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Physician-scientist Diego R. Hijano discusses his article “How humor builds trust in pediatric oncology.” Diego shares how personal loss and his own cultural and linguistic experiences shaped his approach to care, teaching him that laughter can be a bridge in even the darkest hospital rooms. Through stories of playful exchanges with children, language slips, and inside jokes with families, he explains how humor softens fear, restores humanity, and strengthens the patient-physician relationship. Drawing inspiration from Danny Thomas and the legacy of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Diego emphasizes that presence, not perfection, is what patients remember most. Listeners will gain insight into how humor can serve as both a clinical tool and a personal anchor, reminding physicians that healing extends beyond medicine.

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Transcript

Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today we welcome Diego R. Hijano. He’s a pediatric infectious disease physician. Today’s KevinMD article is “How humor builds trust in pediatric oncology.” Diego, welcome to the show.

Diego R. Hijano: Thank you so much for having me, Kevin.

Kevin Pho: All right, so let’s start by briefly sharing your story and journey, and then we could jump into your KevinMD article.

Diego R. Hijano: Yeah. Thank you. So, as you said, I’m a pediatric infectious disease physician. I’m originally from Argentina in South America. I grew up in a small city on the Atlantic coast, so I had a great upbringing. But as I was heading out to medical school, I lost my parents in a car accident. That led to very difficult times during medical school. My older brother took over; he was in law school and my younger sister was finishing high school. So you could imagine three teenagers found in that situation.

But a lot of people always say we were sort of built to face that situation. We were independent, and my family was very supportive, obviously. So I ended up going back to medical school right after the accident, finished, and decided to go into pediatrics. I didn’t know that ID was going to be my specialty, as I had always thought of adult medicine. Pediatrics was completely out of my radar, but I completely fell in love with it. I completed my residency there in Argentina in a big pediatric hospital and had an opportunity to experience some research during residency from a nonprofit organization in Buenos Aires. I felt like that was a really cool way of practicing medicine and impacting more patients.

I got an opportunity through them to come to the U.S. So in 2011, I moved with my wife, a two-year-old daughter, and a three-month-old baby to Nashville, Tennessee. I spent a few years in Nashville, did all my steps, and then ended up coming to St. Jude for my fellowship. I’m now a faculty member that does mostly transplant ID here at St. Jude.

Kevin Pho: All right, so your KevinMD article is titled “How humor builds trust in pediatric oncology.” For those who didn’t get a chance to read your article, tell us what it’s about.

Diego R. Hijano: Yeah. So, you can notice I have an accent. When I came to the U.S. and started practicing, I noticed that a lot of stories were coming out from encounters with patients where I would say a word and they would understand something different. So I would always open up with my last name. It’s very difficult for people here; they say Hijano, Hino. So I say, “I’m Dr. Hijano, but I go by Dr. Diego, like Go, Diego, Go!, Dora’s cousin.”

It’s fading away now where people are not that familiar with *Dora the Explorer* and Diego, but over the years most people would relate to that. And everyone would laugh and it would be an icebreaker. People would remember the name. That connection to me was very important. So I started telling these stories to colleagues, like, “This is how I introduce myself and completely change the environment.”

Or, you know, one time I was rounding late at night. The tongue is a muscle, so it gets tired. I was with a family, and as I was introducing myself, I said, “I’m Diego, and I have this baby shower with me…” And they were just like, “What? You are talking about a baby shower?” And so everyone was laughing out loud. These stories, every time I tell them, resonate with people. So I figured it was time to try to put them all together and share it with the rest of the community.

Kevin Pho: So you obviously, like you said, work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and that’s a place where the sickest children from around the world go to. And these families are under a tremendous amount of stress, of course. So tell us how these small moments of humor help you build connection with these patients and families.

Diego R. Hijano: Yeah, that’s very important. We obviously have a workplace where kids die every day because of their disease, no matter how much you do. Throughout the journey of chemotherapy and transplant, there are a lot of ups and downs. I think we come to a place where we know that sometimes there is nothing to do, or we just don’t have anything to offer but our presence and our connection.

Sometimes these moments, that most of the time were unintended, and now I do them more intentionally, were really a chance for families to also relax and release some of that tension by being able to laugh at their doctor or with their doctor from funny stories or things that were more personal. So this connection of showing that we are vulnerable and that we can laugh at ourselves and make mistakes has really come a long way in families seeing me as like, “Oh, you know, he’s a regular guy just like me.” And this was funny, and that releases some tension and takes you out from that heavy moment that you are going through with your kid being so sick.

Kevin Pho: Now, have you always been like that from a personality standpoint? Have you always had that personality where you would find humor in more situations? Or is this something that you said that was more intentional?

Diego R. Hijano: Yeah, so I reflected a lot on this because certainly during medical school and pediatric residency following the accident with my parents, I was pretty angry for a long time. People would define me as, “Either people love you because you are great and super supportive, or people are afraid of you.” So I would have this sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation. I think by encountering patients and going through these situations, it sort of reflected on, “This is who I used to be, and this is who I want to be.” I don’t need to be that angry person or that sort of person that just goes through the day without engaging. It was a way to also connect back to what my true self is, which is someone that can reach out and be humble and say, “Yeah, this is who you get as a doctor and I’m not perfect, but I’m here for you.”

Kevin Pho: And I think that point is really important. Showing sometimes that vulnerability and showing that human side of you, especially at a place like St. Jude, and as you mentioned, these patients are among the sickest in the world, can help with that connection with patients. That’s showing your humanity.

Diego R. Hijano: Yeah, absolutely.

Kevin Pho: Now, what advice do you give to clinicians who may feel a little bit hesitant about using humor because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing? As you know, we live in a society where sometimes if you do say the wrong thing, you’re going to get punished for it. So what do you say for those physicians for whom humor does not come naturally?

Diego R. Hijano: So I think I start by sharing personal stories. We all have a story to tell and I always talk to trainees and young faculty, “You have a story. You’ve come a long way. You are from somewhere. You grew up somewhere and you had your parents or not.” So just tell a story of something that is relevant to what’s happening. Just go ahead and share that with them. That’s the first step. And humor may not come out of it, but the connection will be there.

Just sharing something personal. So at the end of the day, for me, humor is a way of connecting because of my accent and my nationality and ethnicity. But sometimes I connect with patients through storytelling. You know, with COVID vaccines, it was a huge deal where people were so afraid. And I would say, “Last week, I took my daughter through a drive-through and she got her vaccine because now she was eligible. These were her concerns and these were my concerns as a parent, and this is how we discussed it.”

So sometimes, even beyond humor, start by just being authentic, being you, and telling them something about you that they may not know. It could be your favorite ice cream flavor or what you like to do on the weekend. It just has to be something personal.

Kevin Pho: In your article, you talk about Danny Thomas and his vision for St. Jude. So how does his legacy influence your daily practice as a physician?

Diego R. Hijano: To me, it was a serendipity moment when I was writing about all this and how I ended up working in a place that’s so special, but also started by a comedian who understood that laughter was a way of getting together, of healing us. He obviously has a very rich ancestry and has been able to multiculturally put this place together in Memphis. So to me he’s a great inspiration of not only what you can accomplish, but what’s important, which is we want to make people feel better. So no matter what, they may not remember you, and that’s not the point. They will remember how you made them feel. So just do your best to make people feel better, and you cannot go wrong with that.

Kevin Pho: We are talking to Diego R. Hijano. He is a pediatric infectious disease physician. Today’s KevinMD article is “How humor builds trust in pediatric oncology.” Diego, let’s end with some take-home messages for the KevinMD audience.

Diego R. Hijano: Well, I think the most important thing for me is that in a world where everyone is seeking perfection and everyone is looking at the little details of where you are missing it to call you out, just get rid of that burden. We don’t need perfection. We just need to be present. And in this day and age where everyone is multitasking and doing so many things, for us as physicians, entering a patient’s room is a sacred space. It’s the one place where it’s about the patient. So take advantage of that moment, be present and be yourself, and tell your story. Don’t seek perfection.

Kevin Pho: There you go. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective and insight. Thanks again for coming on the show.

Diego R. Hijano: Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure.