Bullying is a phenomenon that most of us are familiar with, whether through personal experience or through the stories of friends and colleagues. But what exactly is the impact of bullying on an individual and, in turn, on their community or field of work? In the context of medical science, the consequences can be particularly dire.
In the latest episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra's guests are Dr Susanne Täuber and Dr Morteza Mahmoudi. Dr Täuber, an expert in organisational behaviour, was recently terminated for speaking out against discrimination at her institution. Dr Mahmoudi is a radiologist at Michigan State University and co-founder of @AcademicParity movement.
Dr Mahmoudi and Dr Täuber teamed up to explore bullying in academic settings. Together with Dr Kalra they discuss why bullies thrive in such environments and the ways institutions enable such behaviour. Dr Täuber offers solutions and a critical overview of institutional narratives, while Dr Mahmoudi highlights the long-term effects on academic work and medicine. They call for action against toxic behaviour and for stakeholders to eliminate incentives for universities to support perpetrators.
What prompted Dr Mahmoudi to write about academic bullying? How do we disrupt toxic behaviours? What is Dr Täuber’s and Dr Mahmoud’s message to individuals who have been targeted by perpetrators?
Reinstate Susanne Täuber, protect social safety and academic freedom at the RUG (openletter.earth)
Resources:
Täuber S & Mahmoudi M. Disrupting targets’ dependency on bullies. Science 2022.
doi.org/10.1126/science.abo3412
Mahmoudi M. Academic bullying slows the evolution of science. Nat Rev Mater 2023.
doi.org/10.1038/s41578-023-00549-x
Mahmoudi M. Academic bullying: How to be an ally. Science 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abl7492
Mahmoudi M. A survivor’s guide to academic bullying. Nat Hum Behave 2020.
doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020
US Cardiology Review journal, has recently seen a 7-fold increase in female editorial board members in response to journal-based strategic initiatives and the stellar work of USC editorial board leadership, Ankur Kalra (Editor in Chief) and Bill Gogas (Deputy Editor in Chief), who were keen to drive this change. With thanks to Dr Anastasia Mihailidou’s tenure as a new board member and her suggested nominees, ten new female board members have recently joined US Cardiology Review’s editorial board.
In this episode, Mike opens up about his childhood in Stilwell, Oklahoma. Ankur and Mike discuss how the inductive quality of art can complement the deductive principles of science. Mike recalls earlier stages of his career and warns about the blinding effect of the ego-driven, competitive culture of cardiology. Ankur asks Mike about fatherhood and about his role as an educator.
What does it mean to be fearless as a medical professional? How can you protect yourself from the emotional toll of the profession? What is Mike’s advice to early career cardiologists?
Sponsored by Edwards.
During her interventional cardiology fellowship, Dr Baron became fascinated by the implementation of novel technologies. She earned her degree in Clinical Epidemiology and spent a year working at the FDA’s Device Evaluation unit.
In 2019 Dr Baron presented the results of her late-breaking trial, COAPT. Ankur invites Suzanne to discuss the economic analysis of the study and to give a short introduction to cost-effectiveness analysis. Suzanne provides an overview of the trial and they talk about the importance of understanding the value and benefits of new devices from both the patient and the health-economic point of viewpoint.
How should you start building a research programme? What are Chuck Simonton’s thoughts on the relationship between doctors and the industry? What is Chuck’s message to young cardiologists?
After the #MedBikini campaign provoked by a misogynistic study that scrutinized female doctors’ social media posts, this episode is about creating a safer environment for female healthcare professionals.