Episode 153. Rana Dershowitz, A Career Driven by Passion from Sports Law and Public Policy
The 92 Report
Rana Dershowitz went straight to Harvard Law School after graduating in 1992, partly due to the economy and her love for learning. She describes her experience at Harvard Law School, including her role as a law school "old timer" in Cambridge. After law school, Rana moved back to New York and started working on Wall Street, initially hating the big law environment but appreciating the people she worked with. Entertainment Law at Madison Square Garden and onto Sports Law Rana discusses her career counselor's advice to explore sports law, which she had overlooked despite her involvement in...
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152. Eugene Kim, Pediatric Surgeon and Wine Connoisseur
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Eugene Kim shares his post-graduation journey staying in Boston to finish research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute which was part of his thesis and also laid down the groundwork for his own cancer research which he has conducted over the years. He credits his understanding of science to his time at Harvard. He also worked at the now-closed Love the Border Cafe. Eugene reflects on the valuable lessons learned from working at the cafe and describes the unique subculture of the cafe's staff, including the Brazilian kitchen staff and the diverse backgrounds of the waiters and...
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151. Jonathan Hughes, Consulting at the Intersection of Strategy & Conflict Management
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Jonathan Hughes talks about his career in consulting, starting with an economic consulting firm, Putnam Hayes and Bartlett, in Los Angeles. He mentions his connection back to Harvard through CMI (Conflict Management Inc.) founded by Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton, and his subsequent roles at Vantage Partners and BDO. The Career Path As a Consultant Jonathan describes his role at CMI, focusing on complex negotiations and business partnerships, and his role in helping to start the boutique firm, Vantage Partners where he spent around 25 years as a partner. He later moved over to BDO,...
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150. Steve Petersen, From Improv to Philosophy of AI
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Steve recounts his senior year at Harvard, and how he was torn between pursuing acting and philosophy. He graduated with a dual degree in philosophy and math but also found time to act in theater and participated in 20 shows. A Love of Theater and a Move to London Steve explains why the lack of a theater major at Harvard allowed him to explore acting more than a university with a theater major. He touches on his parents' concerns about his career prospects if he pursued acting, and his decision to apply to both acting and philosophy graduate schools. Steve discusses his...
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149. P.J. Karafiol, Chicago Public High School Principal
The 92 Report
Show Notes: P.J. shares the backstory of his name and how he became a high school principal. He studied simultaneously in law school for a JD and in the Philosophy department for a PhD at the University of Chicago. After realizing he didn't enjoy law or philosophy, he taught math at Phillips Andover and later in Chicago. He helped start a new public school, Walter Payton College Prep, and has been a principal at Lake View High School for the past 10 years. Teaching Chaos Theory and Math P.J. describes his experience teaching at Phillips Andover, including teaching chaos theory. He found the...
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148. Scott Cole, 50+ Jobs Worked Since Harvard
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Scott Cole describes his initial struggles at Harvard, dropping out after freshman year, and returning multiple times before finally graduating in 2012. He shares his first dropout experience, including a brief stint in California and a return to Harvard for sophomore year. He details his various jobs and adventures, including working at a car wash, landscaping, and a research assistant position at Harvard Forest. Working on a Ranch in Wyoming Scott thinks back to his days working at a ranch in Wyoming, where he learned cowboy skills and participated in cattle drives. He...
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147. Anca Miruna Achim, Teaching about the Past to Speculate about the Future in Mexico City
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Miruna studied art history at Harvard, focusing on Renaissance art. After taking a year off to travel and visit Romania, she decided to study Latin American Studies and Spanish and Portuguese at Yale. She found the graduate experience at Yale challenging, especially the sense of isolation that can come with graduate work when it is not socially or politically involved. Miruna began traveling to Mexico for her research on colonial Latin America, focusing on the intersection of history of science, literature, and ritual. Teaching History of Science Miruna moved to Mexico City, where...
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146. Franklin Habit, A Long and Winding Yarn
The 92 Report
Show Notes:Franklin Habit talks about working in higher education administration (and elsehwere) before eventually finding happiness in his current profession within the fiber arts. He discusses some of the blind alleys he explored, including museum work, opera stage directing, web design, and online marketing. Building a Career in KnittingFranklin shares how he learned to knit from a veteran knitter and classmate, Eliza Lake. He describes how his blog about knitting took off, leading to a book deal and a career in teaching and writing. Franklin recounts the early days of his blog,...
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145. Diego Fonstad, Educational Toys and Ed Tech Tinkerer
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Diego kicks off the conversation with a quick review of his career path, which included working at a business school in Barcelona, consulting in biotech and healthcare, and working as product manager and product running product groups. He then went back to business school. He talks about his job at the business school in Barcelona and what prompted him to take it. He explains that the opportunity arose through a professor he knew, and the timing of the 1992 Olympics made it hard to resist. He shares his insights on Catalonia's cultural differences and the importance of knowing...
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144. Kellie Doucette, Unexpected Journey: Pink Sand Beaches to New Jersey Politics
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Kellie Doucette describes her journey as zigs and zags, with three distinct chunks defined by her location: Northern Virginia, Bermuda, and New Jersey. She worked for a small health policy consulting firm called the Lewin Group in Northern Virginia, DC, where she met her future husband, John Doucette. A 13-Year Stint in Bermuda Kellie, an actuary, began her career in the Bermuda market after taking the actuarial exams. She and her husband moved to Bermuda in 1996, and they enjoyed the adventure of visiting family on the East Coast and raising their children there. The reinsurance...
info_outlineMichael S. Chen graduated with a degree in investment banking. He worked at Hambrecht Quest, a smaller investment bank focusing on high tech and healthcare companies in New York City. After two years in investment banking, he decided to pursue medicine, inspired by his father's career as a cardiologist. He then went on to study internal medicine at UCSF, Cleveland Clinic, and then joined cardiac associates in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He has been with the practice for 18 years and is now the Chair of Cardiology at Shady Grove Medical Center, and Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at White Oak Medical Center.
Challenges Faced by Cardiac Catheterization Labs
Michael discusses the challenges faced by cardiac catheterization labs in meeting performance measures and ensuring proper procedures. He highlights the need to balance equipment requests with limited budgets and prioritize patient care. He talks about the importance of cardiologist performance in heart attack patients, focusing on door to balloon time and other metrics like aspirin and blood thinners. He mentions the importance of assessing the overall performance of the hospital as a whole, focusing on reducing time spent on administrative tasks and ensuring patients are on the right medications.The conversation turns to steps patients can take to ensure they are prescribed the right medication.
Interventional Cardiology Explained
Michael goes on to explain what interventional cardiology is, what the new trends are, and he addresses common misconceptions. He discusses the learning process for new techniques and tools, such as fellowships and medical device reps. Michael notes that fellowships are the most effective method for learning new techniques, but it's important to stay updated and stay updated with medical device reps. Other methods include working with other doctors, attending training sessions, or learning online through YouTube videos. There are various ways to learn and improve in this field.
Physicians and The Business of Healthcare
Michael discusses the business of healthcare and the factors driving physicians to work with larger healthcare companies. He explains that larger practices have more bargaining power and can offer lower rates and financial security. However, there are drawbacks, such as the need to balance autonomy with financial security. Michael talks about the increasing trend of private equity investing in physician groups, such as anesthesia and cardiology. Private equity is seen as a way to ensure return on investment, which can sometimes be more expensive than providing the best care possible. Stressors for cardiologists include cash flow, meeting payroll, and meeting electronic medical records and government regulations. However, overall, the fit has been good and cardiologists have been happy with the situation.
Participating in the National Senior Games
The conversation turns to fitness and sports. Michael keeps active in terms of exercise, running and working out. He recalls running a 5k five years ago and receiving a gift certificate from Panera for winning first place in his age division. He then qualified for the National Senior Games, (open to anybody 50 years and older) which features various events such as a 5k 10k, pickle ball, tennis, track and field, ping pong, basketball, and softball. Michael has competed in the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale and Pittsburgh. His mom competed in the 5K powerwalk and Michael competed in the 5K and 10 K road race. Michael came in 2nd in the 10K (and won a silver medal!) and 4th in the 5K in Pittsburgh in 2023, His mother placed 8th in the 5K Power walk in Fort Lauderdale in 2022. Michale mentions that he has a 5k coming up on Labor Day week, with his son running it with friends, and the National Senior Games.
Influential Harvard Professors and Courses
Michael mentions Richard Taylor and TA Tom Roberts, and studying bipeds and quadruped to compare the energetics and mechanics. Part of the study included placing turkeys and chickens on a treadmill. They found that turkeys were quite stubborn and not smart, as they were not smart enough to run on a treadmill. They learned that turkeys were efficient at running and that their locomotion mechanics were efficient. They were fortunate to receive a Hoops Prize for their work, which ends up in the Lamont library. This experience was memorable, as the researchers' thesis is on display at the library.
Timestamps:
02:13: Transition to Medicine and Leadership Roles
07:56: Administrative Responsibilities and Performance Metrics
13:08 Advancements in Interventional Cardiology
20:56: Running a Medical Practice and Personal Interests
36:27: Connecting with Harvard Alumni and Future Plans
Links:
Email: mchen2@adventisthealthcare.com
Featured Non-profit:
The featured non-profit of this episode is Cave Canem, recommended by Eisa Davis who reports:
“Hi. I'm Eisa Davis, class of 1992 the featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Cave Canem. Cave Canem is an organization committed to the artistic and professional growth of black poets. And I have been a fellow and active member of the organization since 1999 Cave Canem is still going strong and has truly created the landscape in which poetry lives in the United States. You can learn more about their work@cavecanompoets.org that's spelled C, A, V, E, C, A, N, E, M, P, o, e, t, s.org, and now here is Will Bachmann with this week's episode.
To learn more about their work visit: https://cavecanempoets.org/