Dr. Myers Brings Physicians' Stories to a New Video Series

By Office of the President | Oct 20, 2026

Physicians spend their careers caring for others, but their own experiences with illness, trauma, and recovery can offer lessons that medical training alone cannot teach. Michael F. Myers, M.D., Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, is bringing those perspectives to a broader clinical audience through a new video series on Vumedi.

Earlier this year, the Bulletin featured Dr. Myers’s book, Physicians With Lived Experience: How Their Stories Offer Clinical Guidance, which explores how physicians’ personal experiences can deepen understanding and inform care. The new series extends that work through honest and critical conversations with physicians willing to share what they have lived and learned.

Following his presentation on the subject at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco in May, Dr. Myers was invited to create and produce the series. Launched in August 2026, Physicians With Lived Experience seeks to build compassion and understanding while sharing practical lessons with clinicians across specialties.

A two-part interview features Dominique Lee, M.D., a radiation oncologist in Brisbane, Australia, who survived sexual assault by a senior physician while she was in training. Dr. Lee is sharing her experience to help prevent similar harm to other women in medicine, particularly women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Her advocacy centers on supporting survivors, speaking openly about trauma and recovery, and challenging the silence surrounding sexual violence within the profession. She also calls for healthcare workplaces where people feel safe to speak and where leaders take responsibility for their protection and well-being.

Dr. Lee’s story is particularly relevant to medical communities, where relationships between trainees and supervising physicians can shape careers and influence whether trainees feel safe reporting harm. Her decision to speak openly invites reflection on how we listen, respond to concerns, and support those who come forward. It also asks us to consider the additional barriers women from ethnic minority backgrounds may face in being heard and supported.

Congratulations, Dr. Myers, on bringing physicians’ experiences into conversations about care, professional culture, and well-being.

Watch the interviews with Dr. Lee: Part I | Part II. A free Vumedi account is required to view the videos.

Note: Completing Downstate’s sexual harassment prevention training is an important step each of us can take to support a safe, respectful learning and working environment. If you have not yet completed your required 2026 training, please do so through HealthStream by October 30. Carry that learning into your daily interactions: recognize inappropriate conduct, know how to report concerns, and respond when someone seeks help. View the training reminder and instructions.

Tags: Psychiatry