According to a Merritt-Hawkins study conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, 78% of physicians reported having experienced at least one symptom of burnout and emotional fatigue. Fast forward to today’s family physicians who have had to retool their clinical, precepting, teaching, research, or administrative demands while simultaneously balancing their home environment pressures. It is still unclear how these changes have affected physicians’ personal level of burnout – but it is fair to assume that it has not improved! Achieving personal wellbeing requires strategies for change.
In the book “A Doctor’s Dozen, Twelve Strategies for Personal Health and a Culture of Wellness,” the author Catherine Pipas, MD, MPH, shares 12 lessons and strategies for improved health that she has learned from patients, students, and colleagues over her 20 years working as a family physician. Each lesson is based on observation and research, and begins with a story of an exemplary patient whose challenges and successes reflect the theme of the lesson. Along with the lessons, Dr. Pipas offers plans for action, which taken together create the framework for a healthy life. Each lesson concludes with resources and a “health challenge.”
To assist Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) members come together and start to heal as professionals and individuals, Dr. Pipas will be the featured guest of our next discussion club session. Dr. Pipas will provide her personal insights on wellness and leave plenty of time for group interaction and Q&A.
Jaividhya Dasarathy, MD, FAAFP, will moderate our discussion with Dr. Pipas on Wednesday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. Register today!
Background
The OAFP’s Health Equity & Social Justice Discussion Club is a safe and respectful virtual space to discuss important literature, media, and current events on topics of social justice and health equity – all from the comfort of your home or office. Guided conversations provide unique opportunities for insightful reflection and open minded sharing with your peers. Sessions will take place via Zoom under the guidance of a physician moderator. Registration is free and open to all OAFP members as a benefit of membership.
The Health Equity & Social Justice Discussion Club will alternate between traditional books and a curated collection of virtual content. You do not have to read the entire book or all of the virtual content to participate! All points of view are welcomed and respected.
- Thursday, July 21, 2022, at 7:30 p.m.
Curated Virtual Content: “Providing Compassionate Care to Survivors of Domestic Violence”
Moderator: Mary Krebs, MD, FAAFP
Discussion Registration - Wednesday, September 21, 2022, at 7:30 p.m.
Book: Canary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community: A Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health and Soul of the People
Moderator: Roxanne Cech, MD, FAAFP
Discussion Registration - Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at 7:30 p.m.
Curated Virtual Content: “Health Equity for Marginalized Populations Struggling with Homelessness, Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder”
Moderator: Dana Vallangeon, MD
Discussion Registration
Members participating in the Health Equity & Social Justice Discussion Club can submit a Continuing Medical Education (CME) Reporting Form to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) member resource center to claim CME credit as a professional enrichment activity. Credit may be claimed, commensurate with participation, for partaking in other medical educational experiences and activities, such as informal self-learning activities. These activities may or may not be documented, and are not certified by the AAFP, the American Medical Association, and the American Osteopathic Association, but are of a nature of professional enrichment to the family physician.
If you have questions, please contact Executive Vice President Kate Mahler, CAE, or call 800.742.7327.