Finding Your Niche in Medicine with Ophthalmic and Dermatopathologist Dr. Anna Stagner

Christine interviews Dr. Anna Stagner, a Harvard Associate Professor and Massachusetts Eye and Ear director who is board certified in ophthalmology, anatomic pathology, and dermatopathology and has authored nearly 100 publications. Stagner shares her background growing up in a small town in northern Arizona and her path from ophthalmology to ocular pathology, anatomic pathology, and dermatopathology. She advises exploring interests even if unconventional, prioritizing what you enjoy over what you’re merely good at, and not fearing major training changes. For productivity, she recommends saying yes to meaningful projects, changing environments to work effectively, and using daily Post-it task lists. She discusses aligning career choices with personality, seeking helpers, her trainee-focused sign-out workday, and cautions that choosing a subspecialty makes you the destination for difficult cases in that area.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:12 Podcast Chit Chat

01:32 Small Town Origins

02:38 Finding Your Passion

04:24 Productivity Habits

07:08 Changing Paths and Self Insight

09:18 Choosing the Unconventional Route

10:38 Specialty Planning Resources

12:18 A Day in Ocular Pathology

14:14 Picking Your Niche Wisely

15:45 Wrap Up and Thanks

Dr. Paul Han on Uncertainty in Medicine and Building Tolerance Through Adaptation

In this episode of The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine interviews Dr. Paul Han, an NIH Senior Scientist specializing in risk communication, medical decision-making, and uncertainty in healthcare, whose career shifted from general internal medicine and palliative care to research via an NCI cancer prevention fellowship. Han shares that persistent “gray zone” questions in primary and end-of-life care, plus personal circumstances like spousal support and financial stability, enabled his mid-career leap into the unknown. He explains uncertainty as two-sided: something healthcare tries to reduce but also a necessary source of curiosity for clinicians and hope for patients, especially in serious illness. Han connects uncertainty to cognitive biases as flawed attempts to regain certainty, and reframes “uncertainty tolerance” from merely enduring anxiety to situation-specific adaptation, emphasizing virtues such as humility, flexibility, and courage; he also notes his own recent prostate cancer diagnosis.

00:00 Meet Dr Paul Han

01:31 Midcareer Leap to Research

03:58 Drawn to Gray Zones

04:40 What Enables a Big Switch

06:48 Uncertainty as Friend and Foe

11:15 Why Uncertainty Feels Scary

13:48 Biases Born From Uncertainty

15:37 Rethinking Uncertainty Tolerance

18:32 Virtues for Adaptive Care

21:15 Letting Go of Outcomes

23:22 Closing Thoughts

Dr. Sook-Bin Woo on Adventure, Mentorship, and High Standards in Oral Pathology

Christine interviews Dr. Sook-Bin Woo, DMD, an expert in oral and maxillofacial pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, about her career, training, and life lessons. Woo shares a formative post–dental school adventure climbing Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia and a dangerous trip across Borneo, and describes later solo travel to Turkey. She explains pursuing oral pathology far from home and being shaped by rigorous “old school” mentorship emphasizing exacting standards and articulating what you do know, while also valuing humility when diagnoses remain uncertain. Woo advises early-career academics to collaborate with peers slightly ahead, discusses the importance of emotional and cultural intelligence in training and patient care, and reflects on challenges as a woman and immigrant, including limited maternity leave, wage disparities, and raising two children with long commutes and childcare support. She closes by urging curiosity and kindness.

00:00 Meet Dr Woo

00:52 Mount Kinabalu Adventure

03:32 Wasp Stings and Jeep Ride

05:11 Solo Travel in Turkey

05:53 Choosing Oral Pathology

06:51 Old School Training Standards

08:38 Rigor with Kindness

10:34 When You Truly Dont Know

12:28 Career Advice and Allies

13:39 Emotional Intelligence Matters

15:35 Women Immigrant Challenges

17:30 Raising Kids and Commuting

20:13 It Will Work Out

21:20 Curiosity and Kindness

Planning for the Unexpected: John J. Choi on Guarantees, Diversification, and Distribution

Christine interviews John J. Choi, a New York Life Wealth Management Financial Advisor with experience in corporate finance and marketing, startups, nonprofits, and pastoral ministry, about investing amid life’s unpredictability. Choi shares a nonlinear career path shaped by major life events, including divorce, becoming a single dad, and losing his wife to ovarian cancer, which led him to advise individuals rather than companies. He emphasizes that peace of mind is priceless and argues investors should plan for success while also planning for the unexpected through diversification and “guarantees” such as life insurance and fixed annuities to cover future living expenses, allowing other assets to be invested more aggressively. He highlights the often-overlooked importance of distribution strategies alongside accumulation, including potentially passing assets to loved ones during one’s lifetime, and notes his satisfaction in educating clients and reducing financial anxiety.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:17 John’s Unexpected Journey

02:50 Planning for the Unexpected

04:37 Guarantees Explained

05:31 Accumulation vs Distribution

06:26 Legacy and Gifting Tips

07:20 Advisor Mindset and Planning

07:57 Pastor Skills and Expectations

11:20 Why Advising Feels Rewarding

12:13 Final Takeaways and Counsel

Motherhood and Medicine: Burnout, Balance, and Building a Village

In a Mother’s Day compilation for The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine announces her book Love Language releasing August 4 and dedicated to her mother, then shares reflections from multiple episodes on being a physician and a mother. Dr. Tom Helm notes a family legacy of physicians and observes medicine’s shift to female trainees, while acknowledging the difficulty of combining family and career. Dr. Ilona Friedan and others describe how parenting can feel harder than clinical work, the lack of a “manual” for childcare and compromises, and the myth of having it all at once. Dr. Oksana Babenko frames burnout as widespread and individualized, emphasizing autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Guests stress self-kindness, self-care (including exercise), asking for help, supportive colleagues, outsourcing and childcare “villages,” supportive partners, and accepting that doing one’s best is necessary.

00:00 Mothers Day Intro

00:28 Generations of Women Doctors

01:25 Becoming a Mom in Medicine

03:28 Burnout and Basic Needs

04:11 Physician Mom Realities

06:40 Self Compassion and Limits

07:45 Personalized Burnout Recovery

09:01 Self Care and Exercise

09:45 Ask for Help and Coverage

10:34 Build Your Village

11:50 Supportive Partner Matters

12:40 Best Is Good Enough

13:08 Closing Thanks

Reproductive Empowerment and Fertility Clarity with Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni

Christine interviews Dr. Vasiliki Moragianni, a double Board-certified fertility physician and Johns Hopkins Medical Director of the Fertility Center, about fertility, infertility, and reproductive empowerment for high-performing women. Moragianni shares her personal experience of secondary infertility, miscarriage, diminished ovarian reserve, and unsuccessful IVF after having her first child, emphasizing that “control” looks different for everyone and requires information and options. She explains infertility definitions and earlier evaluation after age 35, highlights that age is the most important predictor of fertility decline, and urges patients to seek care sooner. The conversation addresses stigma and professional silence around infertility and pregnancy loss, especially in demanding careers and medicine, citing higher infertility and complication rates among female physicians. Moragianni recommends optimizing overall health, stress management, and sustainable habits while giving oneself grace. Find Dr. Moragianni on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

00:00 Meet Dr Moragianni

01:37 Her Fertility Story

04:22 What Infertility Means

06:19 Age Options And Stigma

10:44 Workplace Silence And Shame

14:14 Physician Fertility Data

15:55 Optimizing Health For Pregnancy

18:04 Stress Self Blame And Grace

19:30 Final Takeaways And Hope

Failure, Error, and Self-Compassion in Dermatopathology: Lessons from Dermpedia

This episode of The Girl Doc Survival Guide shares reflections after Dr. Artur Zembowicz’s Dermpedia course in Boston on failure, mistakes, and improving in dermatopathology. Dr. Zembowicz emphasizes being prepared to fail when starting new ventures and notes that sports can build resilience by exposing people to stronger competitors. Dr. Alejandro Gru argues that error is intrinsic and unavoidable, encourages careful, unrushed case review, open discussion of mistakes with clinicians, seeking second opinions, learning from errors, and moving forward without becoming paralyzed—especially when patient management may be affected. Dr. Philip LeBoit challenges the “aura of infallibility” expected of experts and stresses balancing best effort with honesty. Dr. Yu Tse Heng explains other compassion and self-compassion as noticing suffering, empathizing/common humanity, and acting with kindness, noting small practices can strengthen both.

00:00 Welcome and Course Highlights

00:56 Meet Dr Zembowicz

01:31 Embracing Failure to Innovate

02:20 Meet Dr Gru

02:39 Handling Errors and Feedback

04:31 Recovering and Improving After Mistakes

05:33 Meet Dr LeBoit

06:06 Experts Aren’t Infallible

06:41 Self Compassion at Work

08:54 Practicing Compassion Daily

10:09 Final Takeaways and Thanks

DEIAB and Educational Interpreting with Christina Stevens

Christine interviews Christina Stevens, a nationally certified sign language interpreter working mainly in Connecticut public schools for nine years, with degrees in American Sign Language and Theater and leadership roles in state and national interpreter organizations. She shares how she discovered interpreting in college through theater performances, later attending Columbia College Chicago, and ultimately becoming an educational interpreter despite initially thinking she would not. Stevens discusses boundaries and the central role interpreters play for students, noting that about 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents and about 50% of those parents learn sign language, affecting home communication. Stevens advocates expanding DEI to “DEIAB” (Accessibility and Belonging), emphasizing early budgeting, bringing Deaf people to planning tables, and recognizing different interpreting approaches. She encourages learning ASL from Deaf or native users through community involvement.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:01 How Christina Found ASL

01:56 Training and Career Path

02:57 Why School Interpreting Is Hard

03:58 Classroom Visit and Book Talk

04:49 Day to Day Interpreter Role

06:42 DEIAB Accessibility and Belonging

09:00 Deaf Awareness and Learning ASL

10:35 Final Thoughts and Thanks