The Other Human in the Room

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!Everything about this podcast episode is mediocre. YOU'RE WELCOME.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!How do you need your patients to change in order for you to be happy? It may seem like a strange question - but answering this question honestly can help unearth the stories about our patients that are really keeping us stuck in resentment and burnout. Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!I had such a brain expanding conversation with Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti that the internet demons tried to shut it down! Nevertheless, we persisted and really explored what it could look and feel like to identify what is dying in our current system and society, and how we could approach these changes with a hospicing approach.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!People pleasing is such a common struggle for humans in healthcare - especially those in marginalized identities. Joan shares what she has been learning about the connection between people pleasing and our default survival trauma responses -- and how this connection can help you take on the tricky work of learning to let go of people pleasing with your patients.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!Do you get stressed about following the guidelines? Or notice other colleagues seem stressed if anyone strays off the guidelines? Commute to work with Joan as she explores the idea of guidelines legalism and how we can trust our clinical brains in the midst of guideline confusion. Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!Joan explains the powerful concept that shifted the way she viewed conflict forever - and made her much more calm and capable of having difficult conversations as a result.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!Please join Joan as she interviews Dr Hillary McBride, as they explore how the ideas and practice of embodiment can change our experience and practice of medicine.  Where to learn more from Hillary: Website: https://hillarylmcbride.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hillarylmcbride Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillaryliannamcbride/  Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!Anyone who works in healthcare encounters illness anxiety on a daily (if not hourly) basis. Anxiety about getting sick is a driving factor behind so much healthcare utilization, and can be draining for healthcare clinicians as well. Joan explores the most important thing to do when encountering illness anxiety in your patients: addressing the illness anxiety that exists in YOUR brain.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!The thing that your brain loves to worry about all day has happened - you made a mistake. In medicine!! Joan shares how to actually learn from these mistakes instead of drowning in shame spirals.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

The Other Human in the Room is on hiatus!  For the next 3 months, you’ll still be getting weekly episodes on your podcast feeds - but they’ll all be re-releases of past favourites.  I’m using this time to dream and explore new ideas and directions for the podcast.  See you in March!Do you feel pressure to be the "medical expert" in your work? Do you constantly feel like you don't know enough, or shame yourself for not having the Right Answer?  I hope this podcast helps undo this inhuman story for you.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this episode, I sit down with Dr Carlos Yu, a self-described “odd” family doctor who has spent 35+ years quietly rewriting what it means to practice medicine as his full, weird, magical self. We talk about cold plunges in Lake Ontario, drum circles, ear acupuncture groups, and the deep privilege of witnessing patients when they’re open and vulnerable. Carlos shares how he moved from judging by appearances to practicing radical curiosity, sensory awareness, and presence in every encounter. Together, we explore how coming home to your body and the present moment can be a path back to your own weird, beautiful humanity in medicine.Connect with Carlos: Website: https://presencetherapy.ca/https://nadacanadainstitute.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/joywithdryu/Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

I’m joined by Dr Joyce Cheung (family/palliative MD) and Ange Bernabe (PhD, economist) to talk about Locvm—an Ontario-born, physician-designed platform making it easier to find and be a locum.We dig into why sharing the load is system-saving: clear contracts, payment flow, accountability, and a real pool that supports parental leave, illness, sabbaticals, and rural coverage.We also talk about their life and business partnership as a married power couple, and what lessons they’ve learned about collaboration in that process.If we want a more humane system, we need tools and norms that let doctors step away without compromising care - it was a joy to connect with these two healthcare humans who are bringing that vision to life!Connect with Locvm:https://www.locvm.ca/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/locvm/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/locvmcanada/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/LOCVM/61569373256521/Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this solo episode, I name the yellow flags that told me I’d crept past capacity—and why my body’s honest answer was to pause. I walk through the dopamine of rushing, the resentment that follows, and the relief I felt when I imagined three months without weekly production. I share what this means for the show, and how pausing creates space for deeper thinking and play. Consider this an invitation to practice open-palm commitments and feel the power of pause in your own life.Taylor Swift Song sorter (start at your own risk!!!): https://jesseepinkman.tumblr.com/tswiftsongLearn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Quon, a general internist and disability-inclusion advocate, to talk candidly about returning to work with disability and the real-world mechanics of getting accommodations as a physician.Michael shares his origin story, a life-altering brain injury, and the long road back—plus what he’s learned about legal protections, policy gaps, and culture change in medicine.We explore why flexible scheduling and shared duty to accommodate matter ethically, legally, and for patient care—and how physicians with disabilities strengthen teams.If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “allowed” to ask for what you need, this one’s for you.Connect with Michael:www.linkedin.com/in/MichaelJQuonLinks from Michael: Physician Health Inclusion - Community or Practice for Physicians with Disabilities and Chronic Conditionshttps://www.linkedin.com/groups/15696022/OMA - workplace accommodations: https://www.oma.org/practice-professional-support/running-your-practice/operations-and-practice-management/human-resources-management/workplace-accommodations-for-doctors-with-disability-and-chronic-illness/The Ottawa Hospital Disability Position statement https://cjpl.ca/fostincl.htmlThe Ottawa Hospital Accommodations Policyhttps://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2025/07000/implementation_of_a_policy_for_accommodations_for.10.aspxLearn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this episode, I sit down with psychiatrist and physician-wellness advocate Dr. Dimitrios Tsatiris to unpack why the traits medicine rewards—achievement, perfectionism, and altruism—can quietly fuel suffering. We talk about diminishing returns, moral injury, and the difference between excellence and perfection. We explore practical ways to honor limits, take real vacations, and build cultures of collaboration instead of martyrdom. If you’ve ever felt “too needed to rest,” this conversation is for you.Connect with Dimitrios: Website: https://dimitriostsatiris.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/drdimitriosLearn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this conversation, I sit down with three physician–psychotherapists—Dr. Elizabeth Parsons, Dr. Risa Adams, and Dr. Robin Beardsley—co-authors of a book that asks us to consider: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way.We explore Internal Family Systems (IFS), self-energy, and the “U-turn” as practical tools for reclaiming agency, setting boundaries, and softening people-pleasing.They share how collaboration at the speed of trust helped them write together, and why “all parts are welcome, not all behaviors.”If you’ve ever felt swallowed by shoulds, this one offers micro-practices of compassion, choice, and connection.Connect with Risa: https://www.risaadamsmd.com/ Connect with Elizabeth: https://www.eparsonsmd.ca/ Connect with Robin: https://yourcompassionateself.ca/Buy their book: https://www.amazon.ca/Doesnt-Have-This-Way-Physicians/dp/B0FMQ4KZ9WLearn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

This week I sit down with Dr. Katherine Raffensperger, a psychiatry resident with an MD/MBA who sees medicine and business as parallel, interwoven paths.We get into how policy has reshaped mental health care, why leadership and communication should be explicitly taught in training, and what price transparency might mean for real people.Katherine shares how entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary learning made her a better clinician, plus the practices that keep her grounded through intern year.If you’ve got a spark outside “the box,” this episode is your permission slip to weave it in.Connect with Katherine:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-raffensperger/TikTok: @raffmdmbaInstagram: @raffmdmbaLearn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

I sit down with Dr. Adam Stewart—rural Ontario family doc and self-described efficiency nerd—to swap real-world systems for making primary care saner. We dig into EMR hacks, delegation to people and tech, AI scribes, block fees, and the “reset the clock” approach to slashing prescription-renewal chaos. Adam walks through protected time, inbox-zero habits, and why tiny upstream tweaks compound into hours saved. We also peek at how Ontario’s FHO+ might change behavior—and how to optimize without losing our souls (or evenings). Connect with Dr Adam Stewart: https://stewartmedicine.com/Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

“Good team player” is often code for “do more, say yes, don’t rock the boat.” In this solo episode, I reframe teamwork entirely: the best teammate is rested, resourced, grounded—and only plays games worth winning. I unpack collaboration vs compliance, share a real-life specialist request I partly declined (kindly!), and offer language, mindsets, and boundaries you can use tomorrow.Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this episode, I sit down with general surgeon, startup advisor, and all-around “human in many hats,” Dr. Duncan Rozario, to talk about purpose, product–market fit in medicine, and why scheduling nothing might be the most sustainable strategy of all. We dig into happiness “proxies” (status, money, likes) vs. the real drivers of meaning, and a humility practice summed up in four words: Could I be wrong? Duncan shares how expanding teams can shorten waitlists while protecting physician wellbeing, and how diversified creative work keeps us curious, generous, and human.Connect with Duncan: https://www.duncanrozario.com/Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd