From the Vault — Dr. David Fajgenbaum: Lessons and Takeaways (Podcast #1)
Way back in 2017, Penn Health-X had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. David Fajgenbaum MD, MBA, to be the very first Penn HealthX Podcast guest. His insights are as valuable as ever.
Dr. Fajgenbaum shared the story of his struggle with Castleman Disease, and establishing the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN). He also shared some advice on becoming a physician leader.
A lot has happened since then. For example, Dr. Fajgenbaum published a book, Chasing My Cure.
Here are some of our major takeaways from the discussion:
1. Having previous success running an organization certainly helps, but at the end of the day starting something great begins with an email
Dr. Fajgenbaum started National Students of AMF when he was still an undergraduate student at Georgetown. Dr. Fajgenbaum’s mother was found to have a brain tumor, and she sadly passed away shortly thereafter. In her memory, Dr. Fajgenbaum knew he wanted to start something using her initials — A.M.F — but didn’t yet know what that would be. He ultimately realized that there was a huge need for grief support for college students, and so he began the National Students of AMF, and watched as chapters opened up on campuses across the U.S. AMF, now an acronym for “Always Moving Forward”, is meant to help students through the process of grieving, and is still active and helping thousands.
Dr. Fajgenbaum agreed that having the experience of starting and growing a national organization later gave him the confidence to start the CDCN when he recognized there was a need in the research community. He mentioned that it definitely helps to have a series of small wins in your pocket to build up your confidence. But at the end of the day, starting the CDCN began with an email. And then another email. And then thousands more. Great organizations and accomplishments seem so stable, and we assume that only natural leaders who have innate knowledge of what they need to do can start them. We forget that most actually begin with just an idea and a humble email.
2. Find your mentors, and then stand on their shoulders
Though Dr. Fajgenbaum was driven, intelligent, and desperate for solutions, guidance from mentors, and using some of their clout, was a necessity in establishing the CDCN. Dr. Fajgenbaum pointed to Dr. Arthur Rubenstein , and Dr. Fritz van Rhee as two of his earliest mentors. When sending out the very first emails to physicians to invite them to be a part of the CDCN, he included both of their names. It was essentially the subtle email version of name-dropping. Even with the support and involvement of two prominent names in orphan disease research, he didn’t hear back from most of the people he reached out to. Imagine the response rate if he tried to do it all on his own. When it comes down to making your passion projects a reality, there’s no shame in flexing your network muscles and enlisting the help of those with prominence. In fact, doing so is what gives you the greatest chance of success.
3. Not everyone has access to a business education, but everyone has access to the internet and to books
If you want to be a physician leader in the H-MET space, or in any area of healthcare, you will need to learn some basic business skills. While Dr. Fajgenbaum opted to complete an MBA degree at Wharton, where he picked up some of these skills and was able to grow his network, not everyone has the opportunity to get an MBA, let alone at one of the best schools in the country. Yet, Dr. Fajgenbaum was adamant that if you identify the skills you need to practice, and have the drive, books may be all you need. Two skills that Dr. Fajgenbaum believe were critical to the success of the CDCN include knowing how to properly correspond with others (especially via email), and knowing how to negotiate.
Dr. Fajgenbaum mentioned the book Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life by Wharton professor Stuart Diamond, as one of his favorites. Those in medical school or interested in the sciences may believe that research and medicine are apolitical and that everyone works together for a common good. I remember having those thoughts when I was in high school. I distinctly remember saying to myself “I want to go into a field that isn’t political — medicine.” That’s laughable and naive these days, but many laypeople and those early in their education — the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed among us — still believe that this is how the research world works. Dr. Fajgnebaum mentioned that dealing with egos, differing interests, and money was something he was not nearly prepared to do. Understanding how to negotiate is critical. This includes creating win-win scenarios and learning how to frame proposals in another person’s interest. If you haven’t yet read the classics, such as Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, or Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion — why? There’s a reason they are timeless.
Beyond negotiations, when reaching out to physicians, Dr. Fajgenbaum always personalized the messages. Though this can be time-consuming, especially when hundreds of emails need to go out, you improve the chances that someone will respond, no matter how busy they are. He mentioned that he would include references to their past research. It’s no surprise that people love discussing themselves and their accomplishments. Learning to stroke someone’s ego is not simply flattery, it’s a way to get someone to listen to you. You can have the best, most important idea out there, but if no one is listening, or replying to your emails, what good is it? You may think it boils down to “be a nice person”, but that’s the bare minimum!
Here are some great sources on how to get a reply from someone you’d like to speak with. It only took a few googles to find what I was looking for. That’s powerful.
Two skills that Dr. Fajgenbaum believe were critical to the success of the CDCN include knowing how to properly correspond with others (especially via email), and knowing how to negotiate.
Final Thoughts
You may be concerned that there isn’t enough time to read a few business books, or find the perfect mentors, or send the 300 emails to get your project off the ground. After all, they don’t test negotiations on STEP 1, and the coagulation cascade isn’t going to learn itself. Speaking with Dr. Fajgenbaum made one thing clear — you need to dig your well before you are thirsty. These skills may not seem entirely relevant, but when you have that great idea, or see an opportunity emerge, you want to make sure you have the resources and skills to go after what you want. Undoubtedly, starting anything is trial and error. But the more prepared you are, the less error.
Originally published at https://pennhealthx.blog on February 24, 2017.
