Medical Interest: Recent Episodes
ReachMD
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Christopher D. Altman, PharmD
How can we improve rates for shingles vaccination across all ethnicities? To find out how, Dr. Jennifer Caudle is joined by Dr. Christopher Altman to explore discrepancies in vaccination rates.
Sponsored by GSK
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Kyle Staller, MD, MPH
Chronic abdominal pain can be caused by many things—including hereditary angioedema (HAE). Are there any barriers to diagnosing patients with HAE? Dr. Peter Buch speaks with Dr. Kyle Staller from the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Mass General to explore the differential diagnosis for HAE and share what clinicians should be on the lookout for.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Gregory Sepich-Poore, MD/PhD
Results from a recent study detail the impact that fungi can have in human cancer tumors. What do we need to know? Mario Nacinovich speaks with one of the researchers, Dr. Gregory Sepich-Poore from UC San Diego, to dive further into these results and their impact on cancer therapeutics.
Host: Charles P. Vega, MD
Guest: Alejandra Hurtado
National trends highlight the necessity of a diverse workforce that can better meet the needs of underserved Latino communities. Hear about the real impact being made by training programs designed to meet community needs through the eyes of a medical student as she discusses her cultural background and future aspirations to give back to the health of her community. Will you be inspired to offer mentorship opportunities and diversify your staff to provide culturally appropriate care?
Host: Charles P. Vega, MD
Guest: Alvaro E. Galvis, MD, PhD
How does a patient's culture impact their health behaviors? Find clues in a case highlighting how cultural responsiveness leads to open patient-clinician communication that is the cornerstone of good clinical care.
Listen in as 2 leading experts address disparities by breaking down barriers and building better communication with Latino patients. Will you evolve your clinical approach by taking the necessary (easy) steps to help overcome medical mistrust?
Host: Charles P. Vega, MD
Guest: Kareen Y. Espino, MD
What is cultural humility, and how can it be incorporated into clinical practice? How does a patient's culture impact their health behaviors, and why does your own culture and your “practice” approach matter?
Listen in as 2 leading experts navigate concerns surrounding cultural humility and emphasize the importance of empathy while they review tips for improved communication with Latino patients. There are easy ways to integrate small but meaningful changes into your clinical practice to help bridge communication gaps and enable your patients to live healthier lives.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: David Mohr, PhD
In addition to potentially improving access to mental health care, digital tools have also been shown to improve symptoms in many types of mental illness1 and can serve as an adjunct to psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. Despite this, these tools have not yet been widely adopted in the United States. So what are some strategies we can use to implement these tools and develop an improved framework? Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss mental health treatments and their application in clinical practice is Dr. David Mohr, a Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Reference:
- Mohr DC, Azocar F, Bertagnolli A, et al. Banbury Forum Consensus Statement on the Path Forward for Digital Mental Health Treatment. Psychiatr Serv. 2021;72(6):677-683.
December 2022 US.UNB.X.22.00074
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Natalia Castillo Almeida, MD
Patients in urban communities often face challenges when accessing influenza vaccines. But there are ways we can help address those geographic and socioeconomic barriers. Joining Dr. Charles Turck to share key strategies for improving influenza vaccination rates in urban communities is Dr. Natalia Castillo, Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Host: Christina Madison, BS, PharmD, BCACP, AAHIVP
In the midst of a potential tridemic between COVID-19, RSV, and influenza, it’s now more critical than ever to raise awareness among patients about the importance of flu vaccines. Here to provide counseling strategies for educating patients about flu vaccines is Dr. Christina Madison, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Roseman University of Health Sciences.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Carolyn Bridges, MD
We all know that influenza vaccinations can help prevent serious infections and save lives. But how often do you consider the underrecognized benefits of these vaccines—like how influenza vaccinations can be a cost-effective solution for both patients and the entire healthcare system? Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss these underrecognized benefits and how we can educate patients about the benefits of influenza vaccination is Dr. Carolyn Bridges, Director of Adult Immunizations at Immunize.org.
Host: Kevin Cleveland, PharmD, ANP
Older adults face a variety of unique challenges that increase their risk of serious influenza infections. But fortunately, vaccinations can help address these challenges. Learn more with Dr. Kevin Cleveland, Associate Professor at the Idaho State University College of Pharmacy.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Kimberly McKeirnan, Pharm.D., BCACP
Vaccination rates are much lower in rural communities compared to other regions, which has a big impact on patients and the larger healthcare system as a whole. So what are some of the factors contributing to this disparity, and what strategies can we use to address them? Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss how we can increase vaccination rates in rural communities is Dr. Kimberly McKeirnan, Director of the Center for Pharmacy Practice Research at Washington State University.
Host: Paul Paik, MD
Guest: Catherine Shu, MD
Take a deep dive into current and ongoing clinical trials related to MET inhibitors and discover the key distinctions between these agents, such as dosing differences. Our experts also have recommendations on appropriate therapy selection for your patients with advanced NSCLC harboring MET exon 14 skipping mutations.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: A. Mark Fendrick, MD
With the relaunch of the Cancer Moonshot initiative, implementing strategies to overcome disparities in cancer screening is critical to reducing the rate of cancer mortality. Dr. Charles Turck joins Dr. Mark Fendrick to explore these disparities, and discuss the role of multicancer detection tests.
Host: Pavani Chalasani MD, MPH
Guest: Hope S. Rugo, MD
Results from the TROPiCS-02 trial may impact survival for patients with receptor–positive/HER2-negative breast cancer. To find out why, Dr. Hope Rugo from the University of California San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center joins Dr. Pavani Chalasani to talk about the study and how it might impact the future of breast cancer treatment.
Host: John Buse, MD, PhD
Guest: Seth Berkowitz, MD, MPH
Food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help relieve food insecurity. But can they also lower healthcare spending? To answer this question, Dr. John Buse sits down with Dr. Seth Berkowitz from the Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Host: Torie Comeaux Plowden, MD, MPH, FACOG
Guest: Sateria Venable
Do you want to be part of the solution? Pain and pelvic pressure, heavy menstrual bleeding, and dysmenorrhea should not be considered “normal” in a woman’s history. Diagnosing uterine fibroids or endometriosis early can help women improve their quality of life, preserve their uterus, and preserve their future fertility. Medical management can achieve this, but too often a hysterectomy is the only intervention offered. Tune in to hear from Dr. Torie Comeaux Plowden and Sateria Venable talk about the need for widespread educational efforts to address proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment, that can minimize the physical, mental, and socioeconomic effects of endometriosis and uterine fibroids.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Richard Kojan, MD
As the fight against Ebola continues, can a new biosecure emergency care unit (CUBE) and therapeutic guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) help combat this disease? Mario Nacinovich joins study Dr. Richard Kojan, President of the Alliance for International Medical Action, to discuss these new guidelines.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Siwen Wang, MD
Have our patients experienced anxiety, depression, and stress following a COVID-19 infection? Joining Mario Nacinovich to dive into emerging research on post-COVID-19 psychological distress is Dr. Siwen Wang, a researcher in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Laila Woc-Colburn, MD, DTM&H, FACP, FIDSA
Guest: John P. Cooke, MD, PhD
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient disparities that have impacted the development and delivery of mRNA medicine. What do we need to know about these obstacles, and how can we overcome them? Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Drs. John P. Cooke and Laila Woc-Colburn to explore barriers to access.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Daniel R. Karlin, MD, MA
Digital tools have emerged as one of the newest therapeutic modalities for behavior modification in several chronic psychiatric diseases,1 such as major depressive disorder, chronic insomnia, and substance use disorders. But what exactly are these digital tools, and what does their use look like in practice? Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to answer those and other key questions regarding the use of digital tools in psychiatry is Dr. Daniel Karlin, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University in Boston and Chief Medical Officer at MindMed in New York City.
References:
- Patel NA, Butte AJ. Characteristics and challenges of the clinical pipeline of digital therapeutics. NPJ Digit Med. 2020;3:159.
August 2022 US.UNB.X.22.00018
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Matthew N. Brams, MD
Since the use of digital tools in psychiatry and mental health treatment is already a reality, it’s important to know how to find the digital tool that best suits your and your patients’ needs and—perhaps even more importantly—how to encourage patients to use the tool. That’s why Dr. Charles Turck speaks with Dr. Matthew Brams, who shares the benefits of digital tools, the data he’s able to gain from them, how he talks to patients, and more.
July 2022 US.UNB.X.22.00009
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: William Schaffner, MD
Before recommending the new COVID-19 booster, what do we need to know about this vaccine, and which of our patients fit the criteria for it? To learn the latest on what experts have to say about the new COVID-19 booster, Dr. Charles Turck speaks with Dr. William Schaffner from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Charles P. Gerba, MD
A recent case of polio emerging in New York City have clinicians questioning whether or not we need to be concerned about a spread. What do we need to know about this case—and our potential risk—of polio? Joining Mario Nacinovich to take a look at this case is microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, a Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona.
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
Guest: Jonathan S. Weiss, MD
Physician assistants (PAs) are licensed to practice medicine to provide many of the same services as a physician. And they may even train in dermatology. But what do we need to take into consideration when bringing a PA into a dermatology practice? Joining Dr. Michael Greenberg to discuss the ethics of this all-too-common situation is Dr. John Weiss, President and Co-Managing Partner at Georgia Dermatology Partners.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Charles P. Gerba, MD
With rates of monkeypox continuing to rise, what do we need to know about this disease? And how easily can it spread from one person to another? Tune in to hear from renowned microbiologist, Dr. Charles Gerba, a Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona as he explores these topics with Mario Nacinovich.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Julia Bilinska, MD
Guest: Aatish Patel, MD
Monkeypox continues to spread around the globe, and its clinical manifestations can differ from what we’ve seen. What are the newest symptoms of this disease? Learn more about these manifestations from Drs. Aatish Patel and Julia Bilinska from Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London as they talk about their research with Host, Mario Nacinovich.
Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH
Guest: Sameed Khatana, MD, MPH
As global temperatures continue to rise, experts are calling attention to the devastating effects this can have on human health. Cardiovascular mortality is especially a concern, as two recent studies from the University of Pennsylvania outlined the connection between these two health risks. To learn more about how climate change can impact our cardiovascular health, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Sameed Khatana, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Eamonn Quigley, MD
Have you ever wondered what the practice of gastroenterology will look like in 10 years? If so, you’re not alone. And to help clear up that crystal ball, Dr. Peter Buch speaks with Dr. Eamonn Quigley about what’s to come in gastroenterology.
Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH
Guest: Alice White, PhD
Guest: Christopher Chen, MD, PhD
There is currently no safe way to get a close-up view of the human heart, which is exactly why a team of Boston University researchers created a device to mimic the human organ. So how does the new device called miniPUMP work, and how was it developed? To discuss this, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Alice White and Dr. Christopher Chen from Boston University.
Host: Jerome Lisk, MD
Guest: Mark Mintz, MD
Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have shown to aid with neurological disease diagnosis, risk stratification, treatment response, and more. So what are the newest AI applications? And perhaps even more importantly, what’s to come in the future? To find out the answer to these and other key questions, Dr. Jerome Lisk speaks with Dr. Mark Mintz, Chief Medical Officer and Founder of NeurAbilities Healthcare, to discuss emerging AI tools in the field of neurology.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Andrew Ong MBChB, MRCP, FAMS
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) varies by geography, culture, and environment. So to learn more about IBS in the Asian population, Dr. Peter Buch welcomes Dr. Andrew Ong, who discusses the differences between IBS in the Asian population compared to North America and the importance of considering cultural differences when confronting IBS.
Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD
Guest: Anita Afzali MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF
Guest: Aline Charabaty, MD
Although the rate of females in gastroenterology has increased, gender disparities such as equal pay and leadership positions still persist. That’s why Drs. Aline Charabaty and Anita Afzali co-founded Scrubs & Heels, a leadership organization working to foster professional growth for women in gastroenterology. And now, they join Dr. Neil Nandi to discuss Scrubs & Heels’ mission and how we can close gender disparities and promote women in the field of gastroenterology.
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
Guest: Lynn McKinley-Grant, MD, FAAD
Psoriatic disease looks and feels different for people of color, and these differences may affect their diagnosis, treatment, and—by extension—quality of life. In fact, more than 50 percent of people with psoriatic arthritis experience a 2-year delay in diagnosis and a lower quality of life compared to white patients. So how can we help close the diagnostic gap and provide better care for our patients of color with psoriatic arthritis? To find out, Dr. Michael Greenberg is joined by Dr. Lynn McKinley-Grant, Associate Professor of Dermatology at Howard University College of Medicine.
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
Guest: Esther Freeman, MD, PhD
Guest: Steven Chen, MD, MPH, MHPEd
With the recent rise of monkeypox cases around the world, dermatologists will be some of the first to evaluate and diagnose patients with the disease. So to help those on the frontlines, Dr. Esther Freeman, Director of Global Health Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Steven Chen, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, share what dermatologists need to know about monkeypox.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
The COVID-19 pandemic has entirely transformed the educational community, especially for medical students. To find out more about this impact, Dr. Peter Buch is joined by two fourth-year medical school students, Miss Sheila Eghbali and Mr. Kyle Glose, to discuss their experiences.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Amesh Adalja, MD
Monkeypox is not something we’re used to seeing in non-endemic countries like North America and Europe. Yet its spreading has some experts scratching their heads. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, shares with Dr. John Russell what clinicians need to know about monkeypox amid the global outbreak in non-endemic countries.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS
Let’s escape our busy day for a moment to imagine the future of gastroenterology and to ask ourselves: How can technology make us better clinicians? Explore that very question with Drs. Peter Buch and Brennan Spiegel as they discuss the latest advances in artificial intelligence and virtual reality that are aiding both clinical practice and research efforts.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare field has been hit hard—facing employment challenges, increased burnouts, and more. Yet salaries have been slow to rise, and conditions haven't improved. Dr. Thuy Nguyen from the University of Michigan School of Public Health joins Dr. Charles Turck to share how employment in the healthcare field has changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Jerome Lisk, MD
Guest: Peter Whitehouse, MD, PhD
The FDA’s recent approval of aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has been met with a controversial response. So what do we need to know about this new drug and its potential to treat this progressive neurological disorder? Dr. Jerome Lisk is joined by Dr. Peter Whitehouse from Case Western Reserve University to break down the approval of this new drug and what it could mean for patients.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Lea Ann Chen, MD
As clinicians, we know that adherence to treatment regimens is associated with improved outcomes in our patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, many factors can contribute to a patient's nonadherence, and understanding what those factors are, especially in underserved patient populations, is an important category of care that we need to keep in mind. Tune in to hear Dr. Peter Buch speak with Dr. Lea Ann Chen about how we can manage IBD in underserved patient populations.
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
Guest: Dustin Portela, DO
The prevalence of social media has grown significantly over the past few decades, and within the field of medicine, we’ve seen a rise in dermatologists using these platforms to grow their professional network, improve patient care, and provide essential education. But what ethical challenges arise from a widespread social media presence, and how can we navigate those challenges? To find out, Dr. Michael Greenberg speaks with Dr. Dustin Portela about his online presence as 208SkinDoc.
Host: Jerome Lisk, MD
Guest: Ashok K. Shetty, PhD
Gulf War Illness is a chronic condition characterized by physiological and psychological symptoms, including cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, and depression. But what’s currently known about this debilitating condition that affects nearly 30 percent of Gulf War veterans? And how can we treat them? Find out with Dr. Jerome Lisk as he speaks with Dr. Ashok Shetty from Texas A&M University College of Medicine.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Amy McGorry PT, DPT, MTC
Guest: Catherine C. Crowley, PhD, CCC-SLP
COVID-19 has led to several unexpected challenges, impacting several parts of the body, including our patients' voices. What do we need to know about these impacts to better care for our patients? To answer this question, Drs. Amy McGorry and Catherine Crowley of Long Island University in New York join Dr. Charles Turck to share their clinical experience with vocal fatigue and dysphonia related to COVID-19.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Edith Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCPP, FRCP
Appointed member to the President's Cancer Panel and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Edith Mitchell, shares what the panel recommends to close gaps in cancer screening in the U.S.—with a focus on colorectal cancer—to improve access for all patients.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Edith Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCPP, FRCP
Widespread health disparities have led to challenges in colorectal cancer screening. What's causing these disparities—and what are some ways we can overcome these obstacles? To dive into this topic, Dr. Jacob Sands is joined by Dr. Edith Mitchell from Thomas Jefferson University to discuss these disparities and how they may be impacting clinical outcomes.
Guest: Claresa Levetan, MD
How can we better communicate lifestyle changes and glucose monitoring levels with our diabetic patients? Dr. Claresa Levetan, an endocrinologist at Grand View Health in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, shares key communication strategies she uses with her patients.
Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD
Guest: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH
In a groundbreaking procedure, a 57-year-old man with life-threatening heart disease received a heart from a genetically altered pig. Surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center performed the 8-hour operation, making it the first successful transplant of a pig's heart into a human being. And while much is still uncertain, what could this achievement mean for the future of organ transplantation? That’s what ReachMD hosts Dr. Matthew Sorrentino and Dr. Javed Butler explore together.
Please note: Since the date of publication, David Bennet, the patient who received a heart transplant from a pig, died at the age of 57 at the University of Maryland Medical Center on March 8, 2022.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Drew Weissman, MD, PhD
Guest: Katalin Karikó, PhD
As mRNA technology continues to emerge and evolve, Penn Researchers Dr. Drew Weissman and Dr. Katalin Karikó join Dr. John Russell to take a deep dive into the future of mRNA technology.
Guest: Pranay Sinha, MD
Where are we on the path to eliminating tuberculosis? To understand this, Dr. Pranay Sinha, a postdoctoral researcher at Boston Medical Center, discusses what we need to know and shares what’s on the horizon for TB elimination.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on all patients, especially pregnant women. Here to walk us through her research on the pandemic's impact on the psychosocial health of mothers and the neurodevelopment of their fetuses is Dr. Dani Dumitriu, a pediatrician, neuroscientist, and pediatric environmental health scientist at Columbia University in New York.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Benjamin Abramoff, MD, MS
Once a patient is discharged from the hospital after battling COVID-19, the war they face with this disease may not be over. In fact, many patients continue to experience long-term effects, which is why some institutions have formed clinics that are solely dedicated to caring for these patients. To learn more about how one such clinic is helping patients manage these devastating effects, Dr. John Russell speaks to physiatrist Dr. Benjamin Abramoff from the Post-COVID Assessment and Recovery Clinic at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: William Schaffner, MD
From widespread variants to the threat of a twindemic -- what has the COVID-19 pandemic taught us? And can we learn to coexist with this virus? Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. William Schaffner from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases to discuss what's on the horizon for the pandemic.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Leana S. Wen, MD, MSc
From immigrant child to public health leader, emergency physician and medical expert Dr. Leana Wen sits down with Dr. John Russell to share her journey. Together, they’ll discuss the personal experiences that have framed her career.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Linda Bradley, MD
While many people across the country have access to COVID-19 vaccines, there are certain communities where access is not as easy. So what can we do to address the vaccination gaps and barriers to care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond? Find out with Dr. Hector Chapa as he speaks with Dr. Linda Bradley from Case Western Reserve University, who shares a brief history of the presence of social determinants of health and racial disparities across our nation and how they impact our current vaccination efforts.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Linda Bradley, MD
Medical commentators have stated that medicine as a profession is sick. So what can medicine do to change and better impact the community? That’s the exact question Dr. Hector Chapa explores with Dr. Linda Bradley from Case Western Reserve University. Together, they’ll discuss why social determinants of health exist, the impact they have on communities, and even more importantly, how we can combat them.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are also facing high rates of HIV and AIDS prevalence. But after the success of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, could an mRNA vaccine for HIV/AIDS be on the horizon? Here to explore emerging research and the potential role that mRNA technology might have in battling this global epidemic is Dr. Chris Beyrer, a Professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Yasmin Jayasinghe, FRANZCOG, PhD
Cancer treatment can impact fertility outcomes for individuals throughout the U.S. as well as around the globe, which is why the emerging field of oncofertility is here to help male and female patients navigate their fertility options before and after their cancer treatments. So what can we learn from oncofertility services and efforts from other countries around the world? Joining Dr. Jacob Sands to share her global viewpoints on the field of oncofertility is Dr. Yasmin Jayasinghe, Director of the Oncofertility Program at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Guest: Jeniffer Hernandez, PhD
Over 1.5 million viruses could potentially cause a future pandemic. Could antibodies be the key to neutralizing those viruses? Here to share how future vaccination efforts might incorporate neutralizing antibodies and her research on preventing future pandemics is Dr. Jeniffer Hernandez, Associate Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the Keck Graduate Institute.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS
Social media and the ability to quickly spread information across the internet has allowed misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccines and the disease itself to spread like wildfire. But the good news is that when armed with effective counseling strategies and data from initiatives like the COVID-19 Tracking Project, we as clinicians can help stop the spread of harmful conspiracies and myths. Joining Dr. John Russell to talk about those essential strategies and the COVID-19 Tracking Project is infectious disease epidemiologist Ms. Jessica Rivera.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Emily Carroll, JD, MSW
The No Surprises Act aims to protect consumers from surprise medical bills. But how exactly does it go about doing that, and what’s the current status of its implementation? Joining Dr. Charles Turck to share progress and challenges associated with the No Surprises Act is Ms. Emily Carroll, a senior legislative attorney for the American Medical Association's Advocacy Resource Center.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Tejas Patil, MD
What kind of role does next-generation sequencing play in HER2-mutated non-small cell lung cancer? Dr. Jacob Sands is joined by Dr. Tejas Patil from the University of Colorado Medicine to explore the clinical utility of NGS and highlight opportunities to expand molecular testing into clinical practice.
Host: Jerome Lisk, MD
Guest: Tissa Wijeratne MD PhD FRACP FRCP FAAN
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and clinicians alike have strived to address the mysteries surrounding the virus, including its long-term side effects on patients. So what we do need to know about the emerging syndrome pointing to COVID-19’s neurological and cognitive impacts? To find out, Dr. Jerome Lisk is joined by Dr. Tissa Wijeratne, the Director of the Department of Neurology and Stroke Services at the University of Melbourne, to talk about post-COVID-19 neurological syndrome.
Guest: Maureen Brogan, MD
From emerging treatment options to finding new ways to combat healthcare disparities, a lot was covered at the 2021 American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Annual Meeting. And here to talk about some of the latest updates is Dr. Maureen Brogan, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Clinical Director in the Division of Nephrology at Montefiore Medical Center.
Guest: John Friedewald, MD
The 2021 American Society of Nephrology Annual Meeting covered everything from inequities in organ allocation to policy updates. Here to share those and other key takeaways from the conference is Dr. John Friedewald, Professor of Medicine and Surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Randy C. Miles, MD, MPH
Are enlarged lymph nodes caught on CT scans following mRNA vaccination cause for concern? Or is it just a case of incidentaloma? Joining Dr. John Russell to answer those and other key questions regarding the link between COVID-19 vaccines and abnormal mammogram findings is Dr. Randy C. Miles.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Onyema Ogbuagu MBBCh, FACP, FIDSA
With so many questions and confusion points surrounding booster shots, what do we need to know? Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, Associate Professor in the section of Infectious Diseases at Yale University School of Medicine, to answer common questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
Guest: Jeniffer Hernandez, PhD
mRNA vaccines are far from the only emerging technology out there. Dr. Jeniffer Hernandez, Associate Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the Keck Graduate Institute, reflects on where vaccine technology is headed.
Guest: Cynthia Leifer, PhD
With variants continuing to emerge, how are the COVID-19 vaccines faring. Here to share how these vaccines are holding up—and what that means for future variants—is Dr. Cynthia Leifer, Professor of Immunology at Cornell University.
Guest: Cynthia Leifer, PhD
In the midst of a global pandemic, where do vaccine ethics come into play? Dr. Cynthia Leifer, a Professor of Immunology at Cornell University, reviews diversity in clinical trial, the impact of vaccine mandates, and more.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Animesh Ray, PhD
Getting ahead of the next pandemic may be possible thanks to deep machine learning’s ability to predict the structure of antibodies. And while that may sound like science fiction, this technology is currently being studied, which is why Dr. Animesh Ray from the Keck Graduate Institute joins Dr. Charles Turck to provide insight on where the research currently lies and what we have to look forward to.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Sheng Xu, PhD
Sheng Xu, Professor of Nanoengineering, Bioengineering, Computer and Electrical Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, meets with Dr. Alan Brown to discuss his innovative technology to change the way we predict cardiovascular risks.
Guest: Randy Cron, MD, PhD
Dr. Randy Cron, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Director of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology at Children’s of Alabama, shares highlights from his session on “Rheumatology Complications of Emerging Viral Infections and SARS-CoV-2” from the 2021 American College of Rheumatology Convergence.
Host: Laura Cappelli, MD, MHS,MS
What does the future of rheumatology look like around the globe? Here to give a quick overview of her presentation at the 2021 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence is Dr. Laura Cappelli, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Division of Rheumatology and a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: René F. Najera, DrPH
Misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccines have prevented patients from getting vaccinated. How should we talk to our patients about these misconceptions? Dr. Charles Turck joins epidemiologist, Dr. René Najera, to review leading myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines and how we can counsel our patients.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Charles P. Vega, MD
The development of mRNA vaccines marked a turning point in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, but what do we need to know about this emerging vaccine technology? Dr. Jennifer Caudle and Dr. Charles Vega, a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of California Irvine, discuss some of the benefits and common concerns.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
The global pandemic incited the expedited development of COVID-19 vaccines. But how did that change the development process? ReachMD host and Family Medicine Physician, Dr. John Russell, tells us how the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine differs from other vaccines and what it could mean for the medical field.
Guest: Muthiah Vaduganathan, MD, MPH
What do we currently know about the cardiac consequences of the COVID-19 vaccines? Dr. Muthiah Vaduganathan, cardiologist and investigator at Brigham Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, addresses the cardiac concerns surrounding the vaccines and how we can talk to patients about them.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Jill Foster, MD
From mRNA vaccines to egg-based vaccines, what do we need to know about the different types of vaccines? Dr. Jill Foster, Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of Minnesota, joins Dr. Charles Turck to explore what we need to know about the various types of vaccines available.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Randy Young, MD
Amid the surge of the Delta variant, critical care physician Dr. Randy Young is traveling to ICUs across the country to help treat patients. Tune in to hear Dr. Young share how this surge is impacting both patients infected with the variant and the healthcare professionals caring for them.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Host: John J. Russell, MD
“What makes the Delta variant different?” “I keep hearing about breakthrough infections, so are the COVID-19 vaccines effective?”
These are just some of the questions patients now have amid the surge of the Delta variant, and many patients are turning to physicians for answers. That’s why ReachMD hosts and primary care physicians Drs. Jennifer Caudle and John Russell sit down to share their approach to answering these FAQs regarding the Delta variant, the COVID-19 vaccines, and more.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
In order for us to better understand how mRNA vaccines were able to move beyond clinical trials amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we must first know how they were originally developed. That’s why ReachMD host and family medicine physician Dr. John Russell reviews the history of mRNA vaccines and how we can use them in the future.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Tune in to hear pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu share what we currently know about the risks and impacts of the Delta variant on our youngest patients and perhaps even more importantly, how we can help keep them safe.
Published September 23, 2021
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
School’s back in session, and that means it’s time we take a look at how we can help keep children safe and healthy both inside and outside the classroom with pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu.
Published September 21, 2021
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Pradipta Ghosh, MD
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we practice medicine in a variety of ways, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, a recently developed AI model can help us predict the disease course of patients infected with COVID-19, and here to share how that model was developed based on pandemics of the past and how it can be used in the current—and even future—pandemics is Dr. Pradipta Ghosh, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Benjamin Kann, MD
Artificial intelligence-based models have become a growing area of interest in clinical oncology. What do we need to know about them? Dr. Benjamin Kann, a physician at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Assistant Professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School, meets with Dr. Jacob Sands to discuss the use of AI in oncology.
Guest: Brian Hill, MD, PhD
Dr. Brian T. Hill, a physician in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Cleveland Clinic, explores some of the most recent—and ongoing—impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment decision-making for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Emily Carroll, JD, MSW
Guest: Heather McComas, PharmD
Guest: Chris Sherin
The prior authorization cost control process can be a burden on clinicians and lead to delayed treatment for patients. But the AMA’s recent advocacy efforts may help reform the process. Dr. Charles Turck meets with Emily Carroll, Heather McComas, and Chris Sherin to dive into these reforms and their impact at the state and federal levels.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Alberto Augsten, PharmD
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients turned to alcohol as a way to cope with this sudden and unprecedented global health crisis, and the rates of alcohol dependency are only continuing to rise according to recent studies. That’s why Dr. Charles Turck speaks with board-certified clinical toxicologist Dr. Alberto Augsten to help us better understand the challenges in screening patients for alcohol dependency amid the COVID-19 pandemic and how we can overcome those barriers to get our patients the best—and necessary—treatment.
Published August 20, 2021
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Susan Crowe, MD
Both UNICEF and WHO recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, starting within the very first hour of birth. But are we adhering to that recommendation? Joining Dr. Hector Chapa to discuss the importance of breastfeeding shortly after delivery and how we can help our patients and their newborns reap the benefits of this golden hour is Dr. Susan Crowe, Director of Outpatient Breastfeeding Medicine Consultative Services at Stanford Children's Health who recently spoke about this topic at the 2021 ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting.
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
Guest: Joel Schlessinger, MD
Spa dermatology has morphed over the last 20 to 30 years, but not all of those changes benefited our patients. In fact, there are now several ethical and practical concerns when it comes to illegitimate med spas. Joining Dr. Matthew Keller to share those considerations and what we as dermatologists need to know so we can help guide our patients is board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Joel Schlessinger.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Dustin Sulak, DO
Dr. Dustin Sulak, an integrative medicine physician specializing in osteopathy, mind-body medicine, and medical cannabis, talks about the impact of cannabis on the cardiovascular system.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD, FACP, FRACP
CT scans have the potential to dramatically improve lung cancer outcomes, but are underserved communities receiving access to these types of screenings? Dr. Jacob Sands joins Dr. Derek Raghavan, President of Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina, to discuss his research presented at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Shantanu Nundy, MD, MBA
With all of the chaos and changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be easy to focus on the negative impacts of this global health crisis. But for one physician, the same chaos and changes are exactly what forged his unique perspective: one that recognizes the benefits that has come out of the pandemic.
Joining Dr. Charles Turck to share why he believes the COVID-19 pandemic has changed healthcare for the better is primary care physician Dr. Shantanu Nundy, author of a recent article published in The Washington Post titled, “A Surprising Pandemic Side Effect: It Has Improved Healthcare.”
Published June X, 2021
Guest: Susan Butler-Wu, PhD, D(ABMM), SM(ASCP)
Dr. Susan Butler-Wu, Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology and Director of Medical Microbiology at LAC+USC Medical Center, investigates the differences—and highlights the benefits—of PCR versus antigen testing for COVID-19.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Heval M. Kelli, MD
Guest: Alan Amedi
What do we need to know about a career in cardiology? Dr. Alan Brown meets with Dr. Heval Kelli, a cardiologist at the Northside Hospital in Atlanta, and Alan Amedi, a first-year medical school student at Emory University, to explore their experiences in the cardiology field and learn about their perspectives on training.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Gail Saltz, MD
The quarantine blues may have come to an end, but as the country continues to reopen, a whole new set of mental health challenges are just beginning. So how can we help our patients who found comfort in social distancing and mask-wearing mandates navigate this change and return to public places? To find out, Dr. Charles Turck speaks with psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz, who discusses the lasting effects of the quarantine blues, how we can help patients who are suffering from anxiety, and more.
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
Guest: Sam Polesie, PhD
Can technology play a role in assessing melanoma? Dr. Michael Greenberg discusses the use of artificial intelligence in dermatology with Dr. Sam Polesie, a specialist physician in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Guest: Jeffrey R. Starke, MD
Host: Paul P. Doghramji, MD, FAAFP
Dr. Paul Doghramji joins Dr. Jeffrey Starke, an Infection Control Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, to discuss the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on testing for tuberculosis.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Kelly Cawcutt, MD
Adapting to the drastic changes COVID-19 has forced clinicians to make is one of the many obstacles faced during this pandemic. Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to talk about how vascular access teams are changing their protocols and roles in response to COVID-19 is Dr. Kelly Cawcutt, an infectious disease and critical care physician at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Published May 5, 2020
Guest: Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA
What do we need to know about cardiovascular complications during pregnancy? Dr. Nanette Wenger, a Professor of Medicine in the division of cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, reviews what cardiologists know about pregnancy complications and the risk of coronary artery disease.
Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN
Guest: William W. Li, MD
As the number of new COVID-19 infections continues to decrease and the United States begins to open back up, it’s important to note that there are patients who have survived COVID-19 but are still suffering. The newly coined term “COVID long-haulers” refers to those patients who continue to have symptoms even after the acute infection is resolved. Joining Dr. Andrew Wilner to share what we know so far about COVID long-haulers and how we can help them is vascular biologist Dr. William Li.
Guest: Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA
Is there a relationship between pregnancy complications and subsequent coronary disease? Dr. Nanette Wenger, a Professor of Medicine in the division of cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, discusses a recent study exploring this correlation in Black women and shares what cardiologists need to know about pregnancy complications.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Mikaela Rush, MD FACOG
The use of social media has become a way of life around the world. Many use social media tools to stay in touch with friends or share life experiences. Others may use these platforms for more professional reasons, including medical education. But in the digital age where online posts have the potential to spread like wildfire, even some well-intentioned professional posts—like the one Dr. Mikaela Rush, a board-certified ob-gyn physician in Cedar Park, Texas, shared about a contraceptive device—may have some unexpected consequences. Now, Dr. Rush joins Dr. Hector Chapa to share her story and to explain why she views social media as an ally and not an adversary.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Paul Farmer, MD, PhD
Dr. John Russell meets with Dr. Paul Farmer, the Chair of Global Health at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Partners in Health, to review past pandemics and outbreaks while discussing things we can do as a community to lower the risk of these events.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Chris H. Cooper
Can new mask technology made with innovative materials better protect us from the coronavirus? Dr. Charles Turck speaks with Chris Cooper, Chief Science Officer and CEO of Airlock389, on improving mask technology after the supply shortage of masks during COVID-19.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Russell D. Cohen, MD, FACG, AGAF
Are patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at increased risk for COVID-19 infection? And what should we recommend for an IBD patient in remission who tests positive for COVID-19 versus a patient with active disease? These are just some of the questions that have arisen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the questions Dr. Peter Buch explores with Dr. Russell Cohen, Director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and Co-Director of the Advanced IBD Fellowship Program at the University of Chicago School of Medicine.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Ana C Zamora Martinez, MD
The COVID-19 pandemic led many clinicians to make life-altering decisions. Dr. Ana Zamora, a pulmonary disease and critical care specialist, discusses her work with Locum Tenens and why she decided it was time for a change.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Michael LaFauci
Guest: Jeffrey Wahl
Drug diversion is a safety concern that is often overlooked. What do we need to know about its impact, and what kind of devices can help? Dr. Charles Turck discusses drug diversion with Michael Lafauci and Jeffrey Wahl from Midas Healthcare Solutions.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Asher A. Kornbluth, MD
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many questions have arisen regarding the care of our patients with IBD. Are they at increased risk of COVID-19? How should we treat a patient with IBD who has active COVID-19? Should they get vaccinated, and if so, when? These are all questions Dr. Peter Buch addresses with Dr. Asher Kornbluth, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, to help us optimize our approach to care amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD
Guest: Aline Charabaty, MD
Many of us use social media to stay connected with family and friends. But have you ever considered using social media to communicate with other clinicians and even earn CME credit? Clinical Director of Gastroenterology and Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital Dr. Aline Charabaty saw that opportunity and used it to create Monday Night IBD, and now Dr. Charabaty is here to talk about that program and the benefits of social media for clinicians with Dr. Neil Nandi.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Douglas Drossman, MD
Guest: Johannah Ruddy, MEd
Gender bias and trauma are prevalent issues that have far-reaching impacts on our GI patients’ health and even our diagnostic and treatment approaches. To learn more about how gender bias and trauma impact patients and clinicians alike, Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. Douglas Drossman and patient advocate Ms. Johanna Ruddy from the Rome Foundation.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Robert Owens Carpenter, MD, MPH, FACS, FASMBS
Guest: Toni E. Keaton, MD, MPH
Dr. Hector Chapa explores barriers in community health with Dr. Robert Carpenter, Director of Wellness at Texas A&M University College of Medicine, and Dr. Toni Keaton, Assistant Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine.
Guest: Ramiz Kseri, MD
What do we need to keep in mind when treating adolescent transgender patients? Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine, Dr. Ramiz Kseri, discusses bills impacting transgender rights, hormone blockers, and how we can provide better care for adolescent transgender patients.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Guest: Ramiz Kseri, MD
What are some factors leading to disparities in care for our LGBTQ patients, and how do we keep them safe amid the pandemic? Dr. Jennifer Shu is joined by Dr. Ramiz Kseri, an Internist and Pediatrician and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine, to discuss how the LGBTQ community is affected by COVID-19 and other health risks.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Guest: Ramiz Kseri, MD
Without an available vaccine, our pediatric patients can transmit COVID-19. With that in mind, how should pediatric practices adapt? Joining Dr. Jennifer Shu to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric care is Dr. Ramiz Kseri, a dually board-certified Internist and Pediatrician and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Lori Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO
With only 3% of practicing oncologists identifying as Black, and less than 5% identifying as Latinx, how can we ensure these patient populations are equally represented in medical practice? Dr. Jacob Sands meets with ASCO’s current President, Dr. Lori Pierce, a Professor of Radiation Oncology and Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the University of Michigan, to discuss ASCO’s plan to increase quality in cancer care and research.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Narjust Duma, MD
Are clinical trials really accounting for all patient populations? Dr. Jennifer Caudle joins Dr. Narjust Duma, medical oncologist and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, to spread awareness of the underrepresentation of minorities in clinical trials and discuss how we can change that.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Challenges that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic have forced practices to adapt. How has patient care changed? Dr. Jennifer Shu discusses what the pandemic has been like for her and the challenges she’s faced.
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
An important component of protecting our patients from the COVID-19 pandemic is taking care of their mental health. With that in mind, Dr. Jennifer Shu provides tips for keeping your young patients safe during the winter, and as they go back to school during the pandemic.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Kelly Cawcutt, MD
How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed vascular access paradigms in the intensive care unit? Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to share her story and lessons learned from the pandemic is Dr. Kelly Cawcutt, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Associate Medical Director of Infection Control and Epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Andres Nieto, MD
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the effectiveness of telemedicine, but will this approach still be utilized after the pandemic ends? Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. Andres Nieto, Assistant Professor at Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, to discuss the role of telemedicine and its future
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: John Allen, MD
The world of healthcare continues to drastically change over the years. But what do you need to know about the variety of employment models available for gastroenterologists today? Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. John Allen, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, to discuss recent changes in practice models.
Host: Jerome Lisk, MD
Guest: Jerrold Vitek, MD, PhD
Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, is an emerging surgical procedure that may help to manage movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Jerrold Vitek joins Dr. Jerome Lisk to share what is to be expected when a patient undergoes this type of procedure.
Host: Carol Wysham, MD
Guest: Irl Hirsch, MD, MACP
How is technology like continuous glucose monitors impacting the way we care for patients with diabetes, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic? To learn more about the technological advancements in diabetes care, Dr. Carol Wysham speaks with Dr. Irl Hirsch, a Professor in Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington.
Host: Jerome Lisk, MD
Guest: Jerrold Vitek, MD, PhD
What is deep brain stimulation, and how is this technology helping patients with conditions like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy? Tune in to hear Dr. Jerome Lisk speak with Dr. Jerrold Vitek about current and future applications of this technology.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Dalilah Restrepo, MD
A locum tenens opportunity brought a physician to New Zealand, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic gave her the opportunity to stay. Dr. Dalilah Restrepo, a former infectious disease specialist at the AHF Healthcare Center, discusses her locum tenens experience and discusses how New Zealand has responded to the pandemic.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Ping Zhang, PhD, FAMIA
The pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world, but a new deep learning computer model may have discovered ten potential treatment options to combat COVID-19. Dr. Charles Turck sits down with Dr. Ping Zhang, who leads the Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Lab and a faculty member at the Translational Data Analytics Institute at The Ohio State University, to discuss his team's findings.
Published March 29, 2021
Host: John Buse, MD, PhD
Guest: Anne Louise Peters, MD
SGLT-2 inhibitors have been authorized for diabetic patients in Europe, but is it close to receiving FDA approval in the U.S.? Dr. Anne Peters of USC speaks with Dr. John Buse about SGLT-2 inhibitors and considerations for diabetic ketoacidosis, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease.
Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN
Guest: Jennifer A. Frontera, MD
Although the impact of COVID-19 can be long-lasting, many have had similar effects, even if they aren’t diagnosed with the disease. Dr. Jennifer Frontera, a neurocritical care specialist and professor of neurology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, shares some insight on the neurological symptoms that patients with COVID-19 are facing.
Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN
Guest: Jennifer A. Frontera, MD
Most commonly associated with respiratory symptoms, COVID-19 infections have led to a myriad of neurological symptoms such as encephalopathy and stroke. Dr. Andrew Wilner joins Dr. Jennifer Frontera, a neurocritical care specialist and professor of neurology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, to discuss obstacles that neurologists have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Andrew Little, DO
When vascular access is compromised, intraosseous access, or IO access, can help prevent fatal consequences. What do we need to know about implementing and managing this type of device? Dr. Hector Chapa is joined by Dr. Andy Little, the Associate Program Director for AdventHealth Orlando Emergency Medicine Residency, to share some insight on IO vascular access.
Host: Paul Doghramji, MD
Guest: Sarojini Qasba, MD
With the World Health Organization’s goal to eliminate tuberculosis by 2030 quickly approaching, what can we be doing now to help us meet that goal? Joining Dr. Paul Doghramji to discuss three key factors and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted this global goal is Dr. Sonia Qasba, an infectious disease specialist at the Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.
Host: David Weisman, MD
Guest: Mijail D Serruya MD,PhD
Every 40 seconds: that’s how often someone in the United States has a stroke. And it’s not uncommon for many of these patients to experience impaired functionality for the rest of their lives. But now, thanks to the latest technology, could something that seems straight out of a science-fiction novel like brain-computer interfaces help us improve the aftereffects of a stroke? Joining Dr. David Weisman to discuss his research that sought to address that exact question is Dr. Mijail Serruya.
Host: David Weisman, MD
Guest: Mijail D Serruya MD,PhD
Thousands of Americans live with the debilitating aftereffects of stroke, such as arm and communication problems. This makes technological developments like brain-computer interfaces absolutely critical for stroke survivors, but some questions are beginning to arise regarding the ethics of this technology. So in order for us to fully pursue this advancement, it’s important that we address those ethical concerns, as Dr. Mijail Serruya explains.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Paul Jarris, MD, MBA
Since the COVID-19 vaccines received an emergency use authorization, tracking possible adverse reactions in real time becomes even more important. But what are some of the limitations we’re facing in doing so, and how can we overcome them? To find out, Dr. Jennifer Caudle speaks with Dr. Paul Jarris, Chief Medical Advisor for MITRE Corporation.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: John J. Russell, MD
As clinicians on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re among the first to hear about our patients’ fears of the vaccines’ validity and safety. So how can we help address their concerns? ReachMD hosts Dr. Jennifer Caudle and Dr. John Russell sit down together to talk about how we can counsel patients who may be hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Published March 16, 2021
Host: Jerome Lisk, MD
Guest: Eric Gantwerker, MD, MMSc, FACS
The rise of gaming in medical education has become a much bigger and faster-moving phenomenon than we may know. To find out more, Dr. Jerome Lisk is joined by Dr. Eric Gantwerker from Level EX, which develops video games that are designed to improve clinical decision-making skills. Together, they talk about the evolving role of video games in healthcare settings and why we may be pressing play sooner than we think.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Anjali Patwardhan, MD
In pediatric patients, can the influenza and pneumococcal vaccines impact the COVID-19 disease course? Dr. Jennifer Caudle joins Dr. Anjali Patwardhan, a pediatric rheumatologist at the University of Missouri Healthcare, to discuss COVID-19 in pediatric patients who’ve been vaccinated for influenza and pneumococcal.
Published March 16, 2021
Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN
Guest: Ken Tyler, MD
Further complicating the COVID-19 pandemic is the emergence of viral variants. Dr. Ken Tyler from the University of Colorado School of Medicine shares with us what we know so far about the COVID-19 variants that are quickly spreading around the world.
Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN
Guest: Ken Tyler, MD
To find out what we currently know about the neurological complications caused by COVID-19, Dr. Andrew Wilner speaks with Dr. Ken Tyler, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Dr. Matt Birnholz reviews more nominees for our Heroes in Healthcare program and what their peers have to say about their efforts.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
In celebration of our “Heroes in Healthcare,” Dr. Matt Birnholz continues to commend our nominees for their valuable contributions to the field of medicine, taking strides to save lives and make a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH
There’s no denying that healthcare professionals across all specialties went above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 pandemic. And cardiologists were no exception. That’s why Dr. Matthew Sorrentino is calling attention to those cardiologists who were nominated by their peers for ReachMD’s Heroes in Healthcare initiative.
Host: Carol Wysham, MD
Guest: Alexis McKee, MD
Patient care has evolved amid the COVID-19 pandemic, causing unexpected challenges in managing diseases such as diabetes. Dr. Carol Wysham joins Dr. Alexis McKee, a practicing endocrinologist and an assistant professor of medicine at Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, to discuss how patients have been overcoming challenges in managing diabetes during the pandemic.
Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH
Guest: Orlando Chirikian
A recent study revealed that our heart cells undergo changes in space, but what can that tell us about our heart health on Earth? Dr. Matt Sorrentino dives into the Cardinal Heart Study with Orlando Chirikian, a research scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Lawrence Nathan Shulman, MD
How do challenges in our healthcare system and disparities in access to care impact cancer patients within our communities? Dr. Jacob Sands and Dr. Lawrence Shulman continue their important conversation on oncology around the world.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Lawrence Nathan Shulman, MD
Oncology is a rapidly evolving field, so what do you we need to know about developments in cancer care around the world? Dr. Jacob Sands joins Dr. Lawrence Shulman, the Deputy Director of Clinical Services, Director of the Center of Global Cancer Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and a senior oncology advisor to Partners In Health, to give us a global perspective on cancer care.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Keith C. Ferdinand, MD
Dr. Keith Ferdinand, Tulane University's Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology and Professor of Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine, joins Dr. Alan Brown to discuss cardiovascular healthcare disparities among African Americans and what we can do to improve access to care.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Drew Weissman, MD, PhD
Dr. Drew Weissman, Professor of Medicine at Penn Medicine joins Dr. Turck to discuss his new COVID-19 vaccine technology and how RNA and mRNA are being used to provoke an immune response in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
In honor of our “Heroes in Healthcare” initiative, Dr. Matt Birnholz recounts some of the many healthcare professionals nominated by their peers who’ve bravely helped their patients combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Keith C. Ferdinand, MD
Despite decades of research and advancements in cardiology care, racial disparities remain an obstacle. How can we improve access to care and eliminate this disparity? Dr. Alan Brown is joined by Dr. Keith Ferdinand, professor of medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine, to discuss what we can do as clinicians to ensure that all of our patients receive the same quality of care.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Frank Scott
Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. Frank Scott from the University of Colorado School of Medicine to share some highlights from his session, “Challenges and New Approaches to Managing IBD in the COVID-19 Era,” at Crohn’s & Colitis Congress 2021.
Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH
Guest: Suneet Mittal, MD FACC FHRS
The development of cardiac devices enhanced by wireless remote monitoring has changed the way cardiologists care for their patients. With that in mind, Dr. Matthew Sorrentino discusses remote monitoring in cardiology with Dr. Suneet Mittal, medical director of the Snyder Center for Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Arun Sharma, PhD
Can low gravity and space flight impact our cardiac function? Dr. Arun Sharma, a stem cell biologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, joins Dr. Alan Brown to discuss the impact of outer space on the heart.
Host: De De Gardner, DrPH, RRT, RRT-NPS, FAARC, FCCP
Guest: Stephanie Briney, DO
Despite widespread availability, only half of Americans received the flu shot last year. With that in mind, Dr. De De Gardner is joined by Dr. Stephanie Briney, Assistant Professor in Family, Community, and Preventive Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix to discuss why Americans avoid getting the flu shot and how she approaches this in her practice.
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Myron Brand, MD
While many know that COVID-19 can affect the respiratory system, but how can this disease also influence the gastrointestinal tract? Tune in to hear Dr. Peter Buch discuss with Dr. Myron Brand, a Clinical Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, the impact of COVID-19 on the GI system and GI disorders.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
How has cancer care changed from the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic? Dr. Jacob Sands, Thoracic Medical Oncologist at the Dana-Farber Institute in Boston, shares how he has been treating his patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Cancer care has evolved since the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. What do we need to know about caring for our cancer patients during this winter season? Dr. Jacob Sands, Thoracic Medical Oncologist at the Dana-Farber Institute in Boston shares what cancer patients can do to take care of themselves during the winter season.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Robert Owens Carpenter, MD, MPH, FACS, FASMBS
Burnout is a common response to work overload in the field of medicine. What can we do to best avoid this? Dr. Hector Chapa joins Dr. Robert Owens Carpenter, the Texas A&M University College of Medicine’s Director of Wellness, to discuss the importance of managing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, not only for patients but healthcare professionals as well.
Guest: Mariana Chavez MacGregor, MD, MSC
The healthcare disparity crisis in the breast cancer field has prevented the benefits of therapeutic advancements from being equally distributed throughout all populations. What can we do to overcome this obstacle? Dr. Mariana Chavez MacGregor, Associate Professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, talks about the disparities she's encountered in breast cancer care.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Michael D. Kappelman, MD, MPH
Pediatric care has evolved amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And when it comes to treating inflammatory bowel disorder, or IBD, gastroenterologists are faced with a unique set of challenges. Join us as Dr. Kappelman shares highlights of his presentation at the 2021 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress on what needs to be acknowledged while treating children with IBD during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD, FACP
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges for healthcare professionals. What are some of the biggest threats to our GI patients, and how should we help them stay safe? Here today is our GI Insights host, Dr. Neil Nandi, to shed some light on his experiences while caring for patients during the pandemic.
Guest: Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH
Healthcare professionals have found that zip code is a better indicator of health for many patients rather than cholesterol or genetics, highlighting a significant disparity in the field of medicine. What can we do to overcome this obstacle? Dr. Christopher Lathan, Associate Medical Director of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Network, explains how we can better connect with our patients to improve their care.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH
Oftentimes, a patient’s zip code is a better indicator of health than blood pressure or genetics, highlighting a significant disparity among communities. How are barriers such as systemic racism contributing to this disparity, and what can we do to change that? Dr. Jacob Sands is joined by Dr. Christopher Lathan to discuss medical disparities as a result of systemic racism.
Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD, FACP
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Facing winter during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many patients. What are some ways gastroenterologists can protect the health of their patients this season? Tune in to hear our GI Insights hosts Dr. Neil Nandi and Dr. Peter Buch share some tips on how you keep your patients safe throughout the wintertime.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Christopher Haines, MD, MA
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the field of medicine. To better understand the science behind this virus while putting this pandemic into historical perspective, Dr. Christopher Haines shares his experiences caring for patients during the pandemic and describes what drove him to write his book: COVID-19 Essays from the Front: The First Six Months.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Dave McIntosh, PhD, MA
Large communities of color and low socioeconomic status communities are often faced with higher mortality rates due to disparities in healthcare. How do these factors impact patient outcomes? Dr. David McIntosh, vice president and chief inclusion and diversity officer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, discusses how social disparities in race and gender affect patients' outcomes.
Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG
Guest: Dave McIntosh, PhD, MA
Based on the latest research, a zip code is more effective in determining a patient’s health and life expectancy than genetics. Join Dr. David McIntosh, vice president, and chief inclusion and diversity officer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, as he sits down with Dr. Hector Chapa to discuss social determinants of health and the impact they have on patients.
Guest: John J. Russell, MD
With so many COVID-19 vaccines in development, new medical ethical questions have been brought to the forefront of the healthcare field. With that in mind, Dr. John Russell takes us through the history of ethics and vaccinations throughout the world.
Published January 4, 2021
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of Ebanga (Ansuvimab-zykl) for the treatment of the ebola virus infection in adults and children. To learn more about the second ebolavirus treatment to receive approval, Dr. Linda Bernstein walks us through this new drug.
Published December 29, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization, or EUA, for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The second vaccination to achieve EUA designation, the Moderna vaccine will be distributed throughout the US for patients 18 years and older. In this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein discusses this newly-approved vaccine and how it compares to others.
Published December 29, 2020
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: William G. Callahan, DO
The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled many to stay home, but for those venturing out, how can we encourage them to stay safe? Dr. Bill Callahan, a family physician at Abington Jefferson Health and outdoorsman, sits down with Dr. John Russell to discuss how to stay safe during this winter pandemic.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Nabil F. Saba, MD
Since head and neck cancer is still to a large extent a surgical disease, the COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate impact on its management. Here to share how he pivoted his approach and how the pandemic might impact the future of head and neck cancer care is Dr. Nabil Saba, a Professor and Vice Chair for Quality and Safety in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
As a growing number of pharmaceutical companies refuse to provide discounts to 340B hospitals for drugs dispensed at community-based pharmacies, a federal lawsuit is challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in order to fight for patient communities harmed by this refusal. On this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein dives into this lawsuit.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Therese T. Bevers, MD
Fear of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to added safety precautions that have prevented patients from receiving much-needed cancer screenings. How will this impact the field of oncology, and what can we do to encourage patients to get their screenings? Dr. Therese Beavers, Medical Director of the Cancer Prevention Center at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, joins Dr. Jacob Sands to discuss the fatal consequences of missed cancer screenings.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The first vaccine to receive Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, this authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed throughout the US. But what do we know about this vaccine? In this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein discusses the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Published December 18, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
A sedative commonly used in anesthesia, dexmedetomidine hydrochloride has been the subject of many news reports over the past few months. But most recently, the FDA announced approval for Aurobindo Pharma’s dexmedetomidine hydrochloride in 0.9% sodium chloride injection. In this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein reviews recent approvals of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride on initially intubated and mechanically ventilated patients.
Published December 17, 2020
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD
As the field of healthcare continues to change, how will the future of preventative cardiology be impacted? Join our Heart Matters hosts, Dr. Alan Brown and Dr. Mathew Sorrentino, as they sit down to discuss their experiences in preventative cardiology and the future of the healthcare system.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD
Developments in the healthcare community have changed the field of preventative cardiology. But how have they impacted cardiology care? Heart Matters hosts Dr. Alan Brown and Dr. Mathew Sorrentino examine adherence to medicine, improvements to compliance, and new entries into the marketplace surrounding cardiology.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Asthma remains a significant global health problem, and more than 25 million Americans suffer from it. How have the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program’s guidelines changed to help manage this chronic condition? In this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein reviews new guidelines on the management of asthma in adolescents and adults.
Published December 10, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
To prevent the flu from spreading concurrently with COVID-19, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved indication for baloxavir marboxil to include post-exposure prevention of influenza. On this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein dives into this oral anti-influenza drug.
Published December 2, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Pfizer and BioNTech recently announced that their mRNA vaccine for the COVID-19 virus was 90 percent effective, and the companies plan to apply for Emergency Use Authorization. This episode of The Drug Report dives into this vaccine’s Phase 3 clinical trial and explores developments made by other companies in the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Published November 30, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
This episode of The Drug Report takes a look at a COVID-19 cocktail comprised of the coadministration of casirivimab and imdevimab, which has proven to decrease hospitalization and emergency room visits.
Published November 30, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer children have received a measles vaccination, and progress towards eliminating this disease has halted. How can pharmacists encourage more pediatric measles vaccinations? In this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein takes a look at the vast number of children globally who’ve yet to receive this vaccine.
Published November 30, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Eli Lilly and Company’s trial vaccine for COVID-19 an Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA. On this episode of The Drug Report, learn more about this monoclonal antibody and how the company plans on distributing it.
Published November 30, 2020
Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD
Guest: Nosheen Reza, MD
While the field of cardiology has grown to become more inclusive, female-led research and diversity in study participants remain limited. How can we better understand this lack of representation? Tune in as Dr. Matthew Sorrentino explores a recent study on gender disparities in heart failure research with Dr. Nosheen Reza.
Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD
Guest: Laetitia Guillemette, MSc, PhD
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States and may impact young adults earlier than we think. Maybe even before they’re born. Joining Dr. Matthew Sorrentino is Dr. Laetitia Guillemette, who discusses her study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal investigating the relationship between exposure to diabetes in the womb and heart disease in young adults and teenagers.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Daniel T. Lackland DrPH
For decades, news reports have focused on the prevalence of high blood pressure among adults in the U.S. But a recent study claims that blood pressure among these adults has actually decreased between 1960 and 2005. Here to divulge the surprising results of his study and discuss systolic blood pressure improvements in adults in the U.S. is Dr. Daniel Lackland.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, plans to use pharmacies to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine when it is ready for distribution. In this episode of The Drug Report, Linda Bernstein will explain the CDC’s recently-developed Vaccination Program Interim Playbook.
Published November 17, 2020
Host: John E. Anderson, MD
Host: John Buse, MD, PhD
Host: Carol Wysham, MD
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed healthcare professionals to adjust the way they treat patients with chronic conditions like diabetes. Tune in to hear Drs. John Anderson, John Buse, Carol Wysham share their experience caring for patients with diabetes amid the pandemic.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The Food and Drug Administration announced that Remdesivir is the first treatment for COVID-19 to receive their approval. To help us better understand this antiviral agent, Dr. Linda Bernstein discusses emerging studies uncovering the benefits and limitations of Remdesivir.
Published November 6, 2020
Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD
Guest: Jennifer N. Avari Silva, MD
Each year, more than 75 thousand cardiac ablation procedures are performed in the United States alone. Could something straight out of a science-fiction movie like holograms help improve physician accuracy and reduce the complications typically associated with this procedure? Talk a walk on the futuristic side of medicine with Dr. Matthew Sorrentino and Dr. Jennifer Silva, who co-led a team that tested a unique headset using mixed reality technology during cardiac ablation procedures at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD
Guest: Jennifer N. Avari Silva, MD
Understanding how and why arteries age has baffled doctors for years, but a recent study may have the answers we’ve been looking for. Dr. Vienna Brunt, a post-doctorate fellow in the Department of Integrated Physiology of Aging Lab at the University of Colorado in Boulder, walks us through her study published in the journal Hypertension exploring how a compound produced in the gut called “trimethylamine N-oxide” can harm the endothelial lining of our arteries and increase the risk of heart disease with aging.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Guest: Jennifer N. Avari Silva, MD
While we know that the lungs are deeply affected by COVID-19, they’re far from the only organ to be ravaged by this disease. Dr. Richard Vander Heide, Professor and Director of Pathology Research at LSU Health, New Orleans School of Medicine, joins Dr. Alan Brown to discuss how he led a team of pathologists that performed autopsies on COVID-19 patients to discover the resulting cardiac changes.
Guest: Lauren K. Brooks, MD
During this unprecedented time, finding the best approach to providing treatment for patients with thyroid cancer can be a challenge. Endocrinologist Dr. Lauren Brooks of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health shares some of her approaches to this dilemma and stresses the importance of keeping up on routine practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published September 28, 2020
Guest: Emily F. Conant, MD
When stay-at-home orders were put into place, healthcare institutions were forced to adapt the way they screen, care for, and treat patients. With that in mind, Dr. Emily Conant, Professor of Radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, explains their three-step process to keep breast cancer patients and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published September 23, 2020
Guest: Ann L. Steiner, MD
Access to breast cancer screening and treatment can be difficult for women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, healthcare professionals are finding ways to overcome these barriers. Dr. Ann Steiner, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, compares her practice to before COVID-19 and explains how testing for breast cancer patients has changed.
*Published September 23, 2020*
Guest: Ann L. Steiner, MD
COVID-19 has encouraged many people to adopt new habits, but some of them can take a toll on a woman’s breast health. Tune in to hear Dr. Ann Steiner, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, share what two of those risky habits are and how women can lower their risk of breast cancer while they’re sheltering at home.
Published September 23, 2020
Guest: Ann L. Steiner, MD
When it’s not safe for a patient to come into the office, what can we do to help patients manage their breast pain at home? Dr. Ann Steiner, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, explains how COVID-19 has influenced lifestyle and dietary habits and how simple changes can go a long way in managing breast pain.
Published September 23, 2020
Host: Kathy King, RDN
Guest: Megan Pesch, M.D.
Countless children across the nation are picky eaters, and families are on the lookout for effective solutions. With that in mind, Dr. Megan Pesch joins Kathy King to discuss her recent study on picky eaters and her insights on this common dilemma.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Now that we’re several months into the pandemic, many states and counties are turning to the local data gathered on COVID-19 incidence to help inform their plans moving forward. But are those reports really the most accurate sources of information? To find out, Dr. Charles Turck is here to discuss a recent report discussing how disparities in access to COVID-19 testing sites may be skewing case estimates.
Published August, 19 2020
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a global concern among healthcare professionals has been the shortening supply of personal protective equipment like N95 masks. But now, that concern might become a thing of a past thanks to a recent development made by a team of researchers. To find out more about this discovery, Dr. Charles Turck joins us to discuss the innovation that could become a huge win in the battle against COVID-19.
Published August, 19 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Saleemah McNeil, CLC, MS, MFT
Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the global protests against racism have had far-reaching impacts on black communities. To vocalize the importance of mental health care, Dr. Matt Birnholz is joined by Saleemah McNeil, a psychotherapist and founder of Oshun Family Center, who shares what her center is doing to help.
Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN
Guest: William W. Li, MD
How do the lungs of healthy patients differ from the lungs of patients with COVID-19 or the flu? That’s the exact question Dr. William Li wanted to answer, and now, he’s sharing the results of his study that was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Published August 12, 2020
Guest: Siddharth Singh, MD
There are multiple resources at hand to help guide you toward a career in clinical research, and here to share them along with his overall experience in the field is Dr. Sid Singh, clinical gastroenterologist at UC San Diego.
Published August 7, 2020
Host: Kathy King, RDN
Guest: Teresa Pangan, PhD, RDN
Joining Kathy King to discuss the possible benefits and precautions of using supplemental doses of vitamin D to help fight COVID-19 is Dr. Teresa Pangan, a registered dietitian, health counselor, and keynote speaker.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
To find out how different racial and ethnic groups are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Charles Turck joins us to analyze data that was collected by the COVID Racial Tracker.
Published July 24, 2020
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
To give us a better look into how counties and cities across the nation are reacting to the racial disparities in healthcare that were brought into the limelight by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Charles Turck reviews the declaration made by officials in Ohio’s most populated county that racism is a public health crisis.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH
Guest: Peggy Chen, MD
Behavioral health integration has proven to be an effective solution to improving access to treatment for many mental health conditions… So why is it not more prevalent in the medical community? Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to dive into the findings and implications of the joint AMA-RAND Corporation study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine are Dr. Kathleen Blake with the AMA and Dr. Peggy Chen from the RAND Corporation.
And, click here to listen to a conversation regarding Behavioral Health Integration and its effect on clinical practice.
Guest: Gregory J Kubicek, MD
When caring for patients who are at greater risk of complications from COVID-19, what extra precautions are needed to help keep them safe and healthy? That’s what staff radiation oncologist Dr. Gregory Kubicek from the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center shares with us.
Published June 23, 2020
Guest: Michael Greenberg, MD
The chaos and uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic may make us forget the simple actions we can all do to connect with others and make the world a better place. Listen in as Dr. Michael Greenberg shares three of those simple actions.
Published June 15, 2020
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, children have adjusted their schedules and way of living like everyone else, but what effects has this massive shift had on our young patients? That’s the question Dr. Jennifer Shu is here to answer.
Published June 12, 2020
Guest: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Tune in to hear Dr. Jennifer Shu describe what her life as a pediatrician is now like due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps she has taken to keep her patients and colleagues healthy.
Published June 12, 2020
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: David Fajgenbaum, MD
Since its founding, the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) has worked to identify an effective treatment for Castleman disease, a rare immune system disorder that leads to a cytokine storm and multi-organ failure—much like what’s being seen in COVID-19 patients. Here to review how the CDCN’s innovations are now being leveraged toward the fight against COVID-19 is the CDCN’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Dr. David Fajgenbaum.
Guest: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Against the backdrop of a global push to get more ventilators and other critical gear into the hands of healthcare professionals, some clinicians are opting out of using ventilators to treat their COVID-19 patients as several hospitals have reported unusually high death rates. Listen in as Dr. Charles Turck explains.
Published June 5, 2020
Guest: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
As researchers look at the spread of COVID-19 in warm areas of the globe, their findings cast doubt on the idea that the summer heat will help slow the spread. Tune in as Dr. Charles Turck explains recent studies on how heat has very little—if any—impact on the spread of viruses.
Published June 5, 2020
Guest: Bret Nelson, MD
When it comes to using ultrasound at the point of care in the setting of COVID-19, what do we need to keep in mind? Here to share his five key considerations is Dr. Bret Nelson, Professor of Emergency Medicine and the Chief of the Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Division at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Published June 5, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Carol Vargo, MHS
Guest: Sheryl Hirsch, MD, FAAP
Guest: Thomas Eppes, MD
The American Medical Association is one of the leading medical organizations across the country that have been working to provide physicians with the tools and resources they need to continue caring for patients and to keep their practices financially afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to review the AMA’s guidance for reopening practices during the pandemic and how some practices have begun to reopen are Carol Vargo from the AMA, pediatrician Dr. Sheryl Hirsch, and family physician Dr. Thomas Eppes.
Guest: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
With the growing amount of illicit pharmaceutical drugs and medical supplies filling the global market amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are we at risk of facing another public health crisis? Listen in as Dr. Charles Turck brings this troubling trend to light.
Published June 3, 2020
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Todd Askew
What’s being done to address the range of issues like the PPE shortage, lack of testing, and financial shortfalls encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic? Here to share his team’s advocacy efforts to help tackle these and other challenges is Todd Askew, the American Medical Association's Senior Vice President of Advocacy.
Guest: John J. Russell, MD
Could immunization techniques of the past help us in our current hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine? To find out, Dr. John Russell reviews the history of immunizations going all the way back to the 1100s.
Published May 29, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: James Robert Ficke, M.D.
The Joint Hopkins Maryland Federal Medical Station, a 250-bed unit inside Baltimore’s convention center, opened on April 27 for non-critical patients recovering from COVID-19. Dr. James Ficke, the Station’s Director, talks with Stephanie Desmon about how his experience standing up combat hospitals in northern Iraq prepared him, the influx of patients they’re seeing, and what it takes to set up a fully operational contingency hospital with food, bathrooms, showers, and even its own pharmacy.
Published May 19, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Barri Yanowitz
Guest: Carlos Raba
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ordered restaurants and bars to end in-house dining back in March. Two people from Baltimore’s restaurant community—Barri Yanowitz, a bartender at Brewer’s Art, and Carlos Raba, a co-owner of Clavel—talk with Stephanie Desmon about how each outlet has addressed the mandate, what this has meant for business and their community, and what they anticipate in the coming weeks and months.
Published May 18, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Amesh Adalja, MD
When can I see my family again if I have been quarantining? Does a person’s blood type affect how severely ill they might become? Are women taking oral contraceptive pills more at risk from blood clots from COVID-19? Can you get COVID-19 from second-hand smoke? What is social distancing fatigue and what can we do to address it?
Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses these and other questions submitted.
Published May 15, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Elizabeth J. Letourneau, PhD
Responses to COVID-19 such as school closures and shelter-at-home orders may inadvertently raise the risks of child sexual abuse. Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau, Director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about risks, prevention strategies, and a new online resource for parents, caregivers, and people at risk of offending.
Published May 14, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Albert Wu, MD
It’s been a few months since COVID-19 first arrived in the US, so what have we learned? Dr. Albert Wu returns to the podcast with Stephanie Desmon to discuss social distancing fatigue, new symptoms and disease observations, hopes for treatment, and what we should expect in the coming months in terms of a “return to normal.”
Published May 13, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Emeran Mayer, MD, PhD
There’s no organ in the body that has such close connections with the brain as the gut, which can often result in pain for many of our patients with IBD. Listen in as Dr. Emeran Mayer joins Dr. Matt Birnholz to explain this mind-gut connection, why patients with IBD experience pain, and how providers can manage patients who experience pain when inflammation is and isn't present.
Host: Michael D. Christian MD
Triage focuses on doing the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. Dr. Mike Christian from the Task Force for Mass Critical Care explores the why, when, and ethics of triage to aid the imbalance of supply and demand in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published April 16, 2020
Guest: Mangala Narasimhan, DO, FCCP
Managing COVID-19 continues to be a work in progress as healthcare systems struggle to prepare for high volumes of patients in such a quick time. To help address this, Dr. Mangala Narasimhan shares her experiences and the importance of planning for double during this outbreak.
Published March 16, 2020
Host: Steven Simpson, MD, FCCP
Tune in as Dr. Steven Simpson speaks with a clinician on the frontlines of COVID-19 who shares her experience managing a COVID-19 case that was caught days after the patient was admitted to the hospital.
Published May 19, 2020
Host: Victor Test, MD, FCCP
Guest: Andrew Klein, MS, RT
Tune in as Andrew Klein, a clinical nurse specialist in respiratory therapy, discusses his experiences caring for COVID-19 patients in a teamwork environment. Through these collaborations, the best care can be made available during this pandemic.
Published March 26, 2020
Guest: Martha Billings, MD, MSc
Guest: Renea Jablonski, MD
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have quickly transitioned to telemedicine. To give us a better idea of what that transition has looked like in practice, Dr. Martha Billings and Dr. Renea Jablonski share their experiences in a pulmonary clinic setting.
Published March 19, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Megan M. Tschudy, M.D.
Although COVID-19 does not appear to infect children at the same rate as adults, there are significant indirect impacts on kids from the pandemic. Baltimore pediatrician Dr. Megan Tschudy talks with Stephanie Desmon about the “profound disruption” of the pandemic and its impacts on vaccinations, regular check-ups, and other aspects of children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Published May 12, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Panagis Galiatsatos, M.D., M.H.S.
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos spends 12-16 hour days attending to COVID-19 patients in the ICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital. When he’s not at the hospital, he’s on duty in the community working with faith-based organizations, schools, and housing units to help leaders protect their community members from getting sick. Dr. Galiatsatos talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about these dual roles of being on both the last and first lines of defense—caring for patients in the ICU and helping to prevent them from getting there in the first place.
Published May 11, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Laura K. Murray, PhD
How can I convince my family and friends to follow social distancing guidelines? How can I stay informed without becoming overwhelmed? How can I help family members if I can’t be near them? What does resilience look like in this new normal? On this week’s Q&A, Laura Murray, a clinical psychologist and senior scientist at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, addresses listener’s mental health questions with Stephanie Desmon.
Published May 8, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Sara Bennett, PhD
Guest: Timothy J. Roberton, DrPH
The global health community has worked for years to lower rates of maternal and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries. But while the world focuses on the number of deaths from COVID-19, estimates of indirect mortality due to disruptions in health systems cannot be ignored.
Tim Roberton, an assistant scientist in international health, talks with guest host Sara Bennett, a professor in international health, about a paper he co-authored that estimates there could be a 45 percent increase in child mortality and a 38 percent increase in maternal mortality in severe scenarios where care is disrupted due to COVID-19. One way to head off these numbers is to categorize care by prioritizing only emergency care that cannot be delivered in any other way.
Published May 7, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD
Dr. Arturo Casadevall—head of the convalescent plasma research project at Johns Hopkins—talks through the WHO’s recent statement that there’s no evidence of COVID-19 infection leading to short- or long-term immunity. Dr. Casadevall and Dr. Josh Sharfstein also discuss how COVID-19 is not like HIV or pneumonia and what we currently know about new strains of the novel coronavirus.
Published May 6, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Megan Hosey Mastalerz, PhD
The intensive care unit can be stressful for all patients, but those with COVID-19 face unique challenges when it comes to mental and cognitive health. Clinical psychologist Dr. Megan Hosey of the Johns Hopkins Hospital ICU talks with Stephanie Desmon about ICU delirium, COVID-19 stigma, and what longer term prognosis could look like for patients inside and after the ICU.
Published May 6, 2020
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Salman Ahmed, MD, MPH
During the COVID-19 pandemic, e-consults have become the new norm, but what impacts do they have on patient care? To find out, Mario Nacinovich is joined by Dr. Salman Ahmed, who takes us through his research finding that e-consults might not just be the appropriate choice, but the preferred one over face-to-face appointments.
Published May 13, 2020
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Randy Young, MD
Here to give us a firsthand look into how ICUs across the country are confronting the COVID-19 pandemic head-on is Dr. Randy Young, a critical care doctor who’s treating COVID-19 patients in the mid-Atlantic area. Dr. Young joins Mario Nacinovich to discuss what he has seen during the pandemic and how the ICU is responding to both expected and unexpected challenges.
Published May 13, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: April Taylor, MS, MHA, CPPS, CPHQ
Every organization has disaster preparedness plans for one-day and one-week events like fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes, but how do those plans come into play during a pandemic like COVID-19 when there isn’t an end date in sight? Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss this and more is April Taylor, Senior Director of Improvement and Project Management at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Published May 13, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Mark R. Cullen, MD
Here to share what we might soon learn about the COVID-19 pandemic is Dr. Mark Cullen, Scientific Committee Chair for the academic arm of the COVID-19 research database, which is a secure repository of HIPAA compliant, de-identified, and limited patient-level data sets.
Published May 13, 2020
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Mark R. Cullen, MD
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, endemic challenges surrounded fragmented data sets and long perspective clinical trials. But now, recently developed data sets are available to public health and policy researchers to not only overcome that challenge, but also to combat this global pandemic. Dr. Mark Cullen, Scientific Committee Chair for the academic arm of the COVID-19 research database at Stanford University School of Medicine, joins Mario Nacinovich to explain.
Published May 13, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
In the absence of a vaccine, researchers have reported the potential need for long-term social distancing measures through 2021. Tune in as Dr. Matt Birnholz breaks down these findings and what the potential impacts might be if these warnings are ignored.
Published May 11, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Kathleen Day, MBA, MS
As officials consider how and when to scale back social distancing restrictions, a big question is: When the economy reopens, will there be anywhere to go? Financial crises expert and author Kathleen Day returns to talk with Stephanie Desmon about the millions of Americans filing for unemployment, whether our current crisis will rival the Great Depression, and how we could start to dig our way out.
Published April 29, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Matt Hornbeck
Schools are scrambling to figure out education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt Hornbeck, Principal of the top-rated Hampstead Hill Academy—a Pre-k-8 public school in southeast Baltimore city—says instruction is only part of the challenge: technology gaps, trying to reach vulnerable students, and the trauma of a sudden separation from friends and teachers are unprecedented issues to address. Hornbeck talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how Hampstead Hill is trying to take care of its school community and how they’re preparing for the next period of uncertainty.
Published May 5, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Kevin Lindamood, MSW
Guest: Adrienne Trustman, MD
Guest: Barbara DiPietro, PhD
Homelessness is already a public health emergency in the US. COVID-19 now adds to the unique challenges facing individuals without homes. So how are the homeless and their caregivers responding? Kevin Lindamood and Dr. Adrienne Trustman of Baltimore’s Health Care for the Homeless and Barbara DiPietro of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about homelessness amid a pandemic.
Published May 4, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Lauren M. Sauer, MS
What makes this virus different from hundreds of other similar viruses? What happens if parents don’t take their children for routine immunizations? Does prone body positioning help ICU patients? Does coronavirus spread best in wet or dry environments? What are randomized control trials and why is everyone talking about them? Is it possible to give someone a tattoo from six feet away? Lauren Sauer, Director of Operations with the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, addresses these questions.
Published May 1, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Karen C. Carroll, MD
In March, Johns Hopkins Hospital began making its own COVID-19 tests. The lab now has the capacity to run 600 tests per day but is limited by shortages in the supply of reagents: the chemicals needed to process the tests. Dr. Karen Carroll, Director of the Division of Medical Microbiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what it takes to develop a working COVID-19 test, why labs across the US are struggling with shortages, and what needs to happen to fix access to testing.
Published May 1, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Yngvild K. Olsen, MD, MPH, DFASAM
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the opioid epidemic disappeared from headlines but not from reality. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Dr. Yngvild Olsen, the medical director of an addiction treatment program in Baltimore and the Vice President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, about how her clinic had to pivot to stay open while protecting both patients and staff, how federal regulations have shifted, and what the status of the epidemic is and might be post-COVID-19.
Disclosure: Medical school classmates, Dr. Sharfstein and Dr. Olsen are married.
Published April 30, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Colleen L. Barry, PhD
Guest: Brendan Nyhan, PhD
Misinformation about COVID-19 can have real human costs in the forms of physical harm and “straining the fabric of democracy.” But where does misinformation come from, and how can it be prevented when so much is still unknown about the virus?
Guest host Dr. Colleen Barry, Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, talks with Dr. Brendan Nyhan, an expert in the politics of misinformation about health, about why people might believe false claims, the role of politics, and how to keep science at the center of the discussion.
Published April 30, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Emily S. Gurley, PhD
Guest: Brooke Jarrett
It might be too late to halt transmission of COVID-19, but contract tracing could help bring the outbreak under control. Dr. Emily Gurley and PhD candidate Brooke Jarrett break down contact tracing and what it would take to get “an army” off the ground in US cities.
Published April 29, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Uma Mahadevan, MD
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran in the field or a newly practicing clinician, successful time management and work-life balance can be difficult to achieve. Tune in for key tips and tricks from Dr. Uma Mahadevan.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Maria T. Abreu, MD
As emerging data supports the idea that patients with IBD can be managed by focusing on the microbiome, discussing dietary needs, and using cognitive behavioral therapy, it’s important that providers are attentive to the changing paradigms. During the 2020 Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Congress, Dr. Maria Abreu leverages her triple-threat perspective on bench research, clinical research, and clinical care to share how we can improve care for patients with IBD.
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Dorry Segev, MD, PhD
With organ transplants on pause in the US to free up needed hospital resources, Americans with kidney failure are forced to assume the risks of going to crowded dialysis centers three times a week. Kidney transplant surgeon Dr. Dorry Segev talks with Stephanie Desmon about how the organ transplant community can rethink ways to resume transplants, assess which patients might fare better with risky transplants, and if COVID-19 patients can be organ donors.
Published April 28, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Maximilian Konig, MD
Guest: Chetan Bettegowda, MD, PhD
For the subset of people who become critically ill from the novel coronavirus, cytokine storms could be to blame. This severe inflammatory disease happens when the immune system goes haywire in response to a novel threat. Rheumatology fellow Dr. Max Konig and neurosurgeon Dr. Chetan Bettegowda talk with Stephanie Desmon about the vital role of cytokine in immune responses, how to identify who might be at risk, and how research is looking into stopping the storms before they start.
Published April 28, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, FRCP
Until there is a vaccine, the best hope for the novel coronavirus is finding the right “cocktail” of treatments for managing severe illness. A unique clinical trial model developed several years ago may now help identify treatments that work. Dr. Derek Angus talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the Bayesian inference model, a “March Madness” of testing multiple therapies at once.
Published April 27, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Andrew Stanley Pekosz, PhD
Virologist Dr. Andrew Pekosz returns to the podcast with an update on what his team has learned about COVID-19. Dr. Pekosz and Stephanie Desmon discuss further indications that COVID-19 may not be seasonal, why COVID-19 is “the flu on steroids,” and how learning about how the virus replicates in our upper respiratory tracts could hold clues for treatment and prevention. PLUS: An update on the convalescent plasma therapy trial.
Published April 27, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Gigi Kwik Gronvall, PhD
The market is suddenly flooded with antibody tests claiming to prove whether or not people have already been exposed to COVID-19. But two critical questions are yet unanswered: Are any of these tests accurate and does past exposure mean immunity?
Immunologist Dr. Gigi Gronvall of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new report outlining the potential and pitfalls of antibody testing. They discuss how long it might be before we understand more about antibodies and immunity to COVID-19 and how widespread testing could help capture the true footprint of the coronavirus’s spread.
Published April 24, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD
If bats are immune to the novel coronavirus, can we learn something to help fight the virus in humans? How can I tell if my cough is spring allergies or COVID-19? Is it too soon for businesses like barber shops and salons to reopen? Can the virus crawl or be blown by the wind into your nose? Why are some people asymptomatic? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses questions.
Published April 24, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Annette C. Anderson, PhD
Most schools closed suddenly and have had to scramble to stand up online learning or other solutions to continue instruction in the midst of the pandemic. Further complicating the response is the fact that no one knows how long this will last.
Dr. Annette Anderson of the Johns Hopkins School of Education talks to Stephanie Desmon about the Digital Divide, how schools are trying to prevent a “COVID slide,” the fear that learning can be lost over long breaks. They also discuss the burden on parents and how some districts are stepping up to address disruptions to vital services like food and mental health support for students and their families.
Published April 23, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH
Much of our world was suddenly postponed, canceled, or shuttered in the last month or so. There’s now an opportunity to be more thoughtful about reopening. There are risks either way: wait too long and there are consequences for health, safety, and the economy. Open too soon, and viral transmission may ramp up and out of control.
Dr. Caitlin Rivers of the Center for Health Security is coauthor of a recent report geared towards governors considering how to reopen non-essential businesses. She talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the basic principles behind deciding when to reopen bars, gyms, salons, and other nonessential businesses.
Published April 22, 2020
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Renata Schiavo, PhD, MA
COVID-19 is constantly referred to as a global pandemic, but how often do you think of it as an info-demic? Or as a health equity issue? Joining Mario Nacinovich to give us a look at COVID-19 through a different lens is Dr. Renata Schiavo, Senior Lecturer, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Sociomedical Sciences and Founder and President of the Board of Directors of the Health Equity Initiative. Dr. Schiavo discusses common barriers faced by the most vulnerable populations and how we can protect them during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published April 28, 2020
Host: Paul Doghramji, MD
Guest: Jonathan Stokes
The World Health Organization recently listed antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest threats to global health, causing researchers to search for potential antibiotic candidates to combat this crisis. To find one such candidate, one research team turned to an unexpected source: artificial intelligence.
Here to walk us through the team’s approach and findings is Johnathon Stokes, the lead author of the study that identified a powerful new antibiotic compound.
Host: Shira Johnson, MD
Guest: James Withers, MD
The street medicine movement is faced with the challenge of administering treatments and protection methods to a population that is often excluded and in dire need of care, and that challenge has only been intensified during this unprecedented time. Street physician Dr. Jim Withers, who’s credited with starting the street medicine movement, is here to share what it’s like to care for the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published April 27, 2020
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Anthony Dragun, MD
Throughout this global pandemic, radiation oncologists are faced with the challenge of finding ways to continue administering the necessary cancer treatments while limiting their patients’ risk of exposure to COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Dragun from the MD Anderson Cancer Center is here to explain how that can be done and why these new approaches should be embraced even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Published April 27, 2020
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Jonathan Riess, MD, MS
Due to the many challenges and complications that are now facing oncologists and their patients requiring lung cancer treatment, lung cancer care is changing in many ways to help minimize a patient’s risk of exposure, as Dr. Jonathan Riess from the UC Davis Medical Center explains.
Published April 24, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Julie Messersmith
Guest: Denis Wirtz
The challenges presented by the pandemic are giving rise to a pipeline of research proposals focused on COVID-19. Julie Messersmith and Denis Wirtz are leading Johns Hopkins University's multidisciplinary research projects to develop better detection and protection tools and treatments for COVID-19 patients. They talk to Stephanie Desmon about how engineers, public health specialists, and medical doctors are teaming up to develop better testing and treatment solutions on incredibly fast-tracked timelines.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Join pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein as she highlights several articles from recent literature describing coagulopathies in severely ill COVID-19 patients in China. She explores the cause and effect theories behind these findings and whether the observed coagulopathies are due directly to the virus, the critically ill condition of the patient that predisposes them to thromboembolism, or some combination of the two.
Published April 24, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The US Food and Drug Administration has authorized clinicians to prescribe chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for hospitalized patients with COVID-19, despite warnings from scientific advisers that no randomized controlled trial has been conducted to support the drugs’ safety and efficacy in this population. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein takes us through the FDA’s decision process, the parameters of the issuance, and comments made by the experts on this emergency ruling.
Published April 24, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a new guidance for the issuance of oral Schedule II prescriptions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide public health emergency. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein details the DEA’s temporary exceptions to the regulations to ease prescribing and dispensing of these controlled substances during this challenging time.
Published April 24, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Preeti N. Malani MD
Colleges and universities are already starting to think about what it would take to reopen for the fall semester. But bringing back students, faculty, and staff—and welcoming the class of 2024—will require a complete rethinking of campus life. Dr. Preeti Malani, Chief Health Officer of the University of Michigan, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how she’s considering the health and safety of 50,000 students plus faculty and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published April 20, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Tom Inglesby, MD
Does the virus cause male sterility? Are false negatives a problem with COVID tests? Is there a connection between how much virus you’re exposed to and how serious the illness is? Should people on immunosuppressive drugs stop taking them? Does the virus “reactivate?” Can people really become immune? Why are there so many more cases in the northern hemisphere? Why will a COVID-19 vaccine take so long when we come up with a new flu vaccine every year?
Tom Inglesby, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, answers a grab bag of listener questions.
Published April 17, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Roni Neff
Bare shelves in grocery stores feed pandemic anxiety but Roni Neff, an expert on food systems and public health at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, says this is not the biggest concern. Neff talks to Stephanie Desmon about how our robust food industry depends largely upon keeping its workers safe and well, how a pandemic completely shifts the model of emergency food access, and what’s being done to address these unique challenges to ensure everyone is fed.
Published April 16, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Crystal R. Watson, DrPH
Contact tracing is a core tool of public health. Now, it could be a way to reopen the world. Crystal Watson of the Center for Health Security is the lead author of a recent report with a national plan to scale up our capability to conduct contact tracing. Watson talks to Stephanie Desmon about what contact tracing entails, how technology could help, how to approach privacy concerns, and why the plan could help employ thousands of people with some basic training.
Published April 16, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Allison Barlow, PhD
Poor health care, lacking infrastructure, and generational poverty combine to make Native Americans especially vulnerable to COVID-19. With previous infectious respiratory illnesses like H1N1, mortality rates were sometimes four to five times higher than US averages among tribal communities. Allison Barlow, Director of the Center for American Indian Health, talks to Stephanie Desmon about COVID-19’s particular threats to Native Americans, what’s being done to help mount a “culturally informed” response, and how the virus is “revealing the cracks in our systems.”
Published April 15, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Meghan F. Davis, PhD, DVM
Most new diseases originate from “spillover events” where humans come into contact with wild animals. Veterinarian and scientist Meghan Davis talks to Stephanie Desmon about the rise of infectious diseases and what is being done to prepare for future spillover events. She also covers how a tiger in the Bronx Zoo got a test, and the threats COVID-19 may pose to your own pets.
Published April 14, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Beth Blauer
The COVID-19 dashboard run by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering has been a critical source of near real-time tracking of the spread of the novel coronavirus since it first emerged. Beth Blauer, Executive Director of Centers for Civic Impact and an expert on the public’s use of data and analytics, is part of the team that manages the map. Blauer talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the global dashboard originated, what new features have been added, and how the data can help individuals and officials make informed decisions for COVID-19 response.
Published April 14, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Kathryn J. Ruddy, MD
Guest: Joerg Herrmann, MD
To give us a better sense for how some cardiology and oncology specialists have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Joerg Hermann and Dr. Kathryn Ruddy, who are two members of the cross-disciplinary Cardio-Oncology clinic at Mayo Clinic, discuss their perspectives on this pandemic and how they’ve been treating immunosuppressed patients.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Tune in as pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein looks at a few of the novel approaches researchers all over the world are taking to conquer the novel coronavirus in addition to evaluating what these approaches may mean for today and potential viral mutations going forward.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Critical medicine shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for drugs required to support patients on mechanical ventilation, is the focus of this episode of The Drug Report. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein describes the urgent appeals made by major healthcare organizations, related reports highlighting the serious impact of these shortages on fill rates for critical medicines, and progress being made at the federal level to remedy the situation.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Throughout history, diseases have acquired names from geographical landmarks, the name of the organism, the anatomy impacted, and even the media. But some naming conventions have resulted in negative consequences, which is why the World Health Organization established best practices for naming novel diseases in 2015.
Here to walk us through those guidelines and to give us a brief history of how some well-known diseases—including the COVID-19 pandemic the world is currently facing—gained their name is Dr. John Russell.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: John J. Russell, MD
The practice of quarantining ill patients goes back much further than you may realize. Tune in as Dr. John Russell walks us through the history of quarantines going all the way back to the year 1200.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Join pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein as she outlines the United States Health and Human Services’ authorization of licensed pharmacists to order and administer FDA-approved COVID-19 tests as well as the priority patient testing categories as set forth by the U.S. Public Health Service.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: John J. Russell, MD
In the absence of FDA-approved therapies and vaccines to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals on the frontlines are turning to malarial medicines like chloroquine and hydroquinone to treat their patients—despite the fact that there’s no evidence to support their use. But this isn’t the first time that medicines have been used for a different purpose than what they were intended for, as Dr. John Russell explains.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) recently published recommendations for prescribers, pharmacists and patients when considering the proper use of experimental treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inappropriate prescribing of experimental treatments “just in case” or for patients not at high risk of severe illness may lead to insufficient supplies of critical medicines that are needed to treat other patients who depend on these medicines.
Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D., reports on this important guidance designed to limit drug shortages and the worsening of existing shortages that can occur when practitioners and patients stock up and hoard their medication supplies.
Published April X, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners recently announced it was launching an international clinical trial with the goal of generating significant worldwide data from thousands of patients to find the most effective treatments for COVID-19. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein brings you an update on the WHO SOLIDARITY trial, which will offer clinicians simplified procedures to enable even overloaded hospitals to participate.
Published April 17, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The Centers for Disease Control provided a guidance for pharmacy staff to minimize their risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus and reduce customer risk during the pandemic. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein presents highlights of the guidance that offers recommendations on ways to minimize viral exposure when medication dispensing along with methods to minimize patient-to-patient contact.
Published on April 17, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein highlights the key points of a New England Journal of Medicine article that given the available evidence, the authors and multiple specialty medical societies believe that—despite theoretical concerns and uncertainty pertaining to the effect of RAAS inhibitors on ACE2 and its potential relationship to COVID-19 severity—RAAS inhibitors should be continued in patients who are otherwise in stable condition who are at risk for or are being evaluated for COVID-19. Abrupt withdrawal of RAAS inhibitors in high-risk patients, including those who have heart failure or have had myocardial infarction, may result in clinical instability and adverse health outcomes.
Published April 17, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a guidance on its temporary policy for certain risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic that include laboratory monitoring and imaging studies. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein discusses the guidance and its impact on patient access to certain REMS drugs when patients self-isolate or are subject to quarantine due to COVID-19.
Published April 17, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Paul B. Spiegel, MD
Guest: John Barry
The historical context of 1918 shaped much of the response to the flu pandemic in the US—just as it will with COVID-19. Dr. Paul Spiegel, director of the Center for Humanitarian Health, talks with historian and author John Barry about how an absence of credible leadership and messaging hindered response efforts then and what lessons we can apply today.
Published April 13, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Amesh Adalja, MD
What did we learn this week? Is there a connection between 5G cell phone towers and the novel coronavirus? How often should you wash a homemade cloth mask? Is there any truth behind using hydroxychloroquine as a treatment? Will people on ventilators have permanent lung damage? What’s it like for doctors and nurses in the hospitals right now? Dr. Amesh Adaljaof the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses your questions.
Published April 10, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Amy Greensfelder, MSW
Guest: Shantay Jackson
Fallout from COVID-19 goes beyond case counts—we are facing “an epidemic of isolation and loneliness,” says Councilman Zeke Cohen. The Baltimore Neighbors Network is a virtual community of trained volunteers who are available to listen to city residents and provide resources for follow-up if needed.
Councilman Cohen, Shantay Jackson, executive director of the Baltimore Community Mediation Center, and Amy Greensfelder, executive director of Pro Bono Counseling, talk to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the network is addressing the mental health risks.
Published April 9, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: William J. Moss, MD
Development of a COVID-19 vaccine is an essential part of halting the pandemic. But will it be months or years before we see one? Vaccine expert Dr. William Moss talks to Stephanie Desmon about the complexities of vaccine development and manufacturing, potential hold ups, how opponents of vaccination may come into play, and why COVID-19 may threaten current immunization programs.
Published April 10, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Tom Frieden
What will need to happen for businesses and schools to reopen, and what might the future look like with COVID-19? Former CDC director Tom Frieden talks to Stephanie Desmon about what governments and individuals should be doing right now to help curb the spread of the virus and move America closer to reopening.
Published April 9, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Lainie Rutkow, PhD, JD
There have been varying responses to COVID-19 carried out across local, state, and federal governments in the US. But what powers does the government have at various levels in a pandemic and how does the law work when an enemy like COVID-19 “does not respect jurisdictional boundaries?” Law expert and Hopkins professor Dr. Lainie Rutkow talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a range of legal issues, including what happens if states start suing each other.
Published April 8, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Jason E. Farley, PHD, MSN, MPH, RN
Why was the US slow to stand up testing and is this improving? Should you wear a cloth mask in your daily activities? Jason Farley, an infectious disease-trained nurse epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, talks to Stephanie Desmon and breaks down the complications of testing for COVID-19 and why recommendations on the public’s use of masks may be evolving.
Published April 8, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Vernon Lee, PhD
Early on in the COVID-19 outbreak, Singapore quickly launched a robust response which included widespread testing, diligent contact tracing and quarantining, and isolation of all sick persons, even those with mild symptoms. Alumnus Dr. Vernon Lee, Director of Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health of Singapore, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how lessons from the 2003 SARS outbreak informed Singapore’s risk-based approach to staying a few steps ahead of the novel coronavirus.
Published April 7, 2020
Host: Paul Doghramji, MD
Guest: Gary Lyman, MD, MPH
Just two miles away from where the first case of COVID-19 was identified, the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research acted quickly to help protect patients. Here to walk us through the impacts, barriers faced, and strategies that have been implemented to help address those challenges is the oncology center’s Senior Lead of Health Care Quality and Policy Dr. Gary Lyman.
Published April 10, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Sabra L. Klein, PhD
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Rosemary Morgan, PhD
Globally, more men are dying from COVID-19 than women. But is this due to sex (biological differences), gender (social and contextual differences), or something else entirely? Stephanie Desmon talks to virologist Sabra Klein and social scientist Rosemary Morgan about risk factors associated with COVID-19.
Published April 6, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Tolbert G. Nyenswah, MPH
In 2014, Tolbert Nyenswah, then an assistant minister of health in Liberia, was tapped to lead the nation’s response to the Ebola epidemic. Under his leadership, an Incident Management System deployed thousands of epidemiologists, case managers, and contact tracers in a technical response that brought the outbreak under control. Nyenswah talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what the US can learn from Liberia’s experience and what needs to happen soon to get ahead of the curve.
Published April 6, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Howard Sklamberg
What does a global pandemic mean for the world’s drug supply chain? Howard Sklamberg, lawyer and former FDA deputy commissioner, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the threats that COVID-19 poses to medications for everything from cancer to diabetes to hypertension.
Published April 3, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Dr. Eric Toner, MD
The Center for Health Security is back with another round of expert answers to your most-asked COVID-19 questions. If we reopen everything back up, what is the risk that we’ll have a new surge of infections? As China considers loosening restrictions, how are they making those decisions? Why aren’t there human temperature monitors in public places like airports, hospitals, and grocery stores? Is anyone considering breast milk for antibody therapy? Can two positive people quarantine together? How many people will actually get COVID-19? What are the most important unanswered questions right now?
Published April 3, 2020
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH
As public health experts stress the importance of hygiene and social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, what does this mean for the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S.? Johns Hopkins Infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Chris Beyrer talks to Stephanie Desmon about the difficulties of protecting people in these facilities, the low-risk/high-reward strategy of releasing those held on administrative misdemeanors, and how undocumented people may be one of our most vulnerable populations.
Published April 2, 2020
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Dr. Brian Garibaldi, MD
Caring for patients with COVID-19 requires a new playbook in many ways. Dr. Brian Garibaldi, a pulmonologist in the ICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the medical director of the biocontainment unit, talks to Stephanie Desmon about his observations of COVID-19 patients including new challenges, changes to protocols, and coping with fears about he and his colleagues getting sick themselves.
Published April 1, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Dr. Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH
Equal access to resources, care, and information is a substantial problem for at-risk groups such as older adults, ethnic minorities, or those with low incomes even in the best of times. In this pandemic, where it’s critical to “flatten the curve” among all groups, these barriers cannot be ignored. Dr. Lisa Cooper, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what needs to be done to address these significant, persistent challenges.
Published April 1, 2020
Host: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Keri N. Althoff, PhD
Guest: Elizabeth A. Stuart, PhD
Like many, epidemiologist Keri Althoff and biostatistician Elizabeth Stuart are juggling different responsibilities and precautionary measures in the “new normal” of COVID-19. They talk to Stephanie Desmon not about their day jobs, but about play dates, community building while social distancing, ordering takeout, and how they’re managing COVID-19 as parents, neighbors, and friends.
Published March 31, 2020
Guest: Michael Greenberg, MD
Join dermatologist Dr. Michael Greenberg as he shares his unique view that blurs science and spirituality and how it’s helping him create stronger connections with patients.
Published April 10, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
This special episode of The Drug Report provides an update regarding the antiviral Remdesivir, which is the first investigational therapeutic to be studied under an FDA-approved NIH adaptive randomized controlled clinical trial for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Currently, there are three options through clinical trials for obtaining remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and pneumonia in the United States, as pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein explains.
Published April 10, 2020
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Diane E Custer, MD
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across our nation and the world, more and more patients are experiencing anxiety and depression. Joining Dr. John Russell to explain how we can console our patients—all while maintaining our own mental health along the way—is Dr. Diane Custer.
Published April 8, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Cyrus Shahpar, MD, MBA, MPH
What does it take to stand up a makeshift hospital—and enough people to staff it—in order to address critically ill patients of COVID-19? Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, Director of Prevent Epidemics team at Resolve to Save Lives talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how to quickly scale up medical responses in a crisis.
Published March 30, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Bin Cao, MD
Dr. Bin Cao, Vice President and Director of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, has worked on the frontlines of patient care in Wuhan for the past few months. By closely monitoring the disease, he and his team are beginning to unlock some of its secrets. Dr. Cao talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the situation has changed in Wuhan, what we can learn about safeguarding providers, the primary risk factors for death, and ongoing research.
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Crystal R. Watson, DrPH
What do we know this week that we didn’t know last week? What’s the status of serologic testing and can it be useful in helping to end social distancing practices? How good is the current evidence on chloroquine? Should COVID-19 patients avoid taking ibuprofen? What happens next if we are successful with social distancing? If you are older but have no chronic illness, are you still at high risk?
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Jeremy A. Green
Guest: Graham Mooney, PhD
COVID-19 is often compared to the 1918 flu pandemic that claimed millions of lives and caused massive social disruption. But to what extent is the novel coronavirus different and what lessons can we learn from the successes and failures of previous epidemics? Medical historians Jeremy Greene and Graham Mooney talk to Stephanie Desmon about this comparison, the history of quarantines, and what we will learn from what we are living through right now.
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Judi Melinek, MD
Dr. Judy Melinek is a forensic pathologist in the San Francisco Bay Area. She explains the role of autopsies in the public health response to COVID-19 and how her work also plays a difficult but vital role in disposing of remains when health care systems become overloaded.
Published March 26, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Albert Wu, MD
In the midst of a pandemic, resilience is key for health care workers. Dr. Albert Wu, co-director of RISE—Resilience In Stressful Events—an emotional peer support structure at Johns Hopkins Hospital, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the importance of supporting hospital staff and what can be done to mitigate anxiety and stress in this unprecedented situation.
Published March 25, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Stephanie Desmon
Guest: Monica Malta MPH, PhD
The threat of COVID-19 presents a new challenge for citizens of many countries who are not used to government entities directing their behavior. It’s also an ideological shift for many: Change your individual behavior for the good of the greater community.
Monica Malta, an alumna of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School, is a social epidemiologist and a global health researcher at the University of Toronto. She examines how responses at local, national, and regional levels—along with individual and community behavioral changes—can change the pace of an outbreak. Malta talks to Stephanie Desmon of the Center for Communication Programs about effective response strategies, why the outbreak looked so different in Italy and Japan despite both countries having aging populations, and more.
Published March 25, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Susan Krenn
Guest: Stephanie Desmon
There are so many unknowns around COVID-19, so how can we find credible sources of information? What is the role of communication in the pandemic, and how can authorities get it right? Susan Krenn, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, talks to Stephanie Desmon about how communication can combat fear if it’s credible, transparent, timely, and gives people the resources they need.
Published March 24, 2020
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
To help both his patients and colleagues alike find support and comfort during the COVID-19 global pandemic, dermatologist Dr. Michael Greenberg shares his experiences, coping strategies, and outlets that are available.
Published April 3, 2020
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
To help alleviate pressure from hospitals that are experiencing a high influx of patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dermatologist Dr. Michael Greenberg decided to keep his doors open and is now sharing what it’s like to see patients during this outbreak.
Published April 3, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
A small-town emergency room in Louisiana has now seen hundreds of COVID-19 patients. Here’s what’s been learned in an anonymous ER doctor’s own words, as narrated by Dr. Matt Birnholz.
Published April 2, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
In the absence of a vaccine or antivirals against COVID-19, controlling its transmission through social distancing has been an essential strategy. And to prove it, a team from the University of Western Australia conducted research using a simulation city which implemented social distancing versus a city without it. Dr. Matt Birnholz summarizes this study's staggering findings.
Published April 1, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
The international supply chain of medical equipment and materials has been strained by Asian and European countries already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why healthcare gear in dire need is now being looked at from a different perspective by university research teams. Listen in as Dr. Matt Birnholz sheds light on innovative ways PPE is being manufactured by Georgia Tech.
Published April 1, 2020
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Social distancing is surprisingly not a new concept in the United States. As our country geared up for World War I in 1918, social gatherings and parades to support the military were at an all-time high. But as feelings of patriotism spread at these events, so too did influenza. Join Dr. John Russell as he recounts The Tale of Two Cities: Philadelphia and St. Louis and how the spread of influenza was dramatically different between the two cities due to the actions each took to mitigate risk.
Published March 28, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
On this episode of The Drug Report, pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein focuses on a recent CVS Health announcement of their new plan that allows employers and health plan sponsors to work within a formulary and plan design to offer all types of diabetes medications—including insulin—at zero-dollar out of pocket for their members without raising costs for the plan sponsor or increasing premiums or deductibles for all plan members.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Although there are currently no antiviral medicines or vaccines licensed by the FDA for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, some progress has been made as the first investigational therapeutic is to be studied under an FDA-approved NIH adaptive randomized controlled clinical trial for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein reports on this and other investigational therapies.
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
There are currently four gene therapy products approved by the FDA, and with the FDA anticipating that there will be many more approvals in the future, how can they continue advancing the field of gene therapy all while ensuring that these innovative products meet their strict standards for safety and effectiveness? Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein breaks down their six new guidance documents.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
As the number of novel coronavirus cases continue to rise on a national and global scale, how is the FDA responding? Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein provides an overview of the FDA’s action plan with the overall goal of collaborating with interagency and international partners, product developers, and global regulators to speed up the development and availability of medical products needed to diagnose, treat, mitigate, and prevent such outbreaks.
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
Join pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein as she reviews the Drug Enforcement Administration’s recent proposals to improve the organization’s ability to oversee the production of opioids and further limit excess quantities of the medications that might be vulnerable to diversion for illicit distribution and use.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
In this episode of The Drug Report, pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein highlights some diabetes medications that have achieved or are pending approval for new indications pertaining to cardiovascular disease risk reduction.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on concerns that the lack of new antibiotics threatens global efforts to contain drug-resistant infections. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein highlights WHO’s efforts on a variety of fronts to counter the threat of antimicrobial resistance by improving infection prevention and control and promoting the appropriate use of existing and future antibiotics.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Healthcare workers face a new threat beyond the difficult prospects of overrun hospitals, PPE shortages, and incidental spread of the virus to their loved ones. As the pandemic escalates, shifting perceptions and moods from the public have put some clinicians in the crosshairs.
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Emerging reports are painting a far more complex picture of clinical presentations for COVID-19 than previously thought, stemming to exceptionally high viral loads in nasal cavities. How will this affect the risk profile for otolaryngologists performing essential ENT procedures?
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Strategies of self-isolation from caregivers treating patients with COVID-19 are taking an emotional toll, cutting them off from their support networks at a time when workplace stress is at an all-time high. But the alternative, to many, is unthinkable.
Published March 27, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Monica Schoch-Spana, PhD
For many, COVID-19 has revealed an anxiety-ridden world of unknowns. Protecting our mental health is just as important as protecting our physical health in this pandemic. But how can we find comfort if we’re inundated with scary messages and physically cut off from people we love? Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana of the Center for Health Security talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about caring for ourselves and for vulnerable populations like frontline healthcare providers, friends, and neighbors in quarantine, and those with underlying health conditions like anxiety or depression.
Published March 23, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD
Why is the response to COVID-19 so much more severe than the response to other outbreaks like H1N1 or SARS? Will a vaccine be more effective than the usual flu vaccine? Has the shortage of available testing been resolved? Are we seeing more cases because of increases in transmission or testing? Why does COVID-19 cause shortness of breath? Can drinking cold water increase your risk of infection?
Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses some myths and questions.
Published March 20, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Stephanie Desmon
Recent volatility in the financial markets have shaken investors and left everyone asking: Are we currently in a financial crisis? Author and expert on financial crises Kathleen Day of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School talks to Stephanie Desmon of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs about how the novel coronavirus is affecting local and global economies and what consumers should do right now.
Published March 19, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Leonard S. Rubenstein, JD
What are the human rights considerations in the response to COVID-19? How can societies move to control the spread of the virus in ways that do not create panic or unnecessarily restrict communities? What are critical considerations as governments try to strike the right balance between restrictions and depriving people of the ability to live their lives? Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Len Rubenstein, Conflict and Health program director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights.
Published March 18, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH
What is #FlattenTheCurve? Caitlin Rivers, senior scholar at the Center for Health Security talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about this response strategy, what it means for you, and how staying home can help ensure that everyone who needs healthcare in an outbreak will be able to get it.
Published March 17, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD
Is there potential for using antibodies generated by people who have recovered from COVID-19 to prevent infection and treat those who are sick? Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Arturo Casadevall, chair of Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, about a landmark 1934 case where antibodies helped stopped a measles outbreak.
Published March 17, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Jeffrey Kahn, MD
Guest: Nancy E. Kass, ScD
Is it right to publicly disclose information about people who get sick with COVID-19? What are society’s obligations to people who are quarantined? Is it time to start thinking about how to allocate critical healthcare resources in case this epidemic stretches the healthcare system beyond its capacity to care for everyone? Dr. Josh Sharfstein speaks with renowned ethicists Jeffery Kahn and Nancy Kass, the director and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.
Published March 16, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Professor Lucy Wilson
Dr. Lucy Wilson, professor of Emergency Health Services at University of Maryland Baltimore County, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about why the Seattle outbreak is an important bellwether for the rest of the country in terms of protecting vulnerable populations and what facilities and first responders can do to control and stop outbreaks like COVID-19.
Published March 13, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Thomas V. Inglesby, MD
Can people without symptoms spread COVID-19? Can children get COVID-19? Should you cancel an upcoming gathering? Are school closures helpful? If you’ve had COVID-19, are you immune? Are men more affected than women? Dr. Tom Inglesby from the Center for Health Security answers these and some of the most asked questions.
Published March 13, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Georges Benjamin, MD
Weak points in the U.S.’s health and social policies—like paid sick leave and universal health coverage—disproportionately affect underserved communities. COVID-19 may present added challenges for these populations. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, about public health’s role in preventing communities from being left behind.
Published March 12, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Gabor Kelen, MD
What role do local health departments play in outbreaks, and how are they preparing for COVID-19? As Commissioner of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health in Ohio, Terry Allan is responsible for the well-being of over 850,000 people. Allan talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about public trust and the importance of open information sharing and how ongoing relationship building and past experience help set the stage for protecting people in their communities.
Published March 11, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Terry Allan
Why the director of Hopkins’ Office of Critical Event Preparedness is preparing but not panicking: Dr. Gabor Kelen, Director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what’s contributing to public fears about COVID-19, how the institution assesses what actions to take, and his one piece of advice for people experiencing mild symptoms.
Published March 10, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Lisa Maragakis, MD
COVID-19 presents new challenges for health care providers in the midst of respiratory virus season. Dr. Lisa Maragakis, Senior Director of Infection Prevention at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about standard precautions, protecting hospital staff while ensuring coverage, how previous outbreaks have laid some groundwork to address this one, and what you can do to help.
Published March 9, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD
Is hand sanitizer effective? Will this spread throughout the US? Should I cancel my upcoming travel plans? Can COVID-19 tests tell the difference between someone who has had the virus and someone who currently has it? Are face masks effective?
Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security answers these and some of the most asked questions.
Published March 6, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Andrew Stanley Pekosz, PhD
Tune in for an interview with Professor Andrew Pekosz of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an expert in the basic science of respiratory viruses, including influenza and SARS. Dr. Pekosz shares what’s known and what is yet to be discovered about the novel coronavirus.
Published March 5, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Justin Lessler, PhD
Dr. Josh Sharfstein interviews infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Justin Lessler on the features of viruses that lead to worldwide contagion, how COVID-19 compares with the flu in terms of speed, and where the evidence now points for this novel coronavirus.
Dr. Justin Lessler is an Associate Professor in Epidemiology. Dr. Josh Sharfstein is the Vice Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and former secretary of Maryland’s Department of Health.
Published March 4, 2020
Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD
Guest: Jennifer Nuzzo, MD
Guest: Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, MA
Guest: Lauren M. Sauer, MS
With COVID-19 beginning to spread via community transmission in the U.S. and the WHO raising its risk assessment to “very high,” experts from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine offer insights on the growing global public health concern.
Featuring Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo and Dr. Tara Kirk Sell of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Lauren Sauer of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response; moderated by Dr. Josh Sharfstein, Vice Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and former secretary of Maryland's Department of Health.
Published March 3, 2020