Tag Archives: mental

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 38

Section I

Are Smart Phones a benefit or a curse for the teenager in school? This is becoming a huge topic this past year or so. Logic would seem to dictate that this is a curse more than a benefit, but what does the data and expert opinion show?

The Scientific American article “Do Phone Bans Help Students Perform Better in School?” examines the growing trend of banning smartphones in schools to enhance student performance and well-being. Numerous U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles, have recently implemented or are considering bans on phones in classrooms. Schools use tools like the Yondr pouch, which locks phones away during school hours, to enforce these bans. These measures are popular with educators and parents, with 60% of likely voters in New York State supporting such restrictions. Charlotte Schools has this policy: “In accordance with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Student Code of Conduct, personal technology devices, including cell phones must remain off and put away during school hours. Violations will result in confiscation of the personal technology device. The district is not responsible (monetary value or replacement) for theft, loss or damage to personal technology or other electronic devices brought onto CMS property.” (CMS) My informal poll has a higher number of parents interested in phone ban restrictions in North Carolina….plus a section on teen anxiety.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #64 – Dan Shapiro, Ph.D. – Provider Burnout

Dan Shapiro is a man on a mission to help physicians, other providers and the medical healthcare administrators understand the reality of healthcare provider burnout. He is currently the Director of the Chartis Center for Burnout Solutions, where he and his team assist leaders of multi-hospital systems with efforts to reduce burnout and the turnover of high-value physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, and other staff.

Dan’s education goes back to my alma mater, Vassar College. He graduated with a BA in Psychology before going to the University of Florida for his doctorate in clinical psychology. He completed a post doctoral degree in Medical Crisis Interventions at Harvard University. He held faculty positions at the University of Arizona as well as at Penn State rising to the Chair and Professor of Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine. In 2017, he developed a systematic method for assessing and addressing burnout leading to consulting services focused on multi-hospital systems. In 2023, he left his role as Vice Dean and Chair to pursue the reduction of burnout full time with colleagues at Chartis.

Dan is a frequent contributor to thought leadership in the physician burnout space. In 2003, Random House published his landmark memoir about one physician’s burnout, titled, “Delivering Doctor Amelia,” which was required reading at some colleges and medical schools. He’s written two other books, also for Random House. Dan’s additional writings have appeared or been featured in, among others, the New York Times, Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Academic Medicine, and NPR’s All Things Considered.

As a hobby, he worked for ten years as a weekly consultant to the hit television shows Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, How to Get Away with Murder and on-camera for the Discovery, National Geographic, and FYI channels.

Please enjoy my conversation with Dan Shapiro,

Dr. M