All Episodes

September 12, 2022 36 mins

Dr. Lindsey A. Criswell, is the director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Prior to joining NIAMS, Dr. Criswell was vice chancellor of research at the University of California, San Francisco. 

She has a bachelor’s degree in genetics and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.D. from UCSF. 

As the NIAMS director, Dr. Criswell oversees the Institute’s annual budget of nearly $625 million, which supports research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases. 

Between 1994 and the time she became NIAMS director, Criswell was a principal investigator on multiple NIH grants and published more than 250 peer-reviewed journal papers. 

In this episode, we discuss her journey as a leader in medicine and science. Welcome to Leading the Rounds. 


Questions We Asked: 

  • When did you start to see yourself as a leader? 
  • What experiences helped you build your leadership style? 
  • When you stepped into your current role, did you feel ready? 
  • What are the greatest challenges you face in your current leadership? 
  • When do you know when a good opportunity comes along to pursue? 
  • Were there things in your training that weren’t addressed?
  • How do you avoid being “scooped” in medical research? 
  • How does one decide what leadership route to choose? 
  • How has failure impacted you as a physician, scientist and leader? 


Quotes and Ideas: 

  • My leadership style reflects my own personality 
  • “It really does take a team effort to be successful in science and medicine” 
  • “There’s no one way to be an effective leader” 
  • You can learn a lot by observing people you respect in positions of leadership 
  • “I’m in a stage in my career where I really want to make an impact” 
  • “As an investigator, if you can’t communicate effectively at the appropriate level… you’re not going to be successful.” 
  • Most, if not all, of the impactful research done is a team effort 
  • “Just say no” 
Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.