In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Quon, a general internist and disability-inclusion advocate, to talk candidly about returning to work with disability and the real-world mechanics of getting accommodations as a physician.

Michael shares his origin story, a life-altering brain injury, and the long road back—plus what he’s learned about legal protections, policy gaps, and culture change in medicine.

We explore why flexible scheduling and shared duty to accommodate matter ethically, legally, and for patient care—and how physicians with disabilities strengthen teams.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “allowed” to ask for what you need, this one’s for you.

Connect with Michael:

www.linkedin.com/in/MichaelJQuon

Links from Michael:

Physician Health Inclusion - Community or Practice for Physicians with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions

https://mscnorth.thinkific.com/products/communities/PHI

OMA - workplace accommodations:

https://www.oma.org/practice-professional-support/running-your-practice/operations-and-practice-management/human-resources-management/workplace-accommodations-for-doctors-with-disability-and-chronic-illness/

The Ottawa Hospital Disability Position statement

https://cjpl.ca/fostincl.html

The Ottawa Hospital Accommodations Policy

https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2025/07000/implementation_of_a_policy_for_accommodations_for.10.aspx

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this episode, I sit down with psychiatrist and physician-wellness advocate Dr. Dimitrios Tsatiris to unpack why the traits medicine rewards—achievement, perfectionism, and altruism—can quietly fuel suffering. We talk about diminishing returns, moral injury, and the difference between excellence and perfection. We explore practical ways to honor limits, take real vacations, and build cultures of collaboration instead of martyrdom. If you’ve ever felt “too needed to rest,” this conversation is for you.

Connect with Dimitrios:

Website: https://dimitriostsatiris.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/drdimitrios

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this conversation, I sit down with three physician–psychotherapists—Dr. Elizabeth Parsons, Dr. Risa Adams, and Dr. Robin Beardsley—co-authors of a book that asks us to consider: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way.

We explore Internal Family Systems (IFS), self-energy, and the “U-turn” as practical tools for reclaiming agency, setting boundaries, and softening people-pleasing.

They share how collaboration at the speed of trust helped them write together, and why “all parts are welcome, not all behaviors.”

If you’ve ever felt swallowed by shoulds, this one offers micro-practices of compassion, choice, and connection.

Connect with Risa: https://www.risaadamsmd.com/

Connect with Elizabeth: https://www.eparsonsmd.ca/

Connect with Robin: https://yourcompassionateself.ca/

Buy their book: https://www.amazon.ca/Doesnt-Have-This-Way-Physicians/dp/B0FMQ4KZ9W

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

This week I sit down with Dr. Katherine Raffensperger, a psychiatry resident with an MD/MBA who sees medicine and business as parallel, interwoven paths.

We get into how policy has reshaped mental health care, why leadership and communication should be explicitly taught in training, and what price transparency might mean for real people.

Katherine shares how entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary learning made her a better clinician, plus the practices that keep her grounded through intern year.

If you’ve got a spark outside “the box,” this episode is your permission slip to weave it in.

Connect with Katherine:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-raffensperger/

TikTok: @raffmdmba

Instagram: @raffmdmba

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

I sit down with Dr. Adam Stewart—rural Ontario family doc and self-described efficiency nerd—to swap real-world systems for making primary care saner. We dig into EMR hacks, delegation to people and tech, AI scribes, block fees, and the “reset the clock” approach to slashing prescription-renewal chaos. Adam walks through protected time, inbox-zero habits, and why tiny upstream tweaks compound into hours saved. We also peek at how Ontario’s FHO+ might change behavior—and how to optimize without losing our souls (or evenings).

Connect with Dr Adam Stewart: https://stewartmedicine.com/

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

“Good team player” is often code for “do more, say yes, don’t rock the boat.” In this solo episode, I reframe teamwork entirely: the best teammate is rested, resourced, grounded—and only plays games worth winning. I unpack collaboration vs compliance, share a real-life specialist request I partly declined (kindly!), and offer language, mindsets, and boundaries you can use tomorrow.

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this episode, I sit down with general surgeon, startup advisor, and all-around “human in many hats,” Dr. Duncan Rozario, to talk about purpose, product–market fit in medicine, and why scheduling nothing might be the most sustainable strategy of all. We dig into happiness “proxies” (status, money, likes) vs. the real drivers of meaning, and a humility practice summed up in four words: Could I be wrong? Duncan shares how expanding teams can shorten waitlists while protecting physician wellbeing, and how diversified creative work keeps us curious, generous, and human.

Connect with Duncan: https://www.duncanrozario.com/

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this episode of The Other Human in the Room, I meet Dr. Ryan Montoya—family physician, graphic novelist, and luggage design consultant—joining us from his current post in Russia. Ryan shares how life as a U.S. diplomat’s spouse has taken him around the world, and how embracing planned transitions has actually buffered him from burnout. Ryan also lets us into his creative world: including creating his own graphic novel and, yes, the story of how he cold-pitched a bespoke artist’s trunk to Goyard and ended up consulting on halo pieces in Paris. This episode is an invitation to dust off your Grade 3 dream and take one next step toward it, whether that’s inside or outside medicine.

Find Ryan:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ryan_montoya_art

https://bcphr.org/dr-ryan-montoya/

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd