Inside The Doctor's Lounge

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Michelle Mudge-Riley, Medical Director in Global Clinical Development, to pull back the curtain on pharmaceutical industry careers for physicians. They discuss: The biggest misconceptions about physician careers in pharma — and why they’re neither sales jobs nor “backup” careers What day-to-day life actually looks like across the major physician roles in the pharmaceutical industry, including Medical Science Liaison (MSL), Medical Director, Clinical Development, Drug Safety, Medical Affairs, and Regulatory Affairs roles Why clinical experience is the most valuable qualification pharmaceutical companies seek when hiring physicians, what it takes to be a strong candidate, and why networking is key to breaking into your first pharma role General advice for physicians looking to make the transition to nonclinical careers This episode is brought to you by the Physician Side Gigs job board. Whether you’re interested in exploring jobs with private practices owned by our physician members or hospital systems, our job board features opportunities directly with the hiring company without having to work with a third-party recruiter, allowing you to control your search under your terms. If you’re considering a move or want to list an opportunity, visit physiciansidegigs.com/job-board to learn more. Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Aaron Reinke, family physician, health tech advisor, and physician innovator, and Jody Tropeano Greene, Head of Content at HLTH. This episode flips the script — Dr. Mehta hands the hosting reins over to Jody, who interviews Drs. Reinke and Mehta about the Physicians @ HLTH program goals and how it has been impactful in helping physicians break into the health innovation ecosystem. They discuss: The history of physician involvement in healthcare innovation and tech conferences, and why physicians who have a meaningful seat at the table is the secret weapon so many companies in the health tech ecosystem need to stand out from competitors How the Physicians @ HLTH program came to be, what its goals were, and how it has evolved into a place where practicing physicians can break into health tech through consulting, advisory boards, investing, and entrepreneurship How Dr. Aaron Reinke leveraged the HLTH Conference to build an advisory portfolio, expand his network, and begin developing his own AI-powered solutions Where they see the trajectory of physicians going in health tech in the future, particularly as AI has lowered  the barrier for physicians to build healthcare solutions without large engineering teams Practical advice for physicians looking to take their first steps into the health innovation ecosystem, whether through HLTH or otherwise To learn more about the Physicians @ HLTH program, done in partnership with HLTH and Physician Side Gigs, go to https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/hlth or https://hlth.com/events/usa/agenda/programs/physicians-at-hlth/ . If you’re a physician, join us in Las Vegas in November 2027! Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Ami Bhatt, Chief Innovation Officer at the American College of Cardiology and the inaugural Chair of the FDA Digital Health Advisory Committee. They discuss: Why it’s so important for medical societies to be involved in innovation, and how to do it appropriately to navigate conflicts of interest How shiny object syndrome can distract us from investing in the more boring, but more impactful, capabilities of AI The dangers of ‘half knowledge’ and where AI enthusiasts need to be more careful in bold statements about AI capabilities What patients would invest in if they were the ones allowed to deploy capital, and why we need to encourage patients who are trying to empower themselves with health tech What healthcare would look like in 10 years if we used technology to fix the right problems Learn more about Dr. Bhatt at https://dramibhatt.com/.  This episode is sponsored by our insurance agents directory at Physician Side Gigs, which includes resources for various insurance products, including disability, life, malpractice, home, and auto insurance. This curated list contains brokers who have been used by thousands of members in our communities. Find insurance agents by visiting https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/insurance-agents-for-physicians.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Mark Ayzenberg, an orthopedic surgeon who turned to photography as a respite from residency training. Today, he talks about how photography has created freedom outside medicine, and private practice has created freedom inside medicine, and why entrepreneurship is key to retaining joy in medicine. They discuss: How being in the right place at the right time and saying ‘yes’ allowed him to monetize his photography hobby during residency (and earn 20% of his annual resident salary with his first sale!) Tips for building and scaling a photography business, including start up costs, leveling up your skills, marketing, pricing, & distribution  How he’s juggled his photography side gig through attending life, while securing commissioned projects for homes, hospitals, hotels, and office buildings Why freedom, not money, is the real currency that prevents burnout His advice for physicians about building the career that lets you keep loving medicine and avoid burnout, and why it’s important not to wait to start  See his work at https://www.phillyphotoart.com/ – Dr. Ayzenberg is a longtime affiliate partner, and gives our audience a discount. Feel free to mention Physician Side Gigs when you reach out. This episode is sponsored by UpToDate. AI is everywhere in medicine, but not all AI is built for clinical care.    For decades, medical professionals have continued to trust UpToDate as their go to resource for evidence-based clinical content. Now, with Expert AI, UpToDate is extending its clinical knowledge into an AI-powered experience designed specifically for clinical use. *    Unlike many AI tools that generate answers without clear sourcing, our Expert AI is:   Developed by clinicians for clinicians   Grounded exclusively in UpToDate clinical content    Built to guide clinical reasoning and reflect how you think through cases   Transparent and traceable, with clear decision-making logic built into every response   Quickly move from symptoms or a clinical question to clear, confident next steps with Expert AI in UpToDate – now included in all personal subscriptions in the United States.  Plus, PSG clinicians can save 15% with code PODP, and residents can save 20% with code PODR on an annual or longer personal subscription. † Visit utm.io/pod to subscribe. These offers are valid for a limited time and are subject to change.   *Products not available in all regions.   † Proof of status is required for all trainee and student orders. Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Susan Trocciola, a cardiothoracic surgeon who trained at Cornell, NYU, and Texas Heart. She now earns over $1 million annually (which is significantly more than her prior employed salary), while taking at least 16 weeks off per year.    They discuss: How she successfully transitioned to full-time locums after a cancer diagnosis prompted a major career reassessment, & how it’s more in line with her personal, professional, & financial goals Her strategies for setting and negotiating her rates, working with recruiters, & spotting red flags in locums assignments and contracts Why she prefers working with a locums company over contracting directly with hospitals Who locums life is (and isn’t) a right fit for  Her empowering messages for all doctors about recognizing that you are the talent, & that you have more choices than you think you might Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is sponsored by our financial advisors database at Physician Side Gigs. This curated list of sponsors was made based on recommendations from physicians in our communities. They’re familiar with student loans, 1099 income, private practice ownership, and everything in between. If you’d like someone to help get your finances organized, or to help make sure you’re on track to meet retirement goals, check out  www.physiciansidegigs.com/financialadvisors

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Kevin Spencer, emergency physician and Co-Founder and CEO of Ring Rescue, a medical device designed to safely remove stuck rings from swollen fingers. They discuss: The long (but rewarding!) process of taking a medical device from idea to market, including funding, prototype, legal, regulatory, and go-to-market processes How and why he chose this particular problem that he was seeing in the emergency room to focus on, and what early days of the company looked like behind the scenes The realities of getting a medical device actually into hospital systems and practices, and how it transpired that his device was featured on the Pitt by Noah Wyle (!!) What he enjoys the most about the entrepreneurial journey, lessons learned along the way, and advice for physicians pursuing a side gig Learn more about Ring Rescue at https://www.ringrescue.com/.  Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is sponsored by the Physician Side Gigs job board. Whether you’re interested in exploring jobs with private practices owned by our physician members or hospital systems, our job board features opportunities directly with the hiring company without having to work with a third-party recruiter, allowing you to control your search under your terms. If you’re considering a move or want to list an opportunity, visit physiciansidegigs.com/job-board to learn more.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Benjamin Toh, MD, and Stephen Chahn Lee, Esq. Dr. Toh is a physician who was prosecuted by the federal government for a side job that he did for a few months in 2019, and actually had to serve time in federal prison.  They discuss: How Dr. Toh got involved in this side gig, how it was pitched to him, and how, unbeknownst to him, the government felt it was in violation of Medicare requirements and Anti-Kickback Statute How Dr. Toh may have been able to avoid serving time in federal prison had he been less naive and contacted an attorney earlier, and what doctors should know about what to do if they’re contacted about a government investigation What the arrest, trial process, and jail time was like, and what got Dr. Toh through it Red flags to watch out for and questions to ask when considering physician side gigs Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! By way of disclosure, Stephen Lee is one of our sponsored listings on our website attorneys page. More about that relationship can be found at www.physiciansidegigs.com/attorneys. As an additional general disclaimer, nothing on this podcast is intended to be individualized advice, and you should talk to your own counsel prior to making any decisions on the basis of this podcast. We are simply relaying Dr. Toh’s experience as told by him and his attorney for educational purposes. This episode is brought to you by the side gigs databases at Physician Side Gigs, a tailored matching service available for free to our physician members. If you’re interested in opportunities such as consulting roles, advisory positions, expert witness work, disability & eligibility exams, AI training projects, and others, we help match doctors with open roles. Sign up for alerts of relevant opportunities that fit your background. Visit https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/physician-side-gig-matching-services for more information.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Chethan Sathya, pediatric surgeon, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Northwell Health, and Founding Director, Center for Gun Violence Prevention.  They discuss: How being proactive helped Dr. Sathya open up doors outside of clinical medicine, including everything from tech leadership and advisory roles to serving as producer for an Academy Award winning film  How his training in journalism has helped him to spread his message, why he feels research alone isn’t enough to influence policy, and why storytelling is critical to amplify impact and changes in healthcare How bringing together coalitions of health systems, policymakers, community organizations, business leaders, and patients leads to out of the box solutions that create meaningful change The importance of getting out of your echo chambers, & how progress depends on dialogue with those that have alternative opinions, not just giving expert opinions Why “stay in your lane” may be the worst career advice physicians receive Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is sponsored by UpToDate. There’s no shortage of AI in healthcare—but not all AI is built for medicine. UpToDate® Expert AI goes beyond many open-source tools. Grounded exclusively in peer-reviewed UpToDate content, this solution delivers evidence-based AI recommendations with clear reasoning and traceable sources. * Whether you’re answering clinical questions or exploring treatment options, UpToDate Expert AI helps you get trusted information faster, so you can be confident in your decisions and spend more time caring for patients.* And for clinicians who choose UpToDate Pro Plus, CME state-tagged topics make it easier to see which content meets state-specific requirements, reducing manual tracking and guesswork. † Plus, PSG clinicians save 15% with code PODP, and residents save 20% with code PODR on an annual or longer subscription. ‡   Visit utm.io/pod to subscribe. These offers are valid for a limited time and are subject to change.  *Products not available in all regions. † Visit www.uptodate.com/cme for CME details. Physicians may need to self-report credits per state board requirements. ‡ Proof of status is required for all trainee and student orders.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Kevin Pho, MD, founder of KevinMD.  They discuss: His decisions to start blogging in 2004 and to eventually start amplifying other voices in healthcare, what’s contributed to his success, and dealing with (and learning from) the occasional negative feedback that comes along with what he decides to publish How his platform has evolved with the rise of other social media platforms, the realities of having to ‘feed the content monster’ while still being a practicing physician, and how doctors should approach decisions about which platforms to create content on The pros and cons of the rise of the ‘physician influencer’ and what doctors getting involved in social media earlier in their careers should keep in mind The business of social media, and how AI can be effectively leveraged to augment your social media presence while still preserving the authenticity that makes content valuable Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is sponsored by our insurance agents directory at Physician Side Gigs, which includes resources for various insurance products, including disability, life, malpractice, home, and auto insurance. This curated list contains brokers who have been used by thousands of members in our communities. Find insurance agents by visiting https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/insurance-agents-for-physicians.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Austin Chiang. Dr. Chiang is the Chief Medical Officer of Endoscopy at Medtronic as well as well known physician on social media.  They discuss: How his role at Medtronic in part stemmed from consistently sharing authentic interests and expertise on social media, and his 3Ps for social media success The role physician executives play in a med device company, how they help bridge clinical realities with business decisions, and skills they need to be effective, including communication skills, public visibility, digital fluency, and business literacy  How what makes a medical device successful is about so much more than just good technology, and what needs to go right in marketing, distribution, timing, & more Navigating industry relationships ethically both on social media and clinically, and advice for physicians wanting to get involved with industry Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com , our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is brought to you by the Physician Side Gigs job board. Whether you’re interested in exploring jobs with private practices owned by our physician members or hospital systems, our job board features opportunities directly with the hiring company without having to work with a third-party recruiter, allowing you to control your search under your terms. If you’re considering a move or want to list an opportunity, visit physiciansidegigs.com/job-board to learn more.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Tina Shah. Dr. Shah is a triple boarded critical care physician, former Chief Clinical Officer of Abridge, policy leader, and advocate who has served in multiple administrations as an advisor to the U.S. Surgeon General, and who is now taking that to the next level by running for office herself.  They discuss: How she first entered the policy and advocacy world through organized medicine and as a White House Fellow at the Department of Veterans Affairs How she (along with Dr. Mehta and other physicians in our communities!) helped pass prior authorization reform in New Jersey What made her decide this was the time to run, and the career decisions she had to make in order to allow her to declare her candidacy The process of running for office, how fundraising works, and what she’s learned throughout the journey What she hopes to accomplish in Congress if elected, and how important she thinks it is that physicians have a voice in the future of healthcare If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Shah, check out https://www.drtinashahforcongress.com/  Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com , our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!This episode is brought to you by the contract attorneys directory at Physician Side Gigs. Before you start a new job or renegotiate terms with your employer, it’s critical to have feedback from an attorney who understands physician compensation structures, local market rates, restrictive covenants, and termination clauses to avoid red flags and to give you peace of mind. Find attorneys who regularly work with doctors at physiciansidegigs.com/attorneys.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, and Chief Health Officer of IMPaCT Care and former Chief Health Officer at CityBlock Health and former Chief Medical Officer of the US Department of Veterans Affairs..  They discuss: How her unique combination of the MD and JD degrees shaped and supported her throughout her career trajectory Value based care, direct primary care, and other emerging models within primary care, and pros and cons of each Whether or not traditional large institutions are the best place for primary care delivery or fixing access to care issues Where we need to start when trying to fix healthcare, and how it takes reframing what we mean about the practice of primary care How incorporating technology is going to be key to ensuring access to meaningful care as physician shortages amplify and patient needs increase What tech companies and institutions are getting wrong when designing solutions for primary care, and how clinicians in tech will play a critical role in fixing this Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is brought to you by the side gigs databases at Physician Side Gigs, a tailored matching service available for free to our physician members. If you’re interested in opportunities such as consulting roles, advisory positions, expert witness work, disability & eligibility exams, AI training projects, and others, we help match doctors with open roles. Sign up for alerts of relevant opportunities that fit your background. Visit the link in our show notes or go to physiciansidegigs.com/side-gigs for more information.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Shiv Rao, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Abridge. They discuss: Shiv’s journey from clinician to investor to builder, and how being a clinician gives you something that no pure technologist has – the ability to feel the problem firsthand How the barrier to entry to build something has never been lower, but the barrier to doing it right in healthcare has never been higher The importance of holding onto your north star tightly, even if the world isn’t ready for it, and surviving long enough for the market to catch up How this technology is about more than AI scribing, serving as a system of real-time intelligence that works before, during, and after the conversation to save time, restore presence, and connect patients, providers, and payers The future of AI in healthcare, and the power to actually change the system itself by realigning incentives so that it works for everyone Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is brought to you by the Physician Side Gigs job board. Whether you’re interested in exploring jobs with private practices owned by our physician members or hospital systems, our job board features opportunities directly with the hiring company without having to work with a third-party recruiter, allowing you to control your search under your terms. If you’re considering a move or want to list an opportunity, visit physiciansidegigs.com/job-board to learn more.

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Yele Aluko, MD, MBA. Dr. Aluko has been a health system executive, Chief Medical Officer at Ernst and Young Americas, and now healthcare strategist and Founder of Aluko Advisors.  They discuss: How patients are the most important industry stakeholder, and where the industry falls short in serving them and why What physicians need to learn about the the complexity of and incentives within our current healthcare model in order to enact change Why the momentum for Physician Side Gigs actually reflects a policy gap and a correction for a misaligned model  How much collective power physicians have if they leverage it effectively, and how we can together advocate for the dismantling of the current structure to move towards one that better serves both patients and clinicians Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts! This episode is sponsored by UpToDate. As a medical professional, you understand the importance of staying current with new advancements in medicine. That’s why it’s crucial to use a trusted, evidence-based resource like UpToDate®. And, with the UpToDate Pro Plus package, you’ll get access to Expert AI, the GenAI tool that delivers rapid, tailored insights for complex case reasoning.*   PSG professionals can save 15% with code PODP, and residents can save 20% with code PODR with proof of trainee status, when you purchase an annual or longer personal subscription.  Visit utm.io/pod to subscribe. These offers are valid for a limited time and are subject to change.