The Digital Patient - Episode 59 - Dr. Claire E. Graves: From Arts & Humanities to Digitizing the Endocrine Surgery Experience

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Audio:

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Video:

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In this episode of the SeamlessMD Podcast, Dr. Joshua Liu, Co-founder & CEO at SeamlessMD, and marketing colleague, Alan Sardana, chat with Dr. Claire E. Graves, Endocrine Surgeon & Assistant Professor of Surgery at UC Davis, about her journey "From Arts & Humanities to Digitizing the Endocrine Surgery Experience."

See the full show notes below for details.

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Guest(s):

Dr. Claire E. Graves (@clairegravesmd), Endocrine Surgeon & Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of California, Davis

Dr. Joshua Liu (@joshuapliu), Co-founder & CEO at SeamlessMD

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‍Episode 59 – Show notes:
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[0:00] Introducing Dr. Claire E. Graves, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Endocrine Surgeon at University of California, Davis;

[2:35] Why Dr. Graves pursued a career as an endocrine surgeon because of the exceptional mentorship by Drs. James Lee & Jennifer Kuo during her residency at Columbia University;

[4:38] How Dr. Graves was nominated for the Governor's Honors Program (GHP), a prestigious high school program for select individuals across Georgia state, and received her major in Communicative Arts and minor in Improv Theatre;

[7:06] How Dr. Graves went to med school at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai without taking the MCATs via the “Humanities & Medicine” program, an early application program to med school for students who are humanities-focused;

[8:51] Why Dr. Graves believes having a humanities background has helped her develop a broader mindset and holistic interest in medicine where a traditional approach can often be narrow and microscopic;

[10:01] How Dr. Graves initially moved to California for a research fellowship headed by Dr. Michael R. Harrison who is dubbed the “father of fetal surgery”, was inspired by the surgical innovation program at UCSF and ultimately switched gears to pursue an Endocrine surgery fellowship;

[12:40] How, prior to COVID, Dr. Graves received the International Association of Endocrine Surgeon’s Travel scholar award in 2019 where she was invited to Krakow, Poland to present her department’s recent research;

[13:50] Why Dr. Graves believes medicine & surgery are a team sport where everyone is working towards the same goal of getting the patient through the operation safely while contributing an independent focus (e.g. the anesthesiologist ensuring the patient is physiologically intact, the surgeon focused on the operation, the support staff & nurses supporting as needed, etc.);

[19:15] Why Dr. Graves attributes the enthusiastic praise she receives from her patients to her focus on listening to each patient above and beyond their primary concern to establish a deep connection;

[20:55] How Dr. Graves views Digital Patient Engagement as a resource for patients to receive education before and after surgery as well as a virtual extension of herself, empowering patients to “check-in” after surgery to report symptoms and stay connected to their care team;

[24:36] Why Dr. Graves introduces the SeamlessMD app to patients herself because of her pre-established relationship with her patients and to explain why the app is so important for their success;

[28:05] Why Dr. Graves believes collecting Patient-Reported Outcomes make logical sense to assess the quality of healthcare in regards to their main objective: to help patients and improve their lives;

[31:22] Why Dr. Graves appreciates in-person visits before surgery so she can assess each patient, and virtual visits post-surgery as it is convenient for both the patient (and their family) and the provider – and why she believes patient comfort levels should be considered;

[34:09] Why Dr. Graves believes one day (in her lifetime) surgery will be able to be performed remotely with an in-person support team and a highly-specialized surgeon joining remotely via technology;

[35:14] How technology has enabled safer learning environments for surgeons (e.g. virtual simulation and 3D-printing);

[37:20] Why Dr. Graves recommends physicians rethink their traditional models of care to deliver better, more connected care using the technology that is available to (and used by) patients today;

Fast 5 / Lightning Round:

1. What is your favorite book or book you’ve gifted the most?
   “Matilda” by Roald Dahl or “Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations” by Mira Jacob.
   
   

2. Bulldogs or Crimson Tide?
   “Huge Georgia Bulldogs fan. How ‘bout them dawgs?”
   
   

3. Would you rather have Super strength, super speed, or the ability to read people’s minds?
   “Mind reading – only if I could turn it on and off –otherwise super speed.”
   
   

4. What is something in healthcare you believe that others might find insane?
   “We’ve just started doing transoral endoscopic thyroidectomies!”
   
   

5. COVID-19 lockdown related – what is 1 hobby or activity you’ve gotten into since the pandemic?
   “We got a puppy in June of 2020 who is a 90-lbs rhodesian ridgeback named Billie!”