The Most Dangerous Phrase in Healthcare Leadership: “We’ve Always Done It This Way”
There are few phrases in healthcare more damaging than this one: “We’ve always done it this way.” It sounds harmless. Familiar. Practical, even. In reality, it is often a warning sign that an organization has stopped questioning itself. Across my career practicing medicine in Ethiopia, South Africa, Germany, and the United States, I have heard […]
What I Have Learned from Working with Survivors of Violence in Ethiopia
There are experiences in medicine that shape your clinical thinking. There are others that shape your understanding of humanity. Working with survivors of violence in Ethiopia has done both for me. As a physician, I have treated illness, managed complex conditions, and led within healthcare systems across multiple countries. But nothing has challenged and changed […]
Beyond Compassion: Why Supporting Survivors of Violence Is a Public Health Strategy
When we talk about violence against women and girls, the conversation is often framed as a social issue, a legal issue, or a humanitarian concern. While all of these perspectives are valid, they are incomplete. Violence is also a public health issue. Across the healthcare systems where I have practiced, in Ethiopia, South Africa, Germany, […]
Physician Retention Is Not an HR Problem. It Is a Survival Strategy.
Throughout my career in medicine, practicing in Ethiopia, South Africa, Germany, and the United States, I have witnessed healthcare systems under pressure. Some struggled with limited resources. Others struggled with regulatory demands or shrinking margins. Yet in every system, one issue consistently determined long-term stability: whether physicians stayed or left. Too often, physician retention is […]
What Makes a Successful Physician Executive? Lessons from Four Healthcare Systems
Over the course of my career, I have practiced medicine in Ethiopia, South Africa, Germany, and the United States. Each country has a different healthcare structure, different resources, and different cultural expectations. Yet despite these differences, I have observed that successful physician executives share remarkably similar traits. Healthcare systems may vary in funding models and […]