Meditation Head-On: Neurosurgeon and Buddhist Priest, Dr. Patrick Codd

PeerSpectrum | Journeys in Medicine

Keith and I have long considered doing an episode on meditation. What held us back was our goal (as it is with every episode) to answer these two questions: how would the episode specifically benefit you, the physicians and medical professionals in our audience, and how would we avoid simply rehashing a well worn topic explored elsewhere? As you know, we're not big on chasing trends here. So we tabled it, until just recently, when we came across today's guest. Dr. Patrick Codd earned his M.D. in the Harvard Medical School/MIT Health Science & Technology Program. He then completed his residency in Neurosurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Patrick then served as the Director of the North Neurosurgical Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School before joining the neurosurgery staff at Duke University Medical Center where we find him today. [Read more…] Not only is Patrick a solidly credentialed neurosurgeon at a world class institution, he's also, get ready for this, an ordained Buddhist priest. Not a combination you find everyday but just the kind of person we knew we had to invite on the program. We'll explore Patrick's uncommon path and his unique perspective on meditation. After-all, the brain isn't just the focal point of Patrick's meditative practice, it's also something he actually operates on every week. We'll learn how meditation initially helped him manage the daily encounters with stress and patient suffering he experienced as a resident. Then we'll see how a busy neurosurgeon fits meditation into his daily workflow, becoming a critical element of his life and practice. Maybe you already have a meditation routine, maybe you've tried it but found little benefit, or maybe you're still highly skeptical of the whole thing. Wherever you're coming from, this episode will have something for you. With that said, let's get started...