The Human Side of Medicine with Dr. Susy Stirling and Dr. Sandy Miles | Flourishing in Medicine: From Surviving to Thriving #25

Today, we are joined by Dr. Susy Stirling, a Public Health Physician and Associate Dean based in Yorkshire & Humber, and Dr. Sandy Miles, a GP and Medical Educator in Devon, both from the United Kingdom.

Dr. Susy Stirling MBChB, MSc, MPH, DCH, FFPH trained in medicine and after early career jobs in hospital medicine in the NHS, worked as a General Medical Officer in rural South Africa for 2 years. She returned to the UK to train in Public Health and was previously Lead for Migrant, Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health across the Yorkshire & Humber region.

Dr. Sandy Miles is a GP and Medical Educator in Devon. Alongside her clinical role as a GP, she works in Postgraduate GP training, was Clinical Director of Eastleigh Primary Care Network and, together with Dr. Sam Powell, established popular retreats for doctors.

In the conversation, Dr. Miles and Dr. Stirling share their journeys from early medical careers through personal challenges and discoveries that led them to focus on supporting healthcare professionals through storytelling, coaching, and addressing shame in medical practice.

We also cover:

How personal experiences with inequality, family history, and burnout shaped their paths toward supporting healthcare professionalsThe transformative power of medical humanities education and its impact on professional identityTheir collaboration on the National Health Stories experience, creating platforms for healthcare workers to share narratives of hope and humanity

Dr. Sandy Miles’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-miles-4552a294/

Dr. Susy Stirling’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susy-stirling-469976146/

Relevant Publications:

Miles S. Addressing shame: what role does shame play in the formation of a modern medical professional identity? BJPsych Bulletin. 2020;44(1):1-5. doi:10.1192/bjb.2019.49

Podcast Interview:

https://youarenotafrog.com/episodes/152/

Website Links & Phone Numbers:

EmPro Website: https://www.myempro.com/

EmPro Peer Support Program: https://www.myempro.com/peer-support/

Physician Support Line: +1(888) 409-0141

Physician Support Line Website:  https://www.physiciansupportline.com/

Dr. Krasner’s Website: https://mickkrasnermd.com/

Mindful Practice in Medicine Website: https://mindfulpracticeinmedicine.com/

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:00) Origin Stories: Why Medicine?

(08:00) Susy's Path from Medicine to Medical Education

(11:00) Sandy's Journey Through Burnout and Recovery

(17:00) The Transformative Power of Medical Humanities

(31:00) Understanding Shame in Medical Identity Formation

(38:00) The Genesis of National Health Stories

(43:00) Using Shame as a Compass for Core Values

(51:00) The Importance of Connection in Healthcare

(59:00) Envisioning a Future Healthcare System

(01:07:00) Conclusion

Flourishing in Medicine: From Surviving to Thriving explores ways that health professionals- physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mental health providers, therapists, and others- can truly flourish in the complex and challenging world of health care.

The ability for physicians and other health professionals to practice high quality care and attain professional satisfaction and meaning in their work has been under continued challenge. These critically important members of our communities experience ongoing threats to their well-being and hence to the quality of care they deliver. The recent pandemic has only exacerbated changes that have occurred over the preceding years in the practice of medicine, exposing even further the fragility of our imperfect health care systems. This podcast explores the many ways that physicians can and do flourish, including a deeper exploration of what it means to work at the frontier of human frailty and suffering, while applying biomedical science and compassionate care to address the complexities of the human condition. It is the hope that this podcast can help support these health professionals and ultimately translate into improved care of themselves, their patients, and our communities.

Your host, Mick Krasner M.D., F.A.C.P, is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Krasner has been teaching Mindfulness-Based programs to patients, medical students, and health professionals for more than 23 years, involving over 4000 participants and more than 2000 health professionals, and continues to facilitate Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for employees and dependents of the University of Rochester. He was the project director of Mindful Communication: Bringing Intention, Attention, and Reflection to Clinical Practice, sponsored by the New York Chapter of the American College of Physicians, funded by the Physicians Foundation for Health Systems Excellence, with results reported in JAMA in September 2009. This program led to the establishment of Mindful Practice in Medicine Programs at the University of Rochester which he co-directs, offering continuing educational programs to health professionals and educators locally and internationally for the past 13 years, and includes a multi-year teacher training program for future facilitators of Mindful Practice. He has been engaged in a variety of research projects including the investigations of the effects of mindfulness practices on the immune system in the elderly, on chronic psoriasis, and on caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. His most recent project, The Healer’s Journey, is a documentary film in production that explores the professional identity formation of our newest health professionals, the medical students.

Dr. Krasner graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1983 and received the Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in 1987, completing residency in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry where he continued as a full-time faculty member, engaging in medical student and residency education, post-graduate medical education, and research. He has shared his work in peer-reviewed publications, scientific assemblies, workshops, visiting professorships, and intensives throughout the world, focusing primarily on the roots of Hippocratic medicine through the cultivation of attention, awareness, and reflection on the health professional- healing relationship. Having recently left clinical practice, he now devotes all his time to the pursuit of helping physicians and other health professionals flourish.

• No. of episodes: 26
• Latest episode: 2025-08-27
• Health & Fitness Medicine Mental Health

Where can you listen?