The Interview

This episode aired on Sunday December 11, 2011. You can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org or download the free podcast on our iTunes page!

Summary: In this episode, host John Corker sits down with current first-year medical student and Radio Rounds staff member, Sam Roberto, as well as second-year medical student and students admissions committee member, Nick Hountras, to discuss the secrets to success in medical school admissions interviews.

Applying to medical school can be an intimidating task, but with the help of our staff in this episode you can “get a leg up” on the competition.  Nick Hountras shares some of the things he looks for when interviewing candidates for admission to medical school and also shares potential application “red flags.”

Sam Roberto details some of the unique questions he was asked in his interviews last fall and offers insight into his methods for interview preparation.  He also shares how he handled the questions that he had not considered prior to the interview.

To get answers to questions about medical school and the applications process you can visit www.studentdoctor.net.

Remember, as always, the free-to-download podcast of this episode (and all past episodes) can be found on our iTunes page! And you can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org!

Zombie MD

This episode aired on Sunday October 30, 2011. You can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org or download the free podcast on our iTunes page!

Zombies, vampires, superheroes and many other fantastical creatures from the cinema pose interesting subjects for science buffs and even physicians to explore. In this special Halloween episode, the Radio Rounds team… gets creative.

Featured Guest: Dr. Steven Schlozman, the world’s foremost authority on Zombie neurobiology.  Dr. Schlozman is a clinical psychologist, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, and an expert on the inner workings of the living dead.  Dr. Schlozman’s first novel, The Zombie Autopsies, hit shelves nationwide in March 2011.

Dr. Schlozman shares with Radio Rounds how his interest in zombies began when he was very young and how his subsequent medical education stirred his interest in answering some of the physiological questions concerning the behavior and psychology of the living dead.  The physical condition of the cinematic creatures resembles a myriad of diseases affecting the central nervous system, and Dr. Schlozman gives us insight into the methods he might use to treat their symptoms.  He even admits to using the zombie as a construct for exploring neurobiology with his students.

Mostly, though, the Radio Rounds hosts use Halloween as an excuse to talk to a zombie expert. And why not? To learn more about Dr. Schlozman’s book visit www.thezombieautopsies.com

Remember, as always, the free-to-download podcast of this episode (and all past episodes) can be found on our iTunes page! And you can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org !

Mysteries & Oddities in the Mutter Museum

Episode 413 aired on November 7, 2010 and is now available as a free download on our iTunes page!

In this episode, the Radio Rounds crew takes a special visit to the famed Mutter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia — a museum that welcomes tens of thousands of curious visitors each year and showcases a legendary collection of medical history.

Oh, and more than a few medical oddities as well.

Hosts Avash Kalra and John Corker speak with the Curator of the Museum, Anna Dhody, as well as the Museum’s Director, Dr. Robert Hicks. Ms. Dhody and Dr. Hicks discuss the famous exhibits at the museum, including the Hyrtl skull collection, a collection of 2,000 objects extracted from people’s throats, the tallest skeleton on display in North America, and of course, the famous mystery of the preserved Soap Lady — whose corpse turned itself into a soapy substance called adipocere.

Learn more on the Mutter Museum website, and remember that, as always, the free-to-download podcast of this episode (and all past episodes) can be found on our iTunes page!

No Letter, Now What?

This episode, which aired in May 2010, is now available as a free download on our iTunes page!

Supply and Demand. It’s a principle that underlies even medical school admissions. Each year, there are invariably many very qualified applicants who are not admitted to medical school, and it’s not because they are not deserving of a position. At the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine — which houses the medical students who produce Radio Rounds — the annual acceptance rate is approximately 7%, meaning that 93 out of every 100 applicants are not accepted to the school.

So for students who don’t receive a letter, what can they do to improve their application for the following year? In this special episode, we ask that question (and many more) to three medical school admissions directors:

  • Dr. Stephen ManuelAssistant Dean of Admissions, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
  • Dr. Steve PetersonAssociate Dean of Admissions, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
  • Debra E. StalkMPH Director of Admissions & Associate Director, MBS Program, The Commonwealth Medical College

As always, the free-to-download podcast of this episode (and all past episodes) can be found on our iTunes page!

Black History Month – Advancing Health & Wellness

This episode, which aired on February 28, 2010, is now available on iTunes!

In this episode, Radio Rounds recognizes Black History Month with an all-star lineup of guests who discuss the impact of minority physicians, particularly African American physicians — as well as the intricacies of the health care process as it relates to predominantly urban environments. Among many other topics, we discuss the impact of violence on young African American males, the NAACP’s involvement on Capitol Hill, and the role of student minority advocates in the Student National Medical Association (SNMA).

Guests in this episode include:

  • Dr. John Rich, author of Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men. Dr. Rich is a leader in the field of public health, and his work has focused on serving one of the nation’s most ignored and underserved populations — African-American men in urban settings. He currently serves as Chair of Health Management and Policy at the Drexel University School of Public Health, in Philadelphia.
  • Shavon Arline, Health Care Program Director for the NAACP.
  • Travelle Franklin-Ford, National President of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and MD/PhD student at the University of Wisconsin. Established in 1964, SNMA is the oldest and largest medical student organization dedicated to serving the needs of underrepresented minority students who wish to pursue careers in the field of medicine.
  • Dr. Kevin Watt, Opthalmologist; Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

In all, 13 voices appear on this special Radio Rounds episode — setting an all-time record at the time of the broadcast! Among them are SNMA members at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine — Alyson Grant, Randy Wallace, Khalil Sharif, and Lorena Rodriguez.

Medical School Admissions

You can hear a clip from this episode on our BEST OF SEASON ONE file, available as a free podcast download on iTunes.

In this episode, we were joined by a fantastic panel of admissions experts — Dr. Stephen Peterson (pictured on the left; Asst. Dean of Admissions, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine), Dr. R. Stephen Manuel(Associate Dean of Admissions, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine), Ms. Lorna Kenyon (Director of Admissions, The Ohio State University College of Medicine), and Joshua Evans (second year medical student at Wright State who serves as a full admissions committee member and interviewer).

The show was certainly targeted towards pre-medical students, and in this special 90 minute episode, our guests discussed topics such as the important of the MCAT vs. extracurricular activities, the weight of the personal statement and the applicant interview, the intricacies of applying as a non-traditional applicant, the national push to increase medical school class sizes… and MUCH more!