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This week we visit with Dr. Tammie Chang for an important and honest conversation about the importance of speaking up about mental health.

Dr. Chang is on a mission to end the stigma attached to discussing mental health struggles. She believes we are all better served when we discuss mental health struggles openly, especially as healthcare professionals.

We applaud Dr. Chang for her candor, sincerity, and courage. This podcast interview deals with emotional wellness, the pressure of working in a demanding field, and many other issues facing today’s physicians and healthcare workforce.

Dr. Chang joined us for this interview from her native Pacific Northwest. She is a board-certified physician in pediatric hematology/oncology and co-founder of Pink Coat MD, an uplifting community to empower women physicians.

Her new book is called Boundaries For Women Physicians: Love Your Life And Career In Medicine and is now available. In Dr. Chang’s book, she notes that to heal and serve others, we must first focus on having a healthy body, spirit, and mind.

“I’m deeply passionate about women, women’s leadership, women physicians, and our next generation of women physicians,” Dr. Chang said.

Dr. Chang completed both her undergraduate studies and medical degree from Brown University in Providence, R.I. After her residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts, she completed her fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

She serves as the program director of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) ELEVATE Leadership Development Program for Women Physician Attendings, and as the President of the AMWA Washington State Physician Branch.

Her accomplished medical career has not come without mental health struggles. Her willingness to share these stories is a testament to her character and devotion to helping others. We could not be more grateful for her messages on today’s podcast episode.

“You’re not alone, and it’s not only ok to ask for help, it is actually a sign of strength to ask for help and to receive it,” Dr. Chang said. “The fact that you have the self-awareness to know you are not ok right now — and you need to get help — is huge.”

Her story involved thoughts of suicide. By sharing her journey on today’s episode of Healthcare Experience Matters, she hopes anyone who is experiencing a similar struggle will speak up about their situation and seek help.

“We have to keep an eye out for each other. When we are in that place, we often can’t do it for ourselves,” she said.

Watch Now

Watch this week’s podcast interview with Dr. Chang:

More Podcasts

Interested in hearing more podcasts from us? Our five most recent episodes are here:

• Getting Corporate Culture Right in Healthcare
• Avoiding Blame and Judgement, an Interview with Katie Owens
• Agency Nurses and the Patient Experience 
• Equipping People to Receive and Deliver the Best Care, a chat with Steve Lawler
• Reversing the Impact of Emotional Exhaustion in Healthcare

For even more podcast episodes of this program, you can subscribe to us for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere you get podcasts! You can always visit the Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) YouTube channel to view our entire archive of episodes.

We publish a new podcast every Thursday morning. Please stay tuned for more shows!

HXF Academy

Have you explored the Healthcare Experience Academy yet?

With eCourses now available about improving the healthcare experience, you will be able to explore topics related to our weekly podcast in further detail.

Healthcare experiences are made up of a million small encounters, each adding up to one big impression of your organization. The Healthcare Experience Academy from HXF empowers you to make sure the impression you and your team leave is a positive one.

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Mindfulness & Gratitude