Longevity in Practice with Dr. Howard Tucker

Podcast Transcript

Introduction

Welcome to the Medicine Grand Rounder Podcast!

My name is Dick Wardrop and I am a Med-Peds clinician educator, Program Director, and hospitalist at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio. 

We are so proud to host another great of our podcast cleverly titled to give you all that you may expect out of high quality, evidence-based Medicine Grand Rounds, right at your fingertips and in right your ears.

Our program is funded by a grant from the Cleveland Clinic Education Institute, but the views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of Cleveland Clinic. 

The format of our production is very simple: we host world-class clinical experts in a variety of specialties of Internal Medicine and put forth important and high-impact clinical questions related to the practice of general medicine, with impact for providers at all levels of medicine including students, APP, generalists, and seasoned veterans. 

Today’s Topic: Longevity in Practice

Today, we have a truly extraordinary episode. Imagine a career that spans decades, a witness to the advancements in medical science and technology, a life dedicated to the noble art of healing. We are honored to have with us a remarkable individual who embodies all of this and more. He is a wealth of medical knowledge and history, and an example of dedication and love for medicine. 

I am proud to introduce Dr. Howard Tucker. Dr. Tucker is a neurologist who has been practicing medicine since 1947. In addition, he passed the Ohio Bar Examination at age 67 and became a lawyer in 1989. He is currently a faculty member at Case Western Reserve University, teaching students both medicine and law. 

Joining the show as well is Dr. Andrei Brateanu, Senior Staff Physician and Clinician Educator at Cleveland Clinic in General Internal Medicine. He is also a valuable member of the IMRP at Cleveland Clinic where he serves as an APD and chair of the program Clinical Competency Committee 

Our resident expert today is none other than co-founding podcasting, Dr. Arjun Chatterjee, one of our fabulous PGY-3 residents at the CCF IMRP.

To our honored guests, please take a moment to say hi, tell us about yourselves, and start right in on the questions.

Dr. Howard Tucker thank you so much for being here with us. It's an absolute privilege to have you on the show. 

Wardrop: I will go ahead and ask the first question. Dr. Tucker, could you share your experiences and challenges practicing medicine in different decades, especially during significant historical events? 

Dr. Brateanu: You have seen a great deal in the advancement of technology – in diagnostics and therapeutics and even the understanding of certain diseases at a level, we never have been able to in the past What are the most significant advancements in medicine you've witnessed during your career? 

Arjun: How has patient care and the doctor-patient relationship changed from when you first started practicing? 

Dr. Wardrop: We spend a lot of time in medicine now talking about professional satisfaction, sustainability, work-life balance/integration, or some just call it the BLEND. From your perspective what do you think about physicians' well-being given your experience and how have you managed work-life balance throughout such a long and demanding career? 

Dr. Brateanu: Much has been What keeps you passionate and driven in your profession, especially at 101 years old? Do you have any personal habits or routines that you attribute to your longevity and ability to continue practicing medicine? 

Arjun: Outside of medicine, what are your interests and hobbies? 

Dr. Brateanu: Looking back on your life and career, what are you most proud of?

Wardrop: As a hosting casting with 2 senior medical educators and 1 trainee, we always value the wisdom of those who have come before us in medicine. We have a large number of trainees and early career physicians who are listening, not to mention many seasoned practitioners as well. Our last question is: What advice would you give to young physicians just starting their careers? 

On behalf of the team, thank you to our Special guest Dr. Howard Tucker for your expertise, wisdom, and insights. Thank you Dr. Brateanu for facilitating this visit with our guest. Additionally, we want to sincerely thank Dr. Arjun Chatterjee our resident host who developed and vetted the content for today’s episode.

Team, I certainly enjoyed this time with our most impressive guest and imagine that many of our listeners will find the information illuminating and essential in their practice and their careers. 

Thank you also to the Cleveland Clinic Education Institute for the educational support of this project.

Until next time, please enjoy this and future Podcasts during your next Medicine Grand Rounders!