Episode 27: Stories from the Front Line with Dr. Audrey Shafer

What is it like to work on the front lines in this unprecedented pandemic? Are you a front line worker and have your own story to tell? In this very special episode, we will speak with Dr. Audrey Shafer who is the founder and director of the Medicine and the Muse Program at Stanford University and hear from front line workers about their experiences working during these difficult times. 
 
We will learn that medicine is an art, and that there is a great amount of ambivalence and decision fatigue that accompanies front line workers. Finding expression through the arts, whether it is writing, painting, dance, or any other expression, can be a powerful tool to work through emotions and unload the weight of these heavy experiences. 
 
To show our thanks to our front line workers, we will also announce a gift basket giveaway generously supplied by these local companies: Butter Bakery Cafe, Copperwing Distillery, The Dampfwerk Distillery Cocktail Lounge, Dogwood Coffee Co., Haven Nail Studio, Honey and Rye Bakehouse, Minnetonka Nothing Bundt Cakes, Minnesota Candle Co., Spot Spas, Sota Clothing, Sweet Jules Gifts, and Patisserie 46. Thank you for your support!
 
You can nominate a front line worker on our instagram page: ButReallyHowAreYou.Podcast 
 
Key Takeaways
 

Recording of Amrapali Maitra sharing her thoughts and experiences on the COVID-19 pandemicRecording of Devon Schuster sharing her thoughts and experiences on the COVID-19 pandemicRecording of Anastasia Rose Zvonek sharing her thoughts and experiences on the COVID-19 pandemicInterview proper with Dr. Audrey ShaferHer role in the medical field and how she became a faculty member at StanfordSome of the emotional stresses faced by medical professionalsHer thoughts on ambiguity in the medical fieldSome of the benefits of connecting with one’s human side through artBasic changes she has seen for stresses around COVID-19 as a medical professionalSharing of a piece she wrote

 
Link

Denise Levertov - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Levertov

 
Audrey Shafer Bio:
Audrey Shafer, MD is Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine / Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System; founder and director, Stanford Medicine & the Muse Program, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics; co-director, Biomedical Ethics and Medical Humanities Scholarly Concentration; and co-founder of Pegasus Physician Writers. 
 
Originally from Philadelphia, she completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, medical school at Stanford, anesthesiology training at University of Pennsylvania, and research fellowship at Stanford. Courses she teaches include Medical Humanities and the Arts. 
 
Amrapali Maitra is a resident physician and primary care in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. She is also a medical anthropologist and writer. Her website is  https://www.amrapalimaitra.com/
 
Devon Schuster, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, graduated with a BSN in nursing from the University of North Dakota and a master’s degree in nurse anesthesia from Minneapolis School of Anesthesia. 
 
Anastasia Rose Zvonek is the proud mom to a puppy Samoyed Rheia.  She enjoys teaching yoga outside of working as a CRNA.  Originally she is from Elmhurst, Illinois but spent the last 6 years living in Minnesota.  Plans move to Colorado with her husband one day.