Afleveringen
-
One of the most accomplished neurosurgeons in Europe joins Surgeon, Interrupted.
Dr. Yu-Mi Ryang is President-Elect of the German Spine Society, Chair-Elect of the EuroSpine Education Council, and one of the first women of color to rise to the highest levels of leadership in German neurosurgery. But her journey was anything but straightforward.
In this conversation with Dr. Frances Mei Hardin, she shares what twenty years of surgical training, leadership, and perseverance taught her about excellence, mentorship, competition, and staying true to yourself in a profession that often rewards conformity.
Together, they discuss:
Why so many people told her not to become a neurosurgeonWorking 100+ hour weeks during surgical trainingThe unique challenges of being an Asian woman in medicineCompetition, scarcity mindset, and surgical cultureWhy mentorship mattersâand why it sometimes failsPeople pleasing, authenticity, and leadershipBuilding a reputation through excellence instead of egoHow passion sustains a career in medicineWhether you're a medical student, resident, attending physician, or simply interested in leadership and personal growth, this episode is a candid look at what it really takes to build a meaningful career in surgery.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Yu-Mi Ryang, MD
Connect with Dr. Ryang: https://de.linkedin.com/in/prof-dr-med-yu-mi-ryang-949310135
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
Can someone still change medicine after they've left it?
After returning from Hippocratic Collective's Los Angeles End of Academic Year celebration, Frances Mei shares a comment that stopped her in her tracks:
"You walked away. Your credibility is gone."
That criticism sparks a deeper conversation about one of the biggest questions in medicine today. Does meaningful change only come from people still inside the system, or are outsiders sometimes the ones most able to challenge it?
Frances Mei and Colin discuss the backlash that comes with speaking publicly about residency culture, why doctors often police each other more than the system itself, and why they believe lasting change requires people working both inside and outside of medicine.
They also share updates on the LA event, the newest issue of ex vivo, and why protecting your identity outside of medicine may make you a better physician.
In this episode:
⢠Highlights from Hippocratic Collective's LA End of Academic Year celebration
⢠The release of the Summer issue of Ex Vivo
⢠The comment that questioned Frances Mei's credibility after leaving surgery
⢠Why "fix it from the inside" isn't the only path to change
⢠The hidden cost of sacrificing creativity during medical training
⢠Why building lasting resources for physicians matters more than social media
EX VIVO 2026: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/ex-vivo/2026
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Following Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
What happens when grief collides with medical training?
In this deeply personal episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with family physician, educator, and author Dr. Shanda McManus to discuss loss, caregiving, resilience, and the hidden emotional costs of becoming a doctor.
Growing up in North Philadelphia, Shonda helped care for her mother through advanced ovarian cancer before eventually becoming the first person in her family to attend college and pursue medicine. During medical school, her brother was murdered, a loss that would shape her life in profound ways. Like many physicians, she learned to keep moving, keep performing, and keep achievingâeven while carrying unprocessed grief.
Together, Frances and Shanda explore the culture of medicine that often rewards endurance while leaving little room for healing, and why creating space for grief may be one of the most important acts of self-preservation for physicians.
Topics include:
⢠Growing up in North Philadelphia
⢠Caring for a parent with cancer as a child
⢠Becoming the first person in your family to attend college
⢠Pregnancy and parenthood during medical training
⢠Taking time away from medicine without derailing your career
⢠The murder of a sibling during medical school
⢠Unprocessed grief and emotional survival in medicine
⢠Why physicians deserve space to heal
⢠Writing, memoir, and finding meaning through storytelling
⢠The inspiration behind Shanda's new book
This conversation is about loss, love, family, identity, and the ways medicine sometimes asks us to be less human when we need humanity most.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Shanda McManus, MD
Connect with Shanda: https://www.shandamcmanus.com/
Brother Epistles - https://www.splitlippress.com/product-page/brother-epistles
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
What happens when your residency program suddenly shuts down mid-training?
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with internal medicine physician Dr. Julia Torrellas to discuss one of the most destabilizing experiences a trainee can face: the closure of a residency program during training.
Julia shares what it was like to learn that her hospital was shutting down, how residents were absorbed into a new program, and the emotional fallout of losing mentors, support systems, routines, and a sense of stability overnight. The conversation explores burnout, identity, self-sacrifice, boundaries, and what happens when medicine becomes your entire sense of self.
Topics include:
⢠What it feels like when a residency program closes
⢠Starting over in a new hospital as a senior resident
⢠Burnout and emotional exhaustion in training
⢠Why many physicians tie their identity to their career
⢠Self-abandonment and self-sacrifice in medicine
⢠Setting boundaries without sabotaging your career
⢠Navigating residency politics and power dynamics
⢠Finding agency during uncertainty and disruption
⢠Lessons learned from career setbacks and unexpected change
Whether you're a medical student, resident, attending physician, or someone navigating a major life transition, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at resilience, identity, and rebuilding after disruption.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Julia Torrellas, MD
Connect with Julia: @drjuliatorrellas
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
What does it actually feel like to finish a plastic surgery residency in 2026?
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with graduating plastic surgery resident Dr. Liz Malphrus just days before graduation to reflect on the end of a six-year journey through surgical training. Together, they discuss burnout, confidence, identity, career choices, and what comes next after residency.
Liz shares how her perspective on medicine evolved during training, why she ultimately chose private practice over academia, and the lessons she wishes she could tell her intern-year self. The conversation explores everything from comparison culture and perfectionism to finding agency, building a meaningful career, and the role supportive partners play in surviving medicine.
They also discuss:
⢠What residency teaches you about yourself
⢠The surprising parts of surgical training
⢠Why comparison is the thief of joy in residency
⢠Academic medicine vs. private practice
⢠The power of mentorship outside institutions
⢠Marriage, support systems, and surviving training together
⢠What happens when you finally get your life back
⢠Why physicians may be more capable than they realize
Whether you're a medical student, resident, attending physician, or simply curious about life behind the curtain of medical training, this episode offers an honest look at one of the biggest transitions in a physician's career.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Liz Malphrus, MD
Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md
@dr.malphrus
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
Why does the United States spend more on healthcare than ever before while chronic disease continues to rise?
In this episode of Surgeon Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr. Joshua Mirrer to explore the systems behind modern healthcare. From residency burnout and preventive medicine to agriculture, economics, chronic disease, and the incentive structures shaping American health, this conversation goes far beyond the operating room.
Dr. Mirrer shares how his experiences in surgical training led him to study the larger forces influencing health outcomes, and why he believes meaningful change will require both individual action and community-level solutions.
Topics include:
Why healthcare is built around treating disease rather than preventing itThe rising cost of chronic illness in AmericaHow food systems and healthcare incentives intersectThe role of community in improving health outcomesLessons from diabetes prevention programsWriting, medicine, and making sense of complex systemsWhat surgeons can teach us about long-term thinkingIf you've ever wondered why healthcare feels broken, or what it might take to fix it, this conversation offers a thoughtful place to start.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Joshua Mirrer, MD
Connect with Joshua: http://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-mirrer-ab27436b
https://substack.com/@jmirrer
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
What happens when a longtime magazine editor leaves the world of celebrity journalism and finds herself at the forefront of narrative medicine?
This week on Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with Donna Bulseco, editor of the literary and arts journal Intima and co-editor of Where It Hurts: Dispatches from the Emotional Front Lines of Medicine. Together, they explore the power of storytelling in healthcare, why medicine needs the humanities, and what physicians can learn from writers, poets, and artists.
Donna reflects on her journey from InStyle magazine to Columbia University's Narrative Medicine program, the lessons she's learned from editing thousands of submissions from clinicians, and the common writing mistakes physicians make when trying to tell meaningful stories. The conversation also dives into creativity, taste, ego, revision, and why the most powerful stories often trust the reader enough to leave conclusions unsaid.
Whether you're a clinician, writer, artist, or simply someone interested in the human experience of healthcare, this episode offers a thoughtful look at the stories that shape us, and the ones that help us heal.
Topics discussed:
Narrative medicine and physician storytellingThe transition from publishing to healthcare humanitiesWhy doctors need art, literature, and philosophyDeveloping taste, voice, and creativityCommon pitfalls in physician writingThe making of Where It HurtsFinding humanity in modern medicineTrusting the reader and embracing revisionBooks Mentioned:
Where It Hurts: Dispatches from the Emotional Front Lines of Medicine
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Donna Bulseco
Connect with Donna: @dbulseco
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down again with her husband Colin for an unfiltered conversation about residency culture, hyper-productivity, and the psychological habits that follow physicians long after they leave the hospital.
What begins as a discussion about planning Hippocratic Collectiveâs first West Coast event in the Hollywood Hills evolves into a broader examination of how medicine conditions people to equate suffering with value. Frances Mei and Colin unpack the âculture of sacrificeâ mentality in residency â bragging about missed weddings, sleepless nights, impossible workloads, and constant exhaustion â and question whether any of it actually makes better doctors.
The episode explores:
Why suffering is often mistaken for productivity in medicineThe toxic martyrdom culture embedded in residency trainingHow physicians lose the ability to rest guilt-freeHyper-vigilance, comparison, and the âzero-sum gameâ mindset in surgical cultureWhy high-achieving people struggle to play, relax, or exist without outputThe long-term effects of residency on identity, nervous system regulation, and self-worthThe difference between loving medicine vs. loving the culture surrounding medicineHow Frances Mei still carries residency habits into entrepreneurship and creative work, even a year after leaving clinical practiceA recent study showing physicians are leaving medicine at younger ages than ever beforeThrough stories about migraines, video games, art, childhood conditioning, and even a neighborhood encounter with children playing outside, the conversation becomes a larger meditation on adulthood, performance, and what it means to reclaim joy after years of survival mode.
This episode is for physicians, trainees, and high-achieving professionals who feel trapped in cycles of overwork â and for anyone trying to learn that rest, creativity, and play do not need to be earned.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Following Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
This week on Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with family physician and educator Dr. Joan Chan for a conversation about ambition, burnout, identity, and the myth of âhaving it all.â
Together, they unpack the pressure many physicians feel to optimize every area of life at once â career, relationships, creativity, wellness, leadership â and why that mindset so often leads to exhaustion and loss of self. Joan shares what sheâs learning while helping build a new residency training site from the ground up, including the tension between preserving institutions and protecting the humans inside them.
The conversation explores medical education, agency, tradeoffs, focus, seasons of life, and the difference between suffering for something aligned versus suffering inside deep misalignment.
Topics include:
Why âyou can have it allâ is incomplete adviceThe hidden cost of trying to do everything simultaneouslyBurnout in medicine and academic systemsBuilding residency programs differentlyInstitutional culture vs. human sustainabilityCreativity, fulfillment, and feeling âaliveâ againWhy protecting people matters more than preserving systemsA thoughtful, funny, and deeply honest conversation about building a life intentionally â and what medicine gets wrong about success.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Joan Chan, MD
Connect with Joan: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/joan-chan-md
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
One year after leaving the hospital, Frances Mei reflects on what actually changes when you step away from medicine, and what doesnât.
After a month-long Europe trip spanning Cambridge, London, Copenhagen, Paris, Rome, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast, Frances and Colin unpack identity, burnout, healing, neurodivergence, perfectionism, and the uncomfortable reality of personal growth after medicine.
They talk about:
Why âwellnessâ often isnât enough for doctorsThe trap of outsourcing your rational brainLearning how to enjoy life again after survival modeWhy high achievers struggle to dream outside of medicineHow travel, art, museums, and creativity changed Frances Mei's lifeThe surprising grief of realizing you actually can changeLetting go of the version of yourself built entirely around achievementThis episode is about what happens when the career you sacrificed everything for is no longer the center of your life â and how difficult, disorienting, and beautiful rebuilding can be.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Following Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
What happens when life doesnât wait for training to end?
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with ENT surgeon Dr. Kelly Schmidt to talk about a reality rarely discussed in medicine: navigating fertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy during residency.
What begins as a straightforward plan to âjust have a babyâ quickly becomes something elseâcycles that donât work, loss that doesnât pause training, and the disorienting experience of trying to solve a problem that effort alone canât fix.
Kelly shares her story openlyâfrom miscarrying while on call to continuing to work through grief, to eventually building a path forward with fertility treatment and advocacy.
This episode covers:
Trying to conceive during residencyMiscarriage while on callâand returning to workThe emotional toll of infertility in high-achieversWhat actually helps (and what doesnât) when supporting someoneNavigating FMLA and time off during trainingHow to advocate for yourself in a rigid systemIf youâve ever felt like medicine leaves no room for real lifeâthis conversation is for you.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Kelly Schmidt, MD
Connect with Kelly: @kschmidt93
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
What if the moment that almost broke you⌠was the one that made everything possible?
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances sits down with cornea specialist Dr. Imane Tarib to unpack a journey that spans continents, identities, and nearly two decades of training.
From medical school in Morocco to starting over in the United States as an IMG, Imane shares what it actually takes to rebuild a career from scratchâlearning a new system, navigating isolation, and studying for the USMLE for 18 months⌠only to fail.
But this isnât a story about failure.
Itâs about what happens after.
They talk about:
The reality of being an IMG and immigrant in U.S. medicineThe psychological impact of failureâand how to reframe itThe hidden cost of âstarting overâ after already becoming a doctorLove, long distance, and choosing a life that wasnât the original planWhy success often looks effortlessâbut never isImaneâs story challenges the myth of the âstraight pathâ in medicineâand replaces it with something more honest: persistence, reinvention, and the courage to keep going when nothing feels certain.
Because sometimes the long way is the only way.
And sometimes, itâs the right one.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Imane Tarib, MD
Connect with Imane:
- Instagram: @imanetarib.md
- TikTok: @imanetarib.md
- LinkedIn: Imane Tarib, MD
- YouTube: @RealImaneTaribMD
Imane Tarib, MD, is a cornea, cataract, and refractive surgeon and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Imane is an International Medical Graduate from Morocco who trained at the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital in Rabat before completing three research fellowships and two advanced Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery fellowships at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Palm Beach Gardens.
Her academic focus includes corneal disease, refractive cataract surgery, and global ophthalmology. Her work also explores the intersection of medicine, mentorship, and advocacy for international medical graduates and women in medicine. Through her social media platforms, she shares insights into medical training, career growth, and building a meaningful life in and outside of medicine.
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
This week on Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with Dr. Kate Buhrke following their trip to the LMSA West conferenceâwhere one theme came up again and again:
How do you protect yourself in a system that doesnât protect you?
From toxic power dynamics and inappropriate behavior in training, to the blurred line between self-advocacy and self-preservation, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what medical students and residents are still facing today.
They dive into:
The reality of one-on-one power in clinical trainingWhy âjust playing the gameâ comes at a costThe myth that abuse creates better doctorsUnionization, organizing, and why change feels so slowThe hidden emotional toll: âdeath by a thousand cutsâWhy some specialties get away with more than othersAnd ultimatelyâwhat it means to speak up, find community, and remind people:
Youâre not crazy. Youâre not alone.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Kate Burhke, DO
Connect with Kate:
https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/kate-buhrke-do
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
What if the traits that made you successful in medicine are also what made it so hard?
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Dr. Frances Mei sits down with ENT physician Dr. Colleen Plein for a deeply honest conversation about neurodivergence, identity, and what it really means to âfit inâ in medicine.
They explore:
ADHD, autism, and giftedness in high-achieving physiciansWhy so many doctors feel like outsidersThe hidden cost of residency culture and hierarchyHighly sensitive people (HSPs) and emotional intensityReframing âtoo muchâ as a superpowerFinding community in a system that wasnât built for youIf youâve ever felt different, overwhelmed, or like you donât quite belongâthis episode is for you.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Colleen Plein, MD
Connect with Colleen: @boogerbossmd
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with Dr. Shay Taylorânewly matched at Yale Anesthesiology, and a story that has gone viral around the world.
But this is not just a âfeel-goodâ story.
This is a conversation about what it actually takes to get there: the years of working full-time while in school, the rejection, the debt, the doubt, and the mindset required to keep going when everything says stop.
Shay shares what it means to build a career without mentorship, to start medicine later than everyone else, and to keep moving forward after being told, directly, that she would never make it.
This episode is about resilience, but not in a polished, curated way.
Itâs about crash outs, losses, and choosing to continue anyway.
In this episode, we discuss:
Shayâs journey from janitor to physicianMatching into Yale Anesthesia after a nontraditional pathWhat itâs like to pursue medicine without guidance or resourcesWorking full-time while completing undergrad and a masterâsBeing told âmedical school isnât for youââand continuing anywayThe reality of failure (âthe Lâsâ) in medical trainingHow to handle rejection without quittingDelayed gratification, debt, and why medicine has to be personalSocial media, professionalism, and the ânew generationâ of doctorsWhy patients may actually want more humanânot lessâin their physiciansHost: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Dr. Shay Taylor
Connect with Shay: @shayy.taylor
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
The Match is a monopoly. And now, itâs official.
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei is joined by Colin Royal for an emergency breakdown of a newly released congressional report from the House Judiciary Committeeâone that directly calls the NRMP (residency Match) a monopoly with âdestructive consequencesâ for physicians, patients, and the healthcare system at large.
If youâve been through medical training, none of this is surprising.
But this is the first time itâs being said at this level.
We get into what this actually meansâbeyond Match Week, beyond the algorithmâand why this moment could mark the beginning of a long-overdue shift in how medical training is structured in the United States.
This is not a conversation about preference signaling or rank lists.
This is a conversation about power.
In this episode, we discuss:
The House Judiciary Committee report on the NRMP and why it mattersHow the Match suppresses wages and limits competitionThe 2004 antitrust exemptionâand how it shaped the current systemWhy residents have little to no negotiating powerThe concept of âmobilityâ (and why being trapped is the real issue)Why some specialties can treat trainees worseâand get away with itWhether a âtransfer portalâ for residents could existThe myth that residents are âjust traineesâHow resident labor actually powers academic hospitalsWhy this is not a residents vs. NPs/PAs issueâbut a system-wide oneHost: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Following Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances sits down with Helena (A.YoungDoctors.Journey), an emergency medicine physician redefining what early attending life can look like.
Fresh out of residency, she chose a path many physicians are warned against: full-time locum tenens work. What follows is an honest, nuanced conversation about autonomy, uncertainty, and what it means to build a career outside the traditional script.
They unpack:
The hidden fear of showing up online as a physicianWhy âfreedom of timeâ became non-negotiableThe reality of 1099 vs W-2 (explained simply)Early attending insecurityâand why itâs universalThe myth that more years = better doctorTravel, money, and the unexpected perks of locumsAnd the deeper question: what are you choosing by staying where you are?This is not a pitch for leaving medicineâor for locums.
Itâs a conversation about choice, agency, and expanding what feels possible.
Because the goal isnât one path.
Itâs knowing you have options.
A.YoungDoctors.Journey is an emergency medicine physician and recent residency graduate, and spends far too much of her free time posting about life in medicine on social media.
She completed medical school in Budapest and matched as a US-IMG. Currently, sheâs doing locum tenens full-time and is learning how to navigate finances, entrepreneurship and attending life as a 1099 contractor.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: A.YoungDoctors.Journey
Connect with Helena: @a.youngdoctors.journey
www.ayoungdoctorsjourney.com
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei speaks with physician, writer, and documentary filmmaker Jessica Zitter, MD, whose work explores some of the most difficult, and most human, moments in medicine.
Dr. Zitter first gained international recognition through the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Extremis, which captured the emotional reality of end-of-life care inside the ICU. Since then, she has continued to use storytelling to challenge the culture of modern medicine.
Together, Frances and Jessica discuss:
⢠How physicians become powerful storytellers
⢠Why medical culture often silences trainees
⢠The toxic hierarchies embedded in healthcare training
⢠The emotional toll of ICU and end-of-life care
⢠Why compassion, communication, and palliative care principles should exist in every specialtyânot just palliative medicine
Jessica also shares the story behind her newest documentary, The Chaplain and the Doctor, which follows her 15-year collaboration with a hospital chaplain and explores spirituality, bias, and humanity at the bedside.
This conversation explores how storytelling can transform medicineâfrom the ICU to the operating roomâand why speaking honestly about medical culture may be the first step toward changing it.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH
Connect with Jessica: @jessicazitter
reelmedicinemedia.org
thechaplainandthedoctor.com
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH is a documentary filmmaker, writer, physician, and founder of Reel Medicine Media, a non-profit devoted to using story to transform and humanize medical culture. Dr. Zitter is the primary featured subject and a member of the team that created the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary âExtremis (2016).â
She went on to direct and produce the award-winning documentary âCaregiver: A Love Story (2020),â which examines the growing crisis of family caregiver burden in the United States. Her third documentary, âThe Chaplain & The Doctor (2025)â explores the transformative relationship between a hospital chaplain and a physician challenging the fragmented clinical approach to patient care. Dr. Zitterâs book, âExtreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Lifeâ (2017), describes her evolution from a doctor focused on extending life at all costs to one more patient-centered and humanistic.
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
n this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with urology resident and social media creator Maheetha Bharadwaj, MDâoften known online as the internetâs favorite âdancing urologist.â
What begins with viral TikToks and Kardashian-style medical skits quickly turns into a deeper conversation about advocacy, physician voice, and the hidden curriculum of medical training. Maheetha explains how humor and creativity can be used to deliver serious health educationâwhat Frances Mei calls âputting the medicine in the cheese.â
Together they explore:
⢠How doctors can use social media to educate patients
⢠The power of visibility for women and minorities in surgical specialties
⢠Why medicineâs hidden curriculumânot anatomy or pathophysiologyâis often what breaks trainees
⢠Advocacy burnout and how physicians stay engaged without losing hope
⢠Why collaborationânot competitionâmay be the future of medicine
Maheetha also shares how her work now extends beyond Instagram and TikTok to state and national policy advocacy, speaking directly with legislators about issues affecting patient care.
This conversation is about creativity, courage, and the evolving role of physicians in public lifeâand why the next generation of doctors may change medicine by speaking out.
Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Maheetha Bharadwaj, MD
Connect with Maheetha: @dancing_uro_doc
https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/maheetha-bharadwaj-md
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
-
What happens when the dream you chased your whole life stops feeling like yours?
This week on Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with Sarah Rav â former doctor, former McKinsey consultant, and now a positioning and content strategist helping professionals build powerful personal brands.
Sarah shares her journey from direct-entry medical school in Australia to corporate consulting, and ultimately to walking away from prestige entirely. Together, they unpack:
⢠The pressure of immigrant expectations and âsafeâ careers
⢠Prestige addiction and socially acceptable success
⢠The sunk cost fallacy in medicine
⢠Transferable skills doctors underestimate
⢠Why visibility matters more than hard work outside the hospital
⢠Dealing with online criticism (and why backlash can mean growth)
⢠The concept of being âbrave scaredâ
If youâve ever wondered whether the path youâre on is truly yours â or just the one you were taught to want â this episode will feel like permission.
As Sarah says:
"This is my rebirth. I decide who I am, how I show up, and what I leave behind."
Youâre not behind. Youâre exactly where youâre meant to be.Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD
Guest: Sarah Rav
Connect with Sarah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rav/
https://www.instagram.com/sarahrav/
Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective
Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd
And subscribe to â¨@HippocraticCollective⊠on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
Sarah Rav is a former medical doctor and McKinsey consultant turned Positioning & Content Strategist. Sarah has spent over 13 years building an audience of more than three million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn by helping professionals clarify their message, build powerful brands, and create new opportunities beyond traditional career paths.
After stepping away from medicine and consulting, Sarah now shares what it really takes to stop letting external expectations dictate your life, to lovingly release identities that once served you, and to find the courage to pursue work that feels aligned and expansive. Through her work, she shows how building a personal brand can give professionals real agency, enabling them to pivot careers successfully, confidently, and on their own terms.
- Laat meer zien
