Initially, someone might perceive Dr. Wade Douglas’s career to revolve around operating rooms, published research, and surgical residencies. After two decades in medicine and currently serving as a Professor and Program Director at the Florida State University College of Medicine, Dr. Douglas operates from the core of academic surgery. However, engage him in a discussion and a different thread soon emerges, one that would take us beyond cancer care and clinical practice guidelines. That thread is mental health.
For Wade Douglas, mental health is not separable from physical wellness. Mental health is fundamentally tied into recovery of patients, coping for families and functioning for medical teams. Further, it is central to how physicians themselves remain grounded in our field characterized by long hours and emotional workloads.
This is a personal perspective, one shaped not only by professional experience but moments of challenge outside of the hospital, such as supporting a loved one engaged through a mental health crisis. That journey opened his eyes to the lack of training any of us receive on psychological support to guide individuals through care, even as we treat people at their most vulnerable…