1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,560
Welcome to the Becker's healthcare podcast. I'm Molly

2
00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,480
Gamble with Becker's. And today, I'm joined by

3
00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,919
Vina Lingam, associate chief medical information officer at

4
00:00:07,919 --> 00:00:10,339
Moffett Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

5
00:00:10,719 --> 00:00:13,359
Vina, hello and welcome. Thank you so much

6
00:00:13,359 --> 00:00:15,299
for joining me as my guest today.

7
00:00:16,574 --> 00:00:18,094
Thank you, Molly. Thank you so much for

8
00:00:18,094 --> 00:00:20,094
having me, and I'm really excited to be

9
00:00:20,094 --> 00:00:20,594
here.

10
00:00:21,134 --> 00:00:23,454
Yeah. Well, I I thought we could start,

11
00:00:23,454 --> 00:00:25,375
Vina, if you can bring us a little

12
00:00:25,375 --> 00:00:28,015
closer to your work at Moffitt Cancer Center.

13
00:00:28,015 --> 00:00:28,754
I understand

14
00:00:29,294 --> 00:00:31,214
you've been in this role for about a

15
00:00:31,214 --> 00:00:31,829
month's time.

16
00:00:32,630 --> 00:00:33,850
You're settling in.

17
00:00:34,310 --> 00:00:35,909
What have you been spending most of your

18
00:00:35,909 --> 00:00:37,989
time and energy on as of late as

19
00:00:37,989 --> 00:00:39,850
you're adjusting to your new role?

20
00:00:40,789 --> 00:00:42,649
This is my first major career

21
00:00:43,189 --> 00:00:45,829
change or move. So I'm really spending a

22
00:00:45,829 --> 00:00:46,649
lot of time

23
00:00:47,234 --> 00:00:49,174
getting to know the organization,

24
00:00:49,715 --> 00:00:50,454
the culture,

25
00:00:52,195 --> 00:00:53,655
the layout and the hierarchy.

26
00:00:54,274 --> 00:00:55,335
What are the priorities?

27
00:00:56,674 --> 00:00:58,614
In my past position,

28
00:00:58,994 --> 00:01:01,875
I was at Stony Brook Medicine for 15

29
00:01:01,875 --> 00:01:02,695
years and

30
00:01:03,050 --> 00:01:05,150
kind of grew along with the organization

31
00:01:05,450 --> 00:01:07,230
and its informatics journey.

32
00:01:07,849 --> 00:01:08,909
This is a very

33
00:01:09,450 --> 00:01:09,950
different,

34
00:01:11,209 --> 00:01:13,950
perspective I'm gaining here by being the outsider

35
00:01:14,170 --> 00:01:15,069
coming in

36
00:01:15,370 --> 00:01:16,109
and learning,

37
00:01:16,810 --> 00:01:17,709
a new organization.

38
00:01:18,885 --> 00:01:19,385
Mhmm.

39
00:01:20,165 --> 00:01:22,084
That's a really important perspective. You know, there's

40
00:01:22,084 --> 00:01:24,644
advantages to being part of a program since

41
00:01:24,644 --> 00:01:26,724
its beginning like you were at Stony Brook

42
00:01:26,724 --> 00:01:29,284
Medicine for 15 years. I mean, that's a

43
00:01:29,284 --> 00:01:31,045
big stretch of time and to grow up,

44
00:01:31,045 --> 00:01:33,310
like you said, or grow along with the

45
00:01:33,310 --> 00:01:33,810
organization

46
00:01:34,430 --> 00:01:36,689
in its informatics journey, but also

47
00:01:37,069 --> 00:01:39,170
to be an outsider coming in,

48
00:01:40,349 --> 00:01:42,109
have you detected or what what can you

49
00:01:42,109 --> 00:01:44,030
tell us about some of the priorities that

50
00:01:44,030 --> 00:01:46,665
Moffett has in place for its analytics or

51
00:01:46,825 --> 00:01:48,204
the chief medical information

52
00:01:48,905 --> 00:01:49,405
program.

53
00:01:50,025 --> 00:01:52,504
Anything that you've learned that our listeners might

54
00:01:52,504 --> 00:01:53,325
find interesting?

55
00:01:54,665 --> 00:01:57,165
What I'm really seeing is a

56
00:01:58,984 --> 00:02:00,125
a kind of big

57
00:02:00,629 --> 00:02:01,849
push and

58
00:02:02,310 --> 00:02:02,810
prioritization

59
00:02:03,430 --> 00:02:04,650
of investment

60
00:02:05,510 --> 00:02:06,329
in informatics.

61
00:02:07,030 --> 00:02:09,050
And when I say that, I don't just

62
00:02:09,110 --> 00:02:09,610
mean,

63
00:02:10,550 --> 00:02:11,770
investing in

64
00:02:12,875 --> 00:02:16,254
solutions or vendors and, you know, software.

65
00:02:16,715 --> 00:02:17,454
It's also

66
00:02:17,834 --> 00:02:19,935
a a big push to invest in informatics

67
00:02:20,555 --> 00:02:21,055
personnel,

68
00:02:22,074 --> 00:02:24,634
both at leadership level as well as in

69
00:02:24,634 --> 00:02:25,134
their,

70
00:02:25,594 --> 00:02:27,454
at all levels of their informatics

71
00:02:29,010 --> 00:02:30,490
team, as I can see, as I get

72
00:02:30,490 --> 00:02:32,210
to know all the layers of the depart

73
00:02:32,290 --> 00:02:35,090
of the Department of Clinical Informatics as it

74
00:02:35,090 --> 00:02:36,310
exists here at Moffett.

75
00:02:37,490 --> 00:02:39,030
Really, that that's a

76
00:02:39,330 --> 00:02:41,270
big positive that I see.

77
00:02:42,449 --> 00:02:43,110
It takes

78
00:02:43,794 --> 00:02:44,294
informatics

79
00:02:44,675 --> 00:02:45,155
professionals,

80
00:02:46,194 --> 00:02:46,935
that have

81
00:02:47,235 --> 00:02:50,034
kind of spent time learning these principles to

82
00:02:50,034 --> 00:02:52,275
be able to get the most out of

83
00:02:52,275 --> 00:02:54,835
all these solutions that we buy in order

84
00:02:54,835 --> 00:02:57,014
to make our health care systems more

85
00:02:57,949 --> 00:02:59,169
efficient and effective

86
00:02:59,710 --> 00:03:01,569
in delivering care for our patients.

87
00:03:02,349 --> 00:03:03,490
So that investment,

88
00:03:05,389 --> 00:03:07,250
it is something that I find promising.

89
00:03:08,110 --> 00:03:08,610
Mhmm.

90
00:03:09,229 --> 00:03:12,289
Yeah. And Another thing I really noticed is

91
00:03:12,944 --> 00:03:15,824
everything is about the patient experience. These it's

92
00:03:15,824 --> 00:03:17,685
a cancer center, which is

93
00:03:18,064 --> 00:03:21,104
very different from my prior experience, again, coming

94
00:03:21,104 --> 00:03:22,644
from a general,

95
00:03:23,425 --> 00:03:24,644
you know, all specialty

96
00:03:25,530 --> 00:03:27,549
academic center to a

97
00:03:28,250 --> 00:03:29,150
large organization

98
00:03:29,530 --> 00:03:31,069
very much focused on

99
00:03:31,370 --> 00:03:31,870
delivering,

100
00:03:33,129 --> 00:03:35,609
you know, the best cancer care. And these

101
00:03:35,609 --> 00:03:37,449
are patients that are coming in at a

102
00:03:37,449 --> 00:03:39,370
very low point in their life or after

103
00:03:39,370 --> 00:03:40,269
having received,

104
00:03:41,335 --> 00:03:41,995
you know,

105
00:03:42,375 --> 00:03:44,074
not the best news. So,

106
00:03:44,615 --> 00:03:45,275
I think

107
00:03:46,455 --> 00:03:48,955
having all of that sorted out and really

108
00:03:49,814 --> 00:03:52,375
centering all the workflows and everything around the

109
00:03:52,375 --> 00:03:55,275
patient experience and having giving them the smoothest

110
00:03:55,889 --> 00:03:58,370
journey possible seems to be a priority, and

111
00:03:58,370 --> 00:04:00,709
I I'm really appreciating that here.

112
00:04:01,409 --> 00:04:01,909
Mhmm.

113
00:04:02,370 --> 00:04:04,629
Well, that's terrific. I mean, it sounds like

114
00:04:05,009 --> 00:04:06,610
when you talk about I so appreciate the

115
00:04:06,610 --> 00:04:08,769
distinction. It's not just investing in, like you

116
00:04:08,769 --> 00:04:10,310
said, software or vendors,

117
00:04:11,114 --> 00:04:13,754
or solutions, but in talent itself at all

118
00:04:13,754 --> 00:04:14,894
layers of the organization.

119
00:04:15,194 --> 00:04:16,654
That's that's really substantial.

120
00:04:17,675 --> 00:04:19,435
Veena, I know it's early days for you

121
00:04:19,435 --> 00:04:22,254
at Moffett, but looking ahead to 2025,

122
00:04:22,634 --> 00:04:24,329
is there anything you can tell us about

123
00:04:24,329 --> 00:04:26,729
some big organizational goals that you're setting out

124
00:04:26,729 --> 00:04:28,269
to accomplish with your team?

125
00:04:29,209 --> 00:04:31,930
Yes. So my a big part of my

126
00:04:31,930 --> 00:04:34,430
role and my recruitment has been to

127
00:04:35,370 --> 00:04:38,144
set up and actually recruit and build the

128
00:04:38,144 --> 00:04:41,665
clinical informatics fellowship program here at Moffett. It's

129
00:04:41,665 --> 00:04:42,165
a,

130
00:04:42,785 --> 00:04:44,884
fellowship program for physicians,

131
00:04:45,584 --> 00:04:48,144
who have completed their residency training, might be

132
00:04:48,144 --> 00:04:50,944
early or late. It's a USF program at

133
00:04:50,944 --> 00:04:52,245
Moffett Cancer Center.

134
00:04:52,625 --> 00:04:53,125
And

135
00:04:53,939 --> 00:04:56,500
my main priority and and top goal here

136
00:04:56,500 --> 00:04:57,240
is to,

137
00:04:57,779 --> 00:04:59,720
set up and, you know, build and

138
00:05:00,020 --> 00:05:02,120
set up this, program successfully.

139
00:05:02,980 --> 00:05:05,139
And, again, goes towards the mission of really

140
00:05:05,139 --> 00:05:06,759
training that talent.

141
00:05:07,220 --> 00:05:08,600
The informatics personnel

142
00:05:08,900 --> 00:05:09,560
are the

143
00:05:10,175 --> 00:05:13,854
key ingredients, let's say, to building that learning

144
00:05:13,854 --> 00:05:15,954
health system that we're all trying to be.

145
00:05:16,974 --> 00:05:18,894
I wanted to ask about that because when

146
00:05:18,894 --> 00:05:21,074
you said that earlier about investing in talent,

147
00:05:21,134 --> 00:05:23,394
I I was thinking to myself, I'm so

148
00:05:23,649 --> 00:05:27,009
well versed and aware of the various personnel

149
00:05:27,009 --> 00:05:29,329
shortages that health systems face, whether it's from

150
00:05:29,329 --> 00:05:29,829
technicians,

151
00:05:31,089 --> 00:05:31,589
to

152
00:05:31,970 --> 00:05:34,930
nurses and physicians and specialists of all different

153
00:05:34,930 --> 00:05:35,430
types.

154
00:05:35,834 --> 00:05:37,915
But when it comes to medical or clinical

155
00:05:37,915 --> 00:05:38,415
informatics

156
00:05:38,954 --> 00:05:39,454
professionals,

157
00:05:40,154 --> 00:05:42,314
what what type of talent pipeline are you

158
00:05:42,314 --> 00:05:44,795
working with, Feena? Is it constricted, or is

159
00:05:44,795 --> 00:05:45,295
it

160
00:05:45,675 --> 00:05:47,834
ample? Do do you feel like there's sufficient

161
00:05:47,834 --> 00:05:50,314
resources there? Is there scarcity? Can you can

162
00:05:50,314 --> 00:05:51,509
you tell us more about

163
00:05:51,990 --> 00:05:52,730
what the

164
00:05:53,270 --> 00:05:55,930
supply looks like for that type of professional

165
00:05:56,150 --> 00:05:57,529
or personnel in your organization?

166
00:05:59,750 --> 00:06:01,830
So from what I can see at the

167
00:06:01,830 --> 00:06:02,330
organization

168
00:06:02,710 --> 00:06:05,444
so far, there's been there's a robust team.

169
00:06:05,444 --> 00:06:08,504
They're recruiting really talented people, but I,

170
00:06:09,044 --> 00:06:09,704
the recruitment

171
00:06:10,324 --> 00:06:12,964
has not been that easy. It is hard

172
00:06:12,964 --> 00:06:13,625
to find,

173
00:06:14,404 --> 00:06:17,685
experienced or well trained informatics personnel and it

174
00:06:17,685 --> 00:06:18,985
goes. It's more of it's

175
00:06:19,430 --> 00:06:22,169
both the supply and demand shortage.

176
00:06:22,789 --> 00:06:23,289
Informatics,

177
00:06:23,750 --> 00:06:26,569
clinical informatics is not a straightforward career.

178
00:06:27,110 --> 00:06:29,750
Most residents and, you know, applicants that I've

179
00:06:29,750 --> 00:06:31,370
ever spoken to

180
00:06:31,714 --> 00:06:33,955
kind of say, well, I just found out

181
00:06:33,955 --> 00:06:36,595
because I randomly met the CMIO at our

182
00:06:36,595 --> 00:06:37,095
organization

183
00:06:37,795 --> 00:06:39,955
and realized this is an actual profession. I

184
00:06:39,955 --> 00:06:42,675
could use my medical knowledge and clinical experience

185
00:06:42,675 --> 00:06:43,895
in different ways

186
00:06:44,449 --> 00:06:45,910
to help the health care system,

187
00:06:46,370 --> 00:06:48,930
not just by, you know, going out to

188
00:06:48,930 --> 00:06:52,149
see patients or do special, you know, specialty

189
00:06:52,290 --> 00:06:53,350
fellowships, etcetera.

190
00:06:54,209 --> 00:06:55,509
So it has been

191
00:06:56,209 --> 00:06:56,709
challenging

192
00:06:57,615 --> 00:07:00,274
to kind of build the clinical informatics workforce.

193
00:07:01,854 --> 00:07:04,115
One is really because employers

194
00:07:05,454 --> 00:07:08,574
either do not recognize the need to invest

195
00:07:08,574 --> 00:07:10,514
in personal, as I mentioned before,

196
00:07:11,134 --> 00:07:13,154
as much as they invest in the software.

197
00:07:14,370 --> 00:07:14,870
And

198
00:07:15,170 --> 00:07:18,209
2, they don't understand what kind of or

199
00:07:18,209 --> 00:07:19,670
they're not yet so familiar

200
00:07:20,370 --> 00:07:20,870
with

201
00:07:21,170 --> 00:07:23,269
what kind of skills and

202
00:07:24,050 --> 00:07:26,470
knowledge and expertise clinical informaticians

203
00:07:27,324 --> 00:07:29,085
bring to the table and how they could

204
00:07:29,085 --> 00:07:31,024
really help them realize the value,

205
00:07:31,805 --> 00:07:33,745
of all the products that they have.

206
00:07:34,365 --> 00:07:36,705
So because the employers

207
00:07:37,404 --> 00:07:40,125
or the job opportunities as are not as

208
00:07:40,125 --> 00:07:42,090
clear cut, it kind of serves as a

209
00:07:42,090 --> 00:07:42,590
disincentive

210
00:07:43,050 --> 00:07:43,949
for potential

211
00:07:45,129 --> 00:07:46,350
future informaticians

212
00:07:46,650 --> 00:07:49,850
from kind of choosing this, career path that

213
00:07:49,850 --> 00:07:51,850
there's a lot of uncertainty. It's not as

214
00:07:51,850 --> 00:07:53,550
clear cut if I go and do,

215
00:07:54,170 --> 00:07:55,365
a gastroenterology

216
00:07:55,985 --> 00:07:57,044
fellowship after

217
00:07:57,904 --> 00:08:00,884
internal medicine, I know my lifestyle. I know,

218
00:08:01,185 --> 00:08:03,425
you know, what my salary would be. I

219
00:08:03,425 --> 00:08:06,544
know what I would be doing. Informatics has

220
00:08:06,544 --> 00:08:09,104
so many possible trajectories, and it kind of

221
00:08:09,104 --> 00:08:11,899
seems like, you know, the path less traveled

222
00:08:11,899 --> 00:08:14,139
and not as not as laid out. So

223
00:08:14,139 --> 00:08:16,379
that serves as a disincentive. So in both

224
00:08:16,379 --> 00:08:18,860
ways, I think there's not as many job

225
00:08:18,860 --> 00:08:19,360
opportunities

226
00:08:19,660 --> 00:08:21,120
posted in general,

227
00:08:22,574 --> 00:08:25,134
and there's not as many people choosing to

228
00:08:25,134 --> 00:08:25,875
go into

229
00:08:26,414 --> 00:08:27,555
this career path

230
00:08:28,014 --> 00:08:29,074
due to the, you

231
00:08:29,615 --> 00:08:30,995
know, lack of

232
00:08:31,454 --> 00:08:33,695
a clear kind of trajectory that they could

233
00:08:33,695 --> 00:08:34,674
see for themselves.

234
00:08:35,250 --> 00:08:37,570
I see. That makes sense. It's it's almost

235
00:08:37,570 --> 00:08:39,970
like it's health care's best kept secret in

236
00:08:39,970 --> 00:08:42,929
a way. Maybe it's a less established career

237
00:08:42,929 --> 00:08:45,169
path or an org chart like you said,

238
00:08:45,169 --> 00:08:48,149
but it sounds like just really ample opportunity.

239
00:08:50,065 --> 00:08:52,625
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I started off I

240
00:08:52,625 --> 00:08:55,184
mean, I call myself a generalist at heart

241
00:08:55,184 --> 00:08:58,304
in residency. I kind of liked every aspect

242
00:08:58,304 --> 00:09:00,865
of medicine, but nothing enough to really say

243
00:09:00,865 --> 00:09:02,804
this is my passion. I want to go,

244
00:09:03,259 --> 00:09:06,139
you know, do oncology or whatever for the

245
00:09:06,139 --> 00:09:08,139
rest of my life. I wanted to stay

246
00:09:08,139 --> 00:09:09,600
that generalist, but,

247
00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:11,259
it is

248
00:09:12,139 --> 00:09:13,600
if you have that system,

249
00:09:15,514 --> 00:09:18,715
vision and high level kind of problem solving

250
00:09:18,715 --> 00:09:19,615
kind of mentality,

251
00:09:20,875 --> 00:09:23,215
informatics really gave me that opportunity

252
00:09:23,595 --> 00:09:25,535
to have a say to play a role

253
00:09:25,835 --> 00:09:29,054
in making things better for both patients and

254
00:09:29,289 --> 00:09:30,910
our clinicians in the system.

255
00:09:32,330 --> 00:09:33,870
So that really gives me

256
00:09:34,410 --> 00:09:35,549
even more fulfillment

257
00:09:36,009 --> 00:09:36,509
than

258
00:09:37,289 --> 00:09:40,009
having just, you know, been the hospitalist and

259
00:09:40,009 --> 00:09:41,149
worked really hard.

260
00:09:41,769 --> 00:09:42,750
So I am

261
00:09:43,184 --> 00:09:43,684
really

262
00:09:44,304 --> 00:09:46,465
I do think it's the best kept secret,

263
00:09:46,465 --> 00:09:48,384
and I wanted to not be a secret

264
00:09:48,384 --> 00:09:50,325
anymore and really attract these,

265
00:09:51,024 --> 00:09:51,605
you know,

266
00:09:52,465 --> 00:09:54,865
people in the clinical trend as soon see

267
00:09:54,865 --> 00:09:57,620
the problems, who understand the problems, and who

268
00:09:57,620 --> 00:09:59,320
have the problem solving mentality,

269
00:10:00,259 --> 00:10:02,679
and process improvement mentality to

270
00:10:03,139 --> 00:10:05,720
come into the field and and make

271
00:10:06,179 --> 00:10:07,799
every the system better.

272
00:10:09,014 --> 00:10:11,014
Absolutely. I mean, I I can't imagine a

273
00:10:11,014 --> 00:10:11,514
time,

274
00:10:12,934 --> 00:10:15,415
more than now, especially with some of the

275
00:10:15,415 --> 00:10:18,075
question marks around AI and generative AI,

276
00:10:18,535 --> 00:10:21,014
where this role is so important. You know,

277
00:10:21,014 --> 00:10:22,615
it's not like it's some pocket of the

278
00:10:22,615 --> 00:10:23,915
organization that's

279
00:10:24,370 --> 00:10:26,610
an ancillary or nice to have. I mean,

280
00:10:26,610 --> 00:10:28,449
for health systems, this is a a really

281
00:10:28,449 --> 00:10:29,350
important role,

282
00:10:29,889 --> 00:10:32,470
that needs experienced talent, strong leaders,

283
00:10:32,850 --> 00:10:34,850
good critical thinkers, like you said. And also,

284
00:10:34,850 --> 00:10:37,329
I I respect and appreciate your comment about

285
00:10:37,329 --> 00:10:39,264
the generalist, you know, going

286
00:10:39,644 --> 00:10:41,725
a mile wide and inch deep,

287
00:10:42,445 --> 00:10:43,664
versus vice versa,

288
00:10:44,365 --> 00:10:45,825
can be so helpful

289
00:10:46,524 --> 00:10:49,424
in the informatics program given how many professionals

290
00:10:49,485 --> 00:10:50,625
it touches. Right?

291
00:10:51,485 --> 00:10:54,029
So so, Zavina, I you're about a month

292
00:10:54,029 --> 00:10:56,750
in at Moffett. You mentioned you were with

293
00:10:56,750 --> 00:10:58,929
Stony Brook Medicine for 14 years,

294
00:10:59,389 --> 00:11:01,470
a really impressive stretch of time with that

295
00:11:01,470 --> 00:11:01,970
organization.

296
00:11:02,830 --> 00:11:04,509
Let's talk about you a little bit and

297
00:11:04,509 --> 00:11:05,409
and your leadership.

298
00:11:05,950 --> 00:11:07,970
How have you been evolving or sharpening

299
00:11:08,495 --> 00:11:11,534
or trying to kind of level yourself up

300
00:11:11,534 --> 00:11:13,315
with this new chapter of your career?

301
00:11:14,095 --> 00:11:15,634
And how have you been

302
00:11:16,254 --> 00:11:18,914
making yourself at home now at Moffett? Any

303
00:11:19,375 --> 00:11:20,975
advice that you would share with other leaders

304
00:11:20,975 --> 00:11:22,574
who are looking to make a similar change

305
00:11:22,574 --> 00:11:25,220
like you after spending such a significant portion

306
00:11:25,220 --> 00:11:27,480
of time of their career with 1 organization?

307
00:11:29,139 --> 00:11:30,820
Yeah. I think one,

308
00:11:31,460 --> 00:11:33,399
thing is I'm learning. I'm glad,

309
00:11:34,419 --> 00:11:35,159
that I

310
00:11:35,539 --> 00:11:37,995
took the leap. It was definitely a leap

311
00:11:37,995 --> 00:11:39,534
getting out of the comfort zone.

312
00:11:40,075 --> 00:11:42,394
We're coming from a system like we you

313
00:11:42,394 --> 00:11:45,294
know how everything works to an entirely new

314
00:11:45,754 --> 00:11:48,735
system and and way of doing things.

315
00:11:49,595 --> 00:11:50,495
I am

316
00:11:52,259 --> 00:11:53,080
trying to think

317
00:11:53,700 --> 00:11:54,200
bigger,

318
00:11:54,980 --> 00:11:57,559
or a high level picture, trying to understand

319
00:11:57,779 --> 00:11:58,279
what

320
00:11:58,740 --> 00:12:01,460
is driving a majority of the decisions at

321
00:12:01,460 --> 00:12:02,200
this organization

322
00:12:04,434 --> 00:12:07,495
and taking things slow, really trying to learn

323
00:12:07,634 --> 00:12:09,014
in the 1st few months

324
00:12:10,034 --> 00:12:12,674
rather than just, you know, come in and

325
00:12:12,674 --> 00:12:13,174
do.

326
00:12:15,714 --> 00:12:17,975
Also, another big career change,

327
00:12:18,500 --> 00:12:20,600
I guess, advice or lesson learned

328
00:12:21,059 --> 00:12:21,559
is

329
00:12:22,339 --> 00:12:23,159
it's definitely

330
00:12:24,659 --> 00:12:25,399
an opportunity

331
00:12:25,700 --> 00:12:26,200
to,

332
00:12:26,980 --> 00:12:28,820
as you said, level up and kind of

333
00:12:28,820 --> 00:12:29,320
reinvent

334
00:12:29,700 --> 00:12:30,200
myself.

335
00:12:30,975 --> 00:12:33,134
The 15 years at Stony Brook, I started

336
00:12:33,134 --> 00:12:34,195
off as an intern.

337
00:12:34,894 --> 00:12:36,975
So pretty, you know, low on the totem

338
00:12:36,975 --> 00:12:40,654
pole, very narrow thinking of just my patient,

339
00:12:40,654 --> 00:12:42,595
you know, my medical knowledge.

340
00:12:43,455 --> 00:12:46,120
And along the way, with you know, great

341
00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,860
mentorship and opportunities, I was able to

342
00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:49,980
develop

343
00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:51,980
the leadership

344
00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,199
mentality. So what I'm really trying to do

345
00:12:54,199 --> 00:12:56,519
is own that and start off at that

346
00:12:56,519 --> 00:12:58,459
level and then build upon it.

347
00:12:59,195 --> 00:13:01,294
There I have great leaders here,

348
00:13:01,915 --> 00:13:04,174
that I consider mentors at Moffett,

349
00:13:05,115 --> 00:13:07,035
who played a big role in me choosing

350
00:13:07,035 --> 00:13:07,855
to come here,

351
00:13:08,475 --> 00:13:11,115
the CMIO, doctor Perkins. I'm really trying to

352
00:13:11,115 --> 00:13:13,375
learn again, use this opportunity to

353
00:13:13,730 --> 00:13:16,309
level up, grow, learn and build upon

354
00:13:17,250 --> 00:13:18,069
my skills.

355
00:13:18,769 --> 00:13:20,949
So things like process improvement,

356
00:13:22,769 --> 00:13:23,990
learning the technology

357
00:13:24,370 --> 00:13:27,169
or learning, you know, large language models or

358
00:13:27,169 --> 00:13:28,470
at least how they work.

359
00:13:29,024 --> 00:13:29,524
That's,

360
00:13:29,985 --> 00:13:32,004
you know, kind of more granular.

361
00:13:32,625 --> 00:13:34,144
But at a high level, I'm trying to

362
00:13:34,144 --> 00:13:36,304
also fill up the gaps where I may

363
00:13:36,304 --> 00:13:38,625
not have learned so much all along, like

364
00:13:38,625 --> 00:13:40,404
the finances of health care

365
00:13:41,210 --> 00:13:43,470
or other, you know, kind of leadership strategies

366
00:13:43,529 --> 00:13:44,990
at a larger level.

367
00:13:47,210 --> 00:13:48,570
Mhmm. Well, it sounds like you're off to

368
00:13:48,570 --> 00:13:51,049
a terrific start. I I think, as as

369
00:13:51,049 --> 00:13:53,129
you described it, to take things slow and

370
00:13:53,129 --> 00:13:55,789
to to really learn and have things stick

371
00:13:56,264 --> 00:13:58,264
versus to come in and and do right

372
00:13:58,264 --> 00:14:01,085
away as you put it. Sounds sometimes

373
00:14:01,465 --> 00:14:03,225
easy in theory. I know that's a lot

374
00:14:03,225 --> 00:14:05,565
of work itself, though, to be observant,

375
00:14:06,184 --> 00:14:08,184
to make connections, to, like you said, try

376
00:14:08,184 --> 00:14:10,504
to better understand what's driving the majority of

377
00:14:10,504 --> 00:14:12,339
the decisions made at Moffett.

378
00:14:12,799 --> 00:14:14,399
So, Vina, it sounds like you have,

379
00:14:15,039 --> 00:14:17,600
made yourself at home, but still have been

380
00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:19,299
taking a really strategic approach

381
00:14:19,919 --> 00:14:20,820
to your transition.

382
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,200
Wanna just wish you continued success in that,

383
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,514
and, hopefully, we can catch up again

384
00:14:26,134 --> 00:14:27,575
soon when you're a few months to a

385
00:14:27,575 --> 00:14:29,095
year end and see how things have been

386
00:14:29,095 --> 00:14:29,995
going for you.

387
00:14:30,455 --> 00:14:32,615
Yeah. I'd love to. And hopefully, by that

388
00:14:32,615 --> 00:14:33,674
time, I'll be,

389
00:14:34,774 --> 00:14:36,875
you know, after the races with our fellowship

390
00:14:36,934 --> 00:14:39,539
as well. Yeah. Oh, yes. Yes. We'll check-in

391
00:14:39,539 --> 00:14:40,519
on that as well.

392
00:14:41,059 --> 00:14:42,980
Well, Vina Lingam, I I just wanna thank

393
00:14:42,980 --> 00:14:44,919
you again for being my guest today. Listeners,

394
00:14:45,059 --> 00:14:47,779
Vina is the associate chief medical information officer

395
00:14:47,779 --> 00:14:50,820
with Moffett Cancer Center in Tampa. Vina, thank

396
00:14:50,820 --> 00:14:52,679
you so much again for being my guest.

397
00:14:53,249 --> 00:14:54,149
Thank you, mom,

398
00:14:55,969 --> 00:14:56,719
for having