The Great Symphony of Medicine with Dr. Gailen Marshall

Gailen Marshall, MD, PhD, FACP, FACAAI, FAAAAI, is The R. Faser Triplett Sr MD Chair of Allergy and Immunology, and a Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, Pathology and Population Health Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Marshall completed his medical school from University Of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and residency from University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. He pursued a fellowship in Allergy and Immunology from the University of Tennessee-Memphis. Dr. Marshall has published over 200 original articles, reviews, perspectives, book chapters and is a frequent keynote speaker and presenter at various international conferences. He has received many awards and honors including Gold Headed Cane Award by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and has been featured in America’s Top Doctors, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering and named the Top Allergist/Immunologist by International Association of HealthCare Professionals. Modern medicine seems designed to compartmentalize patients. You have a problem with your heart. Your joints ache. You have diabetes. Each one requires specialists who focus on one part of a patient. But a patient is a whole person with a whole life and everything is interconnected. Today, Dr. Gailen Marshall shares his view of patient care by giving us an analogy, which begins with this question: “For a great symphony, which is the most important instrument?” There is no “most important instrument”. A symphony is great when all the instruments play their part in harmony. And according to Dr. Marshall, that’s what the best patient-centered healthcare should do. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. We should work hard enough to say at the end of the day, “it’s time to relax.” It’s okay to be tired as long as you wake up the next day, still loving the work you do. 2. Try to achieve balance between humility and self-confidence: know that you know a lot, but there’s more that you don’t know. 3. Mentor relationships are two-way streets. For a mentee, find someone who has a genuine interest in you, have a realistic expectation of what you want, discern who you are and find a mentor who is that way. 4. The difference between a good physician and a great one is that the good one is competent; the great one is committed. A great physician doesn’t compartmentalize a patient, but rather treats them as a whole.