Rob Optican

Baseball and college hoops.
Healthcare policy idealist and realist. Past and present Blue Devil.
Tweets are my own and do not represent Duke or the ACR.

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@RepGregMurphy Applaud your passion, Greg. But the denominator of this population is not all physicians, just ones that left, the graph plotting the timing of their exit.
Also... it's not the humans, it's the system that needs revision. And IMO largely the fault of Congress.

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@DukeRadiology
This is why it's crucial for radiologists to join the @RadiologyACR and participate in @RADPAC
https://t.co/WvJljoHO6A

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@DukeRadiology
DUKE W TREMENDOUS SHOUT OUTS AT ACR'S PRESTIGIOUS MORETON LECTURE!

[Jerome Adams @JeromeAdamsMD]

My thoughts on Dr. Nicole Saphier, President Trump’s third nominee for Surgeon General:

She has an active medical license and an ongoing clinical practice. (In 2026, we really shouldn’t have to highlight that… but here we are)

She is an exceptionally clear communicator - especially effective at reaching conservative audiences who often tune out traditional public health messaging.

I’ve worked with her before and found her to be genuinely fair-minded. She at least tries to see both sides.

She leans heavily toward “personal responsibility” and is skeptical of government intervention. That’s understandable, but I hope her time leading the Public Health Service and seeing the programs that actually expand healthy options for people who currently have few will soften that stance a bit. You can’t always make the healthy choice when the environment only offers bad ones.

She has no apparent experience running a large organization (the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps has about 6,000 officers). There will be a steep learning curve, but she’s clearly smart enough to handle it, especially if she leans on her experienced senior officers for support.

She has publicly pushed back against both RFK Jr. and President Trump (for example, on claims linking Tylenol or vaccines to autism). That independence is refreshing- She’s no sycophant. The challenge will be maintaining that willingness to speak truth to power once she’s inside the administration instead of commenting from a Fox News studio. Hopefully she’ll be allowed to follow the science wherever it leads.

Overall, this is a solid pick. I believe she’ll be confirmed and that she has both the clinical background and the temperament to do a good job.👇🏽

https://t.co/7WOlRvsVku

[George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway3d]

💯 👏👏👏

[Jonathan Reiner @JReinerMD]

Long term follow up of a phase 1
trial of an mRNA tumor vaccine shows that 7/8 patients with pancreatic cancer, who mounted an immune response to the vaccine, are still alive 6 years later. This is breathtaking data and shows the promise of mRNA vaccines. https://t.co/J1kDmMRZQY

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@MaddiWulfeckMD Video poker comes calling

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@MaddiWulfeckMD Mohammed Ali knows.

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

Psychiatric

[Jonathan Reiner @JReinerMD]

The president’s message today warning that an entire civilization will die cannot be explained away as just bravado, or brinksmanship, and it raises serious concerns about his health. He should undergo an urgent medical evaluation.

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@MaddiWulfeckMD It helps a little if you rotate your cellphone 45 degrees counterclockwise

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@RichDuszak Larry, Zeke, and Curiy

[Rich Duszak, MD @RichDuszak]

Radiologist here. I'm ready to replace ill-informed hospital administrators with AI.

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@MaddiWulfeckMD Even more dangerous if patient on a vent. If the enteric tube creates a bronchial laceration, pulling it out while on positive pressure ventilation is a disaster waiting to happen.

[Maddi Wulfeck, MD @MaddiWulfeckMD]

We’re graduating doctors who:
❌ don’t know ACR appropriateness
❌ learn imaging late
❌ yet still rely on it for EVERYTHING

Make it make sense 🤯

New podcast episode just dropped 🎙️
This one’s about fixing the educational system, not blaming the learner 👇

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@SusieWiles @gtconway3d Best of luck in recovery. Due to amazing research over decades, and dedicated/trained physicians and non physician providers, you will no doubt get lifesaving treatment.

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@MaddiWulfeckMD Take Me Home, Country Roads https://t.co/rrblmYp82r

[Jonathan Reiner @JReinerMD]

Almost everything RFK Jr says here is wrong.
Reyes’s Syndrome is related to aspirin use particularly after a viral illness, but in children, not in pregnant women.
High dose aspirin isn’t recommended during pregnancy because it can cause premature closure of the ductus arteriosis. Low dose aspirin can be used during pregnancy.
Ibuprofen is not used during pregnancy because of concerns about harming the fetal kidneys.
Acetaminophen is considered safe for use during pregnancy.
As always, when you have medical questions, talk to your doctor. The Sec of HHS is not a reliable source of medical information.

[Jerome Adams @JeromeAdamsMD]

As a former U.S. Surgeon General who held an active medical license and practiced medicine while in the role (at Walter Reed and aboard the USS Comfort) it is incomprehensible that the Senate is even considering a nominee for this role who lacks any active license and has never practiced unsupervised. 🤯

[Neiman HPI @NeimanHPI]

📈 New #NeimanHPI study in @JACRJournal: Radiologist turnover rose 61% over the past decade, with clinical workload as the leading factor. Turnover odds doubled in 2020–2022.

When workload hits 12,940 wRVUs, turnover starts climbing fast.
These insights highlight urgent opportunities to strengthen retention across radiology.

#Radiology #HealthPolicy #Workforce #Burnout #MedicalImaging #HPI #JACR #PhysicianWorkforce #HealthcareTrends

https://t.co/8275osnK6u

[Rob Optican @RobOpticanMD]

@anne__rogers Guaranteed to increase bat speed by 1 mph. Couldn't hurt!