Ep 13: Finding Shared Purpose: Building Community & Connection in Medicine with Tracy Davidson

In this episode of The PLA Podcast, host Dr. Stephanie Costa welcomes Tracy Davidson, CEO of the Columbus Medical Association and Affiliates, for a conversation about physician belonging, leadership, and the importance of community in healthcare. Together, they explore the organization’s new vision, the growing challenges of physician isolation, and why connection, shared purpose, and collaboration are essential for building healthier communities and a stronger future for medicine. 

“The Upswing” book by Robert D Putnam: More information.

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Transcript

This transcript was automatically generated and may contain errors. 

Welcome to the PLA podcast. This podcast was created to help graduates of the Physicians Leadership Academy at the Columbus Medical Association stay connected to the PLA teachings, mindset, and community. If you're not familiar with the Physicians Leadership Academy, welcome. Thanks for your curiosity, and please enjoy the learning today.

More information about the PLA can be found at our website, physiciansleadershipacademy.org. And just to let you know, applications for the next session of PLA, which is commencing this September of 2026, are available on our website as well. I'm Stephanie Costa, director of alumni programming at the PLA, and today I'm so excited to have a conversation with Tracy Davidson, CEO of the Columbus Medical Association and Affiliates.

Tracy is a seasoned local and national healthcare leader with over [00:01:00] 20 years of executive leadership experience in managed care, network strategy, medical and behavioral health policy, and quality improvement. She is an Ohio licensed speech language pathologist and former certified case manager. Those experiences have made her well-positioned to be a passionate advocate for underserved communities and for those with complex medical and behavioral healthcare needs.

Her love for the people of Central Ohio is reflected in her service on not-for-profit boards and community initiatives. Prior to her role as CEO at the CMA, Tracy was a familiar face at the CMA as she served for many years on the board of CMA affiliate Physicians Care Connection. Tracy, welcome to the PLA podcast.

Thank you, Dr. Costa Tracy, you're coming up on your two-year anniversary serving as the CEO of the CMAA. What's it been like, and what is becoming apparent [00:02:00] to you? A very loaded question, actually . But I think that one thing that has become increasingly apparent to me, not just the past couple of years, but after decades in healthcare and working with physicians and other healthcare leaders, is that physicians are carrying quite a load when we think about the navigation of workforce challenges, administrative burdens, and growing public misinformation, all while they're trying to provide exceptional care.

And it's something we talk about a lot within the Physician Leadership Academy, that many physicians feel like they've lost connection with why they became a doctor in the first place. They feel isolated, and the people around them, their friends and their family, can't really understand what they're going through.

I think it's part of a broader crisis of connection in our community. And I think that all of us is feeling a bit more isolated from one another and from the institutions that once brought us all together. So physicians aren't immune to that. In many ways, they're experiencing it very [00:03:00] acutely.

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely everything you're saying I observe as well in, in my role and from my lens. But you've been doing so much work really getting to know Central Ohio physicians and what it's like for them and their staff to deliver care to the people in our community, and I've been so impressed by your commitment to meeting with as many physicians as possible.

In PLA, our participants are accustomed to hearing PLA founder and president Phil Cass say, "If it's about them, include them," and you have done just that. I'm so glad to know that I'm following a Philism. It's a great thing to follow. But one of the foundational lessons of these, of leadership is that solutions are rarely created for people they're actually created with people.

So our, collective vision for the future of our entire organization could never come from a conference room or a strategic planning session. It had to come from those who built this [00:04:00] place, the, the physician community themselves. So this past couple years, I've spent a great time, great deal of time listening.

I've met with s- physicians from every stage of practice, every specialty, every employment model those that are in our, involved in our organization, and those that have not joined the CMA. And I've met with a lot of groups and community organizations. I think what we're hearing is that there's very similar conversations among the physician community.

It's not as disparate as it might appear. What I've consistently heard is a desire to feel valued, fulfilled, trusted, connected, supported. They're not asking, physicians aren't asking to, for more services, for more programs, to have more things thrown at them. They're asking for community. And it's a place to belong.

And I believe that they feel like they carry that weight alone and I want them to know they don't. So that has reinforced my belief that the most important thing that we can do is create [00:05:00] meaningful connections among physicians and help them find those opportunities for shared purpose. That's great.

I really love your speaking about all of the different models and environments in which physicians are practicing in central Ohio, and I think that differentiates us a little bit from the coasts or some of the areas. And I'm sure in talking to them and wanting to talk to them, you're really realizing the bounty of information in all of these.

So I know you spearheaded a months-long initiative to strategically learn from physicians and key team members here at the CMA to really prepare the CMAA for an impactful and sustainable future. Can you tell us about that project that you led? Y- yeah, it was, it's actually been really incredible.

It's been an incredible journey. We have c- we are of course, first and foremost, a physician-led organization. I'm not a physician, but we are led, [00:06:00] all of our organizations or all the affiliates are physician-led. But I think we lead from the front listening to our physician community. And each affiliate as a reminder to, to our audience, was born from doctors in this community really identifying problems and figuring out how we could come together as either communities or as physicians and create something meaningful and lasting.

And I think our most recent one is Made for Medicine. Dr., Laura Espey Bell after she finished PLA uh, launched Made for Medicine in 2021, and she was really inspired into action to address the disparities that we have in medicine. And thanks to the investment from the foundation and others, they're supporting and educating and empowering the students of the future that will be our physicians of the future, which is pretty exciting.

Physicians shape healthcare, and when I think about the strategic lens of what we've been listening to over the last year, it's really that- The community of [00:07:00] docs wanna be seen and heard. They really do. And so when we think about the vision it's, it was very exciting to come up with the words because the words really matter.

And I'll throw it out now so people can react to it 'cause we've actually started sprinkling it into many of our communications over the last couple of months. But it's the home for all physicians to connect, find shared purpose, and build healthier communities. And they're not taglines. Those words were actually derived from all the conversations that I spoke about earlier as well as really listening deeply to what mattered to our physician community.

And when I think about home, it speaks to belonging. It really truly speaks to belonging, and we know that physicians want a place where they're welcomed, respected, and supported. Connect acknowledges that relationships matter, that it really matters to connect with individuals collectively as well as individually, and that physicians [00:08:00] thrive when they have opportunities to learn and support one another, which I think is a lot of what PLA the magic sauce in PLA.

Shared purpose is an interesting one. It reflects the reality that physicians are united, I think, by a desire to improve lives and strengthen communities. When we think about shared purpose, I've had a lot of conversations with docs that initially their reaction was, "We take care of patients. That's our shared purpose."

That's kind of the vocation the way I look at it. W- you, you take care of patients because that's what you were trained to do, but shared purpose is the how, your why, what is in it. And I don't mean in it in a a... maybe from a motivational sense. What gives you passion and when you're taking care of that population or that patient in your office?

And then . The building healthier communities reminds us that the work that we do ultimately extends far beyond the individual patient, but the entire healthcare of a community. So when physicians come together, they have [00:09:00] that extraordinary ability to improve the health and wellbeing of not only those in their practice but an entire region, and I think that's pretty profound.

So the words matter. Those words really matter, and I wanted to make sure that, of course, it was memorable as we talk about it, but that they weren't taglines. It's not about a, a subset or a, a marketing line on a bookmark. It really- the words were intentionally selected to mean something unique to each person.

Yeah. Yeah. I was in the second class of the Leadership Academy and finished in 2016, and I, it just hit me so clearly at the end of that year that I can make an impact in healthcare right here in our central Ohio community in some way. When you think about fixing healthcare on the national level it's almost defeating to- It's daunting

to think about doing that. But really, hearing you speak just about this new vision statement [00:10:00] and what you're hearing from physicians, and it's really empowering to think that to collaborate with like-minded individuals who are really motivated to make a difference it, it's really exciting to think about n- not just what PLA alumni can do to shift the environment of healthcare and how that's delivered in central Ohio, but when we look at all of the other affiliates and all of the CMA members, you know- just really coming together to have conversations. You had touched on it earlier in this podcast and you know I have definitely been noticing that in the past few years, this profound isolation that many physicians are working in, and this is a time where a sense of community and belonging is a much needed salve for healers.

So this reference of a home for all physicians just really resonates with me and it's something that I [00:11:00] feel. I don't just hear it and have it mean something to me, but I feel that. So you know, we work really hard to provide a supportive, caring, and stimulating community in the Physicians Leadership Academy.

And another important program to help physicians feel supported at the CMA is the Doc to Doc peer support program. A lot of our female physicians are finding community in the very robust and active Women in Medicine program. You mentioned Made for Medicine. We've got the Physicians Care Connection, Central Ohio Trauma System, and of course, Public Policy and Advocacy.

And so you're really working on so many levels to create this sense of home in every aspect of the Columbus Medical Association. So just curious if you could speak to that a little bit more. Yeah, I'm gonna... it's I think one of the greatest challenges facing us today is loss of [00:12:00] connection. I mentioned that earlier in our conversation.

And we know from actually lots of research that people are participating less in civic organizations, they're feeling less connected to one another, and they're reporting very- lower levels of trust and belonging. Physicians are experiencing, tho- those same dynamics. So I think that's why creating community is so important, whether it's PLA, Doctor to Doc, Women in Medicine, some of the other programs that you've mentioned, we're trying to intentionally create environments where physicians can connect au- authentically to one another.

It's not force-fed, it's actually w- because you want to, and they're places that are meaningful to the work that you do. So our goal is to not simply provide programs it's to help build relationships, find support look for things that m- might be bigger than just the individual themselves, and I think that's what home feels like, right?

Where you feel there's a sense of home or belonging, and that's why I think the vision is such an important part of the collective [00:13:00] good that the organization is aspiring to. It was hard. I will bring, I'll bring that to the attention of the audience to create and to have a vision that encompasses the the dynamic part of this organization.

So it's the CMA, the association itself, but all of the affiliates from the foundation to the academy, to Made for Medicine, to PCC, to, to our the COTS teams, all of those- Serve the community and are, were physician problems that they came to bear that they solved together. And so you think about how do you coordi- how do you come up with something that speaks to all of that?

And it was exciting to see it come together. Very exciting to see it come together. I don't think most Central Ohio physicians are aware that the Columbus Medical Association has been in existence for 150 years, and has served many purposes [00:14:00] over the years. But, it has been and remains this place for physicians to connect, find that shared purpose, and importantly, make an impact on the community.

And, I remember Jason Melillo back when he was originally getting involved with the CMA and, ultimately went through the PLA and became president of the CMA. But he had said to me, that, "Gosh, these are my people here. I feel like they're interested in what I have to say."

And that really was a catalyst for some significant leadership that he's taken on in our community it's really interesting. We've been around the entirety of a cycle of America's shift from being cooperative and cor- co- a community-oriented society to this more individualistic approach that 150 years that you referenced.

And the concept is discussed in a book that I'd recently [00:15:00] read or research called Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again. I'm a geek when it comes to th- this kinds of information. So let me give a little bit of a summary because I think that the audience will appreciate the information that's in it and might wanna reference them for themselves.

But the authors write that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, right around the time our organization was founded, that this society was very I-focused. There was economic inequality, corruption, social division, weak civic engagement, and a lack of community. But then from the early 1900s to about 1960, so mid- mid-range, through two world wars we experienced a remarkable shift toward cooperation, shared prosperity, civic participation, and togetherness.

And then from the '70s to current day we've been returning to that kind of hyper-individualism and the same issues of economic inequality and division. And so I look at the [00:16:00] CMA we've been here for physicians in the community through these huge shifts the ups and downs and all these changes, but our role as convener is just as relevant today as it was 150 years ago.

So I think it gives us this clear path forward that organizations that bring us together around common purps- purpose are incredibly important, and we've been doing this for generations. So I expect that we're gonna continue doing this for the generations to come. So we've talked quite a bit about, how important it is when we have a sense of belonging, and we have community, and we have this ability to cooperate and move toward a common goal.

But unfortunately, I don't know if it's social media or just, you used this term hyper-individuality all of us, whether we're physicians or not, we're living and working in the time where people seem to be more [00:17:00] disconnected than ever from each other. And it's also a time when many physicians are not joining or renewing memberships to professional societies.

Tracy, I was curious from your perspective, why should a Central Ohio physician be compelled to be a member of the Columbus Medical Association? And what would be some of the benefits if they joined the CMA? So you asked the million-dollar question, Dr. Costa. But I do think that the answer is relatively simple and it's because none of us accomplishes our best work alone.

Yeah. And when I think about that, kind of shared purpose, connectivity it- it's I think the foundation of the work of this organization. Membership is certainly about access to valuable resources and programs and leadership development and advocacy and all the things you would expect.

But I think it's also something deeper. It's about being connected to a community of physicians who share your commitment to proving, improving [00:18:00] the health and service to others. And it's also I think equally important to ensure that our physicians have a collective voice at a time when that voice is critically important.

The misinformation, the shaping of healthcare policies the work that you manage every day in your office when you're talking to a patient, or doing an assessment, or recommending a, a test or a, a drug. All of it has an impact on the way that healthcare is delivered in our community. And I think that it's about investing in this organization so that we can create the conditions that allow you to have a voice at the table.

I'll go a little bit off script here because I'm actually really excited about some work that we're doing hot off the press with a lot of our policymakers which is pretty exciting. And being in front of city council members, county commissioners, other state officials who make decisions [00:19:00] about how healthcare is gonna be delivered in our community and what's important to us, it's been exciting for them to understand the gem they have in their backyard.

I don't think there's been one conversation that I've had in the last month where they have recognized the value of having a group of physicians that are at the call, that if they have a question, if they want a sounding board, if they need information and insights about healthcare policy or how it shows up in a doctor's office or in an ER or in whatever care is defined, that they have a resource that's right here that can give them real-life examples and real-life influence.

And so to me, that is as important to this conversation of why it's important to be a member, because there are people listening. And when I think about how do we dispel the misinformation, how do [00:20:00] we help inform what policies are gonna help people get access to care, or how are we gonna make sure that your neighbors are able to do the things they wanna be able to do I think that's, that why this might be the best-kept secret in town.

I, and I know we- I've said that a million times in various audiences, but it's true. Literally hot off the presses where I've got a group of policymakers who said, "Can we call you? Will you bring a group of physicians to wherever, X, Y, A, B, C, to help us think about what the future of Columbus looks like and what we should be thinking about?"

And to me, that is a privilege to represent the organization to bring that voice to the table. Something that's hitting me so hard right now, what you're describing is so exciting and you think about the potential where physicians could truly influence. And, since the pandemic, I think one of the things [00:21:00] that weighs so heavily on physicians is the lack of relationship and trust- between them and their patients or them and society, and that doesn't feel good. No. And so you sit here realizing if as physicians we continue to be siloed and we're not collectively working toward common goals- Why would patients be compelled to have trust in us? Or why would local officials want to reach out to us as a community of physicians to get advice and to use our vast knowledge to influence policy or initiatives in our own communities?

It's so important for us to really speak with a common voice. It doesn't mean we all have to feel the exact same way but to, to come together and [00:22:00] have that community. Now, you mentioned that you've said that the CMAA is one of the best-kept secrets in central Ohio, and, it's unfortunate because there's so much good happening here at the CMA and the ripple effect in the community is huge, and I don't know that the central Ohio community outside of the CMA and physicians are even aware of it.

So I really like that the CMA is partnering with, our local leaders, but also now various forms of media to highlight our physicians and the impact of the affiliate programs. And I saw recently in the Friday email from the CMA that Dr. Nita Bhatt has written The first Ask a Doc column in the health section of the Columbus Dispatch, and Physicians Care Connection was highlighted in Columbus Business First.

So in using the media, why is creating awareness especially important now? Because trusted voices [00:23:00] matter. Physicians are practicing in an environment where patients have access to more information and misinformation than ever before. And if you saw that same article or the same newsletter Dr.

Lamont Clay, our new incoming CMA board president, he wrote recently, "There's a time where people worried about Dr. Google." Today we have Dr. Google, AI-generated content, influencers, all kinds of competing information, and to me it makes the voice of the physician more important, not less.

And so that developing trust begins with being more available to the community through those outlets that you're mentioning. So we are really trying to elevate evidence base, trustworthy physician expertises- expertise where people are listening and where they gain their news. And that's why we're partnering with all the media outlets.

I think another one hot off the press that'll probably be in a newsletter in the next couple of weeks is Read with a Doc. So you know how we have Walk with a Doc that has [00:24:00] n- a national following by a local physician leader. He has also developed Read with a Doc, and we are partnering to help bring physicians into libraries in our community where there'll be topics addressed, books selected, and I think the next one is in Hilliard.

I don't have it off the top of my head right now on my calendar, but I can get it for those that would be interested. We can put it in the footnotes of the podcast. But I'd love more physicians to want to be a part of that program. And it's an invitation to invite people to be in their local library.

And it's an hour where folks can come in with a, a question or an, and not an individual health question, obviously. It's more of a a created conversation around a topic area. But I think it's another way that we begin to build that civic community engagement and trust one to one. One-to-one. And that is where I think that trusted voice really [00:25:00] matters, and why I think these media or these more informational engagement sessions are so powerful.

Love that idea. Can't wait to see how that plays out. So Tracy, as we wrap this podcast up, what final words would you like to say to people who are listening? I think I really wanna encourage folks to not underestimate the power of connection. I- the listeners of the podcast are I believe, mostly PLA alumni, and building connection is part of that journey.

But for others listening today, the challenges facing healthcare in our communities are really significant. And I, we talked about upswing and that kind of history lesson, but it does remind us that progress happens when people come together around shared purpose. And we don't solve complex problems in isolation.

We can't. So we solve them through relationships and trust and leadership and collaboration. So I believe that physicians have an extraordinary opportunity to [00:26:00] lead that work. And so the CMA and all the affiliates are , committed to creating that space where physicians can connect, contribute, make a lasting impact.

And the future we want for healthcare and our community is something we build together, not in isolation. Yeah, that's great. Thank you. Before we close out, we should also mention Illuminate which is the CMA celebration. The CMA has had a wonderful celebration every year, and it's such a great time to connect with your colleagues and people at the CMA.

But this year it's taking place at a different CMA, the Columbus Museum of Art, on Thursday, October 22nd. I attended last year and had such a great time, and it's such a beautiful and unique venue. But Tracy, tell us about Illuminate and what physicians would expect from that night. I love the word, by the way.

I love the theme. I have to Lisa to thank for that, Lisa Oyer. This [00:27:00] is gonna be my second annual celebration, and it's already one of my favorite events because we get to celebrate all the things we were just talking about today for the last 30 minutes, right? It's an opportunity to bring people together, to recognize physician leaders, to pass out service awards, to celebrate all the service to our community and highlight all the incredible work that's happening across the CMA and our affiliates.

So this year we're gonna showcase the power of physician leadership, community partnership, and collective impact. And if our vision is to be the home for all physicians to connect, find shared purpose, and build healthier communities I think Illuminate is a wonderful example of that vision coming to life.

That's great. I look forward to seeing you and others there. Tracy, thanks so much for your time today. Really appreciate your unique perspective and really inspiring words. And thank you, the listener for joining us today. More information about and application [00:28:00] for the Physicians Leadership Academy at the Columbus Medical Association can be found at www.physiciansleadershipacademy.org.

We still have a few spots available for the next class beginning September 2026. If you're curious about the personal transformation that can occur in you through the PLA, as well as the impact that this transformation can have for your patients and the community, do something amazing for yourself and fill out an application on the PLA website.

And more information about the Columbus Medical Association and affiliates and CMA member application can be found at columbusmedicalassociation.org. We'll see you next time.