In this episode, Moises Googe, DO interviews Victor Chang, MD and Matthew Karek, MD, about the challenges of mid-career burnout among spine surgeons. They discuss how administrative pressures, shifting career milestones, and competing personal and professional responsibilities can affect fulfillment during this stage of practice. The conversation highlights strategies such as reconnecting with meaningful aspects of patient care, setting new professional goals, and prioritizing personal well-being to sustain a long and satisfying career.

Tobias Mattei, MDVinicius Ricieri Ferraz Sr., MD

In this discussion Jonathan Grauer, MD and Tobias Mattei, MD share practical strategies for navigating the revise and resubmit process in academic publishing. Topics include responding to reviewer comments point-by-point, managing major versus minor revisions, improving manuscript quality through peer review, handling cascaded submissions from high impact journals, and communicating effectively with editors and reviewers.Drawing from real world editorial and publishing experience, this conversation provides actionable guidance for researchers, residents, fellows, and academic spine professionals looking to strengthen their publication success and approach manuscript revisions more strategically.This video is part of the upcoming “NASS' Definitive Guide to Successful Research: Writing, Reviewing, Publishing” series from NASS. New episodes will be released over the coming months, with select content available on YouTube.Subscribe to NASS Anytime to be the first to access the full course as new sessions are released, including all YouTube content plus exclusive CME education available only through the platform: https://nassanytime.spine.org/

In this episode, Rahul Shah, MD, interviews Roger Härtl, MD about how physicians can sustain long, demanding careers by building “physiological reserve” and maintaining balance between work, family, personal interests, and physical well-being. They discuss how regularly stepping back to identify what truly matters in life is key to maintaining resilience and continuing to find meaning in patient care.

Darius Ansari, MDWilliam Chu Kwan, MD, PhDThomas Wozny, MD

In this episode, Melvin Helgeson, MD and Peter Rhee, MD discuss physician burnout, including its definition, contributing factors, and the distinction between stress and burnout. Rhee shares his personal experience with burnout and highlights the importance of awareness, open dialogue, and accessing appropriate support resources. The conversation also explores cultural challenges in medicine, strategies for supporting colleagues, and opportunities to improve trainee well-being.

Authors Raj J. Gala, Aidan P. McAnena, and Taylor McClennen discuss their recent paper with NASSJ Deputy Editor, Tobias Mattei.Check out the full article <a href="https://www.nassopenaccess.org/article/S2666-5484(26)00029-6/fulltext">here</a>

Michael Y. Wang, MD, MBADaniel M. Sciubba,MDPeter G. Passias, MD

Authors Robert Ravinsky, MD, MPH, and Jason Silvestre, MD, discuss their recent article, "Analysis of National Institutes of Health funding for back pain research in the United States," with moderator Tobias Mattei, MD.You can read the full article <a href="https://www.nassopenaccess.org/article/S2666-5484(25)00252-5/fulltext">here</a>

Alison A. Stout, DOKush K. Goyal, MDSanthosh A. Thomas, DO, MBA