I recently left my job in academic medicine.

I’m sad to leave. I’m sad leaving was necessary.

Ultimately, we had a values conflict about learning & safety.

Excellence comes from ‘power-with’ culture.

I could no longer lead in an organization committed to ‘power-over’ culture.

This is not an abstract conflict.

The culture of power affects how we lead resuscitations, what learning programs get funded, who gets promoted, and how we learn from adverse events.

The culture of safety is built on the culture of power.

‘Power-over’ doesn’t create safety.

I’m not looking for another academic job right now.

This problematic culture of power in medicine is not confined to one institution. It’s pervasive, especially in corporate medicine.

It’s rooted in whiteness & patriarchy.

Those systems need a ‘power-over’ culture to survive.

I don’t quite know what’s next for me professionally. I have a clinical job. My family is awesome. We are ok.

For now, I’m experimenting with long form writing, focused on the challenges of learning & healing in this complex world.

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