At 14, Josh Belfer was working for a radio star: Philadelphia talk-radio host Michael Smerconish. Today he is a pediatric emergency medicine attending at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Penn, and he joins Dr. David Spiro on HuMed to tell how that mentorship shaped the physician he is today. It started on a 45-minute bus ride to school in 2004, when his dad suggested he switch his Discman to AM talk radio. One visit to the studio led to news tips, then research for a book chapter, then a one-line email, "This is fantastic. Great work.", and years as an intern and researcher, including an elevator interview with Jose Canseco. Josh explains how the pace of live radio taught him to turn on a dime in the ER, and why he feels what his patients' families feel more now that he is a father himself. He and David also talk about surviving overnights, noticing when a colleague isn't OK, hot and cold debriefs after hard cases, and the mentors he watched lead through COVID during his chief residency year. It's a warm conversation about mentorship, resilience, and the human side of pediatric emergency medicine. In this episode: – A Discman, AM radio, and a 14-year-old's first studio visit – The one-line email that launched years as a researcher – An elevator interview with Jose Canseco – How live radio trains you to turn on a dime – "I feel what my patients feel more now that I'm a father" – "If it was your child, what would you do?" – Overnights, sleep, and a two-physician household – Who notices when a colleague isn't OK? – Hot and cold debriefs, and letting residents step away – Mentorship, grit, and working like you could get cut Chapters 00:00 "The parents are hearing that noise" 00:16 Meet Dr. Josh Belfer 01:39 The story he chose to tell 02:39 2004: a freshman on a 45-minute bus ride 04:12 A Discman, his dad, and Philly talk radio 05:58 Election night and an invitation to the studio 06:49 First morning in a shoebox studio 08:47 Research for a book chapter at 14 09:41 "This is fantastic. Great work." 10:52 Reporting from the field 12:11 An elevator interview with Jose Canseco 14:56 Radio's pace, and the road to the ER 15:15 Breaking news at 6:45 a.m. 16:44 No script in the pediatric ER 18:09 Focus, hard work, and staying humble 20:21 Fatherhood and a career at CHOP 22:38 "I feel what my patients feel" 23:35 "Is this something to be worried about?" 24:45 Overnights, sleep, and emotional reserve 26:30 How he gets through overnights 29:13 Who notices when a colleague isn't OK? 30:47 "Weren't you just here yesterday?" 31:34 Starting over as a new attending 35:02 When residents see something hard 35:54 Hot and cold debriefs, explained 37:20 Letting a resident step away 39:18 The check-in, days later 40:24 The power of "Are you okay?" 41:16 Grit, resilience, and working like you could get cut 43:56 Mentors, then and now 45:05 Chief resident when COVID hit Long Island 46:31 Rapid fire: Sixers or Knicks? 47:35 HipPEMcrates and the PEM Podcast 49:20 Closing reflections Josh earned his BA at the University of Pennsylvania and his MD at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, completed pediatric residency and a chief residency year at Cohen Children's Medical Center, and trained in pediatric emergency medicine at Columbia University. He created HipPEMcrates, a pediatric emergency medicine education blog (hippemcrates.com), and works behind the scenes on the PEM Podcast with his father, Dr. Robert Belfer. HuMed unveils the human side of medicine, hosted by Dr. David Spiro, MD. New episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube — please follow and leave a rating, it helps other listeners find the show.
