SoundPractice

In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos talks with Kardie Tobb, DO, MS, CPE, FASPC, FACC, FACOI, a board-certified cardiologist specializing in cardiometabolic disease prevention. Dr. Tobb is founder and medical director of the Cone Health Heart and Vascular Cardio-Obstetrics and Women’s Heart Health Program in Greensboro, North Carolina, and clinical integration officer for the Cone Health Center for Health Equity — a role she built not through a formal job posting, but by joining committees and stepping forward to address problems no one had officially claimed. Her message is clear and practical: leadership does not require a title. Early- and mid-career clinicians are well positioned to identify gaps, build coalitions, and advance solutions that support organizational priorities — provided they understand the culture, frame their ideas effectively, and follow through on their commitments. Dr. Tobb speaks from experience: in her first year as an attending, she launched a free women’s heart screening event that now draws more than 300 participants each year. This conversation is essential listening for any clinician who has noticed a problem, questioned whether it was their place to speak up, and stayed silent. Dr. Tobb explains what it means to lead without formal authority, how it differs from holding a title, and why early-career clinicians often have a leadership advantage: fresh perspective. She also offers practical ways to begin leading informally, including joining committees with purpose, bringing solutions with problems, and delivering reliably on every commitment. Informal leadership also requires a mindset grounded in intentionality, ownership, curiosity, data, and storytelling. Dr. Tobb also identifies common pitfalls, including mistaking an isolated observation for a systemwide problem, moving too quickly, leaving out front-line stakeholders, and neglecting personal well-being. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership. https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.6954760958 

Vidhya Prakash, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FAMWA, Chief Medical Officer and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Population Health at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine, joins host Mike Sacopulos for a candid conversation about her AAPL-published book, The Leadership Learning Curve: A Woman Physician's Journey as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Prakash traces her path from an immigrant childhood in Cincinnati through infectious diseases, Air Force service, and hospital executive leadership. She speaks candidly about imposter phenomenon, adaptive versus technical problem-solving, and leadership lessons from military service, while also describing her role in founding the Alliance for Women in Medicine and Science (AWIMS) at SIU, a grassroots initiative that has measurably improved faculty promotion and tenure equity. Listeners will hear practical guidance on balancing clinical practice with executive responsibility; distinguishing adaptive from technical leadership; treating leadership as both an art and a practice; reframing failure; applying Air Force leadership principles of integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do; and helping more physicians, especially “accidental leaders,” step into leadership roles. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership. https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.2882398846

In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos talks with veteran healthcare journalist Ken Terry about his new book, Beyond Medicare for All: Cracking the Code of the Healthcare Affordability Crisis, published by the American Association for Physician Leadership. Terry, a former senior editor at Medical Economics has written for publications including Medscape Medical News, WebMD, cio.com, InformationWeek, and Fierce Healthcare. He is the author of two previous books on healthcare reform, Rx for Health Care Reform (Vanderbilt University Press, 2007) and Physician-Led Healthcare Reform: A New Approach to Medicare For All (AAPL, 2020). He also contributed to Stephen K. Klasko's 2023 book, Feelin' Alright: How the Message in The Music Can Make Healthcare Healthier. In this interview, Terry explains why he abandoned the assumption that Medicare for All will ever become reality — and lays out an alternative model built around empowered, salaried primary care groups, all-payer hospital rates, and a new “consumer council” to help guide difficult coverage decisions. Topics Discussed: Why primary care physicians should lead basic care — and how that could reverse primary care's decline The role of physician assistants and nurse practitioners in a primary-care-led system How corporate practice of medicine laws could be strengthened, state by state, to give PCPs more independence Why insurers and hospitals might support this model rather than fight it Maryland's all-payer, global-budget hospital system as a template for reform A modified approach for rural healthcare, where physician scarcity changes the equation Caring for an aging population and the unresolved challenge of long-term care financing The idea of a “consumer council,” inspired by the late David Eddy, to help guide coverage decisions for new technologies What's next for Terry, including plans to bring these ideas to Congress and the 2028 presidential campaigns Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership. https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.9016618520

What if healthcare’s greatest barrier is not funding, technology, or policy, but leaders’ lack of self-awareness? In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos talks with Jess Bunin, MD, MHPE, FACP, FCCM, CEC, a psychiatrist, author, and co-founder of All Levels Leadership, a consulting firm designed to revolutionize healthcare leadership training. Dr. Bunin brings a perspective forged at West Point and through a military career that included deployment to Iraq, leadership as an ICU director and chief of critical care, and service as dean of community at the Uniformed Services University, the nation’s military medical school. She argues that healthcare’s deepest wounds are relational—and that healing them starts with leaders doing the hard work of understanding themselves. Dr. Bunin discusses: Why physicians often overestimate their self-awareness, and what research reveals about the inverse relationship between confidence and competence. How struggling as a program director helped her distinguish between mentoring for her own success and mentoring around a resident’s needs. How today’s medical students and residents differ from those trained 15 years ago, and why digital communication, COVID, and political polarization have weakened the skills needed for productive disagreement. How patients have changed as well, and why declining doctor-patient trust and the rise of Dr. Google make emotional attunement essential. The CLEAR framework for civil discourse: Create psychological safety, Listen actively, Establish common ground, Adjust your thinking, and Respond skillfully. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership. https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.9800458950

Lyndsay Hoy, MD, was just beginning her first week of anesthesia residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania when she was received a life-altering diagnosis: lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare and progressive lung disease that predominantly affects women of childbearing age. Diagnosed within 36 hours of experiencing symptoms, Hoy embarked on a journey defined by the dual roles of clinician and patient — a dynamic that profoundly influenced every aspect of her life. From her marriage to fellow physician Vincent Nguyen, to her decision to pursue IVF and embryo preservation, to her advocacy for rare disease patients, and her leadership as Chief Mission Officer of The LAM Foundation, her experiences have shaped her path and purpose. In this episode, Hoy speaks with host Mike Sacopulos about the challenges of managing an invisible illness while navigating a demanding clinical career and the structural inequities that determine who gets diagnosed and treated for rare diseases. She also reflects on a chapter she co-authored with her husband for AAPL's recent book on dual-physician marriage. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership. https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.4448307229