Medvale – June 4, 2025
In healthcare, conflict is often the topic no one wants to name. It’s rarely part of medical training. It’s not listed in job descriptions. And yet, it’s everywhere—especially in high-pressure environments where resources are limited, teams are diverse, and the stakes are high.
That’s precisely where Medvalista Jeff Stuart, MD, has chosen to focus his energy.
With decades of experience as an anesthesiologist, medical staff leader, and chief medical officer, Jeff has seen firsthand how unaddressed conflict corrodes trust, damages teams, and—perhaps most dangerously—gets quietly normalized. In his conversation with Dave Self on Megaphone from Medvale Media, he invites us to stop avoiding conflict and start treating it like the clinical challenge it is: something that can be understood, approached systematically, and improved with the right training.
At Resolved Conflict, the organization Jeff co-founded, the goal is to support young physician leaders by building what he calls conflict competence—a set of skills and perspectives that allow clinicians to engage difficult conversations with confidence and empathy. As Jeff notes, “Nobody wakes up in the morning saying, ‘Today’s the day I’ll go solve some conflict.’” But the consequences of avoidance are real: damaged relationships, poor decisions, even financial loss.
What if we taught physicians to approach interpersonal tension the same way they approach a clinical problem? What if collaboration, not avoidance, became the default?
Drawing from both research and experience, Jeff shares why building conflict competence early—in training and at the start of clinical leadership—is one of the most underutilized strategies for improving not just team performance, but also physician wellness. The episode is also a reminder of the unexpected clarity and teamwork that surfaced during the early days of the pandemic—a time when a shared purpose cut through bureaucracy and brought people together.
Conflict doesn’t have to be the family secret of healthcare. It can be a catalyst for better outcomes.