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The Medical Sisterhood: Physician Mom Burnout & Mental Health Strategies, With Jennifer Hsiao, MD
This February episode of The Medical Sisterhood highlights key points on juggling work as a clinician and work as a mother.
Welcome to The Medical Sisterhood!
In this episode of The Medical Sisterhood, host Mona Shahriari, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, welcomes Jennifer Hsiao, MD, a dermatologist and clinical associate professor of clinical dermatology at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), for a thoughtful discussion on leadership, visibility, and building a meaningful academic career in dermatology.
The pair discuss the invisible labor of love faced by female physicians, particularly mothers. They explore the mental checklists, calendar management, and the constant juggling of professional and personal responsibilities. Hsiao shares her experience as a dermatologist and mother of two, highlighting the challenges of maintaining work-life balance and the societal expectations placed on mothers. They emphasize the importance of community support, setting boundaries, and the need for shared responsibilities at home.
The conversation centers on the evolving role of women in academic medicine and the unique pressures that come with balancing clinical excellence, scholarship, and personal fulfillment. Hsiao reflects on her path into dermatology, emphasizing that career trajectories are rarely linear. Rather than following a rigid roadmap, she describes making intentional decisions rooted in mentorship, curiosity, and alignment with her long-term values.
A key theme throughout the episode is the importance of visibility, particularly for women physicians navigating leadership spaces. Another focal point of the discussion is redefining success. Hsiao challenges the notion that academic achievement must come at the expense of personal well-being. Instead, she encourages physicians to regularly reassess their goals and ensure that their work aligns with what brings them fulfillment, whether that be research, teaching, clinical care, or leadership.
Throughout the episode, Shahriari and Hsiao acknowledge that while structural barriers still exist, there is increasing space for women to lead authentically and collaboratively. They emphasized the importance of advocating for themselves in modern society. The conversation concludes with reflections on the evolving roles of women in medicine and the need for grace and self-compassion.
Editor’s note: This summary was edited with the help of AI tools.
