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Effective team building skills are often overshadowed in our medical education, yet they can make all the difference in delivering quality care and advancing a supportive work environment.
In our latest episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast, we explore this critical topic with Wendy Bennett, MD, shedding light on how to build, manage, support, and grow teams in academic medicine.
As a primary care physician, Dr. Bennett is an Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, with joint appointments at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.
She is also The Johns Hopkins Community Physicians Director of Research and she serves as Co-Director of the Center for Women's Health, Sex, and Gender Research.
In this interview, she highlights the importance of emotional intelligence, accountability, and adapting to hybrid work environments in effective team building.
Dr. Bennett emphasizes the need to cultivate a supportive culture while addressing team dynamics, particularly during conflicts. She notes that celebrating achievements and acknowledging team members' contributions are integral to team growth.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter: https://www.amazon.com/Multipliers-Best-Leaders-Everyone-Smarter/dp/0061964395
The concept of Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing (FSNP): https://hr.mit.edu/learning-topics/teams/articles/stages-development

Joining us on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week is Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, FACP, FAAAS, FAIO, highlighting the importance of reciprocal mentorship in academic medicine where both mentor and mentee contribute and grow.
In addition to her role as a prolific mentor, Dr. Jaffee is the Dana and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli Professor of Oncology, the Deputy Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, the Co-Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program, and the Inaugural Director of the Cancer Convergence Institute.
Encouraging empowerment, Dr. Jaffee prompts mentees to actively engage, bringing forth their own agendas and aspirations.
Beyond institutional confines, Dr. Jaffee actively seeks opportunities to inspire and guide others, finding joy in witnessing their growth.
Navigating the responsibilities of research and mentorship, she tackles academic challenges with a dedication to nurturing talent. Her approach serves as a beacon for aspiring mentors and mentees alike, promoting honest communication, proactive engagement, and the celebration of everyone’s unique journey.
Programming Reminder
As of April 2024, our podcast has amassed nearly 92,000 total downloads and YouTube views from listeners across 95 countries. The Faculty Factory website has garnered over 42,000 web visits from users spanning 122 countries.
Truly an international platform, we extend an invitation to you, or someone you believe our academic medicine community should hear from, to join us as a guest on the show.
Visit the Contact Us page on FacultyFactory.org to send us a message or reach out directly to our host, Dr. Skarupski, at kskarupski@jhmi.edu.

Are you “doing” teaching, or are you being a teacher?
When it comes to teaching in academic medicine, there is a fundamental difference, and we must lean into building a skillset that reflects the latter, as we learn in this week’s edition of the Faculty Factory Podcast with Karen Moniz, MEd (HSE), PhD(c).
Karen emphasized the critical distinction between merely 'doing' teaching and embodying the role of a teacher, drawing from her extensive experience as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta.
She previously served as the Faculty and Staff Development Program Director at that institution from 2018 to 2023.
She highlighted the intrinsic value of teaching within medical education, stressing its implications for patient care, quality, and safety. Through personal anecdotes and observations, Karen illuminated the challenges faced by clinical teachers, particularly in navigating the complex and demanding clinical environment while simultaneously engaging in teaching activities.
Karen is a major proponent of elevating the visibility and recognition of teaching within academic institutions, suggesting that valuing teaching not only benefits individual educators but also enhances patient outcomes and institutional success.
When we value teaching it becomes a true win-win for all stakeholders in our community.
Learn More: https://facultyfactory.org/

We explore the transition from academia to industry and the challenges and opportunities that arise in this week’s edition of the Faculty Factory Podcast, with our guest Ludy Shih, MD, MMSc.
Dr. Shih currently serves as Associate Professor of Neurology in the Department of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine.
Dr. Shih has facetiously referred to her journey as “To the Dark Side and Back.”
While we are major proponents of keeping our sense of humor here at the Faculty Factory, Dr. Shih’s story is truly one of bravery. Her journey serves as a blueprint for anyone in our field of academic medicine considering transitioning to industry.
As Dr. Shih's story illustrates, returning to your academic roots is often feasible, even if your exploration of industry isn't what you ultimately want for your career. Equipped with newfound experience, you can seamlessly transition back to academia.
We applaud Dr. Shih for joining our show to share her wisdom! Perhaps you'd like to join us as a guest or sponsor someone whom you believe we could learn from. You can contact our show by sending us a message at https://facultyfactory.org/contact-us/ 

Our friend, Guadalupe Federico-Martinez, PhD, also known as “Dr. Lu,” joins us this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast for a discussion about promoting various aspects of healthy behaviors among our faculty.
Dr. Lu is a wellness counselor and consultant who coaches programs related to organizational culture and the promotion of healthy behaviors for better sustainability. She previously served as faculty at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, where she held positions as Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs and Career Development, as well as Associate Professor of Internal Medicine.
An active member of the AAMC’s Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA), Dr. Lu spent 17 years at the University of Arizona before beginning her journey as a wellness counselor.
You can reach Dr. Lu via email here: GMartin150@gmail.com
At the heart of Dr. Lu's philosophy is the recognition that faculty members are multifaceted individuals with diverse needs and responsibilities. Too often, the focus in academia is solely on professional achievement, neglecting the importance of physical, emotional, and social well-being.
Through her work as a wellness counselor and consultant, Dr. Lu aims to address this imbalance by guiding faculty members in navigating the complexities of their personal and professional lives.
For more enriching podcasts and resources, please visit: https://facultyfactory.org/

Valerie Dandar, Director of Medical School Operations at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Department of Academic Affairs, joins the Faculty Factory Podcast this week to discuss the StandPoint™ Faculty Engagement Survey and some of its important findings.
The StandPoint™ Faculty Engagement Survey (formerly called Faculty Forward) is a research-validated survey specifically aimed at the academic medicine community.
You can learn more about StandPoint™ here: https://www.aamc.org/services/member-capacity-building/standpoint-surveys/faculty-engagement-survey
As Valerie notes in this interview, the survey is voluntary and inclusive of academic medicine staff members, in addition to faculty.
According to Valerie, "We have seen in our research statistically significant jumps in areas where schools put action plans and resources in place. Faculty and staff perceptions have gotten better over time and retention has improved which is really the point of doing this work."
The survey findings are also known for very high response rates, in the range of 60% to 80%, according to Valerie.
For more Faculty Factory resources, visit our website: https://facultyfactory.org/