In this powerful episode of From Print to Pod, Dr. Sulana Misra, the author of I Quit as a Civil Surgeon. This Is Why shares the deeply personal and political reasons behind her decision to resign as a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. As immigration policy shifts and ethical boundaries blur, she opens up about the weight of responsibility, the threat to patient data, and the moral dilemma of participating in a system she no longer trusts. This conversation sheds light on how medicine, ethics, activism, and patient care intersect in times of social upheaval.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST → https://www.doctorsonsocialmedia.com/podcast
OUR DIRECTORIES → https://www.doctorsonsocialmedia.com/directories
Takeaways:
- Resigning can be a form of advocacy: Dr. Misra chose to step away from her federal role to stand by her ethics and speak out against harmful immigration practices.
- Physicians must protect patient trust: The attempted access to her full EMR—including non-immigration patients—was a red line that underscored growing federal overreach.
- Ethical discomfort is a red flag: Dr. Misra encourages clinicians to listen to their bodies and instincts when something feels wrong in their practice or environment.
- Silence is not neutral: Staying quiet in the face of injustice can be complicity, especially when physicians hold trusted voices in society.
- The personal cost is real: Her decision meant loss of income and opportunity, but it also brought clarity, solidarity, and a deeper commitment to justice and patient care.
Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome & Introduction
00:45 – What Is a Civil Surgeon?
02:00 – Why Dr. Misra Took the Role
03:30 – What Prompted Her to Quit
07:00 – Ethics, Safety, and Listening to the Body
09:40 – Impact on Her Practice and Colleagues
11:00 – Advocacy Through Resignation
12:00 – Grassroots Physician Activism in LA
13:00 – Patient Data and Ethical Responsibility
14:20 – Final Reflections and A Call to Physicians
Send us a message to tell us what you loved about the show!
Doctorsonsocialmedia.com, or SoMeDocs for short, is a healthcare omnimedia platform committed to promoting autonomy for the individuals in healthcare. Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss our new articles, episodes, or events: https://doctorsonsocialmedia.com/subscribe. Contact us anytime, at somedocs@somedocs.com (please note that we receive many emails and may not respond to all).
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.