Passing the Torch: How a Residency Survives (and Grows) Through Leadership Change

In this episode of PDs at SEA, Dr. David Stahl reconnects with two former colleagues from The Ohio State University to reflect on what happens when leadership changes hands in a residency program. Dr. Amy Bauman, now the program director at OSU, and Dr. Jared Spear, outgoing chief resident, join the conversation to discuss the practical and emotional dimensions of program director transition from three different vantage points: the departing PD, the incoming PD, and the residents navigating the shift.

The discussion explores why program directors move on, how successors step into leadership roles they may or may not have felt ready for, and what residents experience when the person who recruited them is no longer the one leading the program. The conversation also addresses the realities of the job itself: the steady presence of daily fires to manage, the challenge of maintaining boundaries and perspective, and the ways in which mentorship, communication, and shared values carry programs through change.

Despite the inherent uncertainty of leadership turnover, the episode emphasizes continuity of culture, trust, and purpose. It offers reassurance to applicants and residents alike that transitions are common, that strong programs remain strong, and that the work of training physicians continues to be deeply meaningful.

This episode was originally published September 15, 2025 on YouTube