Jack wrote: “I am lucky often to be allowed to slip in and listen to the adults talking. Your insight that the various interviewees never brought up the patients – the center of our world – made me think about how do we get off track and, how do we get back on. I chose to be a happy person. It made me smarter. Enjoy this and always start with a chart.”

In Jack’s email was a link to the above video. The TEDx talk in the video is by Shawn Achor, CEO of Good Think, Inc., where he researches and teaches about positive psychology.

What an entertaining and enlightening talk. I would like to share with you some of the points made.

Our positivity or negativity is the lens that our brain uses to view the world and shapes our reality. Often times we assume that the external world or successes determine our positivity or happiness.

Studies have demonstrated that if one knows everything about an individual’s external world, you can only predict the individual’s level of happiness by 10%. The vast majority of the time, the way your brain processes the world determines our level of happiness.

Studies have also shown a strong correlation of positivity leading to success.

Some of these studies suggest that whereas 25% of success is associated with intelligence or talent level, 75% is determine by positivity (Horn and Arbuckle, 1988) or happiness, optimal levels of social support, and ability to see stress as a challenge not a threat (Estrada, Isen, and Young, 1997).

Many of us, me included, have all been taught that if we work harder, we will be more successful, and, if we are more successful, we will be happier. This is likely incorrect.

When we achieve success of any kind, our brain resets its target for success. The goals get higher to achieve the same effect. With success as a goal, we set a cognitive trap, seeking more success or more of any indicator of that success (money, power, titles, etc.), and happiness stemming from success becomes more and more elusive.

Our brains work in the opposite direction.

The happiness advantage is that positive outlooks make our brains work better, more creative, more intelligent, more energy.

Lyubomirsky (2005) showed the results of the happiness advantage:
• Better securing jobs
• Better keeping jobs
• More productivity (a 31%dvanteage over neutral or negative outlooks)
• More resilient
• Less burnout
• Less turnover
• Greater sales (37% advantage over neutral or negative outlooks)

Physicians studied showed a 19% advantage in making faster and more accurate diagnoses.

Dopamine release in the happy brain also stimulates learning centers.

Happiness breeds success.

I know that you will say some people are just happier than others. They come out that way. It is very difficult to change the basic outlook one has on life and happiness.

But is that correct? Can you make your self a more positive individual, and if so, how do I become happy and more positive?

Some remarkable studies show that you can train your brain to have lasting positivity changes.

Achor outlines the following training techniques:
• Expressing three gratitudes (Emmons and McCullough, 2003)
• Journaling (Statcher and Pennebaker, 2006)
• Exercise (Babyak et al, 2000)
• Meditation (Dweck, 2007)
• Random (conscious) acts of kindness (Lyubomirsky, 2005)

Two minutes a day for 21 consecutive days can rewire your brain to positivity and happiness. A simple exercise is to express three new gratitudes daily for 21 days. At that time you will scan the world for the positive and prepare yourself for success that will come from this new viewpoint.

Happiness breeds health.

A landmark study involving nuns was able to demonstrate how positive emotion has health benefits. Many other lifestyle variables are uniform in nuns, so reported differences can often be focused on certain key factors, like personality and outlook.

In studying the lives and deaths of the nuns and their emotional state, researchers were able to show positive emotion was correlated with longevity – 90% of the most cheerful quarter of nuns were alive at the age of 85, whereas only 34% of the least cheerful quarter lived to that age. Similarly, 54% of the most cheerful were alive at age ninety-four, versus 11% of the least cheerful.

A study in the Proceedings of the Academy of National Sciences in 2011 confirmed the health benefit of happiness.

“We had expected that we might see a link between how happy people felt over the day and their future mortality, but we were struck by how strong the effect was,” says Andrew Steptoe, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at University College London, in the UK.

Everything else being equal, happiness and satisfaction with your life leads to a healthier and more successful future and you are smarter. Without even going to Harvard!

I know the stress that many of you are under.

I do not profess to know the challenges that each of you face on a daily basis or the losses that you may have experienced. I do not want to minimize these challenges, but I do know the route to take may be closer at hand than you think. That route is not in a pill, a bottle, criticism of your self and others, or a negative view of the world.

As noted in prior Doc in the D posts, it might be in better eating, exercise and the friendship of others. And it very well may be in positive psychology rewiring your brain.

Now before you email me about going off the deep end of some New Age cult and send me packing to California or an ashram, try it.

I am also not interested in a long critique of the scientific merits of the studies presented.

I acknowledge these are not lead articles in the Journal of Clinical Investigation or the New England Journal of Medicine. But you have to admit there may be something to ponder.

As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”

Train your brain.

During my most recent Walk in My Shoes experience, I was able to visit an old friend and colleague, O’Neal Sanders.

O’Neal is a respiratory therapist with 40 years of experience and knowledge at Henry Ford Hospital. For years, I walked alongside O’Neal as a pulmonary physician, but never truly “walked” in his shoes. I was curious as to what keeps him passionate about his job, what he does every day, and how things have changed in his profession.

Not surprisingly, O’Neal is just as passionate about his job today as he was 40 years ago.

While it feels like just yesterday when we battled as young men on the basketball court, it was obvious how much respiratory therapy has changed over the years.

The technology has expanded tremendously, allowing for safer and more efficient ways to treat the patient.

Respiratory therapists are now able to help patients with life support, using novel inhaled treatments like nitric oxide and helium, newer forms of mechanical ventilation, airway management and breathing treatments, among many other things.

Despite these changes, O’Neal has taught both the students he interacts with on a daily basis, as well as his colleagues, the importance of listening to the patient.

As many in health care know, listening to patients not only helps in the diagnosis and solution, but also adds a sense of compassion for both the provider and patient. O’Neal understands how rewarding this can be, and I think we can all learn from or be reminded of that.

While watching O’Neal interact with students, Intensive Care Unit physicians and residents, and his colleagues, the importance of teamwork was clear – something I have noticed in each and every one of my Walk in My Shoes encounters thus far.

Like so many of our Henry Ford employees, O’Neal was not the first person in his family to work atHenryFordHospital. It is clear that the skill and talents of O’Neals’ mother have transcended, as O’Neal works to make sure our patients receive the best possible experience, each and every time.

The above video offers a glimpse into my experience with O’Neal.

If you have any questions for O’Neal about Respiratory Therapy, his history with Henry Ford, or even how he finds the strength to work out every day at 3:30 in the morning, please post in the comment section below.

Beyond talking about healthy food and eating habits, I’ve also received a number of comments on my blog from Henry Ford Hospital employees who are looking to incorporate exercise into their lives.

I hear it all of the time from members of our health care team: After working a long day, it can be a challenge to find the time and energy to exercise.

When we encourage our patients to lead healthier lifestyles, we should too. And keeping our employees healthy is a priority at Henry Ford.

So to help those with a resolution to “get moving” in 2012, or those just looking to incorporate additional exercise into their day, I turned to my colleague Dr. Steven Keteyian, program director with Preventive Cardiology in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Henry Ford, for advice.

His recommendation: Start walking.

The best part is you don’t need to go outside in the middle of our “mild” Michigan winter to get started.

We have a 1.5 mile walking path located in the basement of Henry Ford Hospital. There also are walking paths at One Ford Place on floors 2 and 3, as well as in the stairways.

To start your own walking program, Dr. Keteyian offers these tips:

– Wear comfortable shoes and clothing.
– Walk with a “support” person or partner.
– For the first several weeks, keep a daily record of how many minutes you walk each day. This simple exercise log will help you stick to your program.
– Keep your efforts simple. Find a time that works best for you (i.e. 20 minutes during the lunch hour, or after work before you head for home), and gradually increase how hard you walk or your pace.  For the first few weeks, increase minutes of walking before increasing walking pace.
– Look at your progress after 2 months vs. 2 weeks. And look for clues of improvement, such as less fatigue during the day, less shortness of breath when climbing stairs and improved sleep habits.
– Exercise alone isn’t enough. Pairing exercise with a healthy, well-balanced diet is the key to a healthier lifestyle.

In the above video, Dr. Keteyian and I put these tips into practice on the walking path inside Henry Ford Hospital. Dr. Keteyian also offers more details in the video about how you can make your walking program a success.

(Plus, several Henry Ford Hospital employees make cameo appearances in the video to talk about their exercise routines.)

If you have questions for Dr. Keteyian about how to get moving, please post them in the comments section on this page. Or, if you’re someone who regularly uses the walking paths at Henry Ford, share your experiences below.

We’re a destination in Detroit for education, culture and some truly unbelievable events for our employees, patients and the community. (And it all happens while our health care teams do what they do best: provide the absolute best care and service to each and every one of our patients – each time, every time, every encounter.)

Many of my regular blog readers have already gotten a glimpse at some of the amazing things that have happened recently at Henry Ford Hospital.

It all started with a community event to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which showcased some of the amazing choral talent in our city (and in our hospital), as well as a keynote address by Bankole Thompson, the senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle.

God's Hands of Praise performs at Henry Ford Hospital

If you have not heard Mr. Thompson speak, you have missed the brilliance of passionate commitment and challenge. Sam Logan, rest in peace; your charge will continue.

And the choirs from the Mosaic Singers, Detroit Rescue Mission, God’s Hands of Praise, and our own Martina Gifford and the Henry Ford Health System Choir stirred the blood as much as the soul.

Each year, this event is better than the last, and serves as an important reminder of how Dr. King’s visions and principles continue to drive and inspire us in the work we do every day. 

Only a few days later, our employees welcomed the Detroit Tigers 2012 Winter Caravan to our hospital. With Miguel Cabrara, Brennen Boesche and several other Tigers stars in attendance, we were reminded why baseball is such an important part of the growing excitement surrounding our city.

Ramon Santiago with Marla Hull, Inpatient Case Management.

Baseball is one of the constancies in American life (all respect to James Earl Jones and Field of Dreams).

Those of us around in 1968 know the way baseball and the Detroit Tigers calmed and soothed a battered city. 

Dr. King’s vision was seen in the stands of every home game, and showed us that how even in the most polarizing situation most of us are alike with common goals, aspirations, and dreams.

Countdown to Opening Day at Comerica Park: 11 weeks.

Employees at the Cirque du Soleil event.

In between those two events, Cirque du Soleil, the internationally known performance troupe, visited Henry Ford Hospital. How fitting that the Henry Ford Innovation Institute was the host of a group that has innovated the traditional concept of a “circus” to a more contemporary model that has had unparalleled success. 

It’s interesting to note that the founding performing troupe almost was disbanded in the early 80’s due to financial hardship. Through vision and a bit of outside assistance, Cirque du Soleil was created in a theatrical character driven show without animals.

What a lesson for all industries as they face challenges.

DIA Inside/Out Program at Henry Ford Hospital

And, the Detroit Institute of Arts installed its “Inside/Out” exhibit on the main floor of our hospital. This program brings 80 reproductions of masterpieces from the DIA’s collection out into the Detroit community.

Our hospital is hosting about a half-dozen of these masterpieces, including a reproduction of Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Postman Roulin.

I walked by the exhibit and saw two young employees studying the van Gogh. I always have loved the archives we have created in that hall, but I was struck by the power of artistic expression, one strong enough to call to two people across a century.

The exhibit marks the start of our new relationship with the DIA, a true gem in Detroit and the fifth largest art museum in the country.

Working with the DIA, we hope to grow our Healing Arts Program at the hospital to offer not only beautiful exhibits for employees and the community to enjoy, but also hands-on projects for our patients to enhance their hospital experience.

But the week of events doesn’t end there.

On Jan. 26, we’ll welcome internationally known NASA astronaut and research engineer Dr. Leroy Chiao to the Innovation Institute at Henry Ford. Dr. Chiao will host a meet and greet with our employees to discuss his work and innovation.

Astronaut Chiao is a true rock star and one of the most influential Chinese Americans living today.  He even has great stories about the eighth person in space, Cosmonaut Pavel Popovich, who I obviously have keen personal fondness.

In one week we saw artwork, performances, sports and innovation…and it all happened at a hospital.

Not a bad way to start 2012.

If you attended any of these events, please feel free to post your experiences below in the comments section.

Talk about great customer service.

Tigers at Henry Ford Hospital

The Detroit Tigers traveled across Michigan – through our first “major” winter snow – as part of their annual Winter Caravan to thank fans and get them excited about the upcoming baseball season.

(Spring training and warmer weather are right around the corner!)

Henry Ford Hospital was one of many Detroit-area destinations on the 2012 Winter Caravan route.

We were thrilled to welcome Tigers Vice President and Assistant General Manager Al Avila and players Collin Balester, Brennan Boesch, Miguel Cabrera, Matt Hoffman, Andy Oliver, Ramon Santiago and Tyler Stohr, as well as the “voice of the Detroit Tigers” on Fox Sports Mario Impemba.

Tigers’ team physician Dr. Michael Workings of the Henry Ford Department of Family Medicine was also in attendance.

Henry Ford employees cheer for the Tigers

Our hospital team gave the Tigers an amazing Henry Ford welcome, cheering and swinging Tigers towels in the air.

Some employees even had the chance to ask the Tigers about their most memorable moments during the 2011 season, and a few lucky employees received special prizes from the Tigers.

The visit got me thinking about how  much Henry Ford Hospital and the Detroit Tigers actually have in common when it comes to our long history in Detroit.

Take 1968. It’s the year the Tigers won the World Series AND Henry Ford Hospital performed Detroit’s first kidney transplant.

Tom Nantis, Dr. Working and I with a jersey given to Henry Ford Hospital by the Tigers

Another World Series championship came in 1984, along with another transplant milestone at Henry Ford, Detroit’s first heart transplant.

More recently, the Tigers were named the 2011 AL Central Division Champions, while Henry Ford Hospital and Henry Ford Health System received the 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

As I said at our Tigers rally, our employees truly have the heart of a Tiger and stand behind our Detroit baseball team for another great season.

Tom Nantais even volunteered to dust off that right arm that brought him fame for the Royal Oak Shrine and Wayne State University baseball teams, and throw batting practice for our guys!

Go Tigers!

Doc in the

Henry Ford Hospital was honored today (Jan. 16) to host a great celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., not only for the man, but the vision and principles that he continues to inspire in all of us.

The Mosaic Singers perform at Henry Ford Hospital.

This site on West Grand Blvd. has been the home of the Henry Ford Health System for more than 96 years. It houses our flagship, Henry Ford Hospital, a great clinical and academic sciences center in the heart of Midtown Detroit.

One of the reasons we’ve been able to achieve such prominence at Henry Ford is evident each day on our campus; the rich tapestry of our diverse work force is a fundamental advantage in the way in which we conduct our work and view the world around us.

You can see it every day in our hallways, emergency rooms, clinics and operating rooms; individuals within our team working together, as a unit, for one common cause: to restore the health and wellness of those we have the privilege to serve.

We’re far more than just a health care facility; we’re an economic engine for the City of Detroit and a beacon of hope for many of those who have been at disadvantage by financial shackles.

Keynote speaker Bankole Thompson, Senior Editor, Michigan Chronicle

We’re also an integral part of our community and our neighborhood, working with immediate and extended communities to do the right thing – as a healthcare provider, as an employer, as a leader to improve the health of our community, and a leader of like-minded individuals and organizations that work for a common purpose and the vision that was so well established by Dr. King.

I would hope that if Dr. King were alive today he would view our work with nodding approval, but while continuing to exhort us to achieve even more in the eradication of social injustice and inequality of health care disparities.

It reminds us that not only today, but every day, we should work to do what is right, one person at a time.

The New Year offers each of us a point in time for reflection, renewal, and most importantly, resolution.

It’s one of the many reasons (along with football and fond memories of my Grandma Mary’s roast pork and Romanian sausage dinner) that New Year’s Day is one of my favorite holidays.

Every year I have made – and kept – the same resolution: To thank, challenge and even inspire my family, friends and colleagues, as well as myself.

As part of that resolution, I started a holiday tradition as President and CEO of Henry Ford Hospital to send my colleagues and team a New Year’s card with a very special message.

In 2011, that message was BELIEVE. Our belief in our mission, each other, our work and our city is what drives our relationships and emotional engagement in what we do every day.

When you truly believe, there’s no limit to what you can achieve and dream…which brings me to this year’s message.

In 2012, I want challenge each and every one of you to DREAM big and truly invest in making Henry Ford Hospital and the Henry Ford Medical Group GREAT.

Inspired by quote from writer Zadok Rabinowitz, I sent the following card (below) to our leadership, which I now share with you.

Happy New Year!

The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration.

At the Henry Ford Hospital campus, there’s much to celebrate for our accomplishments of this year and for the future accomplishments that we’re about to achieve.

I want to thank each and every one of the Henry Ford team members who have worked so hard in 2011 for all that we have accomplished.

During the holiday season, we often spend a great deal of our time and energy worrying about the perfect gift, the perfect menu or who we should invite to the celebrations we hold.

But for all of us, the greatest gift is right before us.

And that is the gift of each other, and the kindness, caring and compassion that we give to one another.

It is my wish that each of you receive – and give – the greatest of all gifts:

The gift of each other.

From all of us at Henry Ford, I want to wish you a joy-filled holiday and a healthy New Year!

Well, who doesn’t need a friend?  Who doesn’t need a lot of friends?

Coco

Here is my friend, CoCo, a 5-year-old Schnoodle (schnauzer poodle mix), who runs to the door when I come home, no matter what time,  doing her dance, before running to the couch where she expects me, no matter what time, to pet her and tell her she is the best.  She then stays at my side on the couch until I shut the light off in our family room, after which she runs and jumps into bed.

Every morning when I walk to the kitchen, CoCo jumps around me like it was the return of a long lost pal.

CoCo is known by everyone who comes into the Popovich house, where she greets them with the same happy and playful dance.

Talk about first impressions and service excellence!

MoMo (aka Mr. Mo/Uncle Mo)

The second picture is our family’s newest addition, MoMo, also known as Mr. Mo, Uncle Mo, and a number of other spontaneous names.  He is my daughter Chris’ toy poodle, and he has assumed the same act when I get home.  He also has added chin kisses to CoCo’s routine.

Both CoCo and MoMo like watching the hockey games and the NHL network , and are particular fans of the Red Wings. CoCo favors Nick Lidstrom, while MoMo continues to root for the recently retired Mike Modano. Both prefer the NHL go to a bigger ice surface.

How does this relate to health? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a great piece on its website about the benefits of pet ownership, including the science that pets can decrease your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and feelings of loneliness.  Pets increase our opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities, as well as opportunities for socialization.

Therapy dogs provide affection and comfort to patients. The first therapy dog reportedly was Smoky, a Yorkshire terrier abandoned on the battlefield in New Guinea and found by Corporal William Wynne.

When Wynne was hospitalized for jungle disease, Dr. Charles Mayo (yes that Mayo brother) allowed Smoky to go on rounds and sleep with the recuperating Wynne. Smoky remained a therapy dog for 12 years.

Recently, some 14 stray dogs rescued by US service members were reunited at JFK Airport. These dogs that were rescued from Afghanistan are often credited with performing their own rescue mission there.

As quoted in the New York Post on Nov. 16, 2011, serviceman Zachary Henning said about his dog Gus, “”It was very stressful out there. To have an animal like Gus keep us company, reduce the stress…he warmed my heart and helped me survive mentally and I need to repay him.”

Well, my CoCo is a friend, provides me with affection and comfort, warms my heart, and reduces my stress and blood pressure.

I am sure you have similar stories of friendship and health.  I would love to hear and see them, so please share in the comments section below.

Henry Ford Hospital also has something else in common with Frank and his company, Ideal Group:  a focus on innovation in Detroit.

One of Ideal Group’s customers, General Motors, is responsible for creating one of the bigger innovations to recently come out of Detroit – the Chevy Volt, a plug-in, range-extended electric vehicle with an on-board gasoline generator.

Not only did Frank show support for GM’s innovation by buying two Chevy Volts, he’s also been documenting his driving experience on his blog, “Frank’s V in the D.”

Frank’s even been handing the key fob (no keys needed for the Volt) to business colleagues in Detroit, giving them the chance to test-drive this game-changing product.

I recently had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of Frank’s Volt. (And, yes, it does comfortably seat someone taller than 6 ft.)

I thought that one of the best ways to really test the car’s electric charge and gas mileage – and continue the conversation about innovation – was to drive to a few Henry Ford sites in and around Detroit, where innovation is changing how we care for our patients.

On our journey in the Volt, Frank and I visited:

Henry Ford Hospital, a site for innovation in Detroit since its opening in 1915, when it became the first hospital in the country to form a closed, salaried medical staff, offer private patient rooms, as well as institute a total ban on smoking. In the 96 years since, Henry Ford Hospital has led the way in remarkable medical advancements in patient care, safety and education.

Innovation Institute at Henry Ford. The name really says it all. The Innovation Institute, which opened on the Henry Ford Hospital campus in October, is a partnership that includes Henry Ford Hospital and Medical Group, the College for Creative Studies, the Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems Program at Wayne State University and The Henry Ford. Already, the Institute has launched several dozen projects, which you can read more about on its website.

Health Alliance Plan, a nonprofit, regional health plan based in Detroit, is leading the way in personalized customer service, disease management and wellness programs. At HAP, Frank and I spoke with Chief Marketing Officer Mary Ann Tournoux, who discussed HAP’s forward thinking in creating individualized health plans, and bending the cost curve for care by offering incentives for patients to stay healthy.

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital has become synonymous with innovative hospital design and a focus on keeping the community healthy since opening in 2009. Starting with hiring CEO Gerard van Grinsven, formerly with the Ritz Carlton, Henry Ford West Bloomfield has renewed the System’s focus on wellness, treating patients like guests at five-star hotels, and even making hospital food taste good.

CHASS (Community Health & Social Services Center) has played a major role since 1970 in providing care to residents of the community, particularly the underserved African American and Latino populations in Detroit. In 2012, CHASS will move into a new and larger facility. When Frank and I met CHASS CEO Richardo Guzman and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Felix Valbuena, we learned that the new facility, currently under construction, will allow the CHASS health care team to expand its range of services, as well as provide care to even more people in the community.

Dr. Popovich stands with Frank Venegas and Mary Ann Tournoux at HAP on a beautiful day in the D.

I should also mention that after we switched over from electric to gas power on the Volt, I got 103 miles per gallon as we traveled around Detroit. How’s that driving for innovation in Detroit?

For a passenger-seat’s view of our travels, click on the above video, documenting my experience driving the Volt and meeting some amazing people along the way.

After you’ve watched the video, tell me: If you had the Volt for a day, where would you drive to showcase innovation in Detroit? Post your comments below.

P.S. Can’t wait for our friends at Ford Motor to bring its electric fleet to the market. How about a Mustang Boss version?