socia...

Companies and institutions have mission statements, but when it comes to individuals, it is unfortunately much less common. Maybe it's time to change that narrative. Crafting a personal mission statement takes strategic planning. This means being deliberate about having your behavior reflect what drives you. It entails reflecting on what is important to you and what values should govern your decis...

When it comes to exploring senior roles in academic medicine and understanding how one goes about achieving them, we have the perfect guest this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast as we welcome Jenny Mladenovic, MD, MBA, MACP. She joins us to help make sense of the opportunities available and to shed light on the variables to consider when pursuing one. "I do think it's really important to recogn...

What can we do to deal with this funding crisis in academic health and get through it with balance, equanimity and resilience? Mindfulness-based stress reduction and other mental health aspects that can help deal with the funding challenges in academic health are explored in this week's edition of the Faculty Factory Podcast with our guest Neda Gould, PhD. "It's tapping into our creativity and als...

This week on the Faculty Factory Podcast, we are taking on the topic of education (and more specifically, the learner and faculty experience) by featuring important highlights and snippets from three very important episodes in our archive on that topic: Episode 270 –  Elevating the Value of Teaching and Teacher Identity in Academic Medicine with Karen Moniz, MEd (HSE), PhD(c) Episode 299 –  Best S...

At age 78, while still doing mentoring, clinical work, and scholarship, Michael Malloy, MD, found time to discuss his journey with contemplating an “intensely personal” decision with the Faculty Factory Podcast this week. In what can only be described as the ultimate pre-retirement conversation, Dr. Malloy brings the emotions, intangibles, and ethical considerations, when weighing a decision of th...