An interview series spotlighting global tech influencers, disruptors, visionaries, and of course, innovators.
This week we connect with The Visible Voices Podcast creator and Emergency Medicine and Radiology Professor Resa E. Lewiss, MD. In the last few years Dr. Lewiss has diversified her career, including publishing and speaking on topics focusing on health design, leadership and mentorship, point-of-care ultrasound and podcasting.
After graduating from Brown University with a concentration in Sociology/Ethnic Studies, Dr. Lewiss attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and later spent one year at the NIH in Bethesda, MD, as a Howard Hughes Research Scholar. A graduate and former chief resident of the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency program, she graduated in the first point-of-care ultrasound fellowship class at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center where she served as Fellowship Director and Chief of the Emergency Ultrasound Division for over ten years. After serving as Division Director and leading the Point of Care Ultrasound program at the University of Colorado, she joined the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals faculty.
In additional to being a TEDMED speaker and Time’s UP Healthcare founder, Dr. Lewiss is an internationally renowned point-of-care ultrasound educator and champion for diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces with a design focus in ultrasound hardware and workflows. She’s helped to redesign the built environment of a Harvard ICU and an infectious diseases unit in Malawi. As host and founder of The Visible Voices Podcast nearing her phenomennal 100th episode, Dr. Lewiss designs conversations with awide range of subject matter experts in healthcare, equity and current trends. Full disclosure: her podcasts are revelatory!
Readers may find Dr. Lewiss’ articles in both the popular press and scientific journals, such as the Harvard Business Review, Slate, MedPageToday, Nature, CNBC and Fast Company. Her new book, MicroSkills, is forthcoming from HarperCollins in 2024.
I caught up with Resa via text, email and Zoom to discuss her career in medicine and podcasting, DEI, our experiences at Brown, mentoring, menteeing, the importance of using one’s voice and what that means for each individual. Our interview follows.
EKMH: Congratulations on your upcoming book! Let’s talk about your The Visible Voices Podcast. Why is knowing and utilizing one’s voice essential? How has your own spoken and written voice evolved throughout your career?
Dr. Resa E. Lewiss: I have been a lifelong observer of people, relationships and social situations. As a child, teenager and young adult, I was not able to use my words and use my voice in the intentional way I do now. Medical training and patient care has made me use my voice to advocate for patients and to make sure the right care is provided to and for them. My voice has evolved to be one that is clearer, more direct and less tenative.
EKMH: How has podcasting influenced your voice, helped challenge your thinking and widened your perspective?
Dr. Resa E. Lewiss: In many ways, I have grown through podcasting. Two important aspects of an episode include the quality of the audio and the quality of the content, the actual conversation. I am always working on some aspect of the podcast production to improve the experience for the guest and listener. Initially my style tended towards more formal and restrained, a bit more of a traditional interview framework in style. Over time, I intentionally moved to a more conversational style. With the feedback and encouragement of friends, I bring and reveal more of myself, my personality, my wit, my making fun of the formal and love-of-words style. I also share more personal stories for context and to compliment those of my guests.
Logistically, I had to find my voice and stop being overly polite and stop hesitating to speak up when the audio was not working as planned, i.e. when jewelry or glasses hit the microphone causing a kerfuffle of sounds or when hand motions like tapping a table interrupt a good recording. I’m also more comfortable verbalizing a framework of requests, such as reminding the guests to keep their responses short and tight yet not to an extreme where they may feel cut off or incomplete. Afterall, I want them to sound fantastic. The more authentically I bring Resa to the relationship, the more fun and interesting the conversation becomes. Now I also feel less afraid to reschedule if the audio is just not working or the connection between us is neither relaxed nor comfortable.
My process continues to evolve. I gauge how much I speak to how much the guest/s speak. I have become more deliberate when walking guests through what to expect during the recording. I let them know I may ask a question or make a statement or read a quotation so that they should feel free to riff off that. If they don’t like what they say, no problem, I lead them back in. If I stumble, I tell them I may stop and restart. It’s not live so there is less stress.
Podcasting has encouraged me to be more intentional when introducing myself to guests, letting them know my professional background as well as the story behind the name and mission of the podcast. The podcast has taught me to trust my own voice. I now ask questions that come to mind, even when I wonder if I am pushing guests or going somewhere they may not wish to go with the conversations, in order to go deeper and down an unexpected path in the conversation. Podcasting requires me to demonstrate to guests that they can trust me. The trust goes both ways. I trust myself. I trust them. They trust me.
EKMH: What advice do you have for steering and navigating a range of conversations?
Dr. Resa E. Lewiss: Since an audio podcast is about quality sound and quality content, I try to have a pre-meet for every conversation to allow guests to get to know me and vice versa, to learn each other’s personalities. I have found it helpful to give guests context and insight into my work, my goals and motivations for speaking with them and amplifying their voice. I share a brief bio, give a background for the name of the podcast and why I created it. This introduction has proven to be extremely valuable aiding the comfort and ease of the conversation.
There are so many topics and people in whom I am interested and with whom I would love to speak. Thoughts for steering and navigating a range of conversations include: be well rested, caffeinated and finished exercising ahead of time. These all help the body, mind and spirit to be calm and open, while emanating and receiving good energy.
I love learning and am curious. Be curious! I google and read about guests ahead of time, read and watch their works, and listen to their interviews and podcasts. I write down show notes and quotations I may select to read and questions I may ask. Finally, I come from a place of gratitude. People are giving their time and attention - sure there could be a benefit to them if they have published a book, released a documentary or opened a bakery business- but no matter, they have said yes to joining me in conversation. I deeply appreciate this.
EKMH: Please share some “pearls and pitfalls” from your extensive career.
Dr. Resa E Lewiss: Create, build, commit to, and invest in your personal board of directors. These are the go-to people you contact for questions, in case of emergency, when you are scared, when you need to get things off your chest, when you need someone to reflect back to you what they are hearing you say, when you need to know how to play the game, when you did not get a copy of the playbook, when you succeed, when you fail, when you make a mistake, when something good happens. These are the people who always pick up when you call and text or email back when you reach out.
Always trust your gut. Your gut is yours and what yours tells you is different from what someone else’s tells them. Trust your gut each and every time. The times that I did not listen to what my gut was telling me regarding a person/s or a situation, in retrospect I always wish I had listened.
Let people know in real time if they made a difference in your life. You may never see them again and have the opportunity to share that influence and impact.
If you are able, start contributing to a retirement plan as young as possible. The exponential growth in savings that occurs the sooner you start is compelling.
Love is limitless and our ability to love people and allow love into our lives is limitless.
EKMH: How does bias still exist in medicine in the 21st century? What specific steps should be initiated now and by whom to better address health care inequity?
Dr. Resa E. Lewiss: Medicine in the USA, like many industries, was built in a way that is not always diverse, inclusive or welcoming. Not everyone feels as if they belong. Medicine is arguably steeped in tradition and hierarchy. This slow to change leadership structure is vertical and movement seems glacial. To that end, the structural inequities are subtly revealed and slow to change. One way I can illustrate this is by highlighting the content and stories of guests from a few of The Visible Voices podcast episodes. Equiped with a Sociology Ethnic Studies background and my ongoing astonishment about how poorly and unequaly both patients and healthcare workers can be treated inspired me to cover these topics. My guests in the following three Visible Voices Podcast episodes address inequality:
Episode 92. RUSSELL J LEDET, MD PHYSICIAN ADVOCATE FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND THE 15 WHITE COATS AND MENTAL HEALTH. I speak with Dr. Ledet about increasing the pipeline of Black and Brown physicians. We discussed helping people access a medical education, not just getting into school, but staying in training and truly feeling as if they belong.
Episode 67. JENNIFER FREYD, MD & KEVIN WEBB INSTITUTIONAL TRAUMA BETRAYAL AND COURAGE. We discuss Dr. Freyd’s research and how institutions treat individuals, often gaslighting and betraying the most loyal people. Kevin discusses what he sees as a Title IX educator.
Episode 11. STRUCTURAL RACISM AND THE COVID19 PANDEMIC AS HEALTH CARE CRISES. Emergency medicine physician friends Drs. Ivette Motola, Marina Del Rios, Fernanda Bellolio and I talk about the disparate and worse morbidity and mortality rates of COVID-19 in the Latine community in the USA. We highlight the importance that racial ethnic concordance can play for patient centered care.
Look for MicroSkills in 2024!
**Editor’s note: Published!
EKMH: Please share some essential advice for women entering healthcare. What advice would you give about securing leadership roles?
Dr. Resa E. Lewiss: Healthcare is like many other industries. People may consider it unique and different but I have not found this true. When I speak with friends working in other industries about challenges, barriers, frustrations and ceilings, their narratives are similar. Three bits of advice I could offer:
Just ask. Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide authors Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever drive this point home. In your career, work and relationships become comfortable when you ask and advocate for yourself. The worst that happens is you are told no or ghosted, but you will not live with the regret of not asking.
Connect (which I think is a nicer word than network)! I enjoy reading books on leadership, efficiency at work, communication and people management. In How Women Rise, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith develop this concept. Their book inspired me to make coffee meetings, walking meetings and virtual meet-and -greets regularly. PS: for the introverts in the audience I am one of you too! Take a look at this one: Networking for People Who Hate Networking.
Commit to your health, including your financial health. I grew up in a household with traditional gender roles, which means different things to different people. In my case, it meant that the girls were not taught about finances and managing money, so I have always lived below my means. When I completed medical training with six figures worth of loan debt, I started self-educating. You guessed it: I read books, spoke with go-to people, and I began what is now an over twenty year working relationship with a financial advisor.
EKMH: What value do you place on the mentors and mentees in your life? Who’s on your “raft of otters,” the sisters who have helped carry and inspire you?
Dr. Resa E. Lewiss: I place high value on mentors and mentees. The concepts of coach /mentor /sponsor / friend in my experience are fluid and evolving with plenty of room for overlap. These relationships are a complete value-add and provide an energizing aspect to my career.
During the pandemic I co-authored three articles with my colleague Adaira Landry, MD MEd on mentorship, reframing the potential of mentoring for those who question their importance and impact. In our first, “What Efficient Mentorship Looks Like,” we discuss how to make mentorship efficient and effortless. In our second article, “5 ways to make time for mentoring even when you’re too busy,” we share ways to set oneself up for a successful mentor-mentee relationship. My chosen family and my go-to people, aka personal board of directors that I described above, carry me. In our third article, “Is good mentorship found on Twitter? We think so,” we recommend how Twitter can function as an invaluable mentorship tool. One of my favorite aspects of serving in either role is to redefine how the relationship looks, knowing that the roles can flip and flop.
EKMH: And finally, which books, films and/or podcasts top your recommended list?
Dr. Resa E. Lewiss: I regularly partake in all three of these mediums. And with a huge disclaimer that there are many in my tops list, I will name some that come to mind today as I am write this.
Books: There are too many to name and I can commit to a few categories of book. Business Self-Help is one. Right now I am writing a book with co-author Adaira Landry on MicroSkills in which we describe taking large goals and breaking them down into their most fundamental skills helping people be better at work. I also read biographies and World War II history.
Films: The Color of Paradise and Hiroshima mon amour.
Podcasts: Pod Save the People, Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, Jill on Money, Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, Marketplace Morning Report, The Human Doctor, The Nocturnists, Getting Even with Anita Hill, The L word, Doctors and Litigation, and Crimetown Season 1 Providence.
Additional reading:
*CNBC
*HBR
“What a Compassionate Email Culture Looks Like”
“What Efficient Mentorship Looks Like”
“If a Speaking Gig Can’t Pay, Ask for Another Form of Compensation”
*Slate
“Medicine Has a Status Anxiety Problem”
*Nature
“Four evidence-backed reasons to say ‘no’ to early morning meetings”
*Fast Company
“6 reasons why all leaders should have term limits”
“6 things to consider when choosing a business partner”
“How to write a letter of recommendation—for yourself”
“5 ways to make time for mentoring even when you’re too busy”
“7 ways to promote yourself on social media without bragging”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this series are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
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