Description
If you are a physician who would like to explore the numerous non-clinical opportunities open to you, this is the conference for you.
Saturday-Sunday, October 19-20, 2024 Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel & Conference Center, Rosemont, IL.
A life changing weekend awaits you!
· Explore dozens of non-clinical and alternative opportunities
· Find out what’s out there, how to get it, and how much it pays
· Learn about full time, part time, and work from home opportunities
· One-on-one mentoring
· See with your own eyes that switching to a non-clinical career has more financial potential than clinical medicine and is in fact a step forward, not a step backwards
· Learn from 40+ colleagues who have successfully made the switch and hear how it is done
· Become empowered by knowing that you are far from alone in your desire for change
· Network with faculty, speakers, mentors, recruiters and fellow attendees
· Meet with employers and recruiters
· Get your process of career change moving/start your journey
· Form a customized action plan to position yourself for and successfully make your career transition
Location/Hotel Accommodations: Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians will be held at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel & Conference Center in the Village of Rosemont, IL. This “fly in fly out” property is easily accessible to Chicago’s O’Hare airport and provides complimentary shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport. SEAK has secured a special group rate of $149/night. Rooms are limited and this rate expires on September 26, 2024. To make your reservations, please call 877-337-5793 and refer to the SEAK Group rate or click here to book online.
Registration/Tuition: The main conference tuition is $1495 until August 23, 2024, $1595 August 24, 2024– September 26, 2024, $1695 after September 26, 2024. Daily continental breakfast and lunch is included in the tuition for each program. Included in your Main Conference Registration:
• All main conference sessions with your choice of breakout sessions.
• Networking at provided breakfast, lunch, and breaks each day as well as the Saturday evening reception.
• The opportunity to meet with employers, speakers, mentors, and recruiters.
• A free copy of the book Do You Feel Like You Wasted All That Training?: Questions from Doctors Considering a Career Change, by Michael J. McLaughlin, MD.
Cancellations: Conference cancellations received in writing on or prior to September 26, 2024 will receive a full tuition refund. Persons cancelling after September 26, 2024 will receive a full tuition credit.
RECRUITERS & EMPLOYERS
We will once again be inviting recruiters and employers to interview at the conference. Our recruiters and employers traditionally conduct many hundreds of interviews onsite and hire many of our physician attendees. Recruiters and exhibitors looking to attend should contact Kelly Wilbur at kelly@seak.com or (781) 491-6802.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. How much non-clinical opportunity is out there for physicians?
A. More than you can imagine. Our 40+ faculty members who are all physicians working non-clinically will be providing inside information on dozens of non-clinical career paths. Your biggest challenge will likely be deciding which of many possible roads to follow.
Q. Will work from home positions be discussed? How about part time roles?
A. Yes, many of the fields covered offer remote based opportunities. In fact, many of our faculty work remotely. Many of the fields discussed also have part time/contract opportunities available.
Q. Does the conference work?
A. We have been thrilled with the enormous amount of positive feedback we have received with numerous attendees calling their experience “life changing.” See www.nonclinicalcareers.com for hundreds of testimonials, as well as pages 12 and 23. We are also very proud that a large percentage of our faculty consists of conference alumni looking to pay it forward.
Q. Do attendees find jobs at the conference?
A. We will once again be inviting recruiters and employers to the conference. Our recruiters and employers conduct interviews onsite and often hire our physician attendees. Past industries represented included pharma, consulting, insurance, education, independent review and others. Additionally, attendees find jobs through their networking at the conference.
Q. How does the free mentoring/networking work?
A. Attendees have the opportunity to sign up for 15 minute 1-1 mentoring sessions with our large and diverse panel of physician mentors. You will have numerous opportunities to network with faculty and fellow attendees during the conference.
Q. What is the age of your typical attendee and why do they come to the conference?
A. It runs the full range. Each year we have hundreds of attendees and this will include medical students, interns, residents and physicians in their 70s. Our attendees come for many reasons including wanting to make more money, have more control over their schedule, looking for new challenges, a physical disability that prevents them from practicing medicine, or simply no longer enjoying the practice of medicine.
Q. Are there opportunities for physicians without Boards, Residency or even a US License?
A. Yes. Many of the fields discussed have positions that do not require current Boards (including Pharma, Consulting, Writing, Speaking, Coaching, MSL, Investments, Communications, Startups and Teaching) and some of our faculty members do not have Boards.
Q. How many of the main conference attendees attend one or more of the preconferences?
A. Over 50%, as the information contained in the preconferences is not covered in the main conference.
SCHEDULE
Day 1: Saturday, October 19, 2024
7:30–8:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast with Faculty, Mentors and Recruiters
8:30–9:30 Building the Path to Your Future: One Brick at a Time
Rebecca Lynne Moles, MD, CPC
Dr. Moles will provide practical and inspiring advice for how to successfully transition your career. She will teach you how to look forward, buy in to a career change (and get family buy in), and overcome your fear of change and the unknown. Dr. Moles will further provide insights on how to develop the tools needed for a successful transition. She will show you how to effectively prepare yourself for an exciting and somewhat unscripted future and overcome inertia to help you along your path. Questions & Answers
Rebecca Lynne Moles, MD, CPC is a Child Abuse Pediatrician who transitioned from academic medicine to health insurance utilization management as a Medical Director for Elevance. She is a certified professional coach with a special interest in physician burnout in early and midcareer physicians. Dr. Moles is a SEAK alumna. She has held faculty appointments at UConn, Yale, and UMass. She earned her BA and MD at the University of Rochester, completed an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at UMass and Child Abuse Pediatrics fellowship at Brown, and earned her professional coach certification from iPEC.
9:30–10:30 Introduction of the Mentors and the Recruiters The conference mentors and recruiters will introduce themselves and briefly describe their background and areas of interest.
10:30–11:15 Break and Mentoring and Recruiter Sign Up Time Attendees will sign up for individual sessions with recruiters and mentors.
11:15–12:00 How Physicians Can Leverage LinkedIn and ChatGPT to Turbocharge Their Networking
Ryan Bayley, MD
Many physicians seeking career change routinely overinvest in trivial aspects of the job hunt (ex: submitting resumes) while underestimating that which is truly important — networking and putting yourself in proximity of people doing the work. While an uncomfortable and nebulous idea for most of us, networking effectively is the single greatest predictor of career change success. Fortunately, technologies like LinkedIn and ChatGPT now make it easier than ever to take this vague yet essential concept and make it into a solvable problem. In this talk, Dr. Bayley will walk you through his step-wise approach for the “networking naive” and show you how to leverage technology to focus and systematize your networking to greatly increase your chance of career change success. Questions & Answers
Ryan Bayley, MD is an executive coach and physician advocate who has worked with thousands of clinicians to optimize their careers and happiness. He is the founder of Bayley Coaching Solutions (www.ryanbayleyMD.com), a physician-focused executive coaching and consulting firm. Dr Bayley is also a nationally recognized speaker and author, as well as a consultant to large healthcare organizations. Dr. Bayley completed his undergraduate at Harvard, and subsequently attended Vanderbilt Medical School. He also currently holds an associate adjunct position at Duke University Medical Center, where he leads courses on physician well-being and career design. Dr. Bayley is a SEAK alumnus.
12:00–1:00 LUNCH (Provided with Faculty, Mentors, and Recruiters)
1:00–1:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities as a Physician Advisor
Tracy Eskra, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPL
Dr. Eskra will discuss the interesting and rewarding opportunities available as a physician advisor. She will cover hours/ working conditions and what physician advisors do including meetings with insurance medical directors, staff education, chart review, improving charting, challenging denials, preventing denials, contract analysis, literature searches, and appeals. Dr. Eskra will provide practical tips as to how to best position yourself for a physician advisor role, find and land these positions, and succeed at them. Questions & Answers
Tracy Eskra, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPL serves as a physician advisor for ECU Health — Formerly Vidant Medical Center. Previously, Dr. Eskra served for 10 years at Vidant as Vice-President of Medical Affairs for Clinical Documentation and Efficiency. Dr. Eskra is an internist who formerly practiced both as a primary care physician and as a Hospitalist. Dr. Eskra earned her BS from Pittsburgh, her MD from Penn State and her MBA from Alvernia. Dr. Eskra is a SEAK alumna.
B. Navigating a Career as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL)
Maria Abunto, MD, MPH
An insightful discussion with Dr. Maria Abunto as she explores the dynamic role of Medical Science Liaison (MSL) careers. Dr. Abunto will cover a day in the life of an MSL, strategies for building relationships with Key Opinion Leaders, and the diverse responsibilities within the profession. Drawing on her medical background, she will discuss why physicians excel in this role, offering candid insights into the pros and cons of an MSL career. The conversation will cover compensation, benefits, work-life balance, travel requirements, and practical tips for breaking into the field. Questions & Answers
Maria Abunto, MD, MPH, serves as a Senior Manager at Exact Sciences, where she enjoys leading a team of MSLs. With five years of dedicated experience in the field, Dr. Abunto embarked on her career as an MSL, quickly advancing to a senior management position. Demonstrating a passion for mentorship, she has actively guided numerous aspiring and current MSLs, extending her mentorship to include individuals within her current role. Dr. Abunto finds fulfillment in coaching and sharing insights about her career journey with those interested in exploring the dynamic role of a MSL. Her commitment to mentorship and professional development reflects her dedication to fostering growth within the MSL community.
1:50–2:00 Break and Networking Opportunity
2:00–2:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities for Physicians in Pharma
Sushama A. Scalera, MD
Dr. Scalera will discuss the opportunities for physicians in the pharmaceutical industry including pharmacovigilance and risk management (drug safety), clinical development, and medical affairs. For each of these functional areas, she will provide an overview of the clinical credentials required as well as roles and responsibilities, including the day-to-day work, travel requirements, compensation ranges, and opportunities for growth. Dr. Scalera will also provide practical advice on the benefits and risks of transitioning from clinical medicine to industry, how to interpret job descriptions, and apply for positions. Questions & Answers
Sushama A. Scalera, MD is an emergency medicine physician who transitioned to become a pharmacovigilance (drug safety) physician. After serving as a Global Safety Lead, most recently with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, she became Managing Director of Scalera Consulting Group, a medical consulting firm providing medical monitoring, pharmacovigilance and risk management services to biotechnology companies. Dr. Scalera employs clinical physicians on consulting contracts and provides training in medical review of global case safety reports, pharmacovigilance procedures, and health authority regulations. She earned her BA at Wellesley College and her MD from Boston University.
B. Opportunities for Physicians as a Speaker
Robert McDermott, MD
Dr. McDermott will offer an established strategy for securing paid speaking engagements. He will cover strategies for identifying your specialized area in speaking, methods for self-promotion, tactics for obtaining speaking opportunities, negotiation techniques for your fees, and ways to broaden your professional reach. He will also discuss various ways to leverage your speaking engagements to generate ancillary income. Finally, Dr. McDermott will provide practical advice on how to develop, improve and refine your public speaking skills so that you can deliver presentations of the highest caliber and foster a strong, positive reputation. Questions & Answers
Robert McDermott, MD is an allergist who founded the HEALING INTELLIGENCE™ Network with a mission to enhance wellness among physicians while simultaneously boosting efficiency and quality within hospital systems. Dr. McDermott has swiftly developed a notable presence in the public speaking circuit. In addition to his clinical work, he engages in one-on-one coaching for other physicians, innovation, and participates in speaking engagements representing Microsoft and Nuance, focusing on the advantages of artificial intelligence and the Dax platform in the medical field. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University and a Medical Doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. McDermott is also an alumnus of SEAK.
2:50–3:00 Break and Networking Opportunity
3:00–3:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities for Physicians in Administration
Kevin Joseph, MD, MBA
Dr. Joseph will survey the diverse and plentiful non-clinical opportunities for physicians in medical administration. He will explain the varied rolls physician administrators may perform and the general responsibilities of these roles within healthcare systems. Dr. Joseph will also discuss earning potential, lifestyle, benefits, part time rolls, opportunities for advancement, and how physician administrators can positively impact both patients and care givers. Most importantly, Dr. Joseph will provide advice for how to best position yourself for transitioning into medical administration, break into this field and succeed in this field. Questions & Answers
Kevin Joseph, MD, MBA has vast experience as a senior level healthcare executive. He currently serves as Market Chief Clinical Officer at Ascension Health, where he has approximately 100 physician leaders reporting to him directly or indirectly. Other roles Dr. Joseph has served in with healthcare systems include Senior VP for Inpatient Operations, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Executive Officer. He is the author of the award-winning book Cracking the Healthcare Leadership Code: How Purpose, Humility, and Accessibility Can Transform Your Organization. Dr. Joseph earned his BS at Johns Hopkins, his MD at Vanderbilt, and his MBA at UMass and is board certified in emergency medicine.
B. Opportunities for Physicians in Knowledge Consulting
Robert J. Cooper, MD, FACE, FACP
Dr. Cooper will explain how to supplement your clinical income through consulting with knowledge companies. He will explain how this work can be quite lucrative (three to four figures per hour), can be done at a high volume, and how this work will often improve your clinical knowledge and skills. Dr. Cooper will describe the various forms of assignments that can be obtained including surveys, phone interviews and focus groups. He will discuss how to get the work, turnaround times, compliance issues and will provide practical tips to start, build, and run a lucrative knowledge consulting practice. Dr. Cooper will also provide a list of knowledge companies which utilize physicians. Questions & Answers
Robert J. Cooper, MD, FACE, FACP is very active in non-clinical pursuits including knowledge company consulting, file review consulting, and expert witnessing. He is Boarded in both endocrinology and internal medicine, is clinically active and is a graduate of SUNY StonyBrook and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Cooper is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts University. He is a SEAK alumnus.
3:50–4:00 Break and Networking Opportunity
4:00–4:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities in Health Insurance and Utilization Review
Jonathan Vitale, DO, MBA, CPE, MS, NCC
Dr. Vitale will describe the intellectually stimulating opportunities available for physicians as medical directors tasked with utilization reviews and other duties. He will explain the types of utilization reviews that may be needed and what medical directors may do on a day-to-day basis. Dr. Vitale will answer common questions about utilization review and working for payors and will offer insights into hours, working conditions (including the growing number of work from home opportunities), compensation, and benefits. Dr. Vitale will discuss who this work might be a good/poor fit for, and most importantly, how to break into and succeed in health insurance and utilization review. Questions & Answers
Jonathan Vitale, DO, MBA, CPE, MS, NCC has almost 10 years’ experience as a medical director performing utilization reviews, managing UM physicians, and other health insurance related duties. Dr. Vitale is board certified in Family Medicine and he is currently a Manager for Utilization Management Physicians at a major national health insurance company. He is also an experienced physician career coach and specializes in helping physicians transition to UM remote careers (www.drjonathan.com). Dr. Vitale is the founder of the popular Facebook group “Remote Careers for Physicians” with over 15,000 active physician members. He earned his BA in Psychology and MS in Counseling from the University of Rochester. He earned his DO from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed residency in Family Medicine at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. He then obtained a MBA from Western Governor University and is a Certified Physician Executive. Prior to transitioning to his non-clinical career, he practiced family medicine in New York City where he resides. Dr. Vitale is a SEAK alumnus. He is an accomplished pianist and vocalist and you can follow him on Instagram @therealdrjonathan.
B. Opportunities with Consulting Firms
Jonathan Jaffin, MD
Dr. Jaffin will survey the considerable full-time and part-time opportunities for physicians with consulting firms. He will explain why the work is intellectually stimulating, how consulting firms are called in to solve difficult problems, and how they identify both the problem and the solution to the problem. He will discuss travel requirements, work from home possibilities, hours, compensation, opportunities for advancement and what consultants may do day-to-day including education, interviewing clients, research, etc. Dr. Jaffin will provide advice on landing a position at a consulting firm. Questions & Answers
Jonathan Jaffin, MD, currently retired, had 11 years experience as a Specialist Executive with Deloitte — a top global advisory firm which employs dozens of physicians. Prior to transitioning to consulting, he served in the United States Army for over 30 years and his roles included Chief of Staff of the Dismounted Battle Injury Task Force, Director, Health Policy and Services, Deputy Commander and Acting Commander US Army Medical Research and Material Command, and Commander (CEO) of the Walter Reed Health Care System. Dr. Jaffin is a trauma surgeon who earned his MD at Johns Hopkins and his AB at Princeton.
4:50–6:00 Networking Reception with Colleagues, Faculty, Mentors, Recruiters and Employers
Day 2: Sunday, October 20, 2024
7:30–8:00 Continental Breakfast with Faculty, Mentors and Recruiters
8:00–8:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities for Physicians in Coaching
Stephanie Brown, MD, PCC
Dr. Brown will describe the financially, personally, and professionally rewarding opportunities for physicians available in the field of coaching. Coaching is a rapidly growing industry that does not require Boards, residency, or even a license. Dr. Brown will discuss breaking into this work including available coaching certifications, what coaches do on a daily basis, the diverse coaching needs of physicians and other professionals, how to get your first few clients, and how to build a busy practice. Dr. Brown will explain the many advantages of this work including being able to work from home, flexible hours, and the immense satisfaction of helping clients dramatically improve multiple dimensions of their lives. She will give advice on how to set and collect fees and how to successfully develop, grow, and sustain a coaching practice. Questions & Answers
Dr. Stephanie Brown, MD, PCC, is not just a life coach but a dynamic keynote speaker and facilitator, consistently inspiring and empowering her audience. As a recognized Top 1% Life Coach by Yahoo Finance, she brings a wealth of experience to her speaking engagements. Dr. Brown has facilitated group coaching sessions for various audiences and conducted training workshops on “Conflict Resolution and Boundaries” during the World Bank’s Wellness week. Dr. Brown extends her impact through exclusive workshops and retreats. These include her most recent endeavors such as Illuminate U!, Re-enVision, Refresh Retreat, and Realign Retreat. Each of these events reflects her commitment to guiding individuals through the process of challenging beliefs for positive change, fostering personal and professional transformation. Dr. Brown is a family practice physician who earned her BS at Duke and her MD at Howard.
B. Opportunities for Physician with Disability Insurers
Jennifer Driscoll, MD
Dr. Driscoll will discuss how and why disability insurance companies retain and utilize physicians to evaluate medical evidence from claimants in light of applicable policy language. Included in her presentation will be work setting (employed v. independent consultant), working conditions (including suitability for remote work), what a typical day may look like, the types of questions you may be asked to address, sample cases, compensation, how to succeed in the field, and how to position yourself and break into this work. Questions & Answers
Jennifer Driscoll, MD has been a full-time employed, remotely based Medical Consultant for Unum since 2022. Dr. Driscoll is a family practice physician with 18 years of clinical experience. She is a mother of six who earned her BS from the US Naval Academy, her MS from MIT and her MD from the Uniformed Services University. Prior to attending medical school Dr. Driscoll was an engineer.
8:50–9:00 Break and Networking Opportunity
9:00–9:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities in Life Insurance
Michael H. Wetzel, MD, DBIM, CLU®
Dr. Wetzel will describe the rewarding and intellectually stimulating opportunities for physicians with the numerous US Life Insurance Companies. He will explain the underwriting and other interesting work physicians typically do in a life insurance company, hours, work environment (work from home often available), the compensation range that can be expected for new hires, the typical corporate compensation and benefit structure, what the work consists of on a day-to-day basis, opportunity for advancement, certification in insurance medicine, and the specialties and clinical experience which are most appropriate for this industry. Dr. Wetzel will explain how and where to obtain the skills needed to succeed as a medical director at a life insurance company. He will provide practical tips for positioning yourself for such work and landing a first-time position in the life insurance industry. Questions & Answers
Michael H. Wetzel, MD, DBIM, CLU® is the Chief Medical Director for Equitable Financial. Prior to Equitable, Dr. Wetzel was a VP, Medical Director with Prudential and an AVP, Associate Medical Director with the Hartford. He is board certified in Family Medicine and Insurance Medicine. Dr. Wetzel earned his BS at Penn State and his MD from Thomas Jefferson Medical College.
B. Opportunities with Medical Device Companies
Juan (Juancho) Daccach, MD
Dr. Daccach will provide insight into the numerous full-time and part-time/contract opportunities for physicians available in the medical device field. He will discuss what physicians may do on a day-to-day basis including product development, data interpretation, protocol design and review, risk management, regulatory, safety, education, and recalls. Dr. Daccach will discuss which specialties are typically the best fit for device companies, working conditions (including potential work from home), hours, travel, licensure/certification requirements, compensation, and opportunities for advancement. Most importantly, Dr. Daccach will provide advice for how to best position yourself and land your first job in the medical device industry and how to succeed in this environment. Questions & Answers
Juan (Juancho) Daccach, MD has over 10 years’ experience in the medical device industry, including Medical Safety Officer, Global Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction for Johnson & Johnson and currently as VP Global Product Safety for Merz Aesthetics. Dr. Daccach is an Orthopedic Surgeon with fellowships on both total knee and hip replacements and prosthetic joint infection management. He received his MD at Pontificia Universidad Javieriana in Colombia and completed his fellowships at the Universidad de Barcelona in Spain. Dr. Daccach is also a certified personal, executive, and health coach.
9:50–10:00 Break and Networking Opportunity
10:00–10:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities as a Medical Writer
Morgan Leafe, MD, MHA
Dr. Leafe will survey the opportunities available to physicians in the interesting and rewarding field of medical writing — a field where boards or even an active license are often not required. She will discuss opportunities as both an employed medical writer and a work from home freelancer. Dr. Leafe will explain the wide variety of projects medical writers may work on. She will also discuss compensation, work setting, available training, what employers and clients are looking for, and most importantly, how to best position yourself to break into this field and find your first position or assignment. Questions & Answers
Morgan Leafe, MD, MHA is a successful medical writer who has experience in many forms of medical writing including CME/CE needs assessments & content creation, board-style multiple choice questions & explanations, patient-facing educational materials & blogs, advisory board & conference coverage, slide decks, news stories and medical copywriting. She is also a professional resume writer for physicians as well as serving as a career counselor for aspiring physician medical writers. Doctor Leafe is board certified in both pediatrics and clinical informatics and has 14 years of clinical experience. She received her BS from Rutgers and her MD from Thomas Jefferson. Dr. Leafe is a SEAK alumna.
B. Opportunities in Healthcare IT and Medical Informatics
Brian Young, MD
Dr. Young will provide an overview of the opportunities in healthcare IT and medical informatics. He will discuss the varied classes of employers that typically hire physicians including vendors, providers, insurers, and governmental agencies. Dr. Young will explain the various types of projects physicians involved in medical IT may work on and will provide practical advice for breaking into this field. In addition, Dr. Young will recount his own inspirational story of overcoming adversity and breaking into a rewarding non-clinical career. Questions & Answers
Brian Young, MD is an experienced physician informaticist. He most recently worked at a system VP/Director level for CommonSpirit health, a very large integrated health system. His previous role was in the Duke University Health System implementation (5 go-live waves over 2 ½ years) of the EPIC system as a provider trainer for the inpatient, ambulatory, and transplant applications. Dr. Young received his MD and BS from Wake Forest, his Masters in Predictive Analytics (MS) from Northwestern University, and an MBA degree from University of Cincinnati. Previously, Dr. Young practiced as an emergency room physician following both surgical and internal medicine residency training. Dr. Young is a SEAK alumnus.
10:50–11:00 Break and Networking Opportunity
11:00–12:00 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities for Physicians with the CDC and Federal Government
Debra Houry, MD, MPH
Dr. Houry will describe the diverse roles physicians fill at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as opportunities for non-clinical careers within the federal government. She will describe the day-to-day of a federal employee, qualifications needed, work settings and locations, salary structure, benefits, and more. Dr. Houry will share several examples of pathways to acquiring non-clinical employment with the federal government. Questions & Answers
Debra Houry, MD, MPH is the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at CDC. In this role, she is responsible for establishing, strengthening, and maintaining collaboration and coordination across CDC’s national centers including infectious diseases, chronic disease, environmental health, injury prevention, and public health infrastructure. She also provides overall direction to, and coordination of, the scientific and medical programs. Prior to this role, she served as CDC’s Acting Principal Deputy Director for nearly two years and as the Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control for over seven years. She previously served as vice chair and tenured associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and as associate professor in the Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. Houry also served as an attending physician at Grady Memorial Hospital in the emergency department and in the medication assisted treatment clinic for opioid use disorder. She received her MD and MPH degrees from Tulane University and completed her residency training in emergency medicine at Denver Health Medical Center.
B. Opportunities in Real Estate
Vince Faridani, MD, MBA, FACP, SFHM
Dr. Faridani will provide advice on how to earn money from real estate — work that can be done full time or part time and from anywhere in the country. He will cover buying property to rent out, investing in real estate syndications, and saving and making money by obtaining a real estate license. Dr Faridani will provide suggestions and insights in many areas of real estate including how to identify properties to buy, when to buy, how to find no drama tenants, how to identify syndicate investments, and how to manage property without it becoming a time suck or hassle. He will also provide insights on typical long-term and short-term payouts and cash flows from real estate investments as well as discussing the risks involved. Questions & Answers
Vince Faridani, MD, MBA, FACP, SFHM is a practicing inpatient hospice physician and locums hospitalist. He also maintains a part time real estate side business involving buying and renting out homes, investing in real estate syndicates, and being a real estate broker who makes and saves money by putting in offers on property. Dr. Faridani also serves as an expert witness. He obtained his BS from the University of South Florida and his MD from Saba University later training at Virginia Tech. Dr. Faridani is a SEAK alumnus.
12:00–1:00 LUNCH (Provided with Faculty, Mentors and Recruiters)
1:00–1:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities for Physicians in Medical Communications
Alia Radwan, MD, MS
Dr. Radwan will explain what medical communications companies do, including promotion and medical affairs. She will discuss why med comms companies hire physicians as well as the widely varied and interesting tasks physicians may be called upon to assist with. Dr. Radwan will describe what a typical day might be like working in med comms and will discuss work from home availability, compensation, and opportunity for advancement. She will describe what med comms companies are looking for from physicians and provide practical recommendations for how to break into this field. Questions & Answers
Alia Radwan, MD, MS is an Associate Medical Director at Avant Healthcare — having previously served as a medical writer and then a senior medical writer. Avant Healthcare is a full-service medical and marketing communications agency which partners with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostic clients to engage and educate healthcare professionals. Dr. Radwan trained for two years in OB/Gyn. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and her MD from Chicago Medical School.
B. Opportunities as a Physician Inventor
Brian Wind, DO, FAOCO
Opportunity abounds for physicians who can think of novel ways to solve problems. Inventing can be intellectually, personally, and financially rewarding. Dr. Wind will provide advice for physicians for how to bring their invention ideas to fruition including conception, regulatory issues, development, production, and sales/marketing. He will discuss the patenting process and options for monetizing your patents and provide practical advice for physicians to turn their ideas into revenue streams and or businesses. Questions & Answers
Brian Wind, DO, FAOCO is an ophthalmologist who has had a 30 year career. He is the inventor and CEO of Steri-Write, the world’s first and only UV-C LED pen sanitizing device. Dr. Wind managed, developed, and manufactured the product from conception to pilot to the on-the shelf product being sold world-wide. He has authored and been issued 5 US patents on UV-C writing instrument sanitizing technology. Dr. Wind earned his undergraduate degree at Ithaca College and his DO at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a SEAK Alumnus.
1:50–2:00 Break and Networking Opportunity
2:00–2:50 BREAKOUT SESSION (Choose One)
A. Opportunities for Physicians in Clinical Research
Kelsey M. Veilleux, MD
Dr. Veilleux will survey the varied roles that physicians may fill in clinical research including Project Coordinator, Project Manager, Research Operations Manager, Regulatory Manager, Principal Investigator, and Co-Investigator. Areas she will discuss include what these roles may involve, what physicians serving in these roles may do on a day-to-day basis, how to obtain these roles, compensation structures, work from home availability, and opportunities for advancement. Dr. Veilleux will also specify how and why many of the roles discussed do not require boards or even a license. Questions & Answers
Kelsey M. Veilleux, MD is a Project Manager for Dartmouth Health where she has worked on various research including opioid use disorder and a very large multi-center PCORI project studying colon cancer prevention. Dr. Veilleux transitioned to clinical research directly after graduating from medical school in 2019. She obtained both her BS and MD from the University of Vermont and is a SEAK alumna.
B. Opportunities for Physicians in Teaching
Isabela Romao, MD
Dr. Romao will discuss the full time, part time, and contract teaching opportunities available to physicians. She will provide tips for how to find and land jobs, expected compensation ranges, time commitment, and typical duties. Dr. Romao will provide practical suggestions for how to locate and obtain teaching positions. Questions & Answers
Isabela Romao, MD is an Assistant Professor at The New York Institute of Technology’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is an endocrinologist who still sees patients one day per week. The rest of her time she teaches medical students. Part of her responsibilities include teaching a global health class which has afforded Dr. Ramao the opportunity to travel to Ghana and the Dominican Republic. Dr. Ramao transitioned to teaching from private practice. She earned her BA at Bucknell and her MD from New York Medical College. She is a SEAK alumna.
Conference Mentors
You will find our faculty very giving of their time and very willing to answer your individual questions after their presentations, at the networking functions and when not presenting. To increase your networking experience and increase one-on-one attention, we have also assembled a team of mentors to be available to talk one-on-one with the attendees (at no additional charge).
Maria Abunto, MD, MPH, serves as a Senior Manager at Exact Sciences, where she enjoys leading a team of Medical Science Liasons. With five years of dedicated experience in the field, Dr. Abunto embarked on her career as an MSL, quickly advancing to a senior management position. Demonstrating a passion for mentorship, she has actively guided numerous aspiring and current MSLs, extending her mentorship to include individuals within her current role. Dr. Abunto finds fulfillment in coaching and sharing insights about her career journey with those interested in exploring the dynamic role of a MSL. Her commitment to mentorship and professional development reflects her dedication to fostering growth within the MSL community.Ryan Bayley, MD is a successful physician coach who has worked with thousands of clinicians. His practice (www.ryanbayleyMD.com) focuses on burnout resilience, career transition, and leadership and serves both individual physicians (and non-physicians) and institutions. Dr. Bayley is an emergency medicine physician and SEAK alumnus.
David Best, MD, MBA is the CEO and Co-Founder of the MDea family of companies, including BESTMSLs (BESTMSLs.com), a recruiting and contract medical science liaison organization, The Doctor’s Channel (TheDoctorsChannel.com), the world’s largest short form video site for doctors including CME, and MDea (MDeaNY.com), a medical communications agency. Celebrating over 40 years in medical communications working at such companies as Saatchi & Saatchi, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Elsevier. He is currently on the United States Olympic Committee for Bobsled/Skeleton. If David looks familiar, he was on the CBS reality series Greatest American Dog with his Jack Russell terrier, Elvis.
Stephanie Brown, MD, PCC is a coach who specializes in assisting professional women and physicians who feel there is something more for them in life. Dr. Brown is family physician with over 20 years’ experience and a SEAK alumna.
Savi Chadha, MD, MPH is a Medical Science Liaison based in Santa Clara, California. He received his MD from St. James School of Medicine, a Master’s in Public Health from Benedictine University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Chadha is a member of the MSL Society, the Medical Affairs Professional Society, and is a SEAK alumnus.
Sharon Chang, MD, FACS is a practicing breast surgeon and SEAK alumna who works for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Part of her role with Kaiser is coaching clinicians and helping them to prevent and cope with burnout and feeling overwhelmed.Juan (Juancho) Daccach, MD is an orthopedic surgeon who has over 10 years’ experience in the medical device industry. Dr. Daccach is also a certified personal, executive, and health coach.
Mark Davis, MD is a family practice and emergency medicine physician and SEAK alumnus whose non-clinical pursuits include politics (he serves as Marion (Ohio) County Commissioner), expert witness and various fulfilling volunteer pursuits in his community.Tracy Eskra, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPL is a SEAK alumna hospitalist whose currently serves as a full-time remote physician advisor and previously served for 10 years in medical administration as a Vice-President for Medical Affairs at a 900+ bed academic health system.Vince Faridani, MD, MBA, FACP, SFHM is a practicing inpatient hospice physician and locums hospitalist whose non-clinical pursuits include real estate and expert witnessing. He is a SEAK alumnus.
Bruce Friedman, MD is a critical care physician and SEAK alumnus, who non-clinical experience includes telemedicine medical director, expert witness, advising, consulting, educational speaking, and developing new products.
John Golberg, MD is an orthopedic surgeon who retired from surgery in 2015 but maintains a part-time clinical practice and has developed a busy consulting business in the area of IMEs, utilization review and medical-legal file reviews. Dr. Golberg is a SEAK alumnus.
Dr. Carrie Holland is a family physician and personal trainer turned full-time certified life coach at carriehollandmd.com and host of the weekly podcast, Strong as a Working Mom. She helps smart women get strong — physically and mentally — through a combination of eating, moving, and (most importantly) thinking. Using mindset management, habit science, nutrition, and exercise, Carrie helps overstretched women manage the intersection of career, family, and wellness to make self-care a reality. She is a SEAK alumna.
Jacqueline Huntly, MD, MPH is a career and self-leadership development coach (www.thrivetoleadmd.com). She has extensive experience helping physicians bring energy, purpose and joy back into their lives through career transformation both in clinical and non-clinical fields. She believes that by using their imagination and by appreciating and taking inventory of all their skills, interests and talents, physicians can discover new and exciting ways to design a thriving life and career.
Stacie Laff, MD is a pediatrician whose non-clinical experience includes health insurance medical director, telehealth, and expert witnessing. Dr. Laff is a SEAK alumna.
Morgan Leafe, MD, MHA is double board-certified in pediatrics and clinical informatics and her non-clinical experience includes professional resume and Linkedin profile writing, freelance medical writing, editing, and copywriting, and clinical informatics. Dr. Leafe serves as a career counselor for aspiring physician medical writers and is a SEAK alumna.
Megan Horine Leivant, MD, DABIM, AALU is an internal medicine physician who has over 5 years experience as a life insurance medical director.
Lawrence Lurvey, MD, JD, MEd, FACOG is an OB/GYN and SEAK alumnus who will share insights on how to address burnout, position yourself for a future career transition especially when you may need to delay that transition, and use community involvement to both find personal fulfillment and help to make a difference.
David Jonathan Lutz, MD, FAAPMR is a Utilization Review Medical Director for Anthem in the field of Interventional Pain Medicine/PM&R. Dr. Lutz is also a real estate investor in single family homes. Dr. Lutz is a SEAK Alumnus.Robert McDermott, MD is an allergist whose non-clinical endeavors include coaching other physicians, paid speaking engagements on physician burnout and being a physician inventor. Dr. McDermott is a SEAK alumnus.
Timothy J. McKnight, MD, MSHM is a pediatric hospitalist and SEAK alumnus whose diverse non-clinical experience includes, physician evaluator, health insurance, value consulting, and most recently, medical school administration helping underrepresented minority students to gain entry into medical school via early assurance pathways.
R. Brian Mitchell, MD is a part-time practicing hematology/oncology physician and SEAK alumnus who has experience with expert witnessing, file reviews, and locums tenens. Dr. Mitchell also enjoys mentoring physicians looking to transition on how to figure out what their assets are and what their monthly income will be from those assets, how to figure out where they’ll be in 5 or 10 years, and issues such as medical insurance and how to start their own company.Rebecca Lynne Moles, MD, CPC is a Child Abuse Pediatrician who now serves as a remote based health insurance utilization management medical director and a certified professional coach with a special interest in physician burnout in early and midcareer physicians. Dr. Moles is a SEAK alumna.
Nkiruka Ndu, MD, FACP, QME, CCHP-P is an internal medicine physician and SEAK alumna whose non-clinical activity includes independent medical examinations (IMEs), expert witness for correctional healthcare cases and independent contractor utilization reviews.
Robert Nordness, MD, MPH has had diverse roles at various-sized pharma companies and is Triple-Board Certified (Emergency Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine). He has special interest and experience in mentoring and assisting physicians who wish to break into pharma.
Ifeanyi Olele, DO, MBA, MS is a psychiatrist and SEAK alumnus. His non-clinical activities encompass being a medical reviewer/advisor to Health Line Media and a preceptor to PA/NP students. Dr. Olele actively creates social media content to promote mental health awareness. He is also the CEO of Genesis Psychiatric Solutions and Genesis TMS & Wellness, where he specializes in innovative mental health treatments and entrepreneurship in the medical field.
Smita Patel, DO, FAASM is a neurologist and SEAK alumna. Her non-clinical pursuits include utilization review and expert witnessing.Alia Radwan, MD, MS trained in OB/GYN and later transitioned to a career in medical communications.Isabela Romao, MD is an endocrinologist and SEAK alumna who transitioned from private practice to teaching medical students.
Jennifer Roux, MD is a pain medicine physician who works remotely in utilization review while being a full-time mom with two school age kids. Dr. Roux is a SEAK alumna.
Jawaria Suhail, MD is a Family Medicine physician who serves as a coach offering the full spectrum of coaching services to physicians looking to transition out of medicine including resume writing, LinkedIn profile coaching, and interview preparation. Dr. Suhail has seven years’ experience in utilization review and is a SEAK alumna.
Karyn L. Tapley, MD, MBA is an OB/GYN and integrative medicine physician and SEAK alumnus whose non-clinical experience includes locum tenens, running a successful and growing medical spa, real estate, financial planning, serving as a yacht broker, serving as a ringside physician, serving as a laboratory director, entrepreneur in the rare plant business, cannabis consulting and coaching physicians on the steps they can take to obtain personal and financial freedom, even if have student loan debt or other challenges.
Jonathan Terry, DO, QME, ABIHM, IFMCP is an employed and private practice psychiatrist whose non-clinical pursuits include expert witnessing, teaching in medical schools and residencies, authoring/publishing books, consulting for nonprofits, and coaching physicians seeking to empower their clinical or nonclinical practices. Dr. Terry is a SEAK alumnus.Kelsey M. Veilleux, MD transitioned to her career in clinical research directly from medical school and is knowledgeable of various jobs in the field that do not require boards or a license. She is a SEAK alumna.Jonathan Vitale, DO, MBA, CPE, MS, NCC is a family physician and SEAK Alumnus who has almost 10 years’ experience as a medical director performing utilization reviews, managing UM physicians, and other health insurance related duties. He is an experienced physician career coach and specializes in helping physicians transition to UM remote careers (www.drjonathan.com). Dr. Vitale is the founder of the popular Facebook group “Remote Careers for Physicians” with over 15,000 active physician members.Brian Wind, DO, FAOCO is an ophthalmologist and SEAK alumnus. He is an inventor and entrepreneur who serves as the CEO of Steri-Write, the world’s first and only UV-C LED pen sanitizing device.
David Yeh, MD is a nuclear physician and radiologist (still practices part time), investment advisor, financial advisor and the author of the book The Busy Doctor’s Investment Guide (www.busydoctorsinvestmentguide.com) — which is offered free to SEAK attendees. His Wealthy Doctor Institute, LLC, (www.wealthydoctorinstitute.com) is a registered investment advisor. Dr. Yeh is a SEAK alumnus.Brian Young, MD is an experienced physician informaticist and SEAK alumnus.
Sue Zimmermann, MD is an orthopedic surgeon and SEAK alumna. Her non-clinical experience includes teaching physician assistants and writing and editing for a board review company.
Here’s What Past Attendees Have to Say:
“I just want to thank you and your colleagues for creating this conference, bringing so many helpful and informative people together, and helping me jumpstart my journey to a new career. I had some ideas going in but this has really helped me focus and proceed in a more organized, logical manner. Thank you so much and have a wonderful holiday season!”
“Thank you for putting on such a great conference. I was happy to learn of the world of opportunities out there for a career in nonclinical medicine. Your organization provides a unique window into these opportunities and has instilled me with hope and confidence. Keep up the great work.”
“Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us at the conference, and thank you for organizing such enthusiastic and influential instructors. I learned a great deal from the mentoring sessions and lectures, and I'm looking forward to putting that education into action in the coming months.
Thank you for putting on such a great event.”
“The meeting was off the chart for so many of us.... It has already helped me move beyond a new paradigm shift, to actively engaging strangers, networking, and relationship building skills. I appreciate the excellence and consistency that You and SEAK deliver. I will return.”
“Thank you for putting together another wonderful conference. SEAK is particularly good for breaking one’s career inertia…”
“Thank you for a wonderful conference. I certainly learned a lot about myself and the unique opportunities in non-clinical careers. I will spread the word to my colleagues about the wonderful programs SEAK offers. Once again thanks for everything!”
“Thank you and your team for putting together an excellent meeting.”
“Many thanks for organizing the conference--it was a great help.”
“This was another successful and informative conference by SEAK. Thank you for putting together a great group of mentors and potential employers.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the SEAK conference, Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians. It was the most worthwhile conference I have attended in the past 5 years. I have told my practice partners and a couple of them are interested in attending in the future. I would recommend it to any physician, even those who want to stay in clinical practice. It was a great networking opportunity. The conference was organized, great facilities, great speakers… Thank you so much for you interest in making the lives of physicians better, that is not the usual career plan for an attorney.”
“Thank you so much for setting up this conference. At least, I have an idea about what's out there now and to quote Dory in Finding Nemo, I need to "Just keep swimming". Thanks again!”
“Compliments on a very well-orchestrated event =) Enjoyed meeting many new and bright people. “
“Thank you so much for organizing SEAK. Before the weekend, I was feeling completely burned out. I knew I needed a change but had no idea where to turn for help. Now I feel inspired and have a vision as to where I should go next. Providing the many comprehensive talks is a phenomenal way to introduce us to all the different roads we could take. But then also having the mentors and recruiters there to talk to us adds a very personal touch and gets us started with the all-important networking. I so much appreciate that they volunteer their time to help us get on a positive and productive track. They were all so kind and made me feel hopeful about my future again. I can't thank you enough. I will pass the word along to my colleagues who are also thinking about making a change.”
“It was a very well run conference. The speakers were inspiring and informative. I really enjoyed attending.”
“I am so appreciative that you created this amazing conference! It not only provided incredibly useful information and mentoring opportunities, but was a truly positive experience for me personally to move forward from a place of feeling lost and depressed. I can't truly express how enormous a gift this is for me, since after losing the profession I enjoyed from an injury a few years ago, I’ve felt that I had lost part of my identity. This conference, the important message that my career is not over, the inspiring people I met, the networking opportunities; all has helped me get some of this back. I left with my head is swimming with ideas.”
“Fantastic Conference! Look forward to doing more with SEAK in the future.”
“Yes, it was a delight to spend 4 days with this motivated and highly intelligent group of individuals. I was most impressed by the participants, presenters and mentors. Thank you for encouraging all of us to find a life outside of clinical medicine and enabling us to do so by your passion in helping us. Hoping to stay part of this wonderful community.”
“Thank you so much for organizing the conference, you are changing lives! I've already passed on the conference information to my other doctor friends…Thank you again, have a wonderful”day!
“I did enjoy the SEAK meeting and am inspired to investigate new opportunities. Your part in the program was particularly meaningful for me.”
“Thank you, Steven for creating this program! It has been really helpful in many many ways. I'm really glad I attended.”
“Thank you for an excellent conference! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm excited about many of the various options out there. I wish I had attended when I first discovered your conference about 9 years ago on Google.”
“It was an excellent conference, done so professionally, and with such a sincere effort to help me and my fellow physicians transition to a new career.”
“I wanted to thank you very much for providing such a well-rounded, informative, and energizing conference. I had such a great experience. The conference really gave me some clarity in terms of where I want to go next in my career (and also importantly where I do not want to go!)”
“Thank you so much! The conference was great!”
“Thanks again for a great conference. I attended both pre-conference sessions, as well. Very helpful and informative. I’ll be attending some of your other sessions in the future.”
“I really would like to express thank you for your company and everything you coordinated at the conference. Not too long ago, I truly did feel lost and completely trapped in my job but now am going to pursue my career transition with a vengeance. I feel uniquely equipped to do this now thanks to your conference. I can't thank all of you at SEAK and your mentors enough.”
“I wanted to thank you and your team for putting together such an amazing conference. I thoroughly enjoyed attending SEAK. I met great people and made connections all over the country. I also have a better sense of my next career path.”
“Thank you, it was terrific, “something for everyone”. Very glad I was at the preconferences too.”
“… thank you very much for all your hard work to make this conference great. I was very pleased with the conference and believe it will aid and ease my transition to a nonclinical career.”
“Thank you for providing the participants (and me!) the wealth of knowledge and the tools to act. The stellar speakers, program, mentors and staff have provided the base for my next move.”
“The conference was great! It exceeded my expectations. I am very glad I attended!”
“The conference was an extremely positive and useful experience for me. Thank you for everything. I definitely have made progress in my search for a non-clinical position. Thank you for all your help.”
“Thank you for all the time and commitment you give to this amazing conference. It was one the best one I have attended. A very empowering and enlightening experience. You are one of a kind.”
“The conference was an eye-opener for me. Thank you for organizing it. I am happy that I attended. Now, I just have to do my follow up homework to find opportunities that fit.”
“We wish to thank you for your time and dedication to the October Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians conference. It was packed with top notch information and was highly appreciated by those of us who are seeking non-clinical paths.”
“Excellent, exceeded my expectations”
“Excellent-well conducted”
“Excellent overview of available opportunities. It opened my eyes to opportunities I never knew existed. This is a good jumping off point for launching a job search.”
“Excellent especially for someone exploring options”
“This was an excellent conference. I learned a tremendous amount regarding ncc options I previously had little knowledge of”
“Fantastic/mind expanding”
“Excellent-covered important topics to broad range of physicians at different stages of their journey.”
“So supportive and encouraging. So nice to see variety of positions.”
“Thank you for putting on such an incredibly valuable conference. I heard nothing but positive comments about it all weekend long. Take care and feel good in knowing how your conference is changing lives!”
“You do an amazing job of putting on an excellent conference each year and I know those efforts help a lot of unhappy docs find new paths in life!”
“Thank you and Jim and all your family and staff for creating such a terrific conference! Blown away by the amount of dedication, enthusiasm and detail you all gave into creating a wonderfully varied program for all of us docs.”
“Thank you for your letter I work full time for a health tech start-up company. I've been promoted to a growth path where I'll work with 20+ ACOs in 9 states starting next month. Getting this job was a direct result of what I learned while at SEAK in October 2017, and what I implemented immediately after leaving the conference. I first interviewed for this job early January 2018.”
“Almost all the speakers were great.”
“Amazing conference. A lot of useful info.”
“Excellent information, inspiration, and networking.”
“Excellent opportunity and very grateful for the organizers, mentors, and presenters.”
“Excellent, eye opening.”
“Excellent. Could not have asked for better!”
“Excellent. Eye opening to possibilities .”
“Found out what is out there and what I do NOT want to do.”
“Great source of info to get me started.”
“I loved it. Well organized.”
“I wish I came sooner.”
“Incredible amount of information.”
“It is packed with information and the contacts are invaluable. Even if you just meet one person, your eyes are opened to possibilities you didn’t know existed before.”
“It was excellent – informative, well run.”
“It was informative and enlightening.”
“Loved the mentors.”
“Many more opportunities than I expected.”
“Not exactly sure what I expected to gain but pleasantly surprised. Good job.”
“Outstanding.”
“Overwhelmed with the possibilities available.”
“The mentors were very knowledgeable and helpful.”
“This gave me the courage I needed and the tools to act.”
“Very good content, organization.”
“Very helpful and so thankful for its existence!”
“Very helpful especially one on one.”
“Very positive and encouraging.”
“Well run, great panel of mentors.”
“Wish I did this last year.”
“Worth the time and money. Would have been very disappointed it I had only come on Saturday and Sunday.”
“All presenters were great.”
“Mentors were all really friendly and helpful.”
“Thank you for coming in, sharing your stories, and giving hope.”
“Thank you so very much!”
“Thank you to the mentors for sharing their journeys.”
“Thank you! for your time, willingness, and for your expertise!”
“Thanks to mentors for their time and paying it forward.”
“The sincerity of [the faculty’s] engagement in the process really fostered a belief that one could do this. Even if just symbolically you felt they have your back!”
“Very helpful to hear what a typical workday is like, expected salary, pros/cons.”
"Thank you for the wonderful conference! I will be sure to keep you updated on my journey. Have a great day!"
“Thanks! I found it very interesting indeed - and it was great to speak to you a day ahead of the conference.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to open my horizons at the SEAK conference and training in Chicago. Your experts with varying career paths were inspiring. There are many more opportunities than I knew.”
“Many thanks, Steve, for a wonderful conference! All of your efforts and hard work were very much appreciated!”
“Thanks for putting this conference together…brought some light back at the end of the tunnel.”
“Glad the speakers were so open about their own personal life and experiences…didn’t feel like in a medical education conference most of the time…but more like in a therapy toward happiness!!! :)”
“Thanks for a fabulous conference. I enjoyed it through and through. A unique experience and a gold mine worth of terrific information. The recruiters and mentors were extremely resourceful and you and Jim did an outstanding job on the Pre-conference section.”
“I thought that the conference was inspiring and thought provoking. Thank you for providing this useful service. I will keep in touch about my journey.”
“Thank you for throwing an excellent conference. I enjoyed hearing about multiple opportunities and meeting other physicians.”
“Meeting the recruiters was especially helpful.”
“Thank you and Jim and all your family and staff for creating such a terrific conference! Blown away by the amount of dedication, enthusiasm and detail you all gave into creating a wonderfully varied program for all of us docs. I hope to join you soon in one of your other programs!”
“Thank you Steve. I found it to be a truly helpful conference with great practical information to take the next steps in my career. I would highly recommend this conference to colleagues who are also considering a career change.”
“Hi Steven! This was a fantastic conference. I enjoyed myself and met many physicians like me who are struggling with the guilt of potentially leaving clinical practice and yet are needing to transition to something non-clinical to make the most of our long training while, at the same time, prioritizing quality of life. The speaker sessions were very informative and the mentors were fantastic as well! I will most definitely recommend this conference to my colleagues who I sense are reaching their tipping point before burn out sets in!”
“I thought the conference was not only unique, but very enlightening. I have already started taking some “baby steps”.
The conference helped me see both my situation and my goals a little more clearly.”
“Attending the SEAK 16th Annual Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians Conference was a truly an invaluable and inspiring experience! I enjoyed learning from you and meeting you at the conference, and I was encouraged by our lighthearted interactions. Your personal actions exemplify your genuine care for each individual present at SEAK events. I am grateful for the vast array of resources, knowledge, wisdom, and insight that you, SEAK faculty and mentors shared with conference attendees. Thank you for the positive impact you have had on my life and the lives of many others through SEAK. I will be happy to keep in touch and update you as my journey continues to unfold! I wish you all the best as you, SEAK faculty, and staff continue to help positively transform the lives of physicians.”
“Thank you kindly for establishing and organizing the SEAK conference. The conference was enlightening and as a result beneficial. After listening to information provided by your speakers, I feel empowered to move forward to carry out my plan to a happier career.”
“Thank you for allowing me to attend your conference. It was an eye-opening experience. The conference provided a lot of information that will help me grow. Please send my sincere thank you as well to your family and especially Jim.”
“I am so glad I went to the conference and had the chance to meet so many great people. I am really excited about taking some steps toward meaningful non-clinical employment using my creative and writing skills.”
“Thank you for the wonderful conference. It really opened my eyes to the multiple opportunities available. I really enjoyed the course and being able to meet with the mentors and vendors. I look forward to updating you along my journey.”
“It was really useful and I made some friends!”
“Wow, what an event we shared last weekend at the Crowne Plaza! I hope this email finds you well and recovering as well as can be expected after 16 years of hosting the nonclinical careers conference.”
“Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity to attend the conference. I truly had a wonderful time and enjoyed my conversations with various people I was able to meet. I enjoyed being able to “pay it forward” and I hope I was able to help someone this weekend in their journey for a new career."
“Once again, my compliments on the consistent level of excellence in the programs offered by SEAK, including the seminars I attended from Oct 17-20.”
“The conference was fabulous, thank you for putting it on. I met so many attendees and panelists that have provided great insight for my potential career transition.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the SEAK conference this past weekend. I attended all four days. I left Chicago feeling empowered and just a little overwhelmed. Thank you for taking the time and care to put on a great conference.”
“Thank you. It was a tremendous experience. I tell folks back here that I went to Chicago half expecting to leave with a job offer, but got schooled (in a very positively way) on the fact that this really is a process, and as you put it, a journey.”
“I am happy that I attended the conference. It was a great opportunity to learn and meet a lot of wonderful people."
“I didn't get to fill out the final evaluation form but I do want you to know that your conference is life-changing! First, this conference instantly alleviated my guilt. This was the first time in my 30 year career that I did not feel unappreciative of what I consider God's great gift to me-the ability to touch His greatest creation in ways that most people can not. Second, it dispelled the professional loneliness I felt. Meeting so many, like-minded physicians who have unfortunately found themselves in the same position I am in was strangely satisfying. Knowing that there are people out there who are willing to help me without prejudice is refreshing. And, third and finally, yours and Jim's presentation of the entire topic was clear, precise, comfortable and very easy to absorb. You guys do not seem like attorneys, you seem more like physician who have gone through the same plight! I sincerely thank you for what I believe will save my career.”
“I had a great time and met a lot of great people. I look forward to coming back as a SEAK Alumnae to share my story!”
“Thank you for making my attendance possible as well as organizing I’m the conference. It has opened up a number of opportunities which I had never considered.”
“Was great. You are amazing! So active and in shape.”
“Thank you for a great, eye-opening weekend!”
“Thank you for the conference. It was both informative and engaging.”
“Thank YOU. SEAK has evolved into a critical, essential lifeline to all of us. You’ve done more for medicine & health than many a pontificating hospital administrator. I gained a lot more than I gave, in the inspiring connections made & for ideas formed.”
“Thank you, Jim! What a treat and privilege it was to participate in the conference this year. I remain inspired by and grateful for the many doors SEAK has helped me find.”
“Excellent, it brought so much hope and possibilities, it was very inspiring to hear the stories and feel supported.”
“I came away feeling empowered and motivated, and more optimistic than I have been in months.”
“I was surprised and encouraged by the number of attendees and alumni present. Encouraged by the information and success of so many physicians in alternate careers.”
“It was a great, empowering experience! Thanks.”
“A great way to learn about all sorts of careers outside of clinical medicine.”
“Thank you very much for putting together such an excellent conference. This conference came along just as I am at a crossroads in my professional life. It has really opened my eyes and I want to thank you for being instrumental in that.”
“An excellently organized and run conference with a lot of valuable information for the attendees that can help with transition for MDs looking for non-traditional roles.”
“Excellent balance of overview for the truly ignorant attendees (such as myself in the exploratory stage) with specific and useful information for the more advanced attendees.”
“Excellent, it bought so much hope and possibilities, it was very inspiring to hear the stories and feel supported.”
“Great experience especially for the networking. The one-on-one mentoring sessions were by far the best part for me but also some great talks!”
