Alumni Parent Podcast: HippieDocs 2.0 Re-Humanizing Medicine

One of the many reasons families choose Synergy is for the the warm and welcoming community. A community of families with diverse backgrounds, and parents with meaningful, important and creative projects and passions. So it is no surprise that a recent launch of a podcast project has some Synergy roots. A number of Synergy alum parents made the podcast HippieDocs 2.0 Re-Humanizing Medicine possible.

Created and hosted by a seasoned San Francisco psychiatrist and author, Paul R. Linde, MD, in collaboration with an experienced producer and journalist, Darya Mead (both Synergy alum parents and past and present Board Members), the trailblazing podcast “Hippie Docs 2.0: Re-Humanizing Medicine” seeks to create a bridge between the past and present – starting with often charismatic, long-haired, tie-dyed, guru-following brand-new med school grads treating society’s most downtrodden during the Civil Rights era – all the way to the 21st Century when younger doctors (Hippie Docs 2.0) carry the banner by advocating for social justice, continuing to treat society’s most vulnerable citizens.  

​The movement’s vanguard came of age in the 1960s and 1970s, creating a titanic culture clash with medicine’s historically paternalistic, conservative white-coated patricians dominant in a time when “dinosaurs roamed the earth” and “giants walked the halls” of medicine.

​While examining the good work that’s been done and is still happening, the program also explores another aspect of progressive medicine.  And that’s a return to a more mindful and heart-based medical practice, looking closely at how master clinicians make connections with their patients in our current era of the doctor-patient relationship under siege.

​A key barrier to heart-centered medicine is the electronic health record (EHR).  Combined with an overload of administrative demands made within the confines of an often hostile bureaucracy preoccupied with regulatory issues and medico-legal risk management, the EHR ironically erodes the quality of care it was designed to to improve.

​These days, health care is much more systems-driven than patient-centered.  Many doctors, Paul Linde included, are seeking a return to a more balanced, holistic, ethical, and satisfying practice style – with a renewed focus on the patient and not the system.  This will be a journey of healing for both patient and doctor, each one of us on a quest for “Re-Humanizing Medicine”.
#HippieDocs launched with these three topics:

• Pandemic: When the Doctor Becomes the Patient
• Silent Voices: A Psychiatrist’s Quest to Understand Homelessness and Addiction
• Exploring Psychedelic Assisted Therapies with Dr. Emily Williams

You can find the podcast on all your favorite platforms and here is a link to Apple Podcasts.Upcoming interviews include Dr. John Good— an original hippie doc and another alum parent, and a shout out to Kevin White, a 3 time alum parent and former Board Member, for his support and production guidance.

Hippie Docs seeks to present authentic and meaty discussions on topics that deserve in depth analysis. In a nutshell, the podcast hopes to explore the convergence of healthcare, social justice and policy issues; all so important given this current chaotic time. The team seeks to use the lens of ‘progressive medicine’ to illuminate past successes, current challenges and, hopefully, offer inspiration for healthcare reform.  The Covid episode is quite timely given the chaos in Washington, and offers some small reason for optimism on the treatment front. 

Hippie Docs 2.0: Re-Humanizing Medicine aligns well with the Synergy mission, and both Paul and Darya wanted to share this project with the community. They are a small team— all with day jobs— and they are trying to spread the word about this topic and their efforts. Let’s all hope there will be some ‘re-humanizing’ happening in medicine AND as we move into 2021.

Find more info at https://www.hippiedocs.com/