Dr. Thomas Fogarty: Surgeon, Inventor, Entrepreneur

I wanted to write a quick blog about a medical hero of mine: Dr. Thomas Fogarty.

I have never met Dr. Fogarty, but one day I'd like to have the opportunity.  Dr. Fogarty is a former Professor of Surgery in the Stanford University Medical Center.  He has published over 170 scientific articles but is most famous for his medical inventions.  He currently holds 63 surgical instrumentation patents, has founded or co-founded over 30 startup companies, helped begin a venture capital firm, has won numerous awards, and is the founder of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation .

His other claim to fame is his vineyard.  The Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyard is located in the San Francisco region and produces an array of fine wines.

Dr. Fogarty is an example of a physician who began as a clinician, branched out into an alternative area of medicine, and then went on into a non-medical venture.  The purpose of the Medical Fusion conference is to teach physicians how to make these career transitions, and there are few better examples of this progression than Dr. Fogarty.

Begin a Career in Wilderness Medicine: Dr. Eric Johnson

I sat down with Dr. Eric Johnson at our Expedition Medicine National Conference to ask him about his career in Wilderness Medicine.  

Dr. Johnson is a past president of the Wilderness Medical Society and has twice served as a physician at the Everest Base Camp Clinic.  In this interview, Dr. Johnson discusses his involvement in Wilderness Medicine, how individuals can get involved in Wilderness Medicine, and then gives his thoughts on our Medical Fusion Conference.

Interview With The Entrepreneurial MD

Dr. Philippa Kennealy interviewed me not long ago for her Conversations with Trailblazers podcast on The Entrepreneurial MD blog.  

You can read her blog post here or skip directly to the podcast by clicking here .  

In the podcast entitled Bitten by the travel bug, this MD wants to get you going places, we discuss the transition to being an entrepreneur, taking measured risk, the beginnings of ExpedMed and the Medical Fusion Conference, and our vision for physician career change.

An iPad Anyone?

So I finally broke down and purchased an iPad.  

For about a year I've been wondering if I should get an ebook reader like the Kindle or the Nook. When Apple came out with the iPad my curiosity heightened, but after a cursory review, I wondered what I would do with such a gadget. I mean, I already had an iPhone — wasn't an iPad simply a glorified iPhone without the ability to make phone calls?

Click to read more ...

Physician Burnout & The Vanishing Oath

I just finished watching The Vanishing Oath by Ryan Flesher, MD, an Emergency Physician who explores physician burnout in this documentary film.

The Vanishing Oath is one of those films that every physician should see.  My wife and I watched it together tonight and found ourselves nodding in agreement during many segments.  On more than one occasion my wife turned to me and said, "that sounds just like you!"

I'd like to discuss the issue of physician burnout in more depth in later posts-- and I have already posted a few articles on this subject-- but suffice it to say that I believe physician burnout is a huge issue in the US and will only grow larger in the coming years.  

Ryan's film struck a nerve with me, and policy makers should take heed to the story contained in this presentation.  You can read more about Ryan's work on his website, CrashCartProductions.com , or look for his future posts here on FreelanceMD.  Ryan has agreed to join our authors and we're excited to have him on board.

What is FreelanceMD?

Now that our new community is up and running, I'm already being asked, "What is Freelance MD?"

Great question.

Freelance MD is a physician community site that was borne out of necessity. Physicians today are looking for ways to expand their careers and there is a dearth of honest, practical information for them to access.

I should know.

I am an Emergency Medicine physician who has practiced clinical medicine since I graduated from my residency in 2002. My career has had many twists and turns, but five years ago I set out on a personal journey. My quest was to build a career that was enjoyable, flexible, fun, and still covered my financial obligations. The question was, where do I start? How do I design a career like this? Were there others in medicine who were attempting to do the same thing and if so, where could I find these individuals and how could I learn from them?

I spent countless hours on the internet looking for answers. I spoke to colleagues, went to conferences, read books, interviewed friends in other careers, and still came up lacking. After months of searching, what I found was that there was no hub for physicians like me, no real place to begin. I was overwhelmed, not only because of my narrow medical training, but also because I didn't even know what questions I should be asking. I was concerned about purchasing products I did not need, or signing on for services that didn't work. I needed direction and a mentor, but when I looked around I didn't find anything but murkiness.

Over the course of the past five years I have spent literally thousands of hours developing the idea that has resulted in our Medical Fusion Conference and now Freelance MD .

The idea is to provide physicians with cutting edge information on everything they need to broaden their careers and make their lives more manageable. Our hope is that Freelance MD can become a resource for physicians looking for answers on anything from entrepreneurship to clinical practice management to investments to nonclinical careers and everything in between. 

In order for us to provide the best information, we had to assemble the best team to speak on the subjects about which physicians were interested in learning. Take a moment and review the bios of our authors. This group is an incredibly talented bunch who are passionate about teaching their skills to interested medical professionals.  We've assembled this group from word of mouth recommendations from trusted friends and colleagues, and we're excited about what they'll be teaching all of us on Freelance MD. What's even better is that even more authors are coming on board in the near future to add even more depth to Freelance MD.

In short, if you're a physician like me who is eager to expand their career, or simply a curious person who loves to continue learning, FreelanceMD is the community website for you. Our goal is to provide teaching and mentoring-- physician to physician-- to those who want to continue growing.  

So take a moment and check us out. Comment on our posts and recommend us to a friend. Together as physicians, we'll lock arms and begin moving forward together. It's going to be a lot of fun, and we'd really enjoy including you on the journey.

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Physicians' Role in Medical Device Development

Just came across this lecture by Dr. Paul Yock of Stanford. In this particular clip, Dr. Yock discusses the role of clinical physicians in the development of new medical devices.  

Physicians can be active participants in the development of medical devices if they know how best to use their knowledge and skills. We'll be exploring this topic in depth on FreelanceMD...stay tuned!