Girl Doc Survival Guide
Girl Doc Survival Guide
Christine J Ko, MD
Young doctors are increasingly in ‘survival’ mode.  Far from flourishing, the relentless pressure of working in medicine means that ‘balance’ is harder than ever to achieve. On the Girl Doc Survival Guide, Yale professor and dermatologist Dr Christine J Ko sits down with doctors, psychologists and mental health experts to dig into the real challenges and rewards of life in medicine.  From dealing with daily stressors and burnout to designing a career that doesn’t sacrifice your personal life, this podcast is all about giving you the tools to not just survive...  But to be present in the journey.
229: Sneak Peek: Love Language on The Girl Doc Survival Guide
Love Language Audiobook Sample Featuring Narrator Da Eun Yoon Christine shares an audio sample from the audiobook Love Language, narrated by Da Eun Yoon, and encourages listeners to check out Yoon’s earlier podcast episode and pre-order the audiobook via Amazon and other retailers. The excerpt follows a family arriving in South Korea, meeting relatives at the airport, and driving through heavy traffic as the narrator’s mother reflects on how the city has changed over fifteen years and how her...
Jul 29
4 min
EP228: Science, Self, and Sisterhood: Insights from Dr. Carolyn Lee
Dr. Carolyn Lee on Comfort Zones, Identity, and Creating Your Own Path in Medicine Christine welcomes her friend and colleague Dr. Carolyn Lee, MD, PhD, a Yale- and Georgetown-trained dermatologist and Stanford residency graduate now at UVA, who is an epithelial biologist and entrepreneur focused on high-risk skin cancer and developing new anti-cancer therapeutics. Lee shares a childhood anecdote about avoiding the unknown and reflects on how growth happens at the edge of comfort, despite int...
Jul 22
13 min
EP227: Threads of Insight with Dr. Hensin Tsao
Dr. Hensin Tsao on Mentorship, Writing, and Defining Success Beyond Titles Christine welcomes Dr. Hensin Tsao, Harvard Dermatology Professor and Director of melanoma programs at Mass General, who shares a pivotal early-career moment: stepping in for a WHO Melanoma Congress talk on genetics that led to new opportunities and reinforced the value of serendipity and mentorship. He advises giving every talk full effort regardless of audience size, focusing on turning “light bulbs” on for learners,...
Jul 15
18 min
EP226: Overcoming the 'Tall Poppy' Syndrome: Dr. Kate Gfeller's Inspiring Story
Dr. Kate Gfeller on Cochlear Implants, Music Perception, and Becoming Yourself On The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine interviews Dr. Kate Gfeller, PhD, Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa, about her career studying music perception, enjoyment, and rehabilitation for people with hearing loss, including NIH-funded work with cochlear implant users. Gfeller shares growing up on a rural Iowa farm amid a “tall poppy” culture of fitting in, and a pivotal moment when her father told her be...
Jul 8
16 min
EP225: Transitions! Identity! Belonging!
New Roles, Shifting Identity, and Belonging July 1 marks a common transition time for medical trainees, faculty, and others moving into new roles. Identity can shift when ending one chapter and starting another, a theme also present in Christine's middle-grade novel-in-verse, Love Language, releasing August 4th. Da Eun Yoon, the narrator of the audiobook, was featured on last week’s podcast and touched on how being bilingual and living in or visiting other countries can affect identity. ...
Jul 1
49 sec
EP224: Cross-Cultural Storytelling with Da Eun Yoon
Da Eun Yoon on Names, Voice Work, and Living Between Cultures Christine interviews multilingual actor, voice artist, and audiobook narrator Da Eun Yoon, announcing her as the narrator of the middle grade novel in verse Love Language (out August 4). Da Eun shares the meaning of her Korean name and her changing English names, describing challenges introducing “Da Eun” at Northwestern and eventually embracing it. She recounts moving to New York after graduating from Northwestern (2023), be...
Jun 24
16 min
EP223: Navigating Normalcy: Insights with Dr. Maria Stella Bonn
Redefining “Normal” After Traumatic Brain Injury: Dr. Maria Stella Bonn on Disability, Advocacy, and Checklists On The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Dr. Maria Stella Bonn, Associate Professor of Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, discusses her 2011 bicycle accident–related traumatic brain injury and her writing on disability and “normal,” including the idea that everyone’s baseline varies. She reflects on unpredictable health changes, including a breast cancer di...
Jun 17
13 min
EP222: A Doctor's Rhythm: Dr. Hornick's Pathway to Fulfilled Living
Dr. Jason L. Hornick on Balancing Academic Pathology, Parenting, and Personal Passions Christine interviews Dr. Jason L. Hornick, a senior soft tissue and bone pathologist and academic leader, about balancing a demanding academic career with family and self-care. Hornick shares a personal love of cats and discusses parenting twins while managing work, emphasizing the importance of an understanding partner, being fully present at home, and separating clinical work from family time. He describe...
Jun 10
19 min
EP221: Finding Your Path: A Conversation with Dr. Anna Stagner
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 ad...
Jun 3
15 min
EP220: Navigating Uncertainty: A Conversation with Dr. Paul Han
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 pers...
May 27
23 min
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