Radio Rounds

This episode aired on Sunday October 2, 2011. You can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org or download the free podcast on our iTunes page!

In this episode, Avash Kalra and Teresa Lee lead a discussion on palliative care and the intricacies of dealing with end-of-life events, from the perspective of both physicians and patients.

Featured Guest: Dr. David Casarett, Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Last Acts: Discovering Possibility and Opportunity at the End of Life.

Dr. Casarett shares with us many stories from his experiences as a physician specializing in palliative care, including the story of Sylvester, the patient who inspired him to write his book.  As patients discover they are at the end of life, they have many different ways of responding — including reconciliation, aggression, celebration, revenge, denial and many others.  Dr. Casarett stresses the importance of battling the common assumption that the end of life is hopeless.

Avash and Teresa also discuss with host Casey McCluskey her own experiences with the possibility of death — stemming from Casey’s personal experience with breast cancer, diagnosed when she was a first year medical student.  As medical students, the education on disease and healing is extensive.  However, when it comes to dealing with the end of life, less opportunity is provided to develop answers to some of the difficult questions that many palliative care patients must deal with.  Learning to bring hope to a family whose sense of loss is overwhelming is an additional topic that is explored in this episode.

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 !

This episode aired on Sunday September 25, 2011. You can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org or download the free podcast on our iTunes page!

In this episode, John Corker and Teresa Lee discuss with our guests the roles that the American Medical Association (AMA), particularly the medical student section (MSS), plays in the development
of health care policies on Capitol Hill.

Featured Guests: Dr. Peter Carmel, recently inaugurated 166th president of the American Medical Association, Chairman of the Department of Neurological
Surgery at New Jersey Medical School and Director of the Neurological Institute of New Jersey. Also: Abby Daniel, the 2011-2012 Government Relations
Advocacy Fellow for the AMA, and T.R. Eckler, Chief of the AMA Medical Student Section Governing Council.

Dr. Carmel gives us insight into the role that medical students play in the AMA and the influence that they have in the direction of proposals on Capitol Hill. He also mentions the proposed budget cuts to Medicare and the effect that those cuts would have on the medical community, particularly for physicians in residencies funded by Medicare.

Abby Daniel and T.R. Eckler share with us how they became involved in the AMA MSS and also ways that other medical students can get involved. Medical students play an important role in the AMA and their presence is needed. According to Dr. Carmel, the medical student section of the AMA is one of the most influential because the students are the “most altruistic and the most selfless” part of the medical profession so “when they talk, people listen.” Dr. Carmel also shares his opinions on how to combat the empathy burnout in medicine.

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 !

This episode aired on Sunday September 18, 2011. You can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org or download the free podcast on our iTunes page!

In this episode, hosts John Corker and Lakshman Swamy consider the many challenges facing primary care physicians today with regards to children’s vaccinations and the declining public perception of the utility of preventive medicine.  As experienced U.S. physicians attempt to convince misinformed parents of the importance of preventive medicine, Latin America faces many of these same struggles.  One in three children in Latin America have not received the vaccinations they so desperately need!

Featured Guest: Dr. Jon Andrus, Deputy Director of the Pan-American Health Organization, a division of the World Health Organization.  Dr. Andrus is credited for his work in eradicating Polio in the Americas and Southeast Asia.  He received the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award of the United States Public Health Service for this work.

Dr. Andrus’ current work in PAHO focuses on “finishing the unfinished agenda.”  This includes bringing immunizations and preventive medicine to those who need it in many underdeveloped countries across our globe.  Dr. Andrus discusses his concerns with the proposed budget cuts to the CDC’s immunization programs in the United States.  In the medical world, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  If we eliminate the funding for this “ounce,” then the healthcare industry will face an inevitable “tsunami” of disease.  Already, in California, there has been a recurrence of the infectious disease Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.  With federal cuts, diseases like Pertussis that have been forgotten for so long will not just be in our history books.  They will be on our doorsteps.

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 !

This episode aired on Sunday September 11, 2011 and is now available as a free download on our iTunes page!For our first episode of Season 6, Radio Rounds hosts discuss the events that took place on September 11, 2001 with two physicians whose perspectives offer unique insight into the details and aftermath of that fateful day.

Featured Guests: Dr. Steven Sampson, Osteopathic Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Doctor and Clinical Instructor of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine and Dr. Jacqueline Moline, Director of the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Dr. Sampson recalls his experiences as a 4th-year Medical student during the tragedies of September 11 one decade ago.  After hearing of the attacks, Dr. Sampson’s response was similar to so many others on that day: heroism uninhibited by fear and a sense of duty that called him to the doorstep of Ground Zero to offer whatever help he could.

Dr. Moline’s project at Mt. Sinai Hospital aims at treating the ailments that occurred as a result of the same heroism and bravery that Dr. Sampson exhibited.  A lot of musculoskeletal and respiratory problems have resulted from the extreme conditions of Ground Zero on 9/11.  Dr. Moline’s humbling task of caring for those who risked their lives that day has given her a new appreciation for the art of healing.

HostsAvash Kalra and Lakshman Swamy lead the discussion of the heroism and bravery that were exhibited during the attacks on the United States.  With each story a new picture is painted of the horror felt on that day and every story of heroism reminds us of the inherent good nature of human-kind.Again, remember that, as always, the free-to-download podcast of this episode (and all past episodes) can be found on our iTunes page!