Leaning into Discomfort with Dr. John McPherson

John McPherson, MD is a Professor of Medicine and the Vice-Chair for Education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. A California native, Dr. McPherson received his medical degree from UCLA following undergraduate studies at Princeton. He then completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins and fellowships in cardiovascular medicine and interventional cardiology at the University of Virginia. As a clinical cardiologist, Dr. McPherson’s academic interests have focused on critical care cardiology and emerging interventional therapies. He is an author on more than 60 peer-reviewed publications. He also has a strong interest in medical education and is the Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Vanderbilt. At a national level, he is a former member of the Educational Oversight Committee for the American College of Cardiology and the Education Committee of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine.  Throughout our journey, we are bound to find ourselves in many uncomfortable situations. The key here, is to face it head on. Lean into the discomfort. Today, Dr. John McPherson explains why leaning into discomfort is the one sure way to help us grow. He encourages us to remain true and honest with ourselves—especially around others—but to also be flexible and open to new perspectives. He urges us to seek out diverse mentors, and to welcome different perspectives in our lives. When we remain open-minded, when we lean into discomfort—we will be amazed at what we’re capable of. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. When faced with life-decisions, we should ask ourselves some central questions: Is this in line with my passion? What do I really want to achieve? 2. Lean in to the discomfort and we will be amazed at what we are capable of. 3. The advice that your mentor gave you - "Don't worry alone" - simple but practical way to get rid of the worry altogether.