Interview with Dr. Barbara Loeb

Dr. Barbara Loeb shares the healing power of poetry in this interview. She is an author, speaker, mentor, facilitator, and physician leader. And she is committed to promoting well-being, especially for people working within healthcare. 

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She believes that individuals devoted to caring for others often fail to take care of themselves. Her work is now focused on inspiring caregivers to do just that.

Dr. Loeb started her 40-year career in health care as a primary care physician growing an internal medicine group practice. To have a larger impact, she expanded her work into medical staff leadership roles as department chairman and medical staff president at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, part of Advocate Aurora Health.

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Consultant and Chief Medical Officer

After transitioning her practice to become part of Advocate Aurora Health, she moved into a number of chief medical officer roles for other health systems, hospitals, physician networks, and health plans. She also served as an independent consultant for the Studer Group, improving physician communication and leadership skills.

During her career, she became highly aware of the balance she had to maintain between her work and her personal life. From all these vantage points, she observed the fatigue, lack of self-care, and burnout that many peers experienced.

The Healing Power of Poetry

In her first book “How to Save a Life: Healing Power of Poetry,” Dr. Loeb utilizes the principles of presence, reflection, self-awareness, and self-compassion to create poetry that displays the personal healer’s journey. She inspires the reader to reflect on their own individual path to well-being. By sharing her poems and introspective travels, she reveals the great strength one can build by engaging in this process.

To cultivate her own well-being, she developed her own restorative ritual. It combines mindfulness, writing, and building deeper connections with patients and colleagues. She intensified this practice during the challenges of the pandemic.

Today, Dr. Loeb shares this knowledge with colleagues through speaking, writing, mentoring, and facilitating groups. Her focus is on building mindfulness and promoting narrative medicine and related initiatives. She notes that the healing power of poetry is a metaphor for it’s effect on her professional and personal journeys.

Summary

Dr. Barbara Loeb describes her transition to the most recent chapter in her life. Some might call it retirement. However, Barb feels as productive as ever. And she is having a positive impact on those around her while doing what she finds meaningful. 

NOTE: Look below for a transcript of today’s episode.

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