I work at the intersection of professional development, communication, culture change and provider fulfilment. I develop content (sometimes written, sometimes workshop-
Rana Awdish, MD
Medical Director Care Experience, Henry Ford Health; Clinical Professor of Medicine, Michigan State College of Human Medicine; Director of Pulmonary Hypertension Henry Ford Health; Clinical Professor of Medicine FTA, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Speciality: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
based) that helps physicians connect to their sense of professional identity and have longevity in practice.
Tell us about your work.
I chose pulmonary and critical care medicine because it felt like the most concentrated form of internal medicine, where all the organs were accounted for and I could be present for the most critical moments in someone’s life. When I became critically ill myself, I redirected my work towards culture change and writing. I wrote my first book, In Shock to illustrate the need for systemic change. That book opened another career path, where I do public speaking, run seminars and edit the narrative medicine section of CHEST journal. I co-founded with Suzanne Koven the Women’s Physician Writer’s Society. I am working on my second book now.
What helped get you there?
I’ve always found personal narrative compelling, and have been an avid reader since I was a child. My favorite author is Haruki Murakami, and all of his books have been very influential.
What challenges have you faced in your medical career?
My biggest challenge has been my difficult health and navigating disability as a physician.
What advice do you have for women in medicine?
Don’t allow someone else to determine your path. If someone can’t imagine you in a certain role, that is a failure of their imagination, not an indictment of your ability.
What is your leadership role in AMWA and/or share a passion that you’ve turned into an initiative and invite others to join in furthering this endeavor.
I have been privileged to present the keynote address for AMWA during COVID. I look forward to a time when the initiatives of AMWA are integrated into our field. The work is so essential to advancing equity and inclusion in medicine.
Have you had an Ah-Ha moment? or, Is there anything else that has impacted your career trajectory or work within or outside medicine that has been a significant influence?
Overhearing the language my colleagues used when I was sick was an aha moment. Our culture was not as attuned to the patient perspective as we could be.
Social Media:
@RanaAwdish