SPOTLIGHT
In this edition , Tait Shanafelt , MD , talks about his journey to becoming expert in physician wellness , with a stop as a house-painting business owner along the way . Dr . Shanafelt is the Jeanie and Stewart Ritchie Professor of Medicine , Chief Wellness Officer and Associate Dean at Stanford University School of Medicine , and Director of the Stanford WellMD Center .
Tait Shanafelt , MD
● Where did you grow up ? What was your childhood like ? I had an idyllic childhood in the suburbs of Seattle . My father was an engineer who spent his entire career at Boeing and my mother
Tait Shanafelt , MD was a teacher . She taught all different ages , but mostly elementary and special education . My parents have always been a steadfast and loving force who encouraged me to pursue my passion and make a difference . When my sister and I weren ’ t in school , Mom would turn us loose and we were free to play with friends in the woods around our house for hours . I was an avid soccer player growing up , so that also consumed much of my time .
How did you become interested in medicine as a career ? It was a little bit out of the blue since no one in my family was in medicine . In high school , I excelled in math and science , but I enjoyed English literature more than other subjects . Medicine seemed like the ideal intersection of science and humanities , so I began college with an interest in becoming a physician . As I experienced medicine through volunteering , shadowing , and getting deeper into the coursework , it became clear that a career in medicine was the right fit .
Did you consider any other careers while you were in college ? I did , somewhat accidentally . My friend and I operated a successful house-painting business while we were in college . It started out as a summer job : We put signs up around the neighborhood offering to refinish decks . ( There ’ s a widespread need in Seattle because the finish on decks doesn ’ t last long with all the rain .) By the end of that first summer , customers started asking us if we would paint their houses as well . At first , we said “ no ,” but then my dad – who had put himself through college by painting houses – said , “ You go back and tell them you paint houses .”
So , we gave it a try . Over the next couple of years , it became quite a burgeoning business . We
This interview has been edited for length and clarity .
Dr . Shanafelt with his wife and their four children .
were getting commercial contracts and doing a high volume of work .
I learned a great deal in those few years running our own company . We had to convince business owners and homeowners to trust two wet-behind-the-ears college kids and establish our company ’ s reputation for doing quality work . It also demanded a solid work ethic : We bid by the job , so if we could finish a job in 3 or 4 days instead of 5 , we could move onto the next one . To make that happen , we were on the job by sunrise and would paint until dark – working 7:00 a . m . to 10:00 p . m ., 7 days per week , all summer long . When we finished a day ’ s work , we would eat dinner at the same restaurant every night , and then we ’ d be back at it early the next morning .
Owning our own business brought us a great sense of pride . It was hard work but satisfying . I also built relationships with many of our elderly customers , which ultimately led to a desire to care for patients in that age group when I entered practice .
What led you to focus on hematology when you entered medical school ? I thought seriously about pursuing a career in geriatrics , but once I started sampling various medical specialties , I realized I could have a practice that focused on working with older adults in many different disciplines . Ultimately , it was the science of oncology that captivated me . It is such a fascinating and dynamic field . By the time
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