Podcasts about Berkshire Medical Center

Join Dr. Holmes and Dr. Sanchez as they discuss the constructs of the mind versus the brain and further discuss reason versus logic and reason versus emotions. They will discuss how reality and perception of reality of are quite different from those who are on the spectrum (atypical) and those who are neuro-typical.Dr. Sanchez is a psychiatrist that has worked in the medical field for over thirty years. He wasborn in Bolivia, South America, graduated from medical school from the Federal University ofMaranhao in Brazil and has lived in the United States on and off since his early years. Heparticipated in residencies of internal medicine at Berkshire Medical Center, and at the MedicalCenter of Central Georgia – Mercer University. He completed a residency in psychiatry at theUniversity of Oklahoma Health Science Center in 2001. He has worked in third world, secondworld and first world countries, is fluent in three languages and is aware of the trials andtribulations of these cultures. Since he moved to the Greenville area in 2006, he has workedwith The Carolina Center for Behavioral Health, Charles Lea Center, Care Focus, Excalibur and isworking with Springbrook Behavioral Health, Havenwood Behavioral Health, Thrive Upstate,The Gateway House, Broadstep, has a private practice in Greer, SC and is now undertaking thechallenge of raising a teen, which is a category of its own! He has traveled the country speakingto the medical community promoting new methods of mental health treatments and hasspoken to the health care field with regards to addictions, the use of pharmacological agentsand other themes. He believes in family values, the golden rule, and that we should all worktogether as a team in order to promote the wellbeing of all.

As the expression goes; “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” But how do we make sure those steps are taken with shoes that are comfortable, clean, and above all, compliant? Should your sterile processing shoes be department dedicated, covered around the clock, or even sterilized?  Season 20 of the Beyond Clean podcast, "Armed & (Compliantly) Dangerous," is all about personal protective equipment (PPE), and in this episode Kenneth Campbell, Director of Sterile Processing at Berkshire Medical Center, shows what it means to go above and beyond for technician and patient safety.  Using his years of experience in the field and his ability to talk data with the C-suite, Kenneth drove a quality improvement project that reduced cross contamination and improved employee satisfaction. We discuss how he addressed an industry gap around shoes in decontamination in a way that lasts much longer than a wet shoe cover. It's a conversation that speaks to international best practices and may be that piece you need to be a step above the rest.  Season 20 of Beyond Clean released under the 1 Episode = 1 CE delivery model, so once you finish this interview, you can get your 1 CE credit immediately by passing the short quiz linked below each week.     For access to this CE quiz and over 350 other free CE credit, visit our CE Credit Hub at beyondclean.net/ce-credit-hub  

It's rare to see Curtis Janey without big smile and projecting high energy when you see him out and about. He works the nightshift as a supervisor of an award-winning environmental services team at Berkshire Medical Center, which gives him time during the day to do what he loves to do in our community. Whether it's putting in the work to help save and grow the Unity Church of the Berkshires on Elm Street, or serving as the president of Kiwanis Club and organizing this year's Park of Honor for veterans and those who serve the community. Curtis was a US Marine for a dozen years, serving in Desert Storm before settling in the Berkshires to raise a family with his late wife, Susan. We cover a lot of ground in this episode including: growing up in Brockton as one of 11 siblings, going to a high school with 6,000 students, his early days singing, and later as a staple singing the national anthem at Wahconah Park and at other venues, that time he met Susan at a camp in Old Orchard Beach and a fateful sunburn that brought them a little closer, this nation's failure in helping veterans readapt to civilian life and failing to address astronomical suicide rates among returning veterans, the devastating loss of his wife Susan a decade ago and how support from friends and the community helped support his family through such a difficult time, Curtis' spirituality, the power of power naps, leadership, humility in managing people and much more.  I hope you'll enjoy my conversation with Curtis Janey. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-krol/support

This special episode highlights audiologists who are members of the LGBTQ+ community and their contributions to the profession. They discuss how their identities and careers intertwine and how to best foster an inclusive and compassionate clinical experience for LGBTQ+ providers and patients alike. *Kathleen Wallace, Au.D. (She/her/hers) is an audiologist based in New York City. She works clinically for the largest healthcare system in New York State, virtually as the Head of Provider Education at Tuned, and in the classroom as an adjunct professor at the CUNY Graduate Center. Kathleen also dabbles with social media, running an educational TikTok called the Ear Doc of TikTok. She lives in Brooklyn with her wife, their son, and dog. *Cassie Fuller, Au.D. (she/her) is an industry audiologist based out of Chatham, NY. She currently works as a Clinical Education specialist serving New England, Downstate New York, and New Jersey. Cassie identifies as a lesbian and lives with her wife and rescue dog. *Jonathan Neukam Au.D. CNIM (he/him) is a research audiologist based in New York City. He works in the Laboratory for Translational Auditory Research at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, focusing on the adaptation process after cochlear implantation. In addition, he is an adjunct assistant professor at the CUNY Graduate Center. Jonathan identifies as a gay man and lives with his partner Sebastian, their 19 year old cat, and two west highland terriers. *Henry Botzum, AuD, (he/they) is an industry audiologist based in Massachusetts. He currently works as a Regional Sales Manager for New England in the hearing aid industry following his work as lead clinical audiologist at Berkshire Medical Center in Western Massachusetts. Henry is active in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging advocacy, presenting at National and Regional conferences and serves on the DEIB and Membership committees for AAA and as the Vice President of Clinical Practice for the Massachusetts Speech and Hearing Association. In addition to audiology, Henry holds advanced degrees in Music Performance. *L. Dawn Flinn MS CCC-A is an audiologist based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the owner of earEVERYTHING where she specializes in hearing conservation programs in motor sport. For the last 22 years, Dawn has worked with individual drivers, crew, safety staff, photographers and media, as well as their families. In addition she works as a contractor in industrial settings and with musicians for hearing protection and education. *Kyle Langfitt, Au.D. (he/him) is a clinical audiologist based in Indiana. He currently works at a mid-sized hospital in rural Indiana with clinical interests in electrophysiology and cochlear implantation. Prior to becoming an audiologist, Kyle worked for nearly a decade as an American Sign Language interpreter. In his free time, he likes to explore new hiking trails and try new recipes.

Guided by respected journalistic standards, the principle of fairness, the quest for truth, a commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and an abiding admiration for the independent spirit of the Berkshires, The Berkshire Edge offers in-depth local news reports and features, perspectives on the arts, wide-ranging commentary, and a comprehensive calendar of events – all written, illustrated, and, in some cases performed, with wit, intelligence, insight and humor. 1. It's town election time in Sheffield, and we have a contest for a seat on the Selectboard between two political veterans, Nadine Hawver and George Oleen. The candidates disagree on the merger of school districts :https://theberkshireedge.com/challenged-by-veteran-planner-former-sheffield-selectboard-member-seeks-to-retake-her-seat/ 2. Our cultural writer Peter Bergman has reviewed a fascinating autobiography by Kevin O'Hara, a Pittsfield writer who has spent 30 years as a psychiatric nurse on a locked ward at Berkshire Medical Center… and since Kevin is Irish, he tells a fascinating story: https://theberkshireedge.com/book-review-kevin-oharas-ins-and-outs-of-a-locked-ward-my-30-years-as-a-psychiatric-nurse/ 3. Bob Gray, a writer who grew up in the village of Housatonic, has written a charming tale out of his youth about yo-yo's …. https://theberkshireedge.com/bob-gray-yo-yo-man/ 4. The pandemic may be subduing the customarily lively Berkshire cultural scene but there are bright spots here and there, and one of them, write Eli and Carolyn Newberger, was the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival (and of course their reviews come with the Newbergers' marvelous illustrations: https://theberkshireedge.com/a-brilliant-opening-concert-for-the-2022-pittsfield-cityjazz-festival/ 5. We have a fascinating business story profiling Lyon Aviation, which for 42 years has operated a flight school and a jet charter service out of the Great Barrington Airport: https://theberkshireedge.com/business-monday-spotlight-on-mike-lyon-ceo-of-lyon-aviation/ 6. And finally, Carole Owens, our Stockbridge columnist and teller of Berkshire tales, short and tall, has summoned up the Berkshire Gilded Age, when the Nouveau Riche, and the just the plain old riche, sought refuge in the Berkshires: https://theberkshireedge.com/connections-the-berkshires-and-new-york-city-gilded-and-beyond/

In part one of a two-part conversation, Drs. Patrick Loehrer and David Johnson sit down with Dr. Deborah Schrag to discuss her roles as a leader, researcher, oncologist and public health expert. The current Chair of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Dr. Schrag discusses the joy and passion she has found throughout her career, and more. If you liked this episode, please subscribe. Learn more at https://education.asco.org, or email us at education@asco.org.   TRANSCRIPT Dr. Pat Loehrer: I'm Pat Loehrer. I'm the Director of the Center of Global Oncology and Health Equity at Indiana University. Dr. David Johnson: Yes. And hello, I'm David Johnson. I'm at UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Pat Loehrer: And welcome to another version of Oncology, Etc. Dr. David Johnson: Yeah, great guest today, before we get started with our guests, though, Pat, what are you reading these days? What can you recommend to me? Dr. Pat Loehrer: Well, I'm reading Jamie Raskin's book, which is about his son and about the insurrection. It's really a wonderful read so far, particularly I think about the family nature and how much he deeply respected his son who unfortunately committed suicide. Dr. David Johnson: Right before one of the impeachment trials as I recall, right? Dr. Pat Loehrer: It was right before the January 6 insurrection. Dr. David Johnson: Yeah, terrible situation. I have a book I've been meaning to recommend for a while. It's one that I've given to all the chief residents I've worked with over the last several years. And today's guests made me think about this book. It's entitled, Osler: Inspirations from a Great Physician. It's written by Charles Bryan, who's the former Chair of Medicine at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Dr. Pat Loehrer: You trained with Osler, didn't you? Dr. David Johnson: I was a couple of years behind him. He was my senior resident. For anyone who's an Oslerphile, it's a great book to have. But even if you're not, it's got some wonderful lessons to be learned about how to interact with one's colleagues, and a lot of information about leadership, which is why it made me think of today's guest, Dr. Deborah Schrag who we're really excited to welcome to Oncology, Etc. Dr. Schrag is the Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She's a highly accomplished healthcare leader, clinician-researcher, and expert in public health and population science. Deborah received her medical degree from Columbia University and completed her residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's. She obtained her medical oncology training at Dana-Farber in Boston and also received an MPH degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. After a brief stint on the faculty at DFCI and Brigham and Women's, she joined the division of gastrointestinal Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering, where she was an associate member and Associate Professor of Public Health and Medicine. In 2007, I believe it was, she returned to Dana-Farber and Brigham, where she continued her work focused on improving the delivery, quality, and effectiveness of cancer care. While there, she served as chief of the Division of Population Sciences until this past year when she returned to Memorial to chair the Department of Medicine. I also think she's the first woman to hold this position, but we'll learn about that momentarily. Deb is internationally recognized as a pioneer for her work engaging patients in reporting outcomes as a way to improve care. She has led pragmatic trials using informatics strategies to optimize patient and clinician wellbeing, efficiency and quality, and equity of care. In short, she's a true superstar, leading the department, the major department, in one of the world's foremost Cancer Institutes. Deb, welcome to Oncology, Etc. Thank you so much for accepting our invitation. This is a relatively new oncology podcast, but already, we're known for our incisive, deeply penetrating questions. So, I have a question for you to start off. Do you have any carpentry skills? Dr. Deborah Schrag: Absolutely none whatsoever, Dave. None. Dr. David Johnson: I'm disappointed. It's my understanding that Schrag is German for cross or a slant and people who build cross-legged tables. So, I was hoping, my house was destroyed recently, and I'm looking for replacement furniture, and I was hoping you might be able to help me. Dr. Deborah Schrag: I apologize. But I'm not going to be able to help. The name, you're correct, though, David, is a German name. So, my family does hail from Germany and they made malt, which is the major ingredient in beer. I'm not sure where the name comes from. But they ran malt factories and shipped malt all over to all the beer, before there were craft beer distilleries, that's what they did. Dr. Pat Loehrer: That may come in handy by the end of this podcast, by the way. Dr. Deborah Schrag: Could be. Dr. David Johnson: Well, speaking of your family, tell us a little bit about your background and where you were raised, and your family members. Dr. Deborah Schrag: Sure! I'm glad you asked that because I really have been very influenced by where I grew up. And as I think about it, experiences that go back to first grade got me where I am today. So, I am from New York City. I grew up in Manhattan in the 1970s. And as you may know, that was a pretty rough time in the history of New York, what's often referred to as the 'bad old days', although it didn't feel that way to me. But I started out attending New York City public schools. And at that time in my neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, my first-grade class had about 45 students, and one teacher, there were about five or six of us who spoke English, and everyone else was a recent Puerto Rican immigrant. I pretty much sat in the corner and read to myself. Now I didn't stay in the public school system for long, but I saw in first grade, how things weren't fair. And I saw and felt my own privilege, acutely. And even as a little kid, I had that sense. Eventually, my parents transferred me to private school later on. And there were kids in the neighborhood who didn't have the same privileges that I did. But living in New York, you walk around, you're confronted with disparities every day. We still see it today with homelessness on the streets. At that time, there was a lot of alcoholism and the use of drugs. And they were two blocks north that were safe to walk and two blocks east that were not safe to walk. So, this really stuck with me from a very early age. As a student in summer jobs, I worked lots of interesting jobs. I started at 14 scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins, I worked at a famous Deli in New York called Zabar's, selling coffee. Lots of interesting jobs that I worked during holidays and vacation times. But one of my first jobs was working in an organization called the Floating Hospital, which was a big old ferry boat that circumnavigated Manhattan, and it provided a summer camp. And we would take 1800 people on a boat around Manhattan every day. And my job was to do lead testing. And I learned how to stick kids, test them for lead because there were incredible amounts of lead poisoning in New York City in the early 1980s. And then we would work on tracing the kids and these were toddlers, two-year-old, three years old. There were many families who were living in homeless shelters in New York City in the early 1980s. And that was really the beginning of my interest in public health and inequities. And really the marriage of medicine and public health. That had a deep and long-lasting impression on me and really stayed with me throughout my career. That early experience, I think it propelled me into medicine and to medical school and also to marry medicine and public health. Dr. Pat Loehrer: Tell me a little bit, Deb, about your parents. Dr. Deborah Schrag: Sure! My mother was born in the United States. She was a teacher who many years later after having three children went to law school and she became a litigator. And actually, her boss was Rudolph Giuliani. My father is a child of World War II. He was a child of German Jewish parents who had to flee the Nazis. Probably the most interesting story is that my paternal grandfather was an OB-GYN. So, I am a fifth-generation physician. My paternal grandfather was an OB-GYN at Charité, which is a very famous Hospital in Berlin. He was the head of OB-GYN there in the 1930s. But he had, I think he was half Jewish, and the Gestapo asked him to leave and he had to leave. He was an expert in version, which is essentially flipping babies and the setting of placenta previa. He then left for Lebanon, where he was in the French Resistance and had a thriving OB-GYN practice in Beirut, Lebanon, during World War II. And at night, there was a curfew, and he was part of the resistance and passed secrets around from the Russians to the French, so very dramatic. My father was born in this setting, and arrived as a new immigrant to the United States in the 1940s, where it was very hard to be a child whose parents had a German accent, given the prejudice against Germans at that time, but also went to New York City public schools, had a tremendous opportunity. It's really kind of the classic New York immigrant success story. You know, arrived in the United States with the shirts on their back and managed to work their way to a better life and achieve success and good education through public education for all their offspring. I will also say that my father had a public health stint. He worked in North Carolina as an alternative to going and serving in the Vietnam War, he was in the Public Health Service. And he worked in North Carolina in the textile mills and worked on a disease called byssinosis, which is also known as the brown lung. It's an occupational health disease that affects textile mill workers. As a child, I spent many dinners, hearing about byssinosis and brown lung, and black lung. I think at an early age I really came to understand how the world wasn't fair, and how it was instilled in me early on that it was important to work to try to make things better, particularly for people who didn't have privilege. And I think when you come from an immigrant family, and you realize how much privilege has been bestowed on you, that really leaves an indelible mark. I have to say, as Chair of Medicine at MSK, it is staggering to me the proportion of faculty here at MSK, but also at Dana-Farber, where I worked previously, we have lots and lots of immigrants who've been able to accomplish just amazing things through just motivation and drive and energy and creativity. And so, I'm a big believer in how much immigrants have powered this country. Dr. Pat Loehrer: Deborah, are your parents still alive? Dr. Deborah Schrag: My parents are still alive. They're both in their early 80s. And they both still live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. So, I'm very privileged and fortunate to have living parents. Dr. Pat Loehrer: I can imagine the pride that they have for you. Dr. David Johnson: I just want to jump in and let our listeners know that Deb mentioned Charité in Berlin. That's the home of multiple Nobel laureates that all of us would know like Ernst Chain, who was one of the individuals involved in the development of penicillin, but Paul Ehrlich, Robert Koch, Hans Krebs, and for cancer doctors, Otto Warburg, among others. So, it truly is a world-renowned institution. Dr. Deborah Schrag: Well, my paternal grandfather was famous for this technique called version, which essentially involves putting your stethoscope next to the uterus, figuring out where the placenta was, and then essentially trying to flip the baby without disrupting the placenta or causing any harm, which required incredible skills with a stethoscope because you had to appreciate, I guess, the placental vessels. I'm not aware that this skill is still in existence, it was an important skill to have in the 1930s. When, if you did a C-section, there was a high probability of endometritis. So, you could save the baby, but you would often lose mom to endometritis. Or you could save mom, but you might not save the baby. So, at that time it was a big deal, but thankfully no longer. Dr. David Johnson: This is why we call it an Oncology, Etc. Our listeners didn't know that we're gonna get OB information in this particular podcast. Dr. Deborah Schrag: Or a digression on the history of medicine. I do find that, you know, I am inspired by the generations that came before me. I think it's also true that there are many physicians who are first-generation physicians in their families and some of us are privileged to have lots of healthcare professionals and sort of feel it as a calling. Dr. David Johnson: I think of you with many, many talents. But one of the things that I think stood out to me is, many years ago, you were in the van, talking about the financial cost of health care. I remember a very influential paper you wrote in the New England Journal, talking about the cost of treating GI cancer, colon cancer in particular. But where did your interest in that particular aspect of health care begin? What was the stimulus there? I mean, obviously you had a lot of stimulus from your family. What else? Dr. Deborah Schrag: That's really interesting. This is a little bit of a history of oncology. At that time, I was an assistant professor and assistant attending in the GI oncology service, seeing lots of patients with colorectal cancer. And we were working on a clinical trial of a drug called ImClone C225. And that was the name of the protocol. And we were putting patients in that clinical trial. And you know what? This drug was working. We were getting excited and the drug was moving ahead. We looked at the Phase 1 data and we launched Phase 2. We had meetings with the research protocol nurse and the research assistants, team meetings, and I would say there were about 50 people who were aware between the GI oncologists and the nurses and all the research assistants. You guys know that it takes a village and even though the villages were smaller then and it wasn't a particularly large trial, there are many, many people involved and everyone had the sense that this drug might be working. Just for context for our younger listeners, this is back in the early aughts, and basically, the drug that we had to treat colorectal cancer was 5-FU in many different formats and Irinotecan. And that was it. Some people thought mitomycin might work a little bit, but it was so horrible that it really barely worked. But that was what we had in our bag of tricks. So, the fact that we had this ImClone drug that eventually came to be known as Cetuximab, was remarkable. So, here's what happened. It turned out that this is the drug made by the company ImClone. And there were some shenanigans, some insider trading. And one of the people caught up in insider trading, in addition to some people involved with the company itself was none other than Martha Stewart, sort of the famous homemaker who still publishes magazines to this day. And you may know that she actually did some time in federal prison as a result of insider trading on this drug. I remember being a junior attending, and all the people involved in the trial and all the cancer professionals, we all knew this was working. But everyone respected the confidentiality of the situation, of the patients, and all the integrity that goes into academic medicine. And I remain inspired by the integrity of all the professionals, the doctors, the residents. These were not affluent people. I can tell you. we were not paying research assistants a whole hunk of money. They investigated every trade made by this company. There were absolutely no shenanigans or improprieties from the hard-working folks who helped bring this drug to market. So, as this was going on, we had many patients who were not eligible for the trial who were interested in getting the trial. So, of course, we followed as this drug got FDA approved and came to market. You could check me but I believe it was February 2004, it was FDA approved. It came out with a huge price tag. It was approximately $10,000 per month. I was mad because I was taking care of regular New Yorkers at that point. I had public school teachers, I had patients on Medicare and they couldn't afford the 20% copay. Because $10,000 a month for Cetuximab, if you have a 20% copay and you're New York City, public school cafeteria worker, is not yet eligible for Medicare with a typical plan that a New York City public school system employee would have, that was $2,000 a month. And that did not work for one of my patients who is essentially what we used to call a lunch lady. I was so mad that I decided to channel that anger into writing what I think is a perspective for the New England Journal called, “The Price Tag on Progress”. I wrote that piece. I know that many, many people and many of my esteemed colleagues have continued to work in that area and do research on the economics of drug pricing and there are many, many experts. I didn't stick with that. Not that it's not interesting, and not that it's not important. It's incredibly interesting and important, but I felt that the solution needed to happen in the legislature, state legislature, federal legislature. I think that this is about social policies, and we need to advocate for appropriate health insurance programs to make it possible for people to get coverage when they have catastrophic illnesses, and we need to think about the entire approach to drug pricing in this country. I still think that's important. I'm not convinced that what we need is more research on the topic. I think we need more policymaking and laws on the topic. I think we're still dealing with this. I'm sad to say that it's been nearly 20 years since I wrote that perspective. But I think it was motivated by frustration, not being able to get my patient what she needed, and many patients thereafter. And just the incongruity between some people benefiting from insider trading and all the good people who were doing the right thing. Dr. Pat Loehrer: I just want to throw in one thing if I can. Len Saltz, who's one of your partners, it was a piece of that trial that he presented at ASCO talking about ImClone C225. And ironically, it had a 22.5% response rate. And Len said, it's a bummer that ImClone didn't call it C995. Dr. Deborah Schrag: You have no idea how often we used to talk about that, joke about that in the clinic. I have another good story about that drug, which I think really illustrates something I believe and I think it's actually something that Osler said but it's also something I have to say I learned from both of you. And it has to do with listening to your patient. So, I had a patient named Matthew, who was a young man, 34 years old. He walked into my clinic with a diagnosis of diffuse metastatic colorectal cancer with multiple bilateral pulmonary metastases, which came to light when his tennis game was off. He was, at that time, an early employee of a newly started company called Google. And he was working on advertising algorithms, and Matt got the drug Cetuximab. And unfortunately, he was on it for quite some time. He was on it for about five or six months. But eventually, it was pretty clear that we were coming to the end of the road. And he and his wife planned a vacation. This was part of his end-of-life process planning. It was their fifth wedding anniversary in the Berkshires. We worked so hard to get Matt to the Berkshires to a beautiful inn, and on Saturday night, my pager goes off, and Matt cannot sit up. He's weak. And he'd been complaining of terrible fatigue for weeks, to me, and I really hadn't quite figured out why Matt was so fatigued. I mean, I just didn't understand it. And we get into this inn and I get a call from the Berkshire Medical Center, a small community hospital, 'Dr. Schrag, your patient is here. He's so weak and he can't sit up.' 'What's going on?' The ER doctor says, 'Well, he has a Chvostek sign', which is a sign of severe hypocalcemia. 'So, call me back with the calcium.' The calcium is low. Well, I think those of your listeners who are closer to medical school know that when the calcium is low, you have to check the mag. And Matt's magnesium was 0.2. And he got some magnesium in the Berkshire Medical Center. And all of a sudden, he felt great. He was able to go on and enjoy the second half of his fifth anniversary weekend at the Berkshire Inn and he came back. And I felt terrible because he'd been complaining to me of fatigue for six weeks and I hadn't checked his magnesium. I was like, 50 bilateral pulmonary metastases on chemotherapy. That's a fatigue explanation. Suffice it to say that we went on to start checking magnesium on everyone getting Cetuximab. Now mind you, the drug is FDA approved and FDA labeled at this point. So, we started checking magnesium, and we find that it was low. I start getting on the phone and calling my mentors. I called Dr. Bob Mayer, who was the head of my fellowship director and was like a revered mentor to me. 'Hey, Bob, does anyone up there in Boston have low magnesium from Cetuximab?' 'We don't check magnesium.' I said, 'But can you check?' I started calling around and that's a great example of the community of oncology. We are a community. I just started working the phones and calling friends and saying 'You guys checking magnesium for any of these folks on Cetuximab?' Suffice it to say, we figured out that their EGFR receptors in the ascending loop of Henle - so, again, back to biology and pathophysiology - the drug Cetuximab was blocking reabsorption of magnesium in the kidney, and it was Cetuximab that caused a terrible magnesium wasting. Oral magnesium did not work. You had to give it intravenously, repeatedly. And we helped eliminate fatigue for a bunch of patients. About six months later, I showed up at ASCO with these little cardboard slides and a little poster back in the corner and put up our little case series, very little. But I'm proud to say that we changed the label of Cetuximab and it's now on the label that it causes hypomagnesemia. It might be one of my more cited papers, paradoxically. But I think it's a principle that really has stuck with me, and I've tried to impart it to all the students and residents and fellows, 'Listen to your patients because - I think it comes from Osler- they're telling you something. We have to pay attention.' Again, I have never forgotten that. But really listening and trying to figure out how we can use our understanding of pathophysiology and what our patients tell us to ask questions and not just accept dogma and try to figure out what we can do. And you know, I couldn't have figured that out on my own. I happened to find a really smart nephrologist who happened to be able to sort of go to animal models and knew the right studies and the right people to talk to. Dr. David Johnson: It's one of the reasons why we are a multidisciplinary specialty. And we use the expertise of our colleagues. I think that's such a wonderful example of listening to one's patient and it really profoundly impacted our understanding of how that drug works and renal physiology, actually. That wraps up part one of our interview with Dr. Deborah Schrag, Chair of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We hope you've enjoyed learning about her background and her early career. In part two of our conversation, Dr. Schrag will discuss her programmatic goals at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the importance of mentorship and leadership, and what it means to have joy in the profession of medicine, and, frankly, much more. So, please be sure to join us. As always, we want to thank you for tuning in to Oncology, Etc. an ASCO educational podcast, where we will talk about just about anything and everything. So, if you have an idea for our topic or a guest, please email us at education@asco.org. Unknown Speaker: Thank you for listening to the ASCO Education Podcast. To stay up to date with the latest episodes, please click subscribe. Let us know what you think by leaving a review. For more information, visit the comprehensive education center at education.asco.org.   The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.

What a pleasure to sit down again with author, columnist and brilliant storyteller, Kevin O'Hara. His new book, The Ins and Outs of a Locked Ward, paints a beautiful and authentic picture of the Jones Unit at Berkshire Medical Center where he worked for several decades. In our conversation, we explore his journey becoming a nurse and what it was like to be the "male nurse" in the 1970s, how his dear Missy (his beloved donkey) served as an inspiration to approach his work in the ward differently and for better outcomes, how he met his lovely wife, Belita, how he earned the nicknames "Kevlar," "Nurse-Lite" and the "Bearded Nurse," and much, much more. By the way, Kevin has a book launch gathering Sunday, May 1st from noon to 6 pm at Patrick's Pub in Pittsfield. It's sure to be a beautiful gathering of old friends and great stories. See you there! I hope you'll enjoy my conversation with Kevin O'Hara. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-krol/support

Welcome to Episode 17 of the Vibrant You Health Show with Blake Bars. Today Blake interviews Dr. Christopher Woodworth. And what a great interview! Dr. Woodworth discusses FLCCC (That's Frontline Covid-19 Critical Care) protocols and much more. Dr. Woodworth is a medical doctor specializing in general surgery. He received his medical degree in 1990 from New York Medical College. He completed his general surgery residency in 1995 at Berkshire Medical Center in Massachusetts, and he is certified by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Woodworth also served one year on a medical mission in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We hope you enjoy today's episode. Video and a few links discussed in today's episode can be found at https://naturespantry.life/e17-dr-woodworth-1

Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) is the founder and director of The American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, New York, and the originator of National Conscience Month. Leonard is the author and editor of Transformation—The Journal of Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine, and over the past decades has served on the faculties of the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine and the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association. Leonard has studied in Rishikesh, India and is a direct disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas—the man who, in laboratory conditions at the Menninger Institute, demonstrated that blood pressure, heart rate and the autonomic nervous system can be voluntarily controlled. These research demonstrations have been one of the major cornerstones of the modern mind/body movement. Mr. Perlmutter has presented informative Yoga Science and meditation workshops at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, The New York Times Forum on Yoga, the Commonwealth Club of California, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the Washington University Medical School, the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Association of Graduates, the Albany Medical College, and Berkshire Medical Center. Since 2009, Leonard's Heart and Science of Yoga® course curriculum has been certified by the Albany Medical College, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association for continuing medical education credit. WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: https://AmericanMeditation.org https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMeditationInstitute https://twitter.com/amimeditation https://www.linkedin.com/pub/leonard-perlmutter-ram-lev/2a/9b1/ab1 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjgf9zM53NRo80FnMzbV9g/ https://www.pinterest.com/AmericanMeditationInstitute/

Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) is the founder and director of The American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, New York, and the originator of National Conscience Month. Leonard is the author and editor of Transformation—The Journal of Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine, and over the past decades has served on the faculties of the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine and the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association. Leonard has studied in Rishikesh, India and is a direct disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas—the man who, in laboratory conditions at the Menninger Institute, demonstrated that blood pressure, heart rate and the autonomic nervous system can be voluntarily controlled. These research demonstrations have been one of the major cornerstones of the modern mind/body movement. Mr. Perlmutter has presented informative Yoga Science and meditation workshops at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, The New York Times Forum on Yoga, the Commonwealth Club of California, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the Washington University Medical School, the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Association of Graduates, the Albany Medical College, and Berkshire Medical Center. Since 2009, Leonard's Heart and Science of Yoga® course curriculum has been certified by the Albany Medical College, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association for continuing medical education credit. WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: https://AmericanMeditation.org https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMeditationInstitute https://twitter.com/amimeditation https://www.linkedin.com/pub/leonard-perlmutter-ram-lev/2a/9b1/ab1 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjgf9zM53NRo80FnMzbV9g/ https://www.pinterest.com/AmericanMeditationInstitute/

To learn more about Leonard and his work, visithttps://americanmeditation.orghttps://www.facebook.com/AmericanMeditationInstitutehttps://www.instagram.com/american_meditation_institutehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjgf9zM53NRo80FnMzbV9gTo learn more about Leonard's new book, YOUR CONSCIENCE: The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life's Challenges  visithttps://americanmeditation.org/your-conscienceEach of us knows how it feels to make the right choice. The true choice. When our outer actions reflect our inner wisdom, we feel positive, energized, creative, loving, and fulfilled. So why do we sometimes ignore that wisdom and make bad decisions? The problem lies in our mind…and the solution lies there too.Your Conscience, a new book by AMI Founder Leonard Perlmutter, helps us understand how to train the mind to make choices that lead to the kind of life we want to live. This short, powerful handbook teaches that we already have everything we need to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. We must simply learn a few tools to access our own unlimited wisdom and creativity.LEONARD PERLMUTTER (Ram Lev) is the founder and director of the American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, NY and is the originator of National Conscience Month. He studied in Rishikesh, India under Swami Rama of the Himalayas whose lab studies at the Menninger Institute demonstrated that blood pressure, heart rate and the autonomic nervous system can be voluntarily controlled. Leonard has presented informative Yoga Science and meditation workshops at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, The New York Times Forum on Yoga, the Commonwealth Club of California, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the Washington University Medical School, the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Association of Graduates, the Albany Medical College, and Berkshire Medical Center and has served on the faculties of the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine and the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association. He is the author and editor of Transformation: The Journal of Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine and his Heart and Science of Yoga® course curriculum has been certified by the Albany Medical College, the American Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association for continuing medical education credit.

To learn more about Leonard and his work, visithttps://americanmeditation.orghttps://www.facebook.com/AmericanMeditationInstitutehttps://www.instagram.com/american_meditation_institutehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjgf9zM53NRo80FnMzbV9gTo learn more about Leonard's new book, YOUR CONSCIENCE: The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life's Challenges  visit https://americanmeditation.org/your-conscienceEach of us knows how it feels to make the right choice. The true choice. When our outer actions reflect our inner wisdom, we feel positive, energized, creative, loving, and fulfilled. So why do we sometimes ignore that wisdom and make bad decisions? The problem lies in our mind…and the solution lies there too.Your Conscience, a new book by AMI Founder Leonard Perlmutter, helps us understand how to train the mind to make choices that lead to the kind of life we want to live. This short, powerful handbook teaches that we already have everything we need to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. We must simply learn a few tools to access our own unlimited wisdom and creativity.LEONARD PERLMUTTER (Ram Lev) is the founder and director of the American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, NY and is the originator of National Conscience Month. He studied in Rishikesh, India under Swami Rama of the Himalayas whose lab studies at the Menninger Institute demonstrated that blood pressure, heart rate and the autonomic nervous system can be voluntarily controlled. Leonard has presented informative Yoga Science and meditation workshops at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, The New York Times Forum on Yoga, the Commonwealth Club of California, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the Washington University Medical School, the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Association of Graduates, the Albany Medical College, and Berkshire Medical Center and has served on the faculties of the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine and the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association. He is the author and editor of Transformation: The Journal of Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine and his Heart and Science of Yoga® course curriculum has been certified by the Albany Medical College, the American Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association for continuing medical education credit.

Bio LEONARD PERLMUTTER (Ram Lev) is the founder and director of the American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, NY and is the originator of National Conscience Month. He studied in Rishikesh, India under Swami Rama of the Himalayas whose lab studies at the Menninger Institute demonstrated that blood pressure, heart rate and the autonomic nervous system can be voluntarily controlled. Leonard has presented informative Yoga Science and meditation workshops at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, The New York Times Forum on Yoga, the Commonwealth Club of California, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the Washington University Medical School, the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Association of Graduates, the Albany Medical College, and Berkshire Medical Center and has served on the faculties of the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine and the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association. He is the author and editor of Transformation: The Journal of Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine and his Heart and Science of Yoga® course curriculum has been certified by the Albany Medical College, the American Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association for continuing medical education credit. Connect with Leonard https://americanmeditation.org/ https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMeditationInstitute https://www.instagram.com/american_meditation_institute/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjgf9zM53NRo80FnMzbV9g Buy the book- https://americanmeditation.org/your-conscience/ Where to connect with Andrea Website: https://andreaclaassen.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/seasonallivingmamas Freebie: 5 Day Ayurvedic Challenge- https://andreaclaassen.com/5-day-ayurvedic-challenge Divine Body Wisdom Book- https://andreaclaassen.com/book Andrea Claassen Bio Andrea Claassen is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, and Wild Woman Project Circle leader who has been in the wellness space since 2007. Her mission is to help people slow down, tune in, and connect to your divine body wisdom.  She does this by teaching her Peaceful Power Practices centered around movement, mindfulness & mother nature through an Ayurvedic lens. You can hear more from Andrea on her Peaceful Power Podcast where she aims to deliver actionable takeaways to live a more holistic lifestyle. Connect with Andrea on her website at www.andreaclaassen.com

Leonard Perlmutter is the founder and director of the American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, NY and is the originator of National Conscience Month. Leonard has presented informative Yoga Science and meditation workshops at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, The New York Times Forum on Yoga, the Commonwealth Club of California, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the Washington University Medical School, the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Association of Graduates, the Albany Medical College, and Berkshire Medical Center and has served on the faculties of the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine and the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association. He is the author and editor of Transformation: The Journal of Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine and his Heart and Science of Yoga® course curriculum has been certified by the Albany Medical College, the American Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association for continuing medical education credit. 3:42 The inspiration Leonard's new book, YOUR CONSCIENCE: The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life's Challenges 6:25 Leonard defines Conscience according to Yogic philosophy. 8:23 The four functions of the mind: ego, senses, unconscious mind, and the conscience. 16:15 How to grapple the paradoxes of ego vs. oneness; duality vs. nonduality—and consciously practice self-love along the path of transformation. 19:49 How living from our Conscience can help us purify the mind and ultimately raise consciousness. 23:02 Using conscience as our guide to transform our personal "problems" into workable "situations." 25:29 Everyday experiments we can try to help follow our conscience in any moment. 27:47 Drawing from Ayurveda for a better approach to food and diet. 30:06 What is Yoga Science and how can we apply it today? 31:29 Meditation as the key to unlocking our conscience. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: http://yourconscience.org/ (Your Conscience) https://americanmeditation.org/ (American Meditation Institute) Email Leonard: ami@americanmeditation.org This episode is sponsored by http://www.getchews.com/ (TotumVos Collagen Chews). You can find TotumVos at www.getchews.com. *Use code DRDIVA for an additional 10% off your first order.

Dr. Frank Coughlin updates HMM correspondent Melissa Bromley about COVID-19 and his experience working in the E.R. Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA as well as Samaritan Hospital in Troy.

We speak, this episode, with Amber VanBramer, RN on the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) Berkshire Medical Center (BMC) Bargaining Committee. The post TLC# 79 — Nurses offer unfiltered response to face mask policies at Berkshire Medical Center appeared first on The Greylock Glass.

On this episode, the Northeast continues to fight the spread of COVID-19.

2018 Annual Meeting raised the curtain on a new session type: ASCO Voices. These noncompete session feature presentations no longer than 7 minutes each and bring a variety of perspectives to the stage to share stories on oncology, medicine, and the world. From big ideas to personal passions, ASCO Voices present stories that differ significantly from the remainder of session types available at Annual Meeting. Dr. Trevor Bayliss is an oncologist in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and is affiliated with Berkshire Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Albany Medical College and has been in practice between 6-10 years. He is one of 6 doctors at Berkshire Medical Center who specialize in Oncology. In his ASCO Voices presentation, Dr. Bayliss shares his personal story of overcoming cancer and how it lead him to a career in oncology.  

Bintou Kanyi told her family in the West African country of The Gambia that she just had some errands to run at the village market. She did not tell them about the airplane ticket to New York. “I ran away,” Kanyi says. “Because if I had told them that I was travelling, there were so many things they could do to stop me.” Kanyi now works as a certified nursing assistant at Berkshire Medical Center. She also studies at Berkshire Community College and next semester will add classes at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts toward degrees in biotechnology and medical technology. Read the full story at http://tinyurl.com/accentspodcast

Management at Berkshire Health Systems says the latest offer represents their “best and final,” but BMC Nurses are standing their ground over issues of staffing levels, wages, and benefits/ The following information is from a release by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Berkshire Health Systems declined to be interviewed for this story. Four community groups are sponsoring a public forum for BMC nurses and residents to discuss safe patient care  PITTSFIELD, Mass.—A Community Town Hall on Tuesday night will feature registered nurses from Berkshire Medical Center sharing their concerns about patient safety at the hospital and community members discussing their experiences at BMC.… The post TLC #48: BMC Nurses host safe patient care town hall to answer questions appeared first on The Greylock Glass.

PITTSFIELD — Veronica Torres Martin had an accent in her own country before she had one in the United States. Torres Martin, now 44, is from Chile, but she was born in Germany and lived in Algeria before her parents felt safe enough to return to what was then Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship. She was 7 years old. “That’s when I got introduced to my own culture, and grandparents and cousins that I had never met,” she says in her office at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. She runs Berkshire Health Systems’ Language Services Department, dealing with hundreds of translation issues in dozens of foreign tongues each month. Read the full story at http://tinyurl.com/accentspodcast

PITTSFIELD — Vishal Biala deals with one similarity between Punjab, his home state in India, and the Berkshires that he rather wouldn’t have to. “It’s a big mess, the drug abuse that’s going on in the northern part of India,” Biala says. “Similar to what we are seeing in the northeastern part of the US, especially the Berkshires.” Biala, 32, is a first-year resident in the psychiatry department of Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. He came to America two years ago. Both because “this is the place with the most advanced medicine if you talk about mental health sciences,” and because Riya, his wife, was already living in West Virginia. Read the rest at http://berkshireeagle.com/stories/accents-podcast,502400

Dr. Tony Makdisi, a hospitalist at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, was inspired to come to the United States by “wanted to be just like” the American doctors who trained him at Damascus University in Syria. He holds on to the hope that Syria can find peace again.

What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schulman, they promote healing in intensive care (ICU) settings. Schulman is a classical guitar player and performer and author of Waking the Spirit: A Musician’s Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul (Picador, 2016). Schulman did not receive training as a music therapist and only began working in ICUs after he had a near-death experience at one. Waking the Spirit offers a gripping account of his medical journey and his decision to give back to others. As a result of his collaboration with his former doctors, Schulman became what he terms, a “medical musician.” During the podcast, Schulman briefly describes his journey and reflects upon what he has learned about music from working in the ICU. He also talks about how his work in the ICU has made him a better concert performer. In our conversation, we explore how music heals, what forms of music seem most suited for healing, and the role of musicians and music therapists in ICUs. Andrew Schulman is the resident musician in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York City and Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is the founder and artistic director of the Abaca String Band. He is also a solo guitarist and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Improv Comedy Club, and the White House. He lives in New York City with his wife, Wendy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schulman, they promote healing in intensive care (ICU) settings. Schulman is a classical guitar player and performer and author of Waking the Spirit: A Musician's Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul (Picador, 2016). Schulman did not receive training as a music therapist and only began working in ICUs after he had a near-death experience at one. Waking the Spirit offers a gripping account of his medical journey and his decision to give back to others. As a result of his collaboration with his former doctors, Schulman became what he terms, a “medical musician.” During the podcast, Schulman briefly describes his journey and reflects upon what he has learned about music from working in the ICU. He also talks about how his work in the ICU has made him a better concert performer. In our conversation, we explore how music heals, what forms of music seem most suited for healing, and the role of musicians and music therapists in ICUs. Andrew Schulman is the resident musician in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York City and Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is the founder and artistic director of the Abaca String Band. He is also a solo guitarist and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Improv Comedy Club, and the White House. He lives in New York City with his wife, Wendy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/medicine

What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schulman, they promote healing in intensive care (ICU) settings. Schulman is a classical guitar player and performer and author of Waking the Spirit: A Musician’s Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul (Picador, 2016). Schulman did not receive training as a music therapist and only began working in ICUs after he had a near-death experience at one. Waking the Spirit offers a gripping account of his medical journey and his decision to give back to others. As a result of his collaboration with his former doctors, Schulman became what he terms, a “medical musician.” During the podcast, Schulman briefly describes his journey and reflects upon what he has learned about music from working in the ICU. He also talks about how his work in the ICU has made him a better concert performer. In our conversation, we explore how music heals, what forms of music seem most suited for healing, and the role of musicians and music therapists in ICUs. Andrew Schulman is the resident musician in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York City and Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is the founder and artistic director of the Abaca String Band. He is also a solo guitarist and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Improv Comedy Club, and the White House. He lives in New York City with his wife, Wendy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schulman, they promote healing in intensive care (ICU) settings. Schulman is a classical guitar player and performer and author of Waking the Spirit: A Musician’s Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul (Picador, 2016). Schulman did not receive training as a music therapist and only began working in ICUs after he had a near-death experience at one. Waking the Spirit offers a gripping account of his medical journey and his decision to give back to others. As a result of his collaboration with his former doctors, Schulman became what he terms, a “medical musician.” During the podcast, Schulman briefly describes his journey and reflects upon what he has learned about music from working in the ICU. He also talks about how his work in the ICU has made him a better concert performer. In our conversation, we explore how music heals, what forms of music seem most suited for healing, and the role of musicians and music therapists in ICUs. Andrew Schulman is the resident musician in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York City and Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is the founder and artistic director of the Abaca String Band. He is also a solo guitarist and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Improv Comedy Club, and the White House. He lives in New York City with his wife, Wendy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schulman, they promote healing in intensive care (ICU) settings. Schulman is a classical guitar player and performer and author of Waking the Spirit: A Musician’s Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul (Picador, 2016). Schulman did not receive training as a music therapist and only began working in ICUs after he had a near-death experience at one. Waking the Spirit offers a gripping account of his medical journey and his decision to give back to others. As a result of his collaboration with his former doctors, Schulman became what he terms, a “medical musician.” During the podcast, Schulman briefly describes his journey and reflects upon what he has learned about music from working in the ICU. He also talks about how his work in the ICU has made him a better concert performer. In our conversation, we explore how music heals, what forms of music seem most suited for healing, and the role of musicians and music therapists in ICUs. Andrew Schulman is the resident musician in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York City and Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is the founder and artistic director of the Abaca String Band. He is also a solo guitarist and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Improv Comedy Club, and the White House. He lives in New York City with his wife, Wendy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schulman, they promote healing in intensive care (ICU) settings. Schulman is a classical guitar player and performer and author of Waking the Spirit: A Musician's Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul (Picador, 2016). Schulman did not receive training as a music therapist and only began working in ICUs after he had a near-death experience at one. Waking the Spirit offers a gripping account of his medical journey and his decision to give back to others. As a result of his collaboration with his former doctors, Schulman became what he terms, a “medical musician.” During the podcast, Schulman briefly describes his journey and reflects upon what he has learned about music from working in the ICU. He also talks about how his work in the ICU has made him a better concert performer. In our conversation, we explore how music heals, what forms of music seem most suited for healing, and the role of musicians and music therapists in ICUs. Andrew Schulman is the resident musician in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York City and Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is the founder and artistic director of the Abaca String Band. He is also a solo guitarist and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Improv Comedy Club, and the White House. He lives in New York City with his wife, Wendy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology