Photo of the three hosts: from left: Adriana Dyurich, PhD, LPC, Veena Prasad, PhD, MBA, LPC and Jon Courand, MD, are the hosts of the Ripples: Physician Well-being podcast produced by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
This story was first published in the May issue of the Bexar County Medical Society magazine San Antonio Medicine.
Physicians are trained to care for others, often putting their patients’ needs ahead of their own. But the medical community is beginning to recognize that the well-being of physicians and other medical professionals is not just important — it is essential.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is pushing the provider wellness conversation forward with the Ripples: Physician Well-Being podcast. Made possible by the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Office for Graduate Medical Education’s The Wellness Home, the podcast explores burnout, mental health, work-life balance, career satisfaction, mindfulness, resilience, nutrition, compassion and personal relationships.
On the show, hosts Adriana Dyurich, PhD, LPC, Veena Prasad, PhD, MBA, LPC and Jon Courand, MD, speak with UT Health San Antonio faculty and other guests who share real stories about their challenges and triumphs in practicing wellness while practicing medicine. The idea for the podcast came about in 2021, as the wellness team found they were addressing the same topics over and over in their sessions and wanted to provide more people the opportunity to hear and practice wellness initiatives.
“We didn’t want it to feel like a lecture, rather we wanted to invite guests who not only understood the challenges our residents face, but who have been successful themselves in overcoming them,” said Dyurich.
In the first episode, Prasad mentioned a quote from the Dalai Lama, “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” From this, the podcast hosts knew their focus would be the interconnectedness of all our actions and the potential impact on well-being. Based on the concept of the Wellness Home, Prasad said the podcast emphasizes holistic well-being while in residence. Dyurich also proposed that every episode end by leaving a “pebble,” an invitation or call to action that listeners can integrate into their own lives and spread to others. True to its name, Ripples was born from, and continues to be shaped by, the community it serves.
“We create a space where vulnerability is welcome, where laughter can coexist with the weight of responsibility, and where, ultimately, we aim to bring hope and motivation,” said Dyurich.
While most guests are physicians from UT Health San Antonio, the show also features guests from other national institutions and speakers with insight into holistic well-being. Their third season, titled “Facets of Compassion,” was based on a compassion course for residents and faculty, taught by Curand and Holly Day, MD. The hosts highlighted self-compassion as an important element to mitigate professional burnout and moral injury. The season featured special guests Roshi Joann Halifax, founder and abbot of the Buddhist Upaya Zen Center in New Mexico and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg who spoke about how to make San Antonio a more compassionate city.
Now in their fourth season, the team is focusing on life beyond medicine and how hobbies and activities outside the workplace help overcome compassion-fatigue burnout. Some season highlights include guests Richard Kogan, MD, a psychiatrist and concert pianist; Dudley Harris, MD, an ophthalmologist, potter and photographer; and Rajam Ramamurthy, MD, a professor emeritus of UT Health San Antonio and a dancer.
Prasad said it’s been exciting to see the Ripples audience expand to now include professionals from many different health care fields, upcoming medical students and people from all walks of life.
For inspiring voices and real talk about physician wellness, catch up on past episodes and subscribe to the Ripples podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.
Read this and other articles about Employee Wellness in the May issue of San Antonio Medicine magazine.