Impactful Leaders Podcast | Accelerating Physician Leader Impact: Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD
On Healthcare Equity, Adaptability, and Excitement from JAMA’s EIC
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On Healthcare Equity, Adaptability, and Excitement from JAMA’s EIC
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the JAMA Network, and Endowed Professor of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of California San Francisco, brings a unique perspective on leadership shaped by her experiences in clinical care, academic research, and scientific publishing (though it was an area she had to learn).
In this Impactful Leaders Podcast episode, part of our Accelerating Physician Leader Impact series, she reflects on what it takes to lead effectively in environments undergoing rapid transformation. “The most important thing for any leader is to understand themselves—what are the attributes they have, what are the skills they bring to a leadership role,” she tells Michael Anderson, MD, Co-Executive Director of WittKieffer’s Physician Leadership Institute. Her insights underscore the importance of self-awareness and organizational alignment for leaders at every level, as well as learning when presented with a foreign environment.
The conversation dives into one of the most pressing issues in healthcare today: equity. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo emphasizes that equity cannot be a siloed initiative (or one limited by what is, or is not, politically acceptable)—it must be embedded into the DNA of an organization. “Equity is not one person’s responsibility. It’s how the organization runs internally, and the lens that everybody is looking at that through,” she says. “It’s everyone’s responsibility.” For senior leaders navigating politically charged environments, her advice is clear: anchor decisions in principles of fairness while remaining flexible in approach.
Dr. Bibbins-Domingo also shares her perspective on bridging clinical practice and public policy—a space where physician leaders can amplify their impact. She highlights the need for communication skills and adaptability, noting that the era of “Trust me, I’m a doctor” is over. “We have to be able to shift brains,” which is a positive thing, she says. Leaders must engage stakeholders, frame complex issues effectively, and build networks beyond traditional silos. Her guidance is particularly relevant for executives shaping strategy in an era of heightened scrutiny and rapid scientific advancement.
Ultimately, Dr. Bibbins-Domingo is an optimist amid “an explosion of therapeutics”. From breakthroughs in drug therapies to the transformative potential of AI, she reminds us that medicine is advancing at an unprecedented pace but that this has opportunities as well as perils. For C-suite leaders and physician executives, the conversation delivers actionable insights on resilience, equity, and innovation—along with a powerful call to lead and “flexibly adapt” in times of change.
