The Paradigm Concept – Episode 20
In this episode of The Paradigm Concept, host Dr. David Rallis sits down with Dr. Kyle Ettinger, oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Mayo Clinic and a leader in head and neck oncologic surgery. Recorded in Denver during an exciting collaboration between Paradigm Oral Health and Mayo Clinic, this conversation explores the mindset, culture, and technology shaping the future of surgery and oral health.
Dr. Ettinger reflects on his path from the Pacific Northwest to Mayo Clinic, where he trained, returned to practice, and now helps lead innovation within the Department of Surgery. Along the way, he shares how mentorship, competition, discipline, and a relentless pursuit of improvement shaped his development as a surgeon. He and Dr. Rallis also discuss the weight of caring for patients in high-stakes surgical settings, the importance of team culture, and why surgeons must always be looking for ways to improve rather than assuming they have arrived.
Together, they dive into some of the most exciting opportunities in modern healthcare, including digital twins, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, surgical video analysis, and large-scale data. They also unpack the vision behind Paradigm Innovation Institute, or Pi2, as a physical and virtual platform for advancing education, collaboration, research, and innovation across oral health. The result is a wide-ranging conversation about excellence, future-focused thinking, and what becomes possible when great people come together around a shared mission.
Key Points From This Episode
- The road to Mayo Clinic: Dr. Ettinger shares his journey from Washington state to Mayo Clinic and why its culture immediately stood out as something unique.
- A family shaped by surgery: He reflects on being an identical twin whose brother also pursued a demanding surgical specialty, and how competition and shared traits shaped them both.
- What drives elite performers: The conversation explores the mindset behind mastery, including why some people are drawn to difficult paths and never stop refining their work.
- Why perfection is never finished: Dr. Ettinger explains why great surgeons cannot assume they have arrived and how reflection, review, and repetition remain essential at every level.
- The weight of patient trust: In high-acuity surgery, patients are entrusting surgeons with life-changing outcomes, which makes preparation, discipline, and consistency non-negotiable.
- The Mayo Clinic model: Dr. Rallis and Dr. Ettinger discuss Mayo’s patient-first culture, operational excellence, and the systems that allow clinicians to focus on delivering exceptional care.
- Building strong teams: From support staff to surgical teams, both discuss why people are the most important asset in healthcare and how culture is built through shared values and commitment.
- Training the next generation: The episode examines the challenge of educating residents in a rapidly changing world and why the traditional “see one, do one, teach one” model is no longer enough.
- Flattening the learning curve: They discuss the responsibility educators have to help surgeons reach competence faster and more safely through better tools and teaching methods.
- The role of VR and robotics: Dr. Ettinger shares how virtual reality, robotics, and surgical guidance systems could improve training, consistency, and patient safety in the years ahead.
- Digital twins and preserved expertise: The conversation explores the possibility of capturing elite surgical judgment and educational insight so expertise can be scaled and preserved over time.
- Big data and individualized care: They discuss how large clinical datasets may help answer questions faster, identify rare outcomes, and eventually tailor treatment decisions to each patient more precisely.
- Why oral health must be viewed systemically: Dr. Ettinger and Dr. Rallis make the case that oral health should no longer be treated as separate from the rest of the body.
- The vision for Pi2: Paradigm Innovation Institute is introduced as a physical and virtual platform for education, research, collaboration, and innovation in oral health.
- What comes next: At its core, this episode is about building something bigger than any one person, bringing together the right minds, and creating the future rather than waiting for it.
