#55 - Doctor's Playbook: Sonali Khurana, MD on Teaching, Humanism, & Medicine

In this episode of The Doctor’s Playbook, we sit down with Dr. Sonali Khurana—academic hospitalist, educator, and core faculty at Rush University Medical Center. With a career spanning oncology hospitalist care, medical education leadership, and quality improvement, she brings a wealth of insight into both the bedside and the classroom.

We explore her clinical reasoning frameworks, the lessons oncology has taught her about seeing patients as whole people, and why debriefing difficult cases is essential for both patient care and physician well-being. Dr. Khurana also shares her journey as a teacher and reflects on how parenthood and partnership in medicine have shaped her approach.

Whether you’re a student navigating uncertainty, a resident honing diagnostic skills, or an attending striving to teach and connect, this episode offers grounded wisdom on practicing medicine with clarity, humility, and humanity.

Lead Host: Andrew Mohama

Guest: Sonali Khurana, MD

Produced By: Andrew Mohama

Alert & Oriented is a medical student-run clinical reasoning podcast dedicated to providing a unique platform for early learners to practice their skills as a team in real time. Through our podcast, we strive to foster a learning environment where medical students can engage with one another, share knowledge, and gain valuable experience in clinical reasoning. We aim to provide a comprehensive and supportive platform for early learners to develop their clinical reasoning skills, build confidence in their craft, and become the best clinicians they can be.

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A fantastic resource, by learners, for learners in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Primary Care, Emergency Medicine, and Hospital Medicine.