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Dr. Addison is one of only a few people who did their doctoral dissertation on what physicians go through during their training - literally what it takes to make a family doctor. He spent countless nights over the course of three years taking call alongside a cohort of residents in the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency (at that time sponsored by Sonoma County Hospital.) Imagine, taking call when you didn't even have to be there! The first time he took call, he packed pajamas and a toothbrush, and had a laugh when it was all over as he hadn't even had a moment to close his eyes.

He learned that of all the things that confront family doctors in training - feelings of inadequacy, impossible work hours, watching patients die, one of the hardest to deal with were feelings of isolation. So he did something about that - he started the personal and professional groups that have been a lifeline for many a resident over the years, facilitating teambuilding, emotional processing, and connecting through reflection. He led the behavioral medicine curriculum in the residency for many years, publishing academic papers and becoming the president of the American Balint Society, as well as being active within the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

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Katie talks about her growing comfort with the inherent uncertainty of our jobs, including what it's like to talk to your patients about the limits of your own knowledge, and the limits of medicine. She also shares an unexpected direction her creative self has taken lately - in becoming a certified Square Dancer - and what lessons we can take from Square Dancing into the world of medicine as we strive to be lifelong learners.