Medical Education and Leadership, Part 2: Neal Chaisson, MD

Vital Capacity

Neal Chaisson, MD, is the program director of the Critical Care Medicine fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. He is an innovator at heart and a renowned clinician with expertise in pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease. He is a phenomenal educator with a special interest in pulmonary hemodynamics and shock management. He is an outstanding proceduralist and fellows love him for his procedure teaching skills. Listen to his inspiring journey and learn how he is able to do justice to all the different roles he plays at work and in life.

• Intro :15
• About Chaisson :39
• How did this all start? What made you choose this career and this path? 1:12
• What encompasses a regular day? 6:23
• Are you the type of person who waits until the end to get everything done at the same time or are you meticulous that you cannot sleep until all your tasks are arranged and in order? 8:12
• What makes you happy as a program director and what are the challenges that come with this role? 10:09
• How are you able to gather a team of motivated, driven residents transitioning into fellowship? Is there a secret sauce for that? 13:56
• Is there anything that you are looking for in a fellowship candidate that stands out in the application process? 15:30
• When you started or when you were about to finish your fellowship, did you know that this was the career path that was built for you? 17:26
• When you became the program director, was the reality of the job the same as you imagined? 21:25
• Your specific interest is in pulmonary arterial hypertension congenital heart disease … how did that start? 27:00
• How do you manage and make a balance between work and your personal life? 33:04
• Do you have any good or fun memories from med school, or residency days or fellowship days? 36:47
• Is there any other way that you double up resilience in your trainees so that they can continue and have a long, fulfilling career? 40:50
• Do you watch any TV shows or movies … what do you like to do as a family? 45:48
• Do you like travelling? 47:27
• What is the most important piece of advice that you would give to the listeners? 49:20
• Thank you for coming to the show 52:59
• Thanks for listening 53:17

Neal Chaisson, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine and the program director of the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship in the Respiratory Institute at Cleveland Clinic.

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Disclosures: Bhardwaj and Chaisson report no relevant financial disclosures.