The ‘Umph’ in Triumph with Dr. Odaliz Abreu-Lanfranco

Odaliz Abreu-Lanfranco, MD, is the Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. After completing his training in Internal Medicine from St Raphael Hospital, Dr. Abreu Lanfranco pursued fellowships in Infectious Diseases and Transplant Infectious Diseases.  His clinical practice focuses on transgender health, HIV and transplant infectious diseases which has also been a focus of his research. He is passionate about mentorship and resident education and is leading one of the largest programs in Michigan at Henry Ford Hospital which is one of only 19 programs across the country that have been awarded the Education Innovations Project designation by the ACGME. As you continue on your path in residency, one of your goals is to stand out from the crowd. Today, Dr. Abreu-Lanfranco explains that the residents he looks for are the ones who put the ‘umph’ in triumph. What he means by that: Developing and demonstrating a high emotional intelligence in medicine is a relatively new concept, but an extremely important one. As physicians, we must learn strategies for practicing empathy and open-mindedness, and being able to understand other people’s perspectives. We talk about how to better problem solve, how to connect with others and most importantly, when to talk—and when to listen. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Set goals and re-evaluate every three years. Am I on track? Did I deviate? How can I get back on track? 2. As students, we should strive to "add the 'umph' to triumph" by bringing a high level of enthusiasm and energy to our projects. Its this energy and hunger that attracts mentors to invest time in us. 3. The process of coaching is all about self-exploration where the coach asks the right questions so we can delve deep and find the answers within.