29 Aug observations: “At the end of the day”

I am so incredibly proud to share a new project. Last night we dropped a new and improved podcast called: Observations: “At The End Of The Day.”

Why a new podcast?

It is simple. While it is wonderful to share my own thoughts on topics that I observe as being important to the world of medicine (or the pseudo business of healthcare) I believe it is important to have diversity in those observations. In order to bring that vision to fruition, I partnered with two amazing colleagues and friends that I trust to join me in sharing our observations.

The format has been revised as well. An introduction, 3 different topics each led by one of us, and an open mic discussion. This format gives an opportunity to share observations we have made over the past week. We address topics that are in the news, top of mind, and that each of us believes is worth sharing and discussing. The great part of the podcast is our ability to challenge one another, to challenge conventional thinking, and to challenge our own beliefs on topics that are important to medicine.

I want to give everyone a quick introduction to my co-hosts.

First up is my long time friend and partner in crime, AJ Montpetit. (@ajmontpetit ). I have known AJ for about 5 years. I met AJ while he was originally working for Mayo’s Center for Innovation. Over the course of 5 years we have worked and collaborated on many various projects. Most recently, AJ has been instrumental in helping me to revamp the N-of-1 Universe (stay tuned there is plenty more to come). AJ is a designer, entrepreneur, and a master of all “digital projects.” AJ brings a fresh perspective due to his non-clinical/non-medical background. I always am inspired by AJ because he is always pushing conventional thoughts, explores adjacencies, and sees the medical world in a new light.

Next up, but definitely not least is my friend Awais Mirza. I met Awais a few years ago while he was working for NYU in Manhattan at their CyberKnife facility. I was so impressed with Awais. The very first time we met he came out, shook my hand, and then excused himself for a moment so he could go shake the hand of a patient and say hello to their family as well. It stood out to me and left a lasting impression. During our first meeting, Awais walked me through their facility and you could feel the passion in his voice as he shared their “patient-first” take on developing Manhattan CyberKnife. Since our first meeting we have developed a wonderful friendship. Awais, like myself, has a clinical background in radiation therapy and moved up the ranks in (healthcare) administration. He is one of the humblest humans I have ever met. He too pushes my own thoughts and brings a new perspective.

Originally we were going to call the show coffee and milk, or mocha and vanilla since Awais and myself are men of color (brown and proud) and AJ is caucasian. While it would have been a great play on words, AJ and Awais made me aware of how I typically sign off my blog posts or transition conversations….I use the phrase, “At the end of the day.”

With that, the title of the new podcast was born: Observations: At The End Of The Day.

The 3 of us like to challenge the status quo, so to that accord, we decided to drop Episode 001 on a Friday evening at 8pm CST.

Our weekly podcast will go live at 8pm CST on Thursday’s.

Episode 001: Observations: At The End Of The Day has a a very important topic, Trauma Informed Care. I want to make sure that anyone that may have gone through a traumatic experience in their life is aware of this before you listen. For those of us working in medicine (healthcare) I think it is very important to take a moment and listen to the topic, the discussion, and to be very aware of this very real experience that often goes unaddressed, unnoticed, and improperly documented in patient histories.

Remember, at the end of the day our ability to see, hear, and understand others happens at the N of 1.

Please email your comments, thoughts, questions or ideas on how we can improve our new podcast. You can email the team at: attheendpod@gmail.com or email me directly at cancergeek@gmail.com. You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram.

~Cancergeek