Dr. Julian Mitton: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry

An Interview With Abe Alon

Constantly re-examine your assumptions and strive for growth/learning

As a part of our series about how to become known as a thought leader in your industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julian Mitton.

Julian Mitton, MD is a distinguished medical doctor specializing in addiction care. With a Master’s degree in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health and a Medical Degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Dr. Mitton combines a deep educational foundation with extensive practical experience. He began his career as a health educator and later transitioned into healthcare operations and consulting, focused on enhancing addiction care programs within healthcare organizations, and is currently the medical director at Zero Overdose.

Dr. Mitton’s approach is characterized by his commitment to employing innovative strategies in integrated behavioral health and addiction treatment, integrating cutting-edge technologies and novel therapeutic methods to improve patient outcomes. His work emphasizes the importance of compassion and empathy in treating addiction, advocating for personalized care plans that respect the dignity and unique circumstances of each individual.

A recognized thought leader in the field, Dr. Mitton has contributed to numerous healthcare conferences and has published several influential articles and white papers on addiction care and clinical innovations in behavioral health. His professional credentials include certifications from the American Board of Internal Medicine and eligibility in Addiction Medicine from the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He is also an active member of several medical societies, including the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Mitton’s dedication to addiction care goes beyond clinical care, as he seeks to educate and support communities through his website, which offers resources and guidance for individuals and families battling addiction. His work has profoundly impacted many lives, guiding countless individuals on their journey to recovery and better health.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

Physician leader in clinical innovation, with a passion for health equity. I have years of experience practicing in a diversity of clinical settings and transitioned to healthcare operations focused on advancing evidence-based practice and increasing access in the primary care setting, with a special focus on integrated behavioral health, addiction care and primary care redesign. I’ve been able to leverage my clinical, research and operations experience as a leader to advance health equity and clinical innovation with new ventures and high growth startups in the healthcare technology space.

Can you briefly share with our readers why you are an authority about the topic of thought leadership?

I’ve been able to leverage my clinical, research and operations experience to position myself as a thought leader in healthcare innovation and primary care redesign. I have extensive training in clinical medicine, population health, health services research and implementation science from leading institutions and a track record of success working at well-respected healthcare provider organizations. I am a published author and national speaker, developing a niche perspective in behavioral health integration and primary care redesign clinical innovation.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Not one specific story, but so many unexpected twists and turns, with a realization that it takes time and effort, and trust, to be seen as a thought leader that can “translate” medicine and evidence-based practice for a general audience. Time and time again, I’ve been reminded of how important it is to ground my thinking in reality and shared experience, centering on the patient perspective and narrative, when delving into hot topics in clinical innovation. Simply resting on my Ivy League credentials is not enough and has been counter productive at times. Rather speaking to the diversity of my experience and bringing light to evidence and patient narrative/experience is critical to success. That’s where I’ve seen success, when I’ve been able to do that.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I’ve been humbled time and time again in needing to be prepared, coming with the evidence in my pocket but being able to contextualize it with narrative and experience. I’ve lost audience members when I’ve allowed myself to be too stuck in the research weeds, when I haven’t taken the time to prepare and gather experiences to parallel the data. I’ve learnt how important it is to prepare to speak with both the evidence and perspective/narrative in hand. People need to connect to what you’re sharing. They need the context, the story to resonate with the topic at hand.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define what a ‘Thought Leader’ is? How is a thought leader different from a typical leader? How is a thought leader different from an influencer?

A thought leader is different and unique from other leaders. They are not voted into office or selected into a position of power. They rather have authority and influence that comes from trust, from a track record, from experience. They can transcend across industries and connect with a diversity of operators and doers and community members. They should be based in/[primarily draw from data but also extrapolate on their experience and shared narrative to contextualize what they have to say. They need to be persuadable, to be able to tell a story and connect with folks through language. They need to be relatable. It is fundamentally a human, relational endeavor.

Can you talk to our readers a bit about the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why do you think it is worthwhile to invest resources and energy into this?

We need people to speak up who have evidence-informed experiences to share. We need people who can contribute to the debate and provide unique perspectives that might otherwise be drowned out. Quality can rise above the fray when thought-leaders are inquisitive and curious and draw on evidence. These are the voices we need at the table. It can do good, and also help advance your professional development. There are opportunities there that can evolve into meaningful work and service.

Let’s talk about business opportunities specifically. Can you share a few examples of how thought leadership can help a business grow or create lucrative opportunities?

Businesses are hungry for perspective and experience, the expert in the room. They trust individuals that come with a track record of thought leadership, of peer-reviewed evidence, of rigorous training, of meaningful experience, and of narrative that contextualize their work. Thought leaders can help businesses identify their blind spots, find opportunities for innovation and growth, can move across disciplines to be really multidisciplinary. Thought leaders can also serve as connectors, building networks to serve a business’s interests and expand growth opportunities. More expertise is needed at the table, we need the translators who help contextualize the work for decision makers.

Ok. Now that we have that behind us, we’d love to hear your thoughts about how to eventually become a thought leader. Can you share 5 strategies that a person should implement to become known as a thought leader in their industry?

1. Identify a niche.
2. Get some peer-reviewed research under your belt.
3. Package and speak to your credentials.
4. Contextualize your work with experience and narrative.
5. Constantly re-examine your assumptions and strive for growth/learning.

In your opinion, who is an example of someone who has done a fantastic job as a thought leader? Which specific things have impressed you about that person? What lessons can we learn from this person’s approach?

Some of the thought leaders in clinical innovation that come to mind include Dr. Tom Lee and Dr. Bob Wachter, both are clinicians that have been widely successful at contextualizing their experience and research with narrative and practice. They speak a common language and serve as translators. Their audiences are multidisciplinary. They use a variety of media sources to connect. They are prolific yet also focused on areas of interest and expertise. They have very esteemed credentials and experience but are approachable.

I have seen some discussion that the term “thought leader” is trite, overused, and should be avoided. What is your feeling about this?

I understand this concern, but I think the way you differentiate yourself with with steps 2 & 3 that I mentioned above: speak to your experience and your research, build that trust.

What advice would you give to other leaders to thrive and avoid burnout?

This is trite, but: do what brings you joy! I also find that finding time to make sense of what I’m doing and contextualizing my thinking/research with real narratives (patient-centered experiences) helps make sense of brings value to what I do. Get out of the ivy tower, down from the clouds, and connect with those that are impacted by what you are promoting. This is incredible informative and humbling and inspiring.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

We need to work to further destigmatize mental health and addiction disorders. It’s so pervasive and stigma is real and keeps folks away from compassionate, evidence-based practice. It kept me away from the help that I’ve needed at times in my life. This is the work that I’m the most inspired to do and to position myself as a thought leader in, and I’m humbled by the continued challenges I hear from patients and clients and community members and friends who continue to face barriers to care.

We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have lunch or breakfast? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I’d be curious to learn more from some of the influencers/celebrities that are working on destigmatizing mental health disorders, such as Prince Harry and Mindy Kaling, to understand their experiences and how meaningful it has been for them to leverage their influence to bring light to this topic. How can thought leaders like myself learn from these influencers and use their positions to further shared causes in confronting mental health care stigma. Their experiences and narratives are incredibly human and shared by countless others, and it is these experiences that help contextualize the evidence out there, that help change clinical practice and operations.

Thank you so much for your insights. This was very insightful and meaningful.