Offcall Physician Spotlight: Meet Dr. Joseph Shapiro

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1. Joseph, what do you think the public most misunderstands about being a physician in 2026? Getting good healthcare and being healthy has become harder for many people, and they see a parade of economic actors — hospital systems, insurers, drug companies — that seem to be making money off them. There's a natural inclination to lump doctors into that group. But most physicians make significant personal sacrifices to care for patients. We're on their side more than not.

2. Forget pizza parties — what's one way you've coped with burnout that's actually made a difference? Diversification. You have to find ways to be a doctor without spending all day in front of the EMR. For me, that has meant building an academic career — writing, teaching, and ethics consulting.

3. What's the hardest part about being a physician that you think should be talked about more openly? For the ER, it's a white-collar job that is hard on your body. I'm not sure people realize how physically demanding ER work can be with the schedule flipping and late nights. ER physicians don't work 40-hour weeks because we can't. It's more like the NFL — play once a week, then recover — than the MLB, where there's a game almost every day.