Physicians and Physicians-in-Training Gather for Education, Networking and Dr. Glaucomflecken

October 2, 2024

This year’s Empowering Physicians Conference offered a mix of skills-building, humor and a look at the future of medicine in Minnesota.  

The event, held September 27 at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, attracted more than 150 physicians and physicians-in-training.  

New MMA President Edwin Bogonko, MD, MBA, poses with guest speaker, Dr. Glaucomflecken.

The conference kicked off with a look at innovations in medicine, beginning with Mike Pitt, MD, FAAP, the CEO and founder of Q-rounds, a virtual queue that sends real-time notifications of when to arrive for rounds.  

The innovation session also included presentations by:   

• Josh Degallier, MD, the creator of Roundr, a mobile app that provides physicians with intuitive note-taking and charting features, designed to enhance their efficiency and improve patient care.   

• L. Pearce McCarty III, MD, MBA, a co-founder of DOCSI, a company devoted to developing digital tools that lower cost and improve operations in surgical procedural environments at scale.   

• Yingling Fan, PhD, a co-founder of the technology start-up Daynamica, which has developed smartphone apps to collect human behavior and well-being data for academic institutions and government agencies. Fan was joined by some of her colleagues, Anne Blaes, MD, MS, Julian Wolfson, PhD, and Guang Yang, PhD. 

Following the innovations session, attendees took part in a hands-on, skills-building workshop on how to negotiate a physician employment contract, with Danielle Hansen, MBA, vice president of global sourcing - direct materials for JBT Corporation, a global FoodTech company. Hansen is part of the Carlson Educator Network and has taught supply chain and operations management as a senior lecturer at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.   

After the workshop, attendees reviewed posters featuring research by medical students, residents and fellows. Roma Sonik, a third-year medical student at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, had the winning entry for her poster on “Evaluating the effectiveness of coaching and mentorship curriculum in medical students: a multi-cohort study.” 

The day concluded with dinner, an address from incoming MMA President, Edwin Bogonko, MD, MBA, and a keynote speech by social media star Dr. Glaucomflecken (aka William E. Flanary, MD), who offered his hilarious take on the future of healthcare. Flanary, who practices ophthalmology in the Portland, Oregon-area, has become known for his satiric medical videos on X/Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.  

Dr. Glaucomflecken joked about the frustrations of dealing with prior authorization, as well as providing insight on some of his own health scares as a patient. After speaking for more than an hour, he took questions from the audience, offered to help use his social media platforms to promote future legislation that could improve the practice of medicine in Minnesota, and then stood for selfies with attendees.  

The premier conference sponsor was Copic. Exhibitors included: Abbott; Amgen; Be Smart; Concentra; Dexcom; MEDPAC; Meridian Behavioral Health; Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council; Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling; MMA Foundation; Pfizer; Physicians for a National Health Program, Minnesota; RoundtableRx; Twin Cities Pain Clinic; Vital WorkLife; and We Care.