Many professionals must hone several key skills over time to be successful at their jobs. Some of these skills are learned in academic settings. That is especially true for professions that require a prolonged educational stage (yes, I’m particularly winking at the roads toward MD & Ph.D. degrees!). But just as valuable are the skills … Read more
Yes, we are still in the middle of the COVID pandemic. With the help of more people getting vaccinated and mask mandates in effect, a post-pandemic world is no longer a mere imagination. While waiting for the pandemic to be over, there are some doubts about whether the COVID vaccines should be cleared to facilitate … Read more
We all need mentors to help guide us through our careers. I am very fortunate to have had and currently have many generous and knowledgeable mentors. I rely greatly on them to provide feedback and advice on how to navigate the many challenges of being a physician-scientist. As early-career trainees, we are often concomitantly seeking … Read more
For all early-career physicians out there, I am sure you were not only looking for the latest in science at AHA 2020 but also some guidance on career development, and the session “Developing your Career as an Academic Physician” was just perfect. Here I will review some of the fantastic talks from this session. It … Read more
American Heart Association Early Career Guest Blog Sherry-Ann Brown MD PhD FAHA, Mehnaz Rahman MD For many of us, to nurture our continuous and whole sense of well-being, we are in a constant process of learning to say “no”. Here is one scenario that can help provide an effective framework for saying “no”. Consider a … Read more
American Heart Association Early Career Guest Blog Sherry-Ann Brown MD PhD FAHA WELLNESS The World Health Organization defines wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. The terms in this definition inspire similar words such as continuous (state), whole (complete), tangible (physical) and … Read more
Work-life balance: for many in Cardiology it’s an elusive idea. Now, our worlds of work and “life outside of work” are even more blurred among Zoom meetings and facemasks. However, over the years, I have learned 3 important concepts (Figure 1) that has made work-life balance POSSIBLE, not just a myth. Figure 1. Outlining the … Read more
American Heart Association Women in Cardiology Blog Series NEGOTIATING YOUR FIRST CONTRACT Victoria Thomas MD, Simone Bailey MD, Sherry-Ann Brown MD PhD Women are less likely to negotiate their contracts than men 1-3. Approximately 20% of women do not engage in contract negotiation 1. Despite improvements over time in the number of women negotiating their … Read more
August is traditionally very busy month in the pediatric cardiology office; visits for “sports clearance” flood the schedule due to something picked up on a high school sports physical such as chest pain. Most of these will be non-cardiac and receive reassurance; however, the cardiac causes in the pediatric population can be quite distressing. With … Read more
In writing this last post as a junior blogger, I decided to highlight the tremendous efforts by the American Heart Association (AHA) to improve cardiovascular care in the field of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As we know, the AHA is a worldwide leader in first aid, CPR, and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training … Read more