Ripples: A Podcast from The Wellness Home

What's the key to avoiding burnout? In the latest episode, Ripples: Physician Well-Being explores how Dudley Harris, MD, refreshes the mind using free thinking to fuel creativity. Listen now to find out ways to adapt his techniques to your life. Season 4 of "Ripples" focuses on life beyond medicine, which helps our physicians to better themselves -- and, most importantly, take care of themselves.

Success. Failure. Growth. Achievement. Lessons learned through art can be invaluable to creating a professional identity. In the latest episode of "Ripples: Physician Well-Being", Jennifer LaCoss, MD, talks about her journey in medicine and what creating pottery can teach us about building a more resilient self. 

Dr. Richard Kogan joins "Ripples: Physician Well-Being" to discuss music, creativity, and mental health. Dr. Kogan is not only an accomplished concert pianist but also a clinical professor of psychiatry and artistic director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine program.  This discussion kicks off season 4 of "Ripples," which will focus on life beyond medicine, which helps our physicians to better themselves -- and, most importantly, take care of themselves.

During his first meeting of the San Antonio City Council, newly sworn in Mayor Ron Nirenberg brought forth a resolution asking the city to join the International Charter for Compassion in 2017 as a way to focus on improving the lives of others.  It passed unanimously and since that time the city has moved ahead on many Compassion initiatives including the inspiration for our UT Health San Antonio Compassion Course. Find out what's happening next in our compassionate city. 

Reverend Dr. Anne Helmke is the faith liaison for the City of San Antonio, and in her role, she forms collaborations within the city to put compassion into action. In her mind, we are better as humanity if we can put down our boundaries and work together to better our communities.

In this episode, Roshi Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher and social activist, explores the balance between compassion and equanimity, emphasizing her concept of the "strong back, soft front." She discusses GRACE, her training intervention for healthcare professionals, designed to cultivate compassionate care without burnout. Roshi Halifax also shares insights on overcoming biases, practicing self-stewardship, and maintaining well-being while caring for others.

The difference between feeling sympathy and empathy can have a huge impact on relationships. But what's the difference between these two reactions, and is feeling WITH someone hardwired in our brain through mirror neurons? Dr. Adriana Dyurich, PhD, leads our compassion course on empathy.

Dr. Holly Day serves her colleagues, learners, and most importantly, her patients with a heart and mind dedicated to the principle of compassion in medicine. She joins Ripples co-hosts Dr. Jon Courand and Dr. Adriana Dyurich to discuss the importance of forgiving oneself and forgiving others, and the role forgiveness plays in being a compassionate healthcare provider. --- The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Office for Graduate Medical Education is proud to bring you Ripples: Physician Well-Being, a podcast from The Wellness Home. Co-hosts Adriana Dyurich, PhD, LPC and Veena Prasad, PhD, MBA, LPC will invite UT Health San Antonio faculty as guests to share their own experiences, provide tips for overall wellness, and create a safe space to discuss coping with stressors. Compassion in health care is more than empathy for patients – it's also about YOU. This season, our co-hosts will unfold the multiple facets of compassion and the benefits gained when lending yourself a little more grace.

Dr. Jason Morrow, Associate Professor of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio and the Howard and Betty Halff Professor of Medical Humanities & Ethics, joins Ripples to emphasize the importance of self-kindness, recognizing common humanity, and mindfulness. Dr. Morrow highlights the need for deliberate practice in self-compassion, likening it to empathic communication in palliative care, and advises medical professionals to prioritize their well-being to sustain their ability to care for others effectively. --- Compassion in health care is more than empathy for patients – it's also about YOU. This season, our co-hosts will unfold the multiple facets of compassion and the benefits gained when lending yourself a little more grace.

Specializing in treating chronic stress and anxiety, psychologist and adjunct faculty at UT Health San Antonio, Dr. Lindsay Bira explains the importance of fostering emotional awareness to benefit our daily interactions and long-term health. We talk through feelings of guilt, regret, and shame and connect our reactive behaviors to the emotions we feel. In this episode she touches upon the use of tethers or practices that help guide or extricate us from maladaptive thinking or behaviors. The pebble she leaves us with is an example of one type of tether.  

Dr. Kanapa Kornsawad speaks about her experience practicing compassionate living and self-compassion. We also discuss the importance of noticing, feeling, and responding in the moment and ethical mindfulness. --- Compassion in health care is more than empathy for patients – it's also about YOU. This season, our co-hosts will unfold the multiple facets of compassion and the benefits gained when lending yourself a little more grace.

Our co-hosts introduce and discuss the inspiration behind this season's focus: the Facets of Compassion, a course structured around eight modules to address compassion for self, others, and society. For the first module, we learn about three elements that can help ease a trainee's busy and sometimes chaotic mind. --- Compassion in health care is more than empathy for patients – it's also about YOU. This season, our co-hosts will unfold the multiple facets of compassion and the benefits gained when lending yourself a little more grace.

We're back! Season 3 begins March 7. This season, Ripples: Physician Well-Being will focus on the theme “Facets of Compassion”: compassion for self, others, and society. The Long School of Medicine Office for Graduate Medical Education utilizes a compassion course to combat feelings of Imposter Syndrome, guilt, or shame with challenging patient outcomes, as well as teaching mindset adjustment to promote higher self-kindness. For each facet of compassion, we'll provide you with an episode about recognizing when an instance can require grace and the pebble to activate it. We're happy you're with us; let's create some ripples!

A compilation of our special guests' pebbles from Season 2. Collect all the pebbles and create powerful waves of well-being in your life! Learn more about the services The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Office for Graduate Medical Education Wellness Home can provide at gmewellness.uthscsa.edu.

Dr. Cari Calvo-Strube wears a lot of hats; she's the associate program director for wellness in the Department of Surgery at UT Health San Antonio, an Assistant Professor in Breast Surgical Oncology, and a Leader in the Breast Cancer Surgical Program at Mays Cancer Center. She shares her personal life path during training and how she continues prioritizing wellness at home and in the clinic. As a practicing breast surgical oncologist, she also addresses rising statistics for breast cancer in younger women.

Mindfulness expert, yoga therapist, and educator Melissa Aguirre discusses the science behind practicing healthy coping mechanisms to reduce stress and fuel vitality back into the body.

Dr. Winifred Mak answers our questions about IVF treatments, egg freezing, emotional support and cost for trainees exploring family planning. More resources can be found on Dr. Mak's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/miscarriagemd/?hl=en.

Dating can be tough, but dating during training is tougher. Dr. Ifie Williams, founder and CEO of the dating app Miss Doctor, joins us to discuss the inspiration for her physician-only relationship platform and her goals to help successful women fulfill their personal lives.

We speak with certified student loan professional Andrew Paulson, a financial expert who works closely with health professionals on the different programs and paths trainees can take to pay off student loans. Find more resources and advice at https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/.

Dr. Victor Smith MD, a neonatology fellow at UT Health San Antonio, takes us through a detailed journey into financial well-being, one of the 8 domains of wellness. He provides information about budgeting apps, student loans, and the Public Loan Forgiveness Program. It is a must-listen episode for residents and junior faculty.

Vidhya Illuri, MD, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of eating well while managing the stressful life of a resident on rotation and suggests dietary changes to improve one's well-being.   Find Dr. Illuri's recipe ideas here: https://www.instagram.com/dr.illuris.pantry/?hl=en   

Tips and ideas about how to eat to promote your wellbeing, even during stressful times. Vijaya Botla, president and lead registered dietitian of Alamo Nutrition Consultants, helps us understand different types of diets that promote health and wellness, including diverse diets.

Dharam Kaushik, MD joins the podcast to discuss the physical and mental benefits of practicing yoga [7:39] and offers an easy breathing exercise to become present in the moment [14:59]. Learn more about the Wellness Home at GMEWellness.UTHSCSA.edu Catch up on past episodes at https://uthscsa.edu/medicine/education/gme/wellness/ripples-podcast-directory Questions? Email Ripples at GMEWellness@uthscsa.edu  

A collection of pebbles from Season 1. Collect all the pebbles and create powerful waves of well-being in your lives.

Dr. Jon Courand, Assistant Dean for Wellbeing at UT Health San Antonio leads our discussion on how to set healthy boundaries in clinical and academic environments, in the second part of our "Healthy Boundaries" series.

Join us to explore what boundaries really are, how to explore our boundary blueprint, and where to start setting healthy boundaries. Our own Dr.Adriana Dyurich, Academic Success and Behavioral Health Consultant for GME, UT Health SA converses with Dr. Veena Prasad and Dr. Jon Courand, the other members of the Wellness Team. For more episodes: https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine/education/gme/wellness/ripples-podcast  

Time to talk about depression and self-harm. We are addressing ways to support mental health to reduce stigma and encourage health-seeking behavior. What can we do to promote an open dialogue among physicians about depression and suicide? A conversation with Dr. Scott Jones, Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education and DIO of LSOM and co-creator of the video, "Time to Talk About It."

Join us to explore ways in which athletes and medical residents use self-agency to connect mental, spiritual and physical health for success and wellbeing. Listen to Ripples, Episode 6, with our own Dr. Marie Charpentier, Director of the Athletic Training Residency, UT Health SA and the Director of Rehabilitation at the University of Texas San Antonio supporting the successful UTSA Football team.

Join us as we learn about balance and the importance of being happy over being special. Listen to Ripples, episode 5, with our beloved heart surgeon, mindful runner, and “ski-bum”, Dr. AJ Carpenter. 

Dr. Jason Schillestrom, Program Director for Psychiatry at UTHSA, discusses his experiences training in our institution and learning to embrace and appreciate all relationships in his life, including the challenging ones. Dr. Schillestrom shares two of his most valuable strategies to practice personal wellness: assume the best from others, after all, those in healthcare have decided to dedicate their lives to caring for others; and remember you have choices, and you have made some great ones, too. He reminds himself he chose to go to medical school, he chose to be a psychiatrist, and he claims the right to keep making choices.  Learn more about the services your GME Wellness Home can provide at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine/education/gme/wellness. Interested in attending the Long School of Medicine? Catch up with us at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine

Dr. Adriana Dyurich, "Ripples" co-host and Behavioral Health Counselor for the Office for Graduate Medical Education, shares the path that brought her to understand and overcome burnout in her personal journey to wellness at the Long School of Medicine. She also shares her wellness and counseling philosophy and her pebble, “Radical Self-care” to help you prevent or cope with burnout in your life. Learn more about the services your GME Wellness Home can provide at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine/education/gme/wellness. Interested in attending the Long School of Medicine? Catch up with us at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine

Dr. Veena Prasad, Ripples co-host and Behavioral Health Counselor for the Office for Graduate Medical Education, shares her personal journey from biochemistry to wellness at the Long School of Medicine, approaches to counseling and her pebble, “Just One Thing.”   Learn more about the services your GME Wellness Home can provide at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine/education/gme/wellness.   Interested in attending the Long School of Medicine? Catch up with us at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine.

On the first episode of Ripples, we have a special guest for you! We are interviewing the Assistant Dean for Wellbeing for Graduate Medical Education at the Long School of Medicine, Dr. Jon Courand. We discuss the catalyst that turned Dr. Courand to wellness, how he brought his wellness interest to LSOM, the future of wellness at LSOM and his pebble “Be Present at Home.” Dr. Courand is a National ACGME Wellness Consortium founding and current member, executive committee member for the AAMC/CFAS Resilience Committee and Pediatric Hospitalist. Enjoy episode one and create positive ripple effects in your life. Learn more about the services your GME Wellness Home can provide at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine/education/gme/wellness. Interested in attending the Long School of Medicine? Catch up with us at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine.

Hi, nice to meet you! We are Adriana Dyurich, PhD, LPC and Veena Prasad, PhD, MBA, LPC, hosts for the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Office for Graduate Medical Education wellness podcast, and consultants at your service. We know graduate medical education can come with various experiences and stressors, so we created a podcast to help you cope with daily challenges on-the-go. Every episode, we'll navigate through personal and professional well-being with UT Health San Antonio faculty guests and share stories of our own experiences. Subscribe and check back every month for our newest episode. Learn more about the services your GME Wellness Home can provide at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/medicine/education/gme/wellness