Show notes
On the Underdog Physician podcast, hospitalist and host interviews Dr. Minal Shah, medical director of virtual care at CommonSpirit Health’s Mountain region and an informaticist on the CommonSpirit national team. Shah shares how early exposure to medicine led her to Baylor College of Medicine for residency and chief residency, why she chose hospital medicine for its acuity, variety, and shift flexibility, and how a 2021 Stanford AI in Healthcare conference sparked her transition into digital health. She discusses ways to build informatics skills, the importance of physician involvement in tool development, and how AI such as ambient scribes can reduce EHR burden while raising concerns about over-reliance. She outlines virtual hospitalist care models, emphasizes change management and clinician adoption challenges, highlights mentorship, recommends Designing Your Life, and describes her work on large-scale EHR implementation and an ideal interoperable, insight-driven EHR.00:00 Meet Dr Minal Shah00:54 Early Path to Medicine02:38 Why Hospital Medicine03:57 AI Conference Turning Point04:53 Building Informatics Skills07:38 AI and Patient Connection11:31 Virtual Care Leadership13:53 What Clinical Informatics Is18:04 Virtual Hospitalist Models20:53 Lessons Across Health Systems23:00 Mentors and Career Design29:14 Weekly Workflow and Travel30:24 Legacy and Ideal EHR33:23 Closing Thanks