Mel Teply

That's Great: Creativity, Improv, Your Professional Life · Nov 3, 2026 · 1h 3m

Can improv make you a better doctor? In Episode 2 of That's Great, Timmy and Mike sit down with Mel Teply, Mike’s childhood neighbor and a palliative care physician at UNMC. We talk about improv as communication training, building self-trust, and why improv might be "group mindfulness." We also get into treating mistakes as information, why laughter is really connection, how AI could change healthcare communication and medical education, and what psychedelic-assisted therapy means for palliative care. Plus, the summer we both worked at Macaroni Grill.