Episodes

Oct. 6, 2021

Aduhelm and how money and politics supersede science

"Sufferers of diseases, particularly terrible ones like Alzheimer’s disease, and their loved ones need and deserve something better than science can deliver today. However, the scientific rigor of the clinical trials process where approval is only...

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Oct. 5, 2021

Physician identity: who you are vs. what you do

"'Hi, my name is Kristin Yates, and I am the OB/GYN doctor.' This is how I greet most patients for the first time. It has never really felt natural to introduce myself as 'Dr. Yates,' even now that I have …

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Oct. 4, 2021

Why people diagnosed with cancer should get a second opinion

"Although people think of medicine as a science—the facts reveal the diagnosis, the diagnosis dictates the treatment—most physicians acknowledge that medicine is as much an art as a science. It’s not like a simple math equation with one...

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Oct. 3, 2021

Medicine's science has advanced. Medicine's art has stalled.

"I was a bit nervous about how she would perceive my advice. She could find it inappropriate and report me for making personal remarks. But I believe she sensed the sincerity in my words and appeared invigorated, uplifted, and excited. …

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Oct. 2, 2021

From a patient to health care workers: Always remember your humanity

"Always remember your humanity. You are not super-human. Make connections to your heart, to your mind, to others. Look closely at the situation that lies before you, listen carefully to all that is around you, and calm the pounding heart. …

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Oct. 1, 2021

Humane health care outcomes by creating therapeutic alliances

"In fully-humanized health care, I envision patients as clients, with doctors as part of the health care team in a role more akin to expert consultants and skilled proceduralists. The consumer is empowered in the network to drive his or …

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Sept. 30, 2021

How to get patients vaccinated against COVID-19

"While opposition to the vaccine may be hardening, pediatricians and family physicians enjoy an advantage the CDC and Dr. Fauci may not: namely, they are liked and trusted by patients. In general, parents look to personal physicians for guidance and...

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Sept. 29, 2021

An American doctor in Rome

"The idea was to try working in Rome for a year and see how it went. This sensible American plan collapsed under the weight of Italian bureaucracy. Luckily I didn’t investigate every angle before starting off; if I had known …

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Sept. 28, 2021

When it comes to bias, doctors need to do their homework

"I have no doubt, given my extensive experience in health care and being a Black woman in America, that we as health care professionals have made the same mistakes as Chris Harrison with our patients. Instead of listening to and …

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Sept. 27, 2021

Dr. Lorna Breen's lasting legacy

"We have a chance to take a meaningful step in fighting burnout and mental health issues in the health care profession. We have lost too many valued and vibrant health care professionals due to an illness that is treatable but …

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Sept. 26, 2021

Burnout and bias? Or medical gaslighting?

"Five years into my practice as an academic allergist/immunologist, my perceptions continue to evolve. Though once primarily informed by my mentors’ wisdom, I continue incorporating my experiences as both physician and autoimmune patient to guide my...

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Sept. 25, 2021

What do physicians really want in life?

"It is no wonder that in 2020, a Doximity physician compensation report revealed there were no specialties in medicine in which women earned the same or more than men. We can all agree that many things could account for this, …

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Sept. 24, 2021

Our health care system may be failing, but it isn’t broken

"The problem with health care isn’t 'fixing' the system. The problem is continuing to ensure that profits can be made and millions can be employed while better health care outcomes and experiences are achieved. We won’t find the solution to …

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Sept. 23, 2021

Primary care: the variety and the intimacy of the problems I see

"Fifteen minutes for a checkup or urgent problem, thirty minutes for a physical. In the tiny gasps of time in between: Refilling scripts, checking labs, and signing medical supply orders and insurance authorization requests. Maybe lunch. Maybe a...

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Sept. 22, 2021

Try this new technique when talking to vaccine skeptics

"When we hear skepticism, our first instinct may be to end the conversation. After all, why spend our time trying to convince someone who has made up their mind? Our second instinct may be to counter the person’s position without …

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Sept. 21, 2021

Digital health equity is an emerging gap in health

"The pandemic has demonstrated the value of online platforms, especially in health care – but equitable access has not matched this growth. Sadly, many Americans cannot reap the benefits of connectivity. State and federal funding sources are...

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Sept. 20, 2021

Compassion and patient rapport building in health care

"As we enter a year and a half into a worldwide pandemic, many of us working in health care are fatigued, over-worked, and burned out on compassion. Burnout has been so widespread that the CDC published guidelines on how to …

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Sept. 19, 2021

Racial disparities in surgical care

"As a practicing surgeon for 30 years in the super-specialized field of otology, neurotology and skull base surgery, I have been privy to some of the most disturbing realities of surgical care. Often, these realities are bleaker than most people...

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Sept. 18, 2021

Where does the joy and meaning in medicine dwell?

"The same question could be asked about the joy and meaning in medicine. Where does it dwell? And the answer may be the same. It dwells wherever we choose to let joy and meaning in medicine into our physician-healer lives. …

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Sept. 17, 2021

Who needs scientists? It’s not like we listen to them anyway.

"I am a proud science-trained medical doctor and concerned mother. I am not going to remain silent when the biggest tragedies are yet to hit earth yet. Like seriously, I do not want to become like the dinosaurs. History wasn’t …

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Sept. 16, 2021

Dying after leaving against medical advice

"This is where we are: Hospitalizations rising, new variants that are more infectious, and many people believing that this is all a hoax, or that millions of people have conspired together to make injections that harm people rather than helping …

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Sept. 15, 2021

Take back the power and joy of being a doctor

"What can we control? Our behavior and our responses to circumstances. Focusing on what is in our power to control and putting all our energy and efforts in the right places and for the right reasons seems to be a …

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Sept. 14, 2021

Eradicate the disability tax, before it’s too late

"Some may say that we all come into this world with our own luck, and if we end up having to endure a disability, then other people in society should not be held financially responsible. To that I say, do …

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Sept. 13, 2021

Why physician-specialized private counseling practices are important

"Attending physicians struggling with a mental health issue should consider contacting a counselor first, rather than a department head or employer resource. A counselor can assess the mental health issue, offer treatment recommendations, and provide...

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