AUPN's Leading Edge: Recent Episodes
AUPN
A podcast brought to you by the Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN). The AUPN serves as a forum for the Chairs of Departments or Divisions of Neurology in accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada to discuss academic interests and challenges. The AUPN supports department chairs through its educational offerings that are geared toward the leaders in Neurology Departments including program directors and clerkship directors.
Dual-career households face unique challenges as partners strive to balance demanding professional obligations with personal responsibilities and geographic location. In this podcast, we will examine solutions: effective communication, strategic planning, and institutional support, while critically examining ongoing barriers.
General neurology is at an inflection point as subspecialization rises and academic roles tilt toward heavier clinical loads. In this conversation, Drs. Amy Pruitt (Penn) and Steven Lewis (Lehigh Valley/Jefferson) unpack why generalists remain indispensable for undifferentiated cases, resident education, and departmental balance—and outline practical steps to strengthen training, protected time, and career pathways. Listeners will hear candid perspectives and hopeful signals that with intentional support, general neurology can thrive in academic centers.
With rising patient demand and a shrinking pipeline of specialists, the neurology workforce is at a critical point. Join academic leaders from the University of Michigan and UC Davis as they diagnose the core recruitment and retention challenges facing departments today. Tune in to explore actionable strategies and innovative care models designed to build a sustainable future for academic neurology and ensure patient access to care.
In this episode of AUPN's Leading Edge: Health System Service Lines 2025: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly we will explore the pros and cons of the Service Line paradigm and its implications for academic medicine. Our guest for this conversation is another leading academic health system executive, Chris Rubio. Mr. Rubio is Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the University of Texas Southwestern Health System and is responsible for overseeing the multi-entity UT Southwestern clinical enterprise. Currently, he also serves as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the UT Southwestern University Hospital.
In this podcast, Dr. Mitch Elkind, Chief Clinical Science Officer of the American Heart Association and a neurologist at Columbia University, discusses the AHA’s growing programming in brain health and neuroscience. The AHA is developing research, awareness, advocacy, and quality programs in cognitive decline and dementia, migraine, epilepsy, mental health and other areas of interest to brain scientists and clinicians, including neurologists. In particular, Dr. Elkind will discuss research funding opportunities available through the Heart Association, which now considers brain health one of its core areas of research funding interest, along with cardiovascular disease and stroke.
In this episode of AUPN's Leading Edge: The Health System CEO and the Future of Academic Medicine, we interview Dr. John Couris, President and CEO of the Florida Health Sciences Center, one of the country's leading not-for-profit health systems. Dr. Couris, a multi-award winning national thought leader in health care administration and executive leadership, shares his personal leadership journey and provides a blueprint for how academic institutions and their partner hospitals can build inspiring and successful workplace cultures in the 21st century, outlines the principles of Authentic Leadership, and discusses the critical importance of academic medical centers in our new era, among many other vital topics.
Telestroke is widely used and Teleneurology use has expanded especially since the pandemic creating more opportunities for remote work. This podcast opens up a discussion related to opportunities and challenges while integrating remote work in clinical neurology.
Dr. Gottlieb has been a leading voice on closing the gender pay gap in medicine and is currently Chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Women in Medicine and Science Steering Committee. She has published several landmark articles on this topic in the New England Journal of Medicine and Academic Medicine, as well as a book entitled “Closing the Gender Pay Gap in Medicine.” Dr. Gottlieb defines the gender pay gap in medicine and explains how it came to be, why it persists, and what can be done to reduce the gender pay disparity. Listen in to find out how you can help solve this critical problem in academic medicine and neurology.
There is no more important component to the profession of neurology than education. In this podcast we pull back the curtains and explore the world of medical education with Dr. Milind Kothari, who has succeeded in creating a remarkable educational environment for medical students and residents, thereby galvanizing numerous young physicians to practice, research, and teach in this noble profession. His secrets are revealed!
“Mr. Toad’s wild ride” is a bildungsroman for new leaders gaining purchase over a challenging new job. Topics include dealing with risks like “black swans,” thinking in systems, leadership as a pathway to self-discovery, failure as feedback for improvement, taking personal accountability, and achieving mastery over our jobs and ourselves.
There is a growing need for a collaborative approach to increase the efficiency and impact of drug development in neurological disorders, especially rare and orphan conditions. This has created unique opportunities for neurologists to develop careers that involve both industry and academia. In this podcast, Dr. Andrews, Director of Neuromuscular Clinical Trials at Columbia University, shares her experiences and some of the opportunities and challenges in her career while transitioning between academia and industry. Series 1, episode 6
Dr. Jackson shares her “lessons learned” on her path towards leadership: do what you feel passionate about, have a personal and professional strategic plan, find a mentor(s), protect your personal time and space, and prioritize your friends and family along the journey! Series 1, episode 5
This episode discusses how neurologists are undervalued in academic and non-academic settings when their compensation is predicated on RVUs alone. Neurologists, particularly in certain disciplines, generate enormous economic advantages for their institutions that need to be recognized, appraised, and valued. Series 1, episode 4
In today’s episode: What your CEO Wants From You, we will hear what is expected of the Chairs from the vantage point of the leaders in the C-Suite of our academic health systems, and also gain some insight into the life and times of a CEO today.
Featuring: Rich Sobieray, the former CEO of the USF Physicians Group, and recently named CFO of the overall University of South Florida System & Clifton L. Gooch, MD, Professor & Chair, USF Department of Neurology, Tampa General Hospital Endowed Chair in Neurology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida. Season 1, episode 3
In this episode, Dr. Clifton Gooch, Professor and Chair of Neurology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, explores making the leap from chair to dean with Dr. Charles Lockwood, Dean of the USF Morsani College of Medicine and Senior Vice President of USF Health. Series 1, Episode 2
This is a new podcast series brought to you by the Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN). The AUPN serves as a forum for the Chairs of Departments or Divisions of Neurology in accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada to discuss academic interests and challenges. The AUPN supports department chairs through its educational offerings that are geared toward the leaders in Neurology Departments including program directors and clerkship directors. Season 1, Episode 1