Embracing empathy in medicine: A conversation with Saleh Aldasouqi, MD
Saleh Aldasouqi, MD, never saw himself as a writer — and initially, not as an endocrinologist — until he learned how much he enjoyed telling stories that show the human side of practicing medicine.
“Over the last decade, I found myself indulging in the areas of empathy and humanities via blogs, books and lectures,” Aldasouqi, professor of medicine and chief of the endocrinology division at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in East Lansing, told Healio. “While I cherish my scientific and research achievements, I derive special joy and fulfillment in the areas blending humanities and medicine. This may have to do with me being a storyteller, something I did not recognize in myself until my fellows and residents pointed it out.”
In the health care environment, communication is concise and can be impersonal, Aldasouqi said. His goal of infusing more empathy in medicine led him to launch his Healio blog, “From the doctor’s bag,” in 2016.
“In the age of social media and fast-paced life, people no longer write letters, stories or essays, but rather one-liners on Facebook or Twitter, looking for ‘likes,’” Aldasouqi said. “My blog was meant to be light. Yes, each post will have a medical connection, but in a fun way. A little science, but more humanities.”
Healio spoke with Aldasouqi about his original plan to become a rheumatologist, the movie that changed how he practices medicine, and his love of biking, calligraphy and poetry. He recently authored his 100th blog post for Healio.
Healio: What is the defining moment that led you to endocrinology?
Aldasouqi: In fact, this was incidental. I wanted to be a rheumatologist! As I detailed in a past blog post, I have no memory of why I chose endocrinology in particular while a third year medical student at my alma mater, Jordan University. I used to hate the specialty in medical school and post-graduate training — until November 1993, while I was a senior PGY-3 at Hurley Medical Center, in Flint, Michigan.
When I was younger, I actually never wanted to be a doctor, but rather an engineer. In hindsight, I believe medicine was a calling and the best decision I made after high school.
Healio: What is the best career advice you have received?
Aldasouqi: “Saleh, you were cut out for academia.” This was advice given to me by my former chief, mentor and friend, Ved Gossain, MD, professor emeritus and the second pillar of MSU Endocrinology after David Rovner, MD, who founded the endocrinology division of MSU in the 1970s. He gave me that advice when I first joined MSU in 2005. I then had financial difficulties due to the low academic salaries at a time when I had three children in high school and college, and I struggled financially.
Healio: What do you think will have the greatest influence on your field in the next 10 years?
Aldasouqi: What I hope for is a shift in the efforts of endocrinologists to move from treating type 2 diabetes with medications to preventing diabetes altogether. That is, to address the root cause of diabetes: obesity. I like to use the term “pre-prediabetes.” I also like to call this “the shift to the left,” based on the famous Minneapolis graph glucose-insulin-insulin resistance that depicts the natural history of diabetes.
I also like the analogy of the engine and caboose when it comes to preventing type 2 diabetes. My mentor and former associate, Daniel Duick, MD, used to say, “Saleh, when you see the caboose, you have missed the train,” back in the mid-1990s when we worked together in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The story is also detailed in a prior post.
Healio: What advice would you offer a student in medical school today?
Aldasouqi: Listen to your patient. Remember that one day, you will become a patient. When the doctor becomes a patient, that experience may trigger a life-changing transformation in that doctor, so he or she will start practicing medicine in a different way than they used to practice.
In retrospect, I discovered that in myself when I watched the movie “The Doctor.” I was transformed by the movie. In it, Dr. Jack McKee (played by William Hurt), a famous and esteemed heart surgeon, told Dr. Leslie Abbott (played by Wendy Crewson), “One day, you will become the patient.” The movie was released in 1991 and was based on a true story by the late Dr. Edward Rosenbaum, who wrote a book titled “The Taste of My Own Medicine: When the Doctor Is the Patient.” I detail how this movie changed how I practice medicine in a prior post. The movie transformed me inside and out; I like to say I have become a trained-again doctor.
Healio: What are your hobbies/interests outside of practicing medicine?
Aldasouqi: Medicine absorbs almost all of my time, almost non-stop. However, I do find time to practice my hobbies, which are calligraphy, poetry and writing. I also indulge in sports; my favorite sport is biking with my son.
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