Why Imagination is the Key to Greatness with Dr. Robert Finberg

Robert Finberg, MD is the Chair and Richard M. Haidack Professor of Medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Finberg completed his medical school from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his residency in internal medicine from Bellevue Hospital. He pursued a research fellowship in pathology & medicine from Harvard Medical School. With more than 200 publications, Dr. Finberg’s research is focused on host-microbial interactions. Under his leadership as the chair of medicine, Dr. Finberg has skillfully directed the educational, clinical and research activities of the university’s largest academic department. His contributions have been recognized with a number of honors and awards including the Hartford Foundation Award. The difference between a good internist and a great internist is imagination. Today, Dr. Robert Finberg explains that in medical education, mentors have a responsibility to inspire the curiosity and thirst for knowledge in students. He believes that students need to foster a desire to keep looking for things that are new. A good internist will stick to the textbook…but a great internist will use their imagination to constantly look outside the box for new solutions. That internist will always have the patient’s best interest in mind, in their continual pursuit of new answers. It is the imagination of that internist that differentiates them from good to great. Pearls of Wisdom: The qualities of a great leader are having the ability and desire to see others to succeed, the tolerability to accept other people’s opinions, and surrounding yourself with people who are willing to say ‘no’ to you. The difference between a good internist and a great internist is imagination. A great internist will go beyond the existing knowledge base in continual pursuit of finding what’s new. And they will use that imagination to help patients. To be successful, you need to establish what your patients goals are. Don’t come in with an agenda, listen to the patient’s needs first. Medicine is a team sport. There is no one sole person responsible for patient care. The two key ingredients of being a successful physician are being self confidence, and having a goal oriented approach. Even if our goals change later, each of them have their own value.