SUS Roslyn Lecture
John Stewart, IV, MD, MBA
Introduced by SUS President Thomas K. Varghese Jr MD, MS, MBA, FACS
20th Academic Surgical Congress
February 11, 2025
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dr. John Stewart, IV, MD, MBA, Professor and Chair of Surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine and SBAS President delivered the 2025 SUS Joel J. Roslyn lecture on February 11, 2025. His remarks focused on an essential aspect of leadership in times of crisis—leading with love and compassion. He set the foundation for his talk by reminding the audience that crisis does not ask for permission and that we will all face crises so we must have the tools and preparation to respond with our best leadership skillset.
Dr. Stewart proposed that the most powerful response to a crisis is love, stemming from courage, compassion and commitment to the well-being of those the leader serves. He outlined four key components: 1) Empathy, 2) Transparency, 3) Servant Leadership, and 4) Leader Self-Care. In Empathy, he challenged us to absorb the emotions of the people we are leading and to demonstrate flexibility that acknowledges the differential experiences of the team members we lead. Next, he delved into Transparency as a critical component of leadership explaining that uncertainty fuels fear leading to speculation and ultimately misinformation. Dr. Stewart reinforced that Transparency builds trust, especially through the leader’s admission that he does not have all of the answers thereby creating opportunities for reciprocal dialog and fostering psychological safety. On the facet of Servant Leadership, he emphasized putting others first with advocacy and leading by example. Lastly, he underscored leader self-care and that “you cannot pour from an empty cup.” Dr. Stewart noted that he has prioritized physical health, employed mindfulness and gratitude, set boundaries, and sought support networks such as the SUS, with friends who are sounding boards and cheerleaders.
After delineating the key components of leading with love, Dr. Stewart dared us to choose love over fear by seeing people and not just problems. He challenged the audience to reflect on how we lead our teams in crises, charging us to lead with love as an action that inspires those around us to rise above whatever crisis we are facing.
