Surgical culture and The Ergonomics of Thoracic Surgery Dr. Thomas Varghese Jr.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Q-optics. You can learn about them and schedule a demo via : https://q-optics.com/pages/surgicalergonomics-drlalDisclosure: Q-optics is a paid sponsor and the affiliate link above supports the podcast at no cost to you. It also provides you with a discount and a giveaway to listeners of the podcast, so we hope that it is a win-win!Episode details:Dr. Thomas Varghese Jr. is the Chief, Section of General Thoracic Surgery at the University of Utah; Chief Value Officer (Ambulatory and Inpatient) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI); Associate Chief Medical Quality Officer at Huntsman Cancer Hospital; and a Professor (Tenure-track) in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Tom is a health services researcher whose clinical, research and operational experience span the fields of innovation science and implementation science. He helped create the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Strong for Surgery program and is a co-PI on the National Cancer Institute RO1-funded clinical trial on the role of Precision Exercise Prescription (PEP) for elective lung cancer surgical resection .Dr. Varghese has served in several leadership positions in various organizations and is the immediate Past President of SUS (presidential term 2024-2025), and is the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS)In this episode, Dr. Varghese:- Shares his journey with musculoskeletal symptoms, which developed on a background of childhood hip dysplasia- Discusses the culture of surgery as a huge barrier to surgeons and procedualists getting the help that they need when they initially develop symptoms- Emphasizes the high rate of musculoskeletal symptoms ("not if, but when") in cardiothoracic surgeons and the risk factors for their development as described in this paper https://www.jtcvs.org/article/S0022-5223(23)00749-3/abstract- Shares his best practices for improved ergonomic health inside and outside the ORDr. Varghese can be reached via his social media handles and website:X: @tomvarghesejrLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tomvarghesejrUniversity of Utah Academic Website: https://healthcare.utah.edu/fad/mddetail.php?physicianID=u6001828Follow Surgical Ergonomics on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube please reach out to us if you have any suggestions regarding episode ideas and guests or if you'd like to be a guest on the podcastIf you found this episode valuable, please share it with a colleague or your perioperative team to help bring greater awareness to the role of ergonomics in career longevity. If you're enjoying the podcast, I'd be grateful if you left a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your reviews help others discover the show and support our mission of improving the health and longevity of surgeons and proceduralists worldwide.