Girl Doc Survival Guide

Christine J Ko, MD
  • 4.8 (12)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

Young doctors are increasingly in ‘survival’ mode.    Far from flourishing, the relentless pressure of working in medicine means that ‘balance’ is harder than ever to achieve.   On the Girl Doc Survival Guide, Yale professor and dermatologist Dr Christine J Ko sits down with doctors, psychologists and mental health experts to dig into the real challenges and rewards of life in medicine.    From dealing with daily stressors and burnout to designing a career that doesn’t sacrifice your personal life, this podcast is all about giving you the tools to not just survive...    But to be present in the journey.

  1. 2d ago

    229: Sneak Peek: Love Language on The Girl Doc Survival Guide

    Love Language Audiobook Sample Featuring Narrator Da Eun Yoon Christine shares an audio sample from the audiobook Love Language, narrated by Da Eun Yoon, and encourages listeners to check out Yoon’s earlier podcast episode and pre-order the audiobook via Amazon and other retailers. The excerpt follows a family arriving in South Korea, meeting relatives at the airport, and driving through heavy traffic as the narrator’s mother reflects on how the city has changed over fifteen years and how her memories of home connected to loneliness in America. The narrator expresses excitement to meet family and hints the trip will influence a future decision to move. They stay in a cousin’s small apartment, play video games despite language barriers, and spend days sightseeing palaces, temples, mountains, and a palace in Gwangju with traditional architectural details and customs like leaving shoes outside. 00:00 Welcome and Audiobook Intro 00:30 Arriving in South Korea 01:02 A Changed City 02:01 Family Apartment Bonding 03:12 Sightseeing Across Korea 03:26 Palace Details and Farewell

  2. Jul 22

    EP228: Science, Self, and Sisterhood: Insights from Dr. Carolyn Lee

    Dr. Carolyn Lee on Comfort Zones, Identity, and Creating Your Own Path in Medicine Christine welcomes her friend and colleague Dr. Carolyn Lee, MD, PhD, a Yale- and Georgetown-trained dermatologist and Stanford residency graduate now at UVA, who is an epithelial biologist and entrepreneur focused on high-risk skin cancer and developing new anti-cancer therapeutics. Lee shares a childhood anecdote about avoiding the unknown and reflects on how growth happens at the edge of comfort, despite intimidation and failure. They discuss juggling multiple identities and interests, parenting mixed-race children after moving from the diverse Bay Area to Charlottesville, and the importance of maintaining hobbies and “many legs” of identity beyond work and family. Lee describes how being an Asian American woman shaped her experiences later in her career, including stereotypes, feeling “betrayed,” and learning to create her own path without templates, ending with advice: take opinions as opinions and do what you want to do. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:12 Comfort Zone Story 03:05 Growth at the Edge 03:42 Wearing Many Hats 05:54 Keeping Identity Beyond Work 07:25 Asian American in Medicine 09:10 Stereotypes and Belonging 11:47 No More Templates 12:40 Mentor Advice and Wrap Up

  3. Jul 15

    EP227: Threads of Insight with Dr. Hensin Tsao

    Dr. Hensin Tsao on Mentorship, Writing, and Defining Success Beyond Titles Christine welcomes Dr. Hensin Tsao, Harvard Dermatology Professor and Director of melanoma programs at Mass General, who shares a pivotal early-career moment: stepping in for a WHO Melanoma Congress talk on genetics that led to new opportunities and reinforced the value of serendipity and mentorship. He advises giving every talk full effort regardless of audience size, focusing on turning “light bulbs” on for learners, and building an academic career through continual writing and strong communication, which he argues AI cannot fully replace in crafting persuasive, poetic narrative. Tsao reflects that titles are responsibilities, not validation, and warns that career moves can carry disruptive family costs. He discusses leadership lessons about recognizing differing goals in trainees, and describes his identities as explorer, clinician-guide using evidence to reduce suffering, and youth soccer coach. He closes by urging listeners to choose their own “destination” in life and work. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:44 Serendipity Breakthrough Story 04:16 Give Every Talk Your Best 06:18 Write to Thrive in Academia 08:29 Titles Versus Responsibility 13:31 Identity as Explorer Clinician Coach 17:27 Final Advice Pick Your Destination

  4. Jul 8

    EP226: Overcoming the 'Tall Poppy' Syndrome: Dr. Kate Gfeller's Inspiring Story

    Dr. Kate Gfeller on Cochlear Implants, Music Perception, and Becoming Yourself On The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Christine interviews Dr. Kate Gfeller, PhD, Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa, about her career studying music perception, enjoyment, and rehabilitation for people with hearing loss, including NIH-funded work with cochlear implant users. Gfeller shares growing up on a rural Iowa farm amid a “tall poppy” culture of fitting in, and a pivotal moment when her father told her being like everyone else is not a life goal. She describes early mentors, scholarships, sexism in academia, and how she entered cochlear implant research by quickly preparing for an interdisciplinary opportunity and learning from surgeons and engineers. She discusses patient-centered research and offers strategies for living with hearing loss: accessible information, clinician coaching to apply it, building self-efficacy and self-advocacy with community support, and recognizing the impact of fatigue. She closes with reflections on identity, mentorship, kindness, and freedom of thought. 00:00 Meet Dr Kate Gfeller 01:52 Farm Girl Big Dreams 04:12 Tall Poppy Lessons 05:22 Path to a PhD 06:41 Breaking Into Research 08:57 Imposter Syndrome to Strength 09:58 Patient Centered Hearing Loss Insights 11:16 Three Keys to Self Advocacy 13:45 Growth Mindset and Asking for Help 14:47 Identity Kindness and Closing

  5. Jul 1

    EP225: Transitions! Identity! Belonging!

    New Roles, Shifting Identity, and Belonging July 1 marks a common transition time for medical trainees, faculty, and others moving into new roles. Identity can shift when ending one chapter and starting another, a theme also present in Christine's middle-grade novel-in-verse, Love Language, releasing August 4th. Da Eun Yoon, the narrator of the audiobook, was featured on last week’s podcast and touched on how being bilingual and living in or visiting other countries can affect identity.  00:00 Welcome Back 00:02 New Roles July 1 00:09 Identity Shifts Ahead 00:16 Love Language Preview 00:26 Audiobook Narrator Spotlight 00:39 Support the Podcast 00:44 Holiday Sign Off

  6. Jun 24

    EP224: Cross-Cultural Storytelling with Da Eun Yoon

    Da Eun Yoon on Names, Voice Work, and Living Between Cultures Christine interviews multilingual actor, voice artist, and audiobook narrator Da Eun Yoon, announcing her as the narrator of the middle grade novel in verse Love Language (out August 4). Da Eun shares the meaning of her Korean name and her  changing English names, describing challenges introducing “Da Eun” at Northwestern and eventually embracing it. She recounts moving to New York after graduating from Northwestern (2023), being encouraged to try voiceover, and discovering audiobook narration as a career. The conversation explores her upbringing in Korea speaking English at home, identity crises and accent work in both languages, the “shadowing” method for learning pronunciation, and feeling different across Korea and the U.S. She discusses passion as acting despite fear, her work as storyteller/translator bridging cultures, uncertainty about where to live, and how narrating Love Language resonated with her. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:07 The Story Behind Her Name 01:55 English Names and Identity 04:06 Announcing Love Language 04:37 Career Path to Audiobooks 06:34 Living Between Cultures 09:27 Relearning Korean and Shadowing 11:32 Northwestern and Family Talk 12:24 Finding Passion and Fear 14:10 Where to Live Next 15:18 Final Thoughts on Love Language 16:14 Thanks and Goodbye

  7. Jun 17

    EP223: Navigating Normalcy: Insights with Dr. Maria Stella Bonn

    Redefining “Normal” After Traumatic Brain Injury: Dr. Maria Stella Bonn on Disability, Advocacy, and Checklists On The Girl Doc Survival Guide, Dr. Maria Stella Bonn, Associate Professor of Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, discusses her 2011 bicycle accident–related traumatic brain injury and her writing on disability and “normal,” including the idea that everyone’s baseline varies. She reflects on unpredictable health changes, including a breast cancer diagnosis two years after her TBI, and how recovery reshaped her views on capability and judgment. Bonn says she wishes others would assume people are okay and let actions demonstrate abilities, offering a story of walking her kindergarten-aged child to school during recovery. She emphasizes the importance of an advocate, describing how her husband ensured therapies occurred, pushed her to persist, and helped expedite replacement of her skull flap after an emergency craniectomy. She also discusses improving information handoffs in healthcare and co-parenting through simple checklists. 00:00 Meet Dr Maria Bonn 00:35 The Bike Accident 01:27 Normal Versus Disabled 03:26 Life Can Change Fast 05:05 Cancer After TBI 07:02 What Disability Means 08:37 Recovery With Her Child 09:17 Why You Need An Advocate 11:29 Medical Handoffs And Checklists 13:28 Closing Thanks

  8. Jun 10

    EP222: A Doctor's Rhythm: Dr. Hornick's Pathway to Fulfilled Living

    Dr. Jason L. Hornick on Balancing Academic Pathology, Parenting, and Personal Passions Christine interviews Dr. Jason L. Hornick, a senior soft tissue and bone pathologist and academic leader, about balancing a demanding academic career with family and self-care. Hornick shares a personal love of cats and discusses parenting twins while managing work, emphasizing the importance of an understanding partner, being fully present at home, and separating clinical work from family time. He describes waking early to write and edit, prioritizing about seven hours of sleep, and critiques medical training culture that normalizes self-neglect and fatigue. Hornick highlights cooking and returning to rock music after a long break as key outlets that reduce burnout and model a well-rounded life for children. Professionally, he describes shifting from primary research to editing journals and textbooks and advises learning to say no to invitations to protect time and wellbeing. 00:00 Meet Dr Hornick 01:09 Cats And Family 02:01 Parenting And Academia 04:11 Early Mornings Sleep 06:00 Self Care In Medicine 07:39 Cooking As Therapy 08:37 Returning To Rock Music 10:12 Hobbies Prevent Burnout 12:31 Work Life Culture Shift 13:35 Evolving Academic Focus 16:16 Research Without Goals 17:07 Learning To Say No 18:46 Closing Thoughts Mentorship

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About

Young doctors are increasingly in ‘survival’ mode.    Far from flourishing, the relentless pressure of working in medicine means that ‘balance’ is harder than ever to achieve.   On the Girl Doc Survival Guide, Yale professor and dermatologist Dr Christine J Ko sits down with doctors, psychologists and mental health experts to dig into the real challenges and rewards of life in medicine.    From dealing with daily stressors and burnout to designing a career that doesn’t sacrifice your personal life, this podcast is all about giving you the tools to not just survive...    But to be present in the journey.

Information

  • Creator
    Christine J Ko, MD
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    236
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Girl Doc Survival Guide
  • Show Website
    Girl Doc Survival Guide