#31: Dr. Jennifer McDonald, OBGYN

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Many contributors to Work Stew wrestle mightily with the question of what to do for a living. They’re not sure where their passions lie, or they worry that pursuing the work they love won’t yield a living wage.

But in this episode, I talk to Dr. Jennifer McDonald, on OBGYN who knew exactly what she wanted to do for a living from the moment she delivered her first baby. And she loves it so much that in addition to managing her private practice, she also moonlights at three hospitals and teaches at a local university.

Moreover, Dr. McDonald continued her 100-hour weeks of tending to pregnant women, even as she herself was struggling with the pain of infertility. In the interview, she describes how difficult this was, and she explains how her own journey made her a better doctor.

About Dr. Jennifer McDonald: Dr. Jennifer McDonald is a Board Certified OBGYN. After undergraduate work at Drexel University in Philadelphia and several years of working for SmithKline Beecham in the research arena, Dr. McDonald attended medical school at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. She then headed to St. Louis for her internship at DesPeres Hospital followed by a four year Obstetrics & Gynecology residency at St. Johns Mercy Medical Center. She has been in private practice since 2004. Dr. McDonald has also been a part-time faculty member at Logan University of Chiropractic since 2005.

 

#30: Plan B Nation’s Amy Gutman

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Amy Gutman is a writer and lawyer whose career has already covered a lot of ground: among other things, she’s worked as a journalist; she co-founded an enduring educational program; she did a stint in corporate law; and she’s written two novels. And there’s more to come: as she contemplates her next move, Amy is thinking out loud—eloquently and movingly—on her new blog, Plan B Nation.

In this interview, Amy talks about her early career decisions and her ongoing quest to bring together her eclectic interests. She also discusses the broader context: how the recession and, more generally, America’s evolving role in the global economy will have most of us needing to rethink and reboot—again and again and again.   

About Amy Gutman: Amy is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. As a journalist, she worked for newspapers in Tennessee and Mississippi. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Salon. Before attending law school, she co-founded the Mississippi Teacher Corps, an organization focused on attracting recent college graduates to teach at the state’s most needy schools. After law school, Amy worked at two New York City firms, Cravath Swaine & Moore and Parcher Hayes & Snyder. Her two novels, published by Little, Brown & Company, are Equivocal Death and The Anniversary.