How to Impact Change in the Medical Field with Dr. Derek J. Robinson

A leader is the one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. It has been said that the best way to secure a bright future for the next generation is to share our stories, wisdom, and experiences so that they can learn and grow from them. Hence, our responsibility is to pave the way for success and illuminate the path for others and provide them with the resources they require to forge their paths. Therefore, we must seek to make a difference in our fields of expertise and strive to bring less of ourselves and more of our calling. However, to do such things, we have to grasp our ultimate passion and purpose.

For instance, doctors can make a significant impact in medicine and healthcare by addressing health disparities. Physicians can close the gap and ensure that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or cultural background, receives the care and support they require to achieve the best possible health outcomes. Hence, it can be done by providing culturally competent care and promoting health equity. Consequently, it often requires us to acknowledge and close existing gaps in our service and make room for improvement to serve our communities better. Making it our goal to reach and bring hope and care, most importantly, to our community's vulnerable populations. Our guest speaker says, "We have to ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to be as healthy as possible."

Dr. Derek J. Robinson is a husband, father, board-certified physician in Emergency Medicine, and author of the new book Improbable MD: From the Bayou to the Board Room. He is vice president and chief medical officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, a Health Care Service Corporation division – the nation's largest non-investor-owned health insurance company. From an early age, Dr. Robinson has been driven to make the world a better place for others, especially for the marginalized. He attributes his career success and ability to overcome life's obstacles to the support provided to him by others along his journey. As a physician executive, Dr. Robinson has been a champion for weaving equity into business priorities to advance financial returns and health outcomes. Over the years, he has brought together diverse stakeholders to align a focus on health equity, develop business incentives to catalyze action and share best practices across organizations for durable change. 

In this special episode with Dr. Derek Robinson, we will discover the humbling story of an inspiring man who deeply cherishes the privilege and responsibility of being a physician and having the opportunity to be part of somebody's healing. He has a thirst to engage with individuals and inspire others to be their best in whatever path they seek. Be enthralled by the essential lessons he learned that helped him surmount the pressures, hesitations, obstacles, and limitations he encountered and get him to where he is today. 

"You need to have the energy, fire, ability, and willingness to be a good leader to go forward. But you also need to ensure that your experience is less about you and more about what you've been called to do." – Dr. Derek Robinson

Topics Covered:

(00:00:00) Introduction + Episode Snippet

(00:00:41) Introducing our special guest, Dr. Derek Robinson.

(00:01:14) A bit of the Backstory: Words of Gratefulness

(00:03:44) A competition to improve each other.

(00:04:03) The Legacy of Collaboration

(00:05:34) Core Service: What is Leadership?

(00:07:07) Less of Me, more of My Calling

(00:07:51) The Path to Medicine

(00:09:30) Healthcare advocacy and policy

(00:10:58) How prominent are doctors who work for big insurance firms? 

(00:12:28) Diversity and Health Equity: Why is it important?

(00:14:12) Be prepared to do the right thing.

(00:14:47) What tangible steps can doctors take daily to address the health disparities we observe?

(00:16:20) Doctors are not infallible.

(00:17:15) Quick Reminder: Are you enjoying this episode? Please share it, leave a five-star review, and give feedback. Go to TimeOut with the SportsDr website.

(00:17:50) Acknowledging the gap.

(00:18:28) The interconnection of the healthcare delivery system and society

(00:19:26) Do not ignore the vulnerable communities.

(00:21:04) What inspire Dr. Robinson to write a book?

(00:22:17) Bringing hope to communities.

(00:23:55) The importance of reaching out

(00:24:37) Learn from others' mistakes.

(00:25:39) Share not only your successes but also your failures.

(00:26:59) Every step of our journey is significant.

(00:27:37) Final TimeOut with Dr. Derek Robinson: How can you encourage someone to surmount the limiting factors we can encounter in sharing your story?

(00:28:11) Your limit starts inside of your head.

(00:29:30) The therapeutic work of writing.

(00:30:17) Connect with Dr. Derek Robinson.

Key Takeaways:  

"We were competing to improve each other. It was never cutthroat." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"Leadership is putting the interest of others before yourself. It's being empathetic, having a vision for the future, and building a level of trust with other individuals such as they will follow you forward even when the path ahead has some uncertainty embedded in it." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"I immensely cherish being a physician and caring for patients. It's a responsibility and opportunity like none other." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"There were some things that were beyond the reach of the hands of medicine and health care that needed to be addressed. Those things would require work in the space of advocacy and policy and the like." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"There are some ways that we can contribute uniquely outside of direct clinical care, and that's not to diminish direct clinical care. We certainly need to have individuals providing great care to our patients." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"We are ensuring that everyone has a fair opportunity to be as healthy as possible."– Dr. Derek Robinson

"When you're in a position where you can make a difference, you want to be prepared to make that difference and do the right thing that's going to help improve health outcome." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"The pandemic demonstrated to us how fragile the state of health for our community was." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"We have to be humble enough to appreciate that our system of care does not deliver services to patients in a uniformly fair fashion." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"There are some challenges that bump up right against the health care delivery system that create some unfair barriers to patients." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"We're not infallible; we are humans. Thus, we bring to our workplace our lived experiences, and those can come with positive and negative biases that can impact the health of our patients and the care that we deliver." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"If we approach it from the assumption that there is no gap, then we don't provide ourselves with an opportunity to ensure that the work that we're doing collectively as a health care team is advancing equity for the patients and the communities that we serve." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"We have to be concerned about the health of everyone, not just globally but also locally in our community." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"I've always taken those opportunities to be engaged in outreach and support in the community because I gained so much from the generosity of others along my journey as well." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"There was a thirst to engage with individuals at scale and to help share my story as a way of helping others be their best." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"If we're going to ensure that people who are coming behind us have the tools and resources that they need to be successful, we've got to figure out how do we tell that story in a way that allows them to relate to it and learn from the lessons that we've experienced along the way." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"Individuals will share with you their successes and their challenges and their failures if you ask them." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"It's best to learn lessons from the mistakes of other people than having to learn those lessons the hard way on your own." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"There are some lessons you can't afford to learn the hard way because when you learn them, the implications are irreparable to your career. They may land you in a terrible spot." – Dr. Derek Robinson

"You may not be able to appreciate the value of what you're working against right now until you get to that next station beyond it and be able to look back and learn a lot from those lessons." – Dr. Derek Robinson

Connect with Dr. Derek Robinson:

Website: https://drderekrobinson.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDerekRobinson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derek.j.robinson.3/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@derekrobinson4712/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-derek-robinson/

Connect with Dr. Derrick Burgess:

Website: https://www.drderrickthesportsdr.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimeOut.SportsDr

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-burgess-72047b246/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHGDu1zT4K_X6PnYELu8weg

Email: thesportsdoctr@gmail.com

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