When Passion Fuels Curiosity with Dr. Marijane Hynes

Marijane Hynes, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at George Washington University. After completing her medical school and residency at Georgetown University, Dr. Hynes became interested in trying to help her patients lose weight as a treatment for many of their medical problems. In 2009, Dr. Hynes started The Weight Loss Clinic, which focuses on behavior changes in diabetes prevention and is partnered with many groups, such as Whole Foods to promote healthy eating. Dr. Hynes' goal is to develop a center focused on obesity prevention and treatment for which she has advocated at conferences around the country. Here’s a secret we’re going to let you in on: It’s okay to not know exactly where you’re going. Because the truth is: You never know what opportunities are around the corner. According to Dr. Marijane Hynes, the key is finding a passion within medicine to fuel your curiosity and engagement—and seeing where it takes you. The fact that Dr. Hynes found her way into specializing in obesity was all by chance. But she attests this happy accident to an openness and enthusiasm for learning. Today, we’ll also learn about how medicine is always a team sport. That everyone is an equal part of the team. And that empathy is a powerful tool for connection and positive change. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Medicine is a team sport. Our support staff is not inferior to us. They have skills that we simply don't possess and they can add to the experience in ways that we can't. 2. Writing out goals is important. Even if these goals are 5-10 years down the road. 3. One of the most important things we can do in our encounters is to tell our patients “I can help you.”