Podcasts about Vanderbilt University Medical Center

In this episode of the Healthy, Wealthy, and Smart podcast, host Dr. Karen Litzy welcomes Dr. Pedro Teixeira, MD, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Prediction Health. They discuss the intersection of technology and healthcare, focusing on how tech can enhance clinical care and improve healthcare performance. Dr. Teixeira shares insights from his journey developing AI tools for clinical documentation and analytics, emphasizing the importance of mission-driven work, navigating ambiguity, and the parallels between tech founders and clinicians.   Takeaways   Dealing with ambiguity is crucial in both tech and healthcare. Tracking progress with meaningful metrics is essential. Feedback from real users leads to valuable insights. AI can significantly reduce clinicians' documentation time. Human elements are vital in tech and healthcare systems. Continuous improvement is key to success. Selling outcomes is more effective than selling products. Data interpretation requires context and thoughtful analysis. Trying and failing is better than not trying at all.   Chapters   ·     00:00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction ·       00:00:00 Parallels Between Tech Founders and Clinicians ·       00:00:00 Mission-Driven Work and Dealing with Ambiguity ·       00:00:00 Importance of Metrics and Feedback ·       00:00:01 AI's Role in Reducing Documentation Time ·       00:00:01 Human Elements in Tech and Healthcare ·       00:00:01 Continuous Improvement and Selling Outcomes ·       00:00:02 Data Interpretation and Context ·       00:00:02 Advice on Trying and Failing   More About Dr. Teixeira: Pedro Teixeira, MD, PhD, is the Co-founder and CEO of PredictionHealth, a Prompt company that is addressing one of healthcare's fundamental challenges: clinical documentation. Under his leadership since 2017, PredictionHealth developed an AI platform that delivers analytics to power better organizational performance and a documentation assistant that turns patient-provider conversations into compliant documentation so clinicians can focus more on patient care. Dr. Teixeira's expertise in biomedical informatics was honed during his time as an MD/PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he collaborated with leaders in biomedical informatics. Before this, he earned a Master's degree in Biomedical Informatics from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor's degree in Biochemical Sciences and Computer Science from Harvard University. Driven by a mission to make it easy for clinicians to deliver the best care to every patient every time, Dr. Teixeira's work continues to bridge the gap between data science and clinical excellence. Resources from this Episode: Dr. Teixeira on LinkedIn Prompt Health   Jane Sponsorship Information: Book a one-on-one demo here Mention the code LITZY1MO for a free month   Follow Dr. Karen Litzy on Social Media: Karen's Instagram Karen's LinkedIn   Subscribe to Healthy, Wealthy & Smart: YouTube Website Apple Podcast Spotify SoundCloud Stitcher iHeart Radio

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Gabriel Del Corral, MD, discuss the following articles from the November 2025 issue: "Venous Thromboembolism Chemoprophylaxis in Plastic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Apixaban versus Enoxaparin" by Momeni, Yesantharao, Meyer, et al. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/ApixVSEnoxRCT Special guest, Dr. Gabriel Del Corral is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and the Director of the MedStar Center for Gender Affirmation. He completed his general surgery residency at Main Line Health Jefferson Health System, followed by his plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He then completed a microsurgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in both breast reconstruction, as well as head-to-toe and comprehensive gender affirming operations, including facial surgery, top surgery and bottom surgery, and is widely published in all areas of gender affirmation. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCNov25Collection The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of ASPS.

There is abundant evidence that sexual minority groups have worse health indicators than sexual majority groups. Gilbert Gonzales, PhD, MHA, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss the current policy landscape and its potential impact on the health of LGBTQ+ populations. Related Content: Health Implications of Recent Policy Changes Affecting LGBTQ+ Populations

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Gabriel Del Corral, MD, discuss the following articles from the November 2025 issue: "Learning Curve for Sensory Preservation after Transgender Mastectomy Using Targeted Nipple-Areola Complex Reinnervation with Direct Nerve Coaptation" by Alston, Remy, Kochheiser, et al. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/TNRCurve Special guest, Dr. Gabriel Del Corral is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and the Director of the MedStar Center for Gender Affirmation. He completed his general surgery residency at Main Line Health Jefferson Health System, followed by his plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He then completed a microsurgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in both breast reconstruction, as well as head-to-toe and comprehensive gender affirming operations, including facial surgery, top surgery and bottom surgery, and is widely published in all areas of gender affirmation. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCNov25Collection The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of ASPS.

As new studies uncover better treatments and practices, it is important to develop new clinical practice guidelines to ensure patients receive the best care. Julio A. Ramirez, MD, Norton Healthcare and University of Louisville, and co-lead of the guideline panel, dives into the process of creating an update clinical practice guideline for community-acquired pneumonia with host Eddie Qian, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as well as the importance to the medical community and patients when making key care decisions. Check out the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Clinical Practice Guideline: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.202507-1692ST

Just a few days after complaining of a headache and vomiting on his way to school the next day in August of 2017, Gunner Smith, who was a 4th grade student was having emergency brain surgery at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, after being diagnosed with a High Grade Multi Form Glioma. This operation was so serious that there was a question as to whether Gunner would even be able to wake up from this surgery. Gunner's parents Brittany and Brandon will talk about their son who showed so much bravery while he fought his disease and uttered these words after his diagnosis. "We Got This." Gunner passed away from this Pediatric Brain Cancer on May 28th of 2021.

Recorded on 6 November 2025 for ICMDA Webinars.Philippa Taylor chairs a webinar with Kallie Fell In this webinar, Kallie Fell from the Center for Bioethics and Culture explores the ethical and social implications of egg freezing and embryo adoption. Marketed as empowering choices for women and hopeful parents, both practices are often driven by profit and promote a false sense of security or altruism.Kallie examines the medical risks, emotional consequences, and commodification involved, raising critical questions about informed consent, identity, and the long-term impact on families and children. This presentation encourages a thoughtful, ethical reflection on modern reproductive technologies and the way they shape our understanding of fertility, motherhood, and human life.Kallie started her professional career as a scientist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center utilizing a Master of Science degree in Animal Sciences with an emphasis on Reproductive Physiology and Molecular Biology from Purdue University. While assisting in the investigation of endometriosis and pre-term birth, Kallie simultaneously pursued a degree in nursing with hopes of working with women as a perinatal nurse. After meeting Jennifer at a conference, Kallie became interested in the work of the Center for Bioethics and Culture and started volunteering with the organization. It is obvious that Kallie is passionate about women's health.She continues to work as a perinatal nurse and has worked with the CBC since 2018, first as a volunteer writer, then as our staff Research Associate, and now as the Executive Director.  In 2021, Kallie co-directed the CBC's newest documentary, Trans Mission: What's the Rush to Reassign Gender?  Kallie also hosts the popular podcast Venus Rising and is the Program Director for the Paul Ramsey Institute. Her latest film, The Lost Boys: Searching for Manhood, was released earlier this year, as was her new book, co-authored with Jennifer Lahl, The Detransition Diaries (published by Ignatius Press).⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To listen live to future ICMDA webinars visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icmda.net/resources/webinars/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Gabriel Del Corral, MD, discuss the following articles from the November 2025 issue: "The External Strip and Internal Spreader Graft Combined with Dorsal Preservation Rhinoplasty" by Öztürk. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/ExtRhinoSpreader Special guest, Dr. Gabriel Del Corral is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and the Director of the MedStar Center for Gender Affirmation. He completed his general surgery residency at Main Line Health Jefferson Health System, followed by his plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He then completed a microsurgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in both breast reconstruction, as well as head-to-toe and comprehensive gender affirming operations, including facial surgery, top surgery and bottom surgery, and is widely published in all areas of gender affirmation. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCNov25Collection The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of ASPS.

This episode of NETs Get Real, we welcome a radiologist from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. Andrew Marsala to discuss his work in NET, training under legends in the NET space, the multidisciplinary team at Vanderbilt, post-diagnosis patient resources and so much more!

Recorded live at the 2025 ASHHRA Executive Summit in Savannah, host Luke Carignan (sans traveling co-host Bo Brabo) sits down with Jaclyn Thomson, Director of Employee & Labor Relations at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Jaclyn shares her unique journey from psychology and counseling to HR mastery, blending empathy with strategic ER. Amid talent shortages and operational challenges, she offers practical wisdom on investigations, union avoidance, and fostering positive workplace cultures—reminding us: Appreciate others; it goes a long way.Jaclyn dives into her 14 years at West Virginia University Medicine, where proximity to operations sparked a passion for ER. She emphasizes understanding the "why" behind healthcare functions to better support leaders and staff. For early-career HR pros: Shadow ops, ask questions, and immerse yourself. On tough ER tasks like investigations: Stay neutral, thorough, and empathetic—focus on facts while humanizing the process. Union avoidance? Be proactive: Address issues early, build trust, and engage employees to prevent escalation.Key takeaways for healthcare HR leaders:ER Fundamentals: Merge counseling skills with HR—listen actively, remain unbiased, and prioritize empathy in high-stakes situations like terminations or grievances.Operational Insight: Don't silo in HR; learn hospital ops through shadowing, questions, and cross-departmental exposure to align strategies with real-world needs.Investigations Best Practices: Approach with neutrality; gather facts, document thoroughly, and focus on resolution—avoid bias to ensure fair outcomes.Union Prevention: Foster open communication and address pain points early; proactive engagement reduces union risks in competitive markets.Positive Culture Building: Combat negativity in ER by celebrating wins—simple appreciation boosts morale and retention.Career Growth: For aspiring ER pros, seek diverse experiences; Jaclyn's path from psych to ER highlights adaptability's value.Nashville Shoutout: Check out Rec Fest (Oct 15-16) at Centennial Park—HR's "Lollapalooza" with tents, speakers, and networking.A must-listen for HR navigating ER's emotional demands in healthcare. Jaclyn's insights inspire resilience and positivity—control what you can!Join us at the ASHHRA26 Annual 2026 Conference in Savannah May 17 – 19. Register here.From Our Sponsors...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZNStreamline HR Compliance with oneBADGEhealthcareSimplify screening, credentialing, and compliance for healthcare HR. oneBADGEhealthcare from ISB Global offers a tailored solution to keep your workforce compliant and efficient. Built for healthcare leaders, it's your all-in-one compliance tool.Get Started here - https://isbglobalservices.com/onebadgeunitedstates/ashhra/ Support the show

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and David Simon of the University of Connecticut back to the pod to the current state of drug prices, how proposed tariffs may impact the pharmaceutical industry, that Pfizer deal, what consumers can expect if tariffs are added to prescription drugs, what exactly TrumpRx is, and more.Become an Insider today to get access to our third trend report focusing on the influence of private equity in health care.Related Articles:Trump admin readies 'imminent' probe into other nations' drug pricing, raising new tariff threat: FT (FiercePharma)President Trump's Executive Orders On Prescription Drug Prices: What The Evidence Says (Health Affairs Forefront) Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Learning how to perform procedures on patients is an important part of medical training, but how do programs decide what to teach? And how do they integrate the latest technology? Host Eddie Qian, MD, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, talks to Meredith Pugh, MD, MSCI, and Kaele Leonard, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Together, they discuss how they think about working with trainees and fellows when it comes to teaching important procedures. 

We're joined by Dr. Heather K. Beasley, a leading cancer researcher and MAGEC Fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. As Chair of the AACR Associate Member Council, Dr. Beasley is advancing research on cancer disparities, particularly in underserved communities. • AACR – www.aacr.org

Surprise! Coming to you a few weeks before our Season 11 launch with a BONUS episode to celebrate World FTD Awareness Week. We chatted with Dr. Ryan Darby, director of the Frontotemporal Dementia Clinic in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He gave us on updates in FTD research - how to get involved & how our advocacy moves research forward.A VERY special thank you to today's sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠AVIADOBIO⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode possible! Want more Remember Me? Join us on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You get exclusive content and it's a great way to support the show! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/remembermecommunity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠----------If you're curious about anything RM, we'd love to connect with you on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, and visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our website at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.remembermeftd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, all the latest updates! ------Remember Me Podcast + Community is here to offer hope + human connection for families, caregivers, and individuals impacted by Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Always, always accept the good.

Mother of Courage: The True Story of an Armless Dentist and Her Triumph Over Tragedy by Dr Philip Chanin https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Courage-Armless-Dentist-Triumph/dp/B0D8RM8JSL Motherofcourage.com Mother of Courage is the inspiring true story of a young woman who loses both arms in a boating accident, yet valiantly finishes dental school, marries, raises two boys, teaches at an historically Black medical college, and becomes a nationally known advocate for people with disabilities. With grace, humor, faith, and a large dose of determination, Margaret Chanin transforms her tragic physical loss into a triumph of the human spirit-and shares her light with everyone she meets. Philip Chanin, EdD, ABPP, CGP, is a licensed clinical psychologist and consulting Buddhist psychotherapist, a nationally Certified Group Psychotherapist, and an Advanced Imago Therapist in private practice in Nashville, Tennessee. He is Board Certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology, and since 2005 he has been an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Bill Snyder is a Nashville-based science writer.About the author Dr. Philip Chanin is a Board Certified Clinical Psychologist. He loves writing, and there are 60 articles that he has written on his psychology practice website. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Amherst College and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is a Licensed Psychologist in Tennessee and has previously held licenses in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Dr. Chanin did post-doctoral training in clinical psychology in Massachusetts and in Philadelphia, at The Devereux Foundation. He opened a private practice in Ardmore, on Philadelphia's Main Line. He then relocated back to Massachusetts, living on the campus of the Northfield Mt. Hermon School, and spent five years working at an inpatient substance abuse treatment hospital in New Hampshire. He then established a private practice in Keene, New Hampshire, before moving back to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1991. Dr. Chanin is Board Certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), is a nationally Certified Group Psychotherapist, and is also an Advanced Imago Therapist in Nashville. He formerly served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Nashville Psychotherapy Institute. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, for whom he sees psychiatric residents for supervision and psychotherapy. In his free time, Dr. Chanin enjoys spending time with his wife and two grown step-children. He also enjoys reading, writing, walking, yoga, playing racquet sports, spending time with friends and colleagues, and traveling in the States and internationally. The publishing of his book, Mother of Courage: The True Story of an Armless Dentist and Her Triumph Over Tragedy, represents the fulfillment of a long held dream to tell his mother's story.

Karman Meyer is a dietitian, two-time best selling author, speaker, and recipe developer. She studied nutrition & dietetics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio before completing her dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Karman's focus in the field of nutrition is on sleep and mood. She wrote “Eat To Sleep: What To Eat & When To Eat It for a Good Night's Sleep” and  “The Everything DASH Diet Meal Prep Cookbook” to help readers sleep better and nourish their bodies.In addition to working with clients one-on-one, Karman also works with companies and speaks at conferences to provide education and practical tips for improving sleep through food choices and lifestyle changes. In the episode, Karman and Haven discuss how food is often overlooked as having a role in sleep quality and how to nourish our bodies - through nutrients and timing of our meals - to improve the quality of our sleep.Let's Connect!Support the show: pledge less than the cost of a cup of coffee each month! Follow Health by Haven on Instagram: @healthbyhaven HxH CoachingSubscribe to the HxH NewsletterHxH Recipes, Articles & More: healthbyhaven.com Connect with Karman!Follow Karman on Instagram: @karmanmeyerWork with Karman: https://www.karmanmeyer.com/ Cook Karman's recipes: TheNutritionAdventure.comThank you to our sponsor, A Ranger Paints! Shop stunning paintings on Etsy: A Ranger Paints. Podcast listeners can get 10% off their purchase using code "HXH10"! Follow on Instagram: @arangerpaints Support the show

Episode 19 of onAIRR features a lively and insightful conversation with three outstanding scientists committed to advancing pandemic preparedness. Dr. Lauren Williamson and Dr. Robert Carnahan, both from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. Matthew Vogt, from the University of North Carolina, share their passion for viral immunology and the art of discovering and developing therapeutic antibodies. onAIRR's guests provide a behind-the-scenes look at how collaborative research is shaping the future of global health. They introduce the Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP) research network, a major NIH-funded initiative aimed at strengthening pandemic readiness. The conversation explores the use of prototype pathogen approaches to identifying broadly neutralizing antibodies against high-priority viral families, the challenges of balancing breadth versus potency in therapeutic antibodies, and innovative screening methodologies that could transform our ability to respond to future pandemics. Comments are welcome to the inbox of onairr@airr-community.org or on social media under the tag #onAIRR. Further information can be found here: https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-c-podcast. The episode is hosted by Dr. Ulrik Stervbo and Dr. Zhaoqing Ding. Announcements and links Lauren Williamson https://www.vumc.org/crowe-lab/person/lauren-williamson-phd Robert Carnahan https://www.vumc.org/crowe-lab/person/robert-carnahan-phd Matthew Vogt https://www.vogtviruslab.com ReVAMPP  https://revampp.org ReVAMPP https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nih-awards-establish-pandemic-preparedness-research-network  "Prototype Pathogen Approach for Vaccine and Monoclonal Antibody Development: A Critical Component of the NIAID Plan for Pandemic Preparedness” https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiac296  Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire Community (AIRR-C) https://www.airr-community.org The Antibody Society (TAbS) https://www.antibodysociety.org AIRR-C Seminar Series https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-community-seminar-series

Artificial intelligence is a tool that clinicians and researchers are implementing in their practices and research, but what about its use in teaching the newest generation of doctors? Richard M. Schwartzstein, MD, of Harvard Medical School, discusses using AI for diagnostic education and developing cases, how it can work as a physician-support tool, and more with host Eddie Qian, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN friend, Michael Gooch. Dr. Michael Gooch is an emergency and flight nurse practitioner, critical care paramedic, and seasoned clinician with over 30 years of experience in emergency and transport medicine. Based at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, he has completed more than 1,700 patient transports with the LifeFlight team. He is also an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and a nationally recognized speaker, author, and educator. Dr. Gooch holds leadership roles with the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners and the Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association. He is a Fellow of multiple professional organizations and was recently honored with the Distinguished Certified Flight Registered Nurse Award by BCEN in 2025. From prehospital care to the ER, critical care, and transport, Michael's career has spanned nearly every corner of emergency nursing. His passion for doing things right and inspiring others is unmistakable, and we're excited to feature him in this episode called, “Keeping the curiosity door unlocked: Spotlight on the 2025 Distinguished CFRN Winner.” Michael can be contacted through LinkedIn @MichaelGoochDNP. BCEN & Friends Podcast is presented by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing. We invite you to visit us online at bcen.org for additional information about emergency nursing certification, education, and much more. Episode introduction created using elevenlabs.io

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Nicholas Joy, who recently was honored with the Charles Strobel Legacy of Service Award at the 2025 Strobel Volunteer Awards hosted by Hands On Nashville powered by United Way of Greater Nashville. Nicholas was recognized for his more than 275 hours of volunteerism as an Emergency Department Ambassador at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. During the interview, Nicholas shares his journey from a high school volunteer in Houston, Texas, to his current role in Nashville, Tennessee, highlighting how his experiences, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, deepened his understanding of volunteering and its impact. He discusses his experiences connecting with patients, the importance of human connection in healthcare, and his efforts to support individuals during challenging situations, while also reflecting on the power and importance of volunteerism and how others can help make a difference in the community.Emergency Department Volunteer's JourneyNicholas Joy received the 2025 Charles Strobel Legacy of Service Award for his work as an Emergency Department Ambassador at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Nicholas shares his journey from a high school volunteer in Houston to his current role, highlighting how his experiences, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, deepened his understanding of volunteering and its impact. He describes the unique challenges and rewards of volunteering in the emergency department, where brief interactions can still make a meaningful difference.Human Connection in HealthcareNicholas shares a meaningful experience from his work in the emergency department, where he connected with a lonely patient who had been isolated for several hours. He spent an extended period talking with her, providing comfort and a listening ear rather than medical care. The interaction highlights the importance of human connection in healthcare, as the patient simply needed someone to talk to and share her thoughts with during a difficult time.Emergency Department Ambassador ExperienceNicholas discusses his experience as an emergency department ambassador, highlighting the significance of forming connections and supporting patients during their often unexpected visits. He reflects on the 275+ hours he dedicated to this role, emphasizing the variety of experiences and the impact of being present for individuals in challenging situations. Nicholas expresses hope that his efforts contributed to patients feeling cared for and supported during their time in the emergency room.Volunteerism's Impact on Medical AspirationsNicholas discusses his experience transitioning from Houston to Nashville, where he found a strong sense of Southern hospitality and community. He highlights the impact of volunteerism on his personal and professional growth, particularly in his role as an aspiring physician. Nicholas was awarded the Charles Strobel Legacy of Service Award, which he views as an honor to continue the Strobel family's philanthropic legacy. He has been involved in various volunteer initiatives, including founding the Student Volunteers at Vanderbilt Medical Center program and serving as an ED lead volunteer, where he mentors new volunteers in patient interactions. Nicholas emphasizes the importance of building patient rapport and working collaboratively with families to meet needs more effectively.Service Award and Volunteer OpportunitiesNicholas shares his perspective on the Charles Strobel Legacy of Service Award, emphasizing the importance of leveraging unique skills and interests to serve others, whether through healthcare, teaching, coaching, or other community activities. He highlights various volunteer opportunities at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, including the Emergency Department Ambassador program, and provided contact information for those interested in learning more about volunteering.For more information on becoming an Emergency Department Ambassador or volunteering with Vanderbilt University Medical Center visit https://www.vumc.org/volunteer-vander....

In this inspiring episode of the TEMSEA Leadership Podcast, host Eric welcomes long-time colleague and transformational leader, Dr. Jenny Slayton, Senior Vice President of Quality, Safety, and Risk Prevention at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. From her early days in the emergency department to navigating executive leadership — and surviving a life-altering cancer diagnosis — Jenny's story is one of grit, humility, and purpose. With humor, vulnerability, and uncommon wisdom, she reminds us all what real leadership looks like: leading ourselves first so we can lead others better.Dr. Jenny Slayton has worn many hats — emergency nurse, charge nurse, executive leader, patient. In this unforgettable conversation, she shares the lessons that shaped her leadership journey: how to handle rejection, build resilience, and turn adversity into growth. Jenny opens up about the moment a manager told her she didn't have leadership potential, and how she used that as fuel instead of a failure. She reflects on her time as a patient facing breast cancer, how that changed her view of leadership, and why stepping back is sometimes the most powerful move forward.Whether you're an emerging leader or seasoned executive, Jenny's story offers perspective on leading with humility, the power of mentorship, and the critical importance of knowing — and remembering — your “why.”Leadership Applications:1. Lead Yourself FirstJenny's early morning routine, spiritual practices, and commitment to recovery time remind us that sustainable leadership begins with self-care. “You can't pour from an empty cup.”2. Feedback Doesn't Define YouWhen told she lacked leadership potential, Jenny didn't internalize it. Her response — “That's one perspective” — exemplifies emotional maturity and confidence in one's journey.3. Crisis Reframes PrioritiesHer cancer journey brought clarity: busyness isn't the same as effectiveness. Jenny models how leaders must set boundaries and communicate intentionally to prioritize what truly matters.4. Build Teams That Can Thrive Without YouTrue leadership isn't about being indispensable. Jenny's ability to step away and see her team succeed speaks to trust, mentorship, and preparation.

How do you effectively treat your bladder cancer population with an insufficient supply of BCG? Dr. Amy Luckenbaugh, a urologic oncologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, joins host Dr. Ruchika Talwar to highlight challenges and solutions to managing bladder cancer amidst ongoing BCG shortages. --- This podcast is supported by an educational grant from UroGen Pharma. --- SYNPOSIS Dr. Luckenbaugh and Dr. Talwar delve into the history and significance of BCG in bladder cancer treatment, exploring the reasons behind the shortages and discussing various coping strategies, including split dosing and alternative intravesical therapies like gemcitabine, docetaxel, and the new mitomycin hydrogel. The conversation also covers emerging treatments for high-risk patients, the role of radical cystectomy, and the importance of standardization and innovation in dealing with medication shortages. Dr. Luckenbaugh highlights the importance of patient quality of life, cost considerations, and the need for resilient pharmaceutical supply chains. --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction01:56 - History and Importance of BCG in Bladder Cancer03:21 - Challenges and Shortages of BCG06:36 - Managing BCG Shortages in Clinical Practice12:33 - New Alternatives and Treatments for Bladder Cancer23:28 - The Role of Cystectomy in Bladder Cancer Treatment26:12 - Future Directions and Final Thoughts --- RESOURCES BCG Shortage AUA Recommendations:https://www.auanet.org/about-us/bcg-shortage-info Reduced-dose bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in an era of BCG shortage: real-world experience from a tertiary cancer centre: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11951178/ Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN):https://bcan.org/ Primary Chemoablation of Recurrent Low-Grade Intermediate-Risk Nonmuscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer With UGN-102: A Single-Arm, Open-Label, Phase 3 Trial (ENVISION)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39446087/b FDA Approves Intravesical Mitomycin in Non–Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer:https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-mitomycin-intravesical-solution-recurrent-low-grade-intermediate-risk-non-muscle TAR-200 - SunRISe-3 Study:https://www.jnjmedicalconnect.com/products/tar-200/medical-content/tar-200-sunrise-3-study First results from TAR-200 - SunRISe-1 Study:https://www.jnj.com/media-center/press-releases/johnson-johnsons-tar-200-monotherapy-achieves-high-disease-free-survival-of-more-than-80-percent-in-bcg-unresponsive-high-risk-papillary-nmibcN-803 Plus BCG Treatment for BCG-Naïve or -Unresponsive Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Plain Language Review:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11524197/

Psychosis is a state of impaired reality which may include hallucinations and delusions. Experiencing psychosis can impair your functioning and have a negative effect on various aspects of your daily life, such as work, school, and the ability to maintain relationships. Being in a state of psychosis can be extremely frightening and confusing. Many times, it can be difficult for loved ones, caregivers, and even medical professionals to understand what it's like to experience psychosis. Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard discuss what psychosis is like and how you can help someone who is experiencing psychosis in this episode of Inside Schizophrenia. Clinical psychologist Dr. Aaron Brinen joins as the guest. Dr. Brinen is the co-developer of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R), and has been active in adapting CT-R for different settings and training therapists from around the world. He also has a new book out, “Living Well with Psychosis.” Our guest, Dr. Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice, where he employs evidence-based treatments to help people recover from serious mental health conditions. He is also Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Brinen is a co-developer of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R), and has been active in adapting CT-R for different settings and training therapists from around the world. Our host, Rachel Star Withers, creates videos documenting her schizophrenia, ways to manage and let others like her know they are not alone and can still live an amazing life. She has written Lil Broken Star: Understanding Schizophrenia for Kids and a tool for schizophrenics, To See in the Dark: Hallucination and Delusion Journal. Fun Fact: She has wrestled alligators. To learn more about Rachel, please visit her website, RachelStarLive.com. Our cohost, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The People of Penn State podcast, we talk with Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD (‘97, A&A).Dr. Brinen is a co-developer of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R), co-author of the original CT-R manual, and author of the recent book Living Well With Psychosis.A clinical psychologist in private practice, he also serves as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Brinen creates educational content on Instagram and YouTube.During our conversation, he shares how he transitioned from a degree in Theater Arts to a career in mental health, and what inspired his passion for helping people live well with psychosis.You can find Living Well With Psychosis and Dr. Brinen's other books wherever books are sold.

Climate change is no longer a distant worry—it's showing up in neurology clinics across the US, from Lyme meningitis in the Midwest to worsening migraines during heat waves, climate-linked and vector-borne neurological conditions are entering the differential. Our guests today are two experts on climate change and neurological health: Dr. Beth Malow, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. Monica Diaz, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They'll explore the clinical impact of climate change on neurology, and how neurologists can adapt through patient care, advocacy, and research. Drs. Malow and Diaz were interviewed by Dr. Sara Stern-Nezer, Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of California, Irvine. Interviewer: Dr. Sara Stern-Nezer, Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of California, Irvine Guests: Dr. Beth Ann Malow, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. Monica Diaz, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Disclosure: Dr. Malow serves as a consultant for Neurim Pharmaceuticals. Resources: Neurologists Interested in Climate and Health (NICHE) Climate Change and Brain Health: What Do We Know and What Can We Do? http://nichebrainhealth.com/what-we-can-do/

Drex breaks down three critical cybersecurity developments healthcare organizations need to monitor. First, escalating geopolitical tensions suggest increased cyber attacks from Iran and allied nations targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, including healthcare systems. Second, Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports sophisticated Microsoft Teams impersonation attacks where scammers pose as supervisors to request urgent actions like software installation or payments. Finally, deepfake fraud attempts skyrocketed 1300% in 2024, with new "spoofing as a service" platforms making AI-powered voice and video scams more accessible to cybercriminals. Healthcare IT leaders should prepare defenses against these evolving threats and educate staff on verification protocols for suspicious requests.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

 This week, in our series on What You May Have Missed at ATS 2025, host Eddie Qian, MD, of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses post intensive care syndrome with Justin Banerdt, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Banerdt presented his research on the subject, “Characterizing Critical Illness Recovery Trajectories: Exploring Risk Factors for Post Intensive Care Syndrome”, at ATS 2025 this past May. Did you miss the ATS 2025 International Conference? Or were you unable to attend some key sessions? Go to conference.thoracic.org/program/conference-highlights/ to purchase your ATS Conference Highlight Package. Be sure to check out the Out of the Blue podcast from the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, which takes you out of the pages of the Blue Journal and into the minds of the most brilliant researchers in the fields of respiratory, critical care, and sleep medicine. Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts! 

The evidence for climate change is irrefutable. But how does surgical care contribute to global emissions, and is there anything we can do to make surgery more sustainable? Join Jon Williams and our ASGBI partners for the next installment of our BTK/ASGBI collaborative series, where we discuss how to make surgical care greener. Mrs. Cleo Kennington from the UK and Dr. Benjamin Miller from the US are our guest experts, and provide valuable insights into local sustainability efforts you can take home to your hospital, broader concepts of how high-quality care is sustainable, innovations in sustainability, and what the future of sustainable surgery may look like. After listening, you get to decide–Who has more sustainable surgical practices? The UK or US? Mrs. Cleo Kenington is a Consultant Emergency General and Trauma Surgeon at St George's Hospital, London and was the recent ASGBI Sustainability Lead. She is a big advocate for practicing what she preaches, focusing on how we can reduce the environmental impact at all stages, from cycling to work, preventing complications and unnecessary surgeries, to reducing the use of disposable surgical components.  Dr. Benjamin Miller is a general and minimally invasive surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, with a clinical focus on complex abdominal wall reconstruction. After earning his MD from University of Minnesota School of Medicine in 2011, Dr. Miller went to Nashville to complete his general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Following this, he became a MIS/complex ab wall fellow at Cleveland Clinic, after which he joined as faculty in 2023. In addition to his clinical interests, Dr. Miller has a deep passion for sustainability efforts within surgical practice, carrying on the legacy of established sustainability efforts within surgical care at Cleveland Clinic and training the next generation of sustainable surgeons. If you enjoyed this episode, stay tuned for more upcoming BTK/ASGBI collaborative content. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to us at hello@behindtheknife.org. Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.   If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes here: https://app.behindtheknife.org/listen

How To Kick the Snooze Button Habit:Waking up several times interrupts and fragments sleep, which means you'll cycle back and forth between light, non restorative sleep and being awake, which isn't restful.It can leave you feeling tired and groggy when you finally get out of bed.It reinforces bad sleep habitsOn top of not feeling rested, alert and at your best, the sleep expert points out that consistently not getting enough sleep can raise the risk of weight gain, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic disorders and even dementia.Fortunately, you can break the sleep-snooze cycle by:Making sure you're getting enough sleep to feel truly rested, which is between seven and eight hours a night for most folks.Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, which Auckley notes is easier if you time to rise to when your internal body clock starts to wake you up.In the morning, try to resist hitting snooze and get up as soon as your alarm goes off.Getting morning light exposure as soon as possible when you wake up, which helps keep your internal clock in sync and improves alertness.Have a positive morning ritual to look forward to, whether it's enjoying freshly made coffee on your porch or catching up on sports scores.Things You Are Still Wasting Your Money On:ATM FeesIn 2025, paying ATM fees is almost a fool's errand. With so many online banks offering free ATM withdrawals and brick-and-mortar banks offering a large network of free ATMs or ATM fee reimbursement, paying several dollars a month is seemingly avoidable. Simply put, there's no reason to waste money on fees just to access your own cash so even if it takes planning ahead, make sure you omit this expense.Bottled WaterShockingly, people continue to spend money on bottled water, even given both the financial and environmental downfalls. If you don't trust your tap water, even the cost of installing a filter or having one in your fridge can make it worth your money in the long run. Stop paying for something you can essentially get for free and invest in a quality reusable water bottle for when you're on the go.Brand-Name MedicationsUnless you're specifically advised by your doctor, opting for brand-name medications over their generic counterparts is a pointless expenditure. Generic drugs have the same active ingredients and undergo the same quality control as their branded counterparts. Switching to generics can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars annually without compromising on health.Cable TV SubscriptionsThe world has moved on from traditional cable television, but many are still holding onto it — along with its hefty bill. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ offer customizable viewing options for a fraction of the price and even bundling options. If you're still paying for a bloated cable package, it's time to cut the cord and switch to more budget-friendly entertainment options.Extended WarrantiesRetailers love to upsell extended warranties, but the truth is, they're seldom worth it. Most products are built to last for at least the length of their original warranty, and by the time they break, chances are you'd be looking to upgrade anyway. Instead of shelling out for extended warranties, set aside a small emergency fund for when things really go wrong.Fast FashionCheap, trendy clothing may seem like a good deal, but fast fashion is a money pit. These clothes are usually poorly made and fall apart after just a few wears, forcing you to constantly replenish your wardrobe in a never-ending cycle for your closet and nearest landfill. Instead, invest in quality, timeless pieces that last longer. You'll not only save money but also reduce your environmental footprint.Premium Gas for Non-Luxury CarsUnless your car specifically requires premium gasoline, you're throwing money away by filling up with it, especially when gas prices are already so high. Modern engines are designed to run efficiently on regular unleaded gas, and using premium won't give you any added benefits in performance. Stick to regular gas and watch your fuel expenses drop in what you pay at the pump.Overpriced Online Shopping on AmazonName-brand phone chargers, headphones, and other items can cost up to three times as much on Amazon when compared to other retailers or the product's own website. Check reviews before you add something to your cart as many will let you know if it's worth the cost. Don't be afraid to shop around, as varying sticker prices could shock you.Unused Gym MembershipsIn 2025, no matter your fitness resolutions, there's no reason to pay for a gym membership you're not using. With the explosion of online workout platforms, free YouTube fitness channels, and affordable apps, staying in shape no longer requires an expensive gym pass, particularly if you don't go regularly. If you're still paying for a membership you rarely use, it's time to cancel and explore the world of free digital fitness.What ER Doctors Bring On Vacation:Anti-nausea medication - “Always pack Zofran, just in case,” said Dr. Cedric Dark, associate professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “The feeling of nausea and vomiting is one of the most hated things you could ever imagine and there's nothing over-the-counter that is that helpful.” Zofran is only available by prescription, but it dissolves under your tongue, so it works even when you can't really keep anything down.A bug zapper - Dr. Dark says standalone mosquito traps or a mosquito zapper racquet like the one he uses are must-haves for traveling somewhere tropical, where the insects can carry serious diseases like West Nile virus, Zika virus and dengue fever.Tweezers - They're a fix for the far more simple, but common problem of splinters, and that's why tweezers are a travel essential for Dr. Joy Crook, associate professor of clinical emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.Compression socks - The CDC warns that traveling for more than four hours by air, car or bus raises the risk of developing blood clots, but wearing compression socks can help lower that risk. That's why they're a go-to for Dr. Erin Muckey, associate professor of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.A portable charger - Dr. Eric Adkins, an emergency medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, points out that you can't call for help or look up where the nearest pharmacy or hospital is with a dead phone battery, so he packs a portable charger.A carbon monoxide detector - Dr. Crook says this is a recent addition to her travel bag, since several stories of travelers dying from carbon monoxide poisoning have happened this year alone.Melatonin - Not sleeping well can weaken the immune system, which can make you more likely to get sick, but melatonin supplements can help “reset your internal clock,” according to Adkins, so you can snooze.Second Date Update: Dalia and Reggie go to the Mountain Winery to see Chris Isaak. She loved every minute. He has disappeared...was it her dancing?

Drs. Amy Crockett (@amyhcrockett), Ben Ereshefsky (@brainofbpharm), and Pamela Bailey (@pamipenem) join Dr. Julie Ann Justo (@julie_justo) to discuss new treatment strategies for management of intraamniotic infections, also known as chorioamnionitis. They discuss whether it is time to move away from the combination of ampicillin, gentamicin, and/or clindamycin, alternative antibiotic regimens to consider, and stewardship strategies to approach this practice change at a local level. References: Basic stats/epi on chorioamnionitis: Romero R, et al. Clinical chorioamnionitis at term I: microbiology of the amniotic cavity using cultivation and molecular techniques. J Perinat Med. 2015 Jan;43(1):19-36. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2014-0249. PMID: 25720095. ACOG 2017 Guideline for IAI: Committee Opinion No. 712: Intrapartum Management of Intraamniotic Infection. Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Aug;130(2):e95-e101. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002236. PMID: 28742677. ACOG 2024 Update on clinical criteria for IAI: ACOG Clinical Practice Update: Update on Criteria for Suspected Diagnosis of Intraamniotic Infection. Obstetrics & Gynecology 144(1):p e17-e19, July 2024. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005593 Helpful review with more recent microorganisms : Jung E, et al. Clinical chorioamnionitis at term: definition, pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Mar;230(3S):S807-S840. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.002. PMID: 38233317. Cochrane Review: Chapman E, et al. Antibiotic regimens for management of intra-amniotic infection. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 19;2014(12):CD010976. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010976.pub2. PMID: 25526426. Helpful recent review on intrapartum infections: Bailey, P, et al_._ Out with the Old, In with the New: A Review of the Treatment of Intrapartum Infections. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2024;26:107–113 doi: 10.1007/s11908-024-00838-8. Role of genital mycoplasmas in IAI: Romero R, et al. Evidence that intra-amniotic infections are often the result of an ascending invasion - a molecular microbiological study. J Perinat Med. 2019 Nov 26;47(9):915-931. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2019-0297. PMID: 31693497. Regimens without enterococcal coverage with similar clinical outcomes: Blanco JD, et al. Randomized comparison of ceftazidime versus clindamycin-tobramycin in the treatment of obstetrical and gynecological infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983 Oct;24(4):500-4. doi: 10.1128/AAC.24.4.500. PMID: 6360038. Bookstaver PB, et al. A review of antibiotic use in pregnancy. Pharmacotherapy. 2015 Nov;35(11):1052-62. doi: 10.1002/phar.1649. PMID: 26598097. Updated review in pregnancy, includes data on frequency of antibiotic use in pregnancy: Nguyen J, et al. A review of antibiotic safety in pregnancy-2025 update. Pharmacotherapy. 2025 Apr;45(4):227-237. doi: 10.1002/phar.70010. Epub 2025 Mar 19. PMID: 40105039. Locksmith GJ, et al. High compared with standard gentamicin dosing for chorioamnionitis: a comparison of maternal and fetal serum drug levels. Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Mar;105(3):473-9. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000151106.87930.1a. PMID: 15738010. Clindamycin CDI Risk: Miller AC, et al. Comparison of Different Antibiotics and the Risk for Community-Associated Clostridioides difficile Infection: A Case-Control Study. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 Aug 5;10(8):ofad413. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad413. PMID: 37622034. Impact of penicillin allergy on clindamycin use & cites 47% clindamycin resistance per CDC among GBS: Snider JB, et al. Antibiotic choice for Group B Streptococcus prophylaxis in mothers with reported penicillin allergy and associated newborn outcomes. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 May 30;23(1):400. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05697-0. PMID: 37254067. Clindamycin anaerobic coverage data: Hastey CJ, et al. Changes in the antibiotic susceptibility of anaerobic bacteria from 2007-2009 to 2010-2012 based on the CLSI methodology. Anaerobe. 2016 Dec;42:27-30. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2016.07.003. PMID: 27427465. Older PK study of ampicillin & gentamicin for chorioamnionitis: Gilstrap LC 3rd, Bawdon RE, Burris J. Antibiotic concentration in maternal blood, cord blood, and placental membranes in chorioamnionitis. Obstet Gynecol. 1988 Jul;72(1):124-5. PMID: 3380500. Paper putting out the call for modernization of OB/Gyn antibiotic regimens: Pek Z, Heil E, Wilson E. Getting With the Times: A Review of Peripartum Infections and Proposed Modernized Treatment Regimens. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 Sep 5;9(9):ofac460. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac460. PMID: 36168554. Vanderbilt University Medical Center experience with modernizing OB/Gyn infection regimens: Smiley C, et al. Implementing Updated Intraamniotic Infection Guidelines at a Large Academic Medical Center. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024 Sep 5;11(9):ofae475. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae475. PMID: 39252868. Prisma Health/University of South Carolina experience with modernizing OB/Gyn infection regimens: Bailey P, et al. Cefoxitin for Intra-amniotic Infections and Endometritis: A Retrospective Comparison to Traditional Antimicrobial Therapy Regimens Within a Healthcare System. Clin Infect Dis. 2024 Jul 19;79(1):247-254. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae042. PMID: 38297884.

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Alopi Patel, MD, speaks with K. Elliott Higgins III, MD, and Courtney Burns, MD, about their powerful pain palette essay, “Beyond the block: a canvas for well-being and conversation in anesthesiology and pain medicine.” This essay accompanies Healing Emotional Wounds—a community-engaged art piece by medical and scientific illustrator Morgan Granzow.   Dr. Higgins is the director of health and well-being for UCLA's department of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, a physician health officer for UCLA Health, and a practicing anesthesiologist with subspecialty expertise in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine. His research focuses on measuring and understanding health care professional well-being through a systems lens. As founding leader of the Well-Being Influencers Survey for Healthcare (WISH) research consortium, he led the development of WISH, a validated tool designed to assess perceptions of organizational conditions that shape well-being rather than individual states like burnout. He also co-chairs the American Society of Anesthesiologists' well-being research working group and serves as both a member and change maker coach for the National Academy of Medicine's Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience. Dr. Burns is an anesthesiology resident physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and member of the BH Robbins Scholars Physician-Scientist Development Program. Her research interests include clinician well-being among the anesthesiology workforce, psychological sequelae of adverse clinical events, and the association of clinician occupational well-being challenges with health care quality and patient outcomes. She is experienced in the medical humanities and has leveraged both visual art and narrative medicine in promoting well-being among students and clinicians. She also serves as a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Committee on Physician Well-Being and the Society for Education in Anesthesia's Committee on Well-Being. Inviting reflection and dialogue within the RAPM community and beyond, this artwork isn't just visual—it's a conversation starter. By incorporating language that emerged from guided reflection, it aims to create safer, more compassionate clinical environments. Whether displayed in break rooms, pain clinics, or perioperative spaces, it offers clinicians a moment to pause, see themselves in others' words, and feel less alone. This discussion explores how this project seeks to destigmatize emotional struggles in medicine, promote well-being, and serve as a catalyst for further research—whether through focus groups, interviews, or broader institutional efforts. Most importantly, this piece reminds us that healing isn't just for our patients—it's for us, too. View more of Morgan Granzow's medical and scientific illustrations here. 

In this episode of the SHEA Podcast, host Dr. Jonathan Ryder, Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, speaks with Dr. Milner Staub, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Their conversation explores practical, high-impact strategies for improving antimicrobial stewardship in outpatient and ambulatory care settings. With the majority of antibiotic prescribing occurring outside of hospitals, outpatient stewardship is a critical area for reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and improving patient outcomes. Dr. Staub shares insights into her work and research, which focus on helping providers and patients optimize antibiotic prescribing in ambulatory settings. She highlights stewardship interventions that are relatively easy to implement but offer strong returns on investment. A significant part of the discussion centers around the persistent impact of penicillin allergy labels and how outpatient settings can better address this issue. Dr. Staub also discusses antibiotic overuse for acute uncomplicated bronchitis (AUB), offering recommendations for interventions to reduce inappropriate prescribing. The episode concludes with a look ahead at where more research is needed to test assumptions and develop new stewardship strategies. Listeners are encouraged to explore SHEA's free CDC-supported Penicillin Allergy Delabeling Course for more information. Thank you for tuning in to the SHEA Podcast.

In the U.S., pharmaceutical companies set the prices of drugs with few restraints. In many cases, Americans pay a lot more compared to Canadians or Europeans. President Trump signed an executive order directing that Americans will pay the lowest price available worldwide on prescription drugs. Stephanie Sy discussed more with Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In this episode, Dr. Zanotti discussed the Society of Critical Care Medicine “Focused Update on the Clinical Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Anxiety. Agitation/Sedation. Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU." This is also known as the PADIS Guidelines. He is joined by Joanna L. Stollings, PharmD, a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a Board-Certified Critical Care Pharmacotherapy Specialist. Joanna is the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She also served as vice chair for the PADIS Guideline Focused Update and co-authored the guidelines. Additional resources: Society of Critical Care Medicine Focused Update on the Clinical Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Anxiety. Agitation/Sedation. Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU. PADIS 2025 Update: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39982143/ Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU. PADIS 2018 Guidelines: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30113379/ Link to a previous episode of Critical Matters discussing the PADIS 2018 Guidelines: https://soundphysicians.com/podcast-episode/?podcast_id=342&track_id=635606964 Landing page for the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center: https://www.icudelirium.org/ Books mentioned in this episode: The Prophet. By Kahlil Gibran: https://bit.ly/4lA2Jhx

“We were looking at why patients may sue doctors, and why some doctors get sued more than others. We have a process to identify benchmarking and give clinicians the chance to self-regulate. Because that's really what professionals do.” This episode features Dr. William Cooper, MD, President of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy (CPPA) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He shares how CPPA is using a proprietary algorithm and natural language processing to identify risk for malpractice suits before they happen, significantly improving outcomes. What we cover: How patient experiences can predict clinical outcomes What data can reveal about clinician malpractice risk The connection between communication and surgical outcomes How peer feedback can effectively drive self-correction  A case where malpractice was reduced by 85% Follow Dr. Cooper's work at www.vumc.org/patient-professional-advocacy/vumc-cppa-home Subscribe and stay at the forefront of the digital healthcare revolution. Watch the full video on YouTube @TheDigitalHealthcareExperience The Digital Healthcare Experience is a hub to connect healthcare leaders and tech enthusiasts. Powered by Taylor Healthcare, this podcast is your gateway to the latest trends and breakthroughs in digital health. Learn more at taylor.com/digital-healthcare About Us: Taylor Healthcare empowers healthcare organizations to thrive in the digital world. Our technology streamlines critical workflows such as procedural & surgical informed consent with patented mobile signature capture, ransomware downtime mitigation, patient engagement and more. For more information, please visit imedhealth.com   The Digital Healthcare Experience Podcast: Powered by Taylor Healthcare Produced by Naomi Schwimmer  Hosted by Chris Civitarese Edited by Eli Banks Music by Nicholas Bach  

This episode is part two of our discussion on AI. Host Eddie Qian, MD, (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) and Matthew Churpek, MD, PhD, MPH(University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health) explore the use of large language models in clinical practice, weigh the benefits vs risks and the role clinicians may play in establishing guardrails."Patients don't just walk out of the textbook," as Dr. Qian noted. These models still require input from experienced clinicians to ensure the best outcome for patients. Listen to Part I of our AI discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZInoIjGht0&list=PLFyO68a-Ji3lKQLBIdtgUlFkEBp3t1RA5&index=8Like what you heard? Get more of Dr. Qian on the ICU Ed and Todd-cast wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this special edition of Quality Matters, we explore what three powerful conversations have taught us about one of health care's most pressing and perplexing questions: What do we know about the economics of care in America, and how can we make substantial, sustainable improvements? We look back at previous episodes of Quality Matters to reflect. We begin with health economist Sanjula Jain, who challenges conventional thinking around value-based care and urges a shift toward a more intuitive concept: “value for money.” With real-world examples (think hotels and Costco), she explains why the US health economy needs stability, and what it would take to rebuild trust and deliver real value to patients.Next, Brittany Cunningham, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, shares how My Health Bundles help employers rein in costs while improving patient experience and provider satisfaction. Her team's approach flips the traditional payment model on its head—designing care first and payment second.And obstetrician Tiffany Inglis, of Elevance Health, takes us inside a groundbreaking program that pairs OB/GYNs with dedicated practice consultants. The result? Dramatic improvement in maternal health outcomes that could affect a staggering 12% of the nation's births.Each voice in this episode offers fresh, actionable insight. Together, they offer a roadmap toward a more sustainable—and humane—health care economy. Key Quote:“ Value for money is the ultimate consumer of the service is going to determine that value based off what they are paying. Value-based payment, it's different because value-based payment is ultimately a reimbursement scheme that doesn't change the total cost of care. Value-based payment is really a policy scheme focused on the provider level, which doesn't even affect the patient or consumer. It's one pool of dollars that is being reallocated. Providers are just reallocating those dollars and actually reducing the total cost of care. Who is benefiting doesn't actually translate down to the patient or the consumer.”Sanjula JainTime Stamps: (00:25) The Macroeconomics of Health Care(8:40) Value-Based Care in Action With Health Bundles14:30) The Economics of Prenatal Care

Erik Hess, MD, MSc - Vanderbilt University Medical Center by SAEM

Erik Hess, MD, MSc - Vanderbilt University Medical Center by SAEM

Dr. Hunter Huston is a kidney doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, triathlete, and medical advisor at Precision Fuel & Hydration.  In this episode, we dive into the science behind fluid and electrolyte balance for endurance athletes. From sweat sodium testing to pre-race hydration strategies, we explore practical and evidence-based ways to optimize performance through smarter fueling and hydration. Whether you're racing a 5K or tackling an Ironman, this episode is packed with insights to help you stay ahead of dehydration and performance decline.

Listen to ASCO's Journal of Clinical Oncology Art of Oncology article, "Tamales” by Megan Dupuis, an Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The article is followed by an interview with Dupuis and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Dupuis reflects on how patients invite their doctors into their culture and their world- and how this solidified her choice to be an oncologist. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: Tamales, by Megan Dupuis, MD, PhDI do not know if you know this, but tamales are an important—nay, critical—part of the Mexican Christmas tradition. Before I moved to Texas, I certainly did not know that. I did not know that the simple tamal, made of masa flour and fillings and steamed in a corn husk, is as essential to the holiday season as music and lights. Whole think pieces have been written in The Atlantic about it, for God's sake. But, I did not know that. A total gringa, I had grown up in upstate NY. We had the middle-class American version of Christmas traditions—music, snow, Santa, and a Honey Baked Ham that mom ordered 2 weeks before the holiday. I had never tried a homemade tamal until I moved to Texas. We had relocated because I was starting a fellowship in hematology/oncology. A central part of our training was the privilege of working at the county hospital cancer clinic. Because we were the safety-net hospital, our patients with cancer were often under- or uninsured, frequently had financial difficulty, and were almost always immigrants, documented or otherwise. In a typical clinic day, over 90% of my patients spoke Spanish; one or two spoke Vietnamese; and typically, none spoke English. From meeting my very first patient in clinic, I knew this was where I needed to be. Have you ever been unsure of a decision until you have been allowed to marinate in it? That is how I felt about cancer care; I had not been sure that my path was right until I started in the county oncology clinic. I loved absorbing the details of my patients' lives and the cultures that centered them: that Cuban Spanish is not Mexican Spanish and is not Puerto Rican Spanish; that many of my patients lived in multigenerational homes, with abuelos and tios and nietos all mixed together; and that most of them continued to work full-time jobs while battling cancer. They had hobbies they pursued with passion and lived and died by their children's accomplishments. I learned these details in the spaces between diagnosis and treatment, in the steady pattern woven in between the staccato visits for chemotherapy, scans, pain control, progression, and hospice.  In one of those in-betweens, my patient Cristina told me about tamales. She had faced metastatic breast cancer for many years. She was an impeccable dresser, with matching velour tracksuits or nice slacks with kitten heels or a dress that nipped in at the waist and flared past her knees. Absolutely bald from treatment, she would make her hairlessness look like high fashion rather than alopecia foisted upon her. Her makeup was always painstakingly done and made her look 10 years younger than her youthful middle age. At one visit in August, she came to clinic in her pajamas and my heart sank. This was a familiar pattern to me by now; I had taken care of her for 2 years, and pajamas were my canary in the coal mine of progressing cancer.  So on that sunny day, I asked Cristina what her goals would be for the coming months. The cancer had circumvented many of her chemotherapy options, and I only had a few left. “Doctora D, I know my time is limited…” she started in Spanish, with my interpreter by my side translating, “but I would really like to make it to Christmas. My family is coming from Mexico.” “Oh that's lovely. Do you have any special Christmas plans?” I ventured, wanting to understand what her holidays look like. “Plans? Doctora D, of course we are making tamales!” She laughed, as though we were both in on a joke. “Tamales? At Christmas?” I asked, signaling her to go on.  “Yes yes yes, every year we make hundreds and hundreds of tamales, and we sell them! And we use the money to buy gifts for the kids, and we eat them ourselves too. It is tradicio´ n, Doctora D.” She underlined tradicio´ n with her voice, emphasizing the criticality of this piece of information. “Okay,” I said, pausing to think—December was only four months away. “I will start a different chemotherapy, and we will try to get you to Christmas to make your tamales.” Cristina nodded, and the plan was made.  Later that evening, I asked one of my cofellows, a Houston native, about tamales. He shared that these treats are an enormous part of the Houston Christmas tradition, and if I had any sense, I would only purchase them from an abuela out of the trunk of a car. This was the only way to get the best homemade ones. “The ones from restaurants,” he informed me, “are crap.”  So summer bled into fall, and fall became what passes for winter in Texas. On 1 day in the middle of December, Cristina came into clinic, dressed in a colorful sweater, flowing white pants, black boots, and topped off with Barbie-pink lipstick. “Cristina!” I exclaimed, a bit confused. “You don't have an appointment with me today, do you?”  She grinned at me and held up a plastic grocery bag with a knot in the handles, displaying it like a prize.  “Tamales, Doctora D. I brought you some tamales so you can join our Christmas tradition.” I felt the sting of tears, overwhelmed with gratitude at 11:30 in a busy county clinic. I thanked her profusely for my gift. When I brought them home that night, my husband and I savored them slowly, enjoying them like you would any exquisite dish off a tasting menu. Sometimes, people think that oncologists are ghouls. They only see the Cristinas when they are in their pajamas and wonder why would any doctor ever give her more treatment?  My answer is because I also got to see her thriving joyfully in track suits and lipstick, because I got to spend countless in-betweens with her, and because I helped get her to the Christmas tradiciones I only knew about because of her. And in return, she gave of herself so easily, sharing her life, her passion, her struggles, and her fears with me. Caring for Cristina helped me marinate in the decision to become an oncologist and know that it was the right one. And if you are wondering—yes. Now tamales are a Christmas tradicio´n in the Dupuis household, too. Mikkael Sekeres: Hello, and welcome to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology, which features essays and personal reflections from authors exploring their experience in the oncology field. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm a professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami. What a pleasure it is today to be joined by Dr. Megan Dupuis from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology and Associate Program Director for the Fellowship program. In this episode, we will be discussing her Art of Oncology article, "Tamales." Our guest's disclosures will be linked in the transcript. Both she and I have talked beforehand and agreed to refer to each other by first names. Megan, welcome to our podcast, and thank you for joining us. Megan Dupuis: Oh, thanks so much for having me, Mikkael. I'm excited to be here. Mikkael Sekeres: I absolutely loved your piece, "Tamales," as did our reviewers. It really did resonate with all of us and was beautifully and artfully written. I'm wondering if we could just start—tell us about yourself. Where are you from, and where did you do your training? Megan Dupuis: Sure. I'm originally from upstate New York. I grew up outside of Albany and then moved for college to Buffalo, New York. So I consider Buffalo home. Big Buffalo Bills fan. And I spent undergrad, medical school, and my PhD in tumor immunology at the University of Buffalo. My husband agreed to stick with me in Buffalo for all twelve years if we moved out of the cold weather after we were done. And so that played some factor in my choice of residency program. I was lucky enough to go to Duke for residency—internal medicine residency—and then went to MD Anderson for fellowship training. And then after Anderson, I moved up to Nashville, Tennessee, where I've been at Vanderbilt for almost four years now. Mikkael Sekeres: That's fantastic. Well, I have to say, your Bills have outperformed my Pittsburgh Steelers the past few years, but I think I think we have a chance this coming year. Megan Dupuis: Yeah. Yep. Yep. I saw they were thinking about signing Aaron Rodgers, so we'll see how that goes. Mikkael Sekeres: Yeah, not going to talk about that in this episode. So, I'm curious about your story as a writer. How long have you been writing narrative pieces? Megan Dupuis: I have always been a writer—noodled around with writing and poetry, even in college. But it was when I started doing my medicine training at Duke that I started to more intentionally start writing about my experiences, about patients, things that I saw, things that weighed either heavily on me or made a difference. So when I was at Duke, there was a narrative medicine writing workshop—it was a weekend workshop—that I felt like changed the trajectory of what my interest is in writing. And I wrote a piece at that time that was then sort of critiqued by colleagues and friends and kicked off my writing experience. And I've been writing ever since then. We formed a narrative medicine program at Duke out of this weekend workshop experience. And I carried that through to MD Anderson when I was a fellow. And then when I joined at Vanderbilt, I asked around and said, "Hey, is there a narrative medicine program at Vanderbilt?" And somebody pointed me in the direction of a colleague, Chase Webber, who's in internal medicine, and they said, "Hey, he's been thinking about putting together a medical humanities program but needs a co-conspirator, if you will." And so it was perfect timing, and he and I got together and started a Medical Humanities Certificate Program at Vanderbilt about four years ago. And so- Mikkael Sekeres: Oh, wow. Megan Dupuis: Yeah. So I've been doing this work professionally, but also personally. You know, one of the things that I have been doing for a long time is anytime there's an experience that I have that I think, “Gosh, I should write about this later,” I either dictate it into my phone, “write about this later,” or I write a little message to myself, “Make sure that you remember this experience and document it later.” And I keep a little notebook in my pocket specifically to do that. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, it's really a fabulous, updated use of technology compared to when William Carlos Williams used to scribble lines of poetry on his prescription pad and put it in his rolltop desk. Megan Dupuis: Although I will admit, you know, I don't think I'm much different. I still do prefer often the little leather notebook in the pocket to dictating. It'll often be when I'm in the car driving home from a clinic day or whatever, and I'll go, “Oh, I have to write about this, and I can't forget.” And I'll make myself a little digital reminder if I have to. But I still do keep the leather notebook as well for the more traditional type of writing experience. Mikkael Sekeres: I'm curious about what triggers you to dictate something or to scribble something down. Megan Dupuis: I think anything that gives me an emotional response, you know, anything that really says, “That was a little bit outside the normal clinical encounter for me.” Something that strikes me as moving, meaningful—and it doesn't have to be sad. I think a lot of novice writers about medical writing think you have to write only the tragic or the sad stories. But as often as not, it'll be something incredibly funny or poignant that a patient said in clinic that will make me go, “Ah, I have to make sure I remember that for later.” I think even surprise, you know? I think all of us can be surprised in a clinical encounter. Something a patient says or something a spouse will reflect on will make me sit back and say, “Hmm, that's not what I expected them to say. I should dive into why I'm surprised by that.” Mikkael Sekeres: It's a great notion as a starting point: an emotional connection, a moment of surprise. And that it doesn't have to be sad, right? It can be- sometimes our patients are incredibly inspirational and have great insights. It's one of the marvelous things about the career we've chosen is that we get to learn from people from such a variety of backgrounds. Megan Dupuis: That's it. It's a privilege every day to be invited into people's most personal experiences, and not just the medical experience. You know, I say to my patients, “I think this cancer diagnosis is in some ways the least interesting thing about you. It's not something you pick. It's not a hobby you cultivate. It's not your family life. It's a thing that's happened to you.” And so I really like to dive into: Who are these people? What makes them tick? What's important to them? My infusion nurses will say, "Oh, Dr. D, we love logging in and reading your social histories," because, yeah, I'll get the tobacco and alcohol history, or what have you. But I have a little dot phrase that I use for every new patient. It takes maybe the first five or six minutes of a visit, not long. But it's: Who are you? What's your preferred name? Who are your people? How far do you live from the clinic? What did you used to do for work if you're retired? If you're not retired, what do you do now? What are the names of your pets? What do you like to do in your spare time? What are you most proud of? So those are things that I ask at every new patient encounter. And I think it lays the foundation to understand who's this three-dimensional human being across from me, right? What were they like before this diagnosis changed the trajectory of where they were going? To me, that's the most important thing. Mikkael Sekeres: You've so wonderfully separated: The patient is not the diagnosis; it's a person. And the diagnosis is some component of that person. And it's the reason we're seeing each other, but it doesn't define that person. Megan Dupuis: That's right. We're crossing streams at a very tough point in their life. But there was so much that came before that. And in the piece that I wrote, you know, what is the language? What is the food? What is the family? What are all of those things, and how do they come together to make you the person that you are, for what's important to you in your life? And I think as oncologists, we're often trying to unravel in some way what is important. I could spend all day talking to you about PFS and OS for a specific drug combination, but is that really getting to meeting the goals of the patient and where they're at? I think it's easy to sort of say, “Well, this is the medicine that's going to get you the most overall survival.” But does it acknowledge the fact that you are a musician who can't have neuropathy in your fingers if you still want to play? Right? So those things become incredibly important when we're deciding not just treatment planning, but also what is the time toxicity? You know, do you have the time and ability to come back and forth to clinic for weekly chemotherapy or what have you? So those things, to me, become incredibly important when I'm talking to a person sitting across from me. Mikkael Sekeres: Do your patients ever get surprised that you're asking such broad questions about their life instead of narrowing down to the focus of their cancer? Megan Dupuis: Sometimes. I will say, sometimes patients are almost so anxious, of course, with this new diagnosis, they want to get into it. You know, they don't want to sit there and tell me the name of the horses on their farm, right? They want to know, “What's the plan, doc?” So I acknowledge that, and I say to them in the beginning, “Hey, if you give me five minutes of your time to tell me who you are as a person, I promise this will come back around later when we start talking about the options for treatments for you.” Most of the time, though, I think they're just happy to be asked who they are as a person. They're happy that I care. And I think all of us in oncology care—I think that's... you don't go into a field like this because you're not interested in the human experience, right? But they're happy that it's demonstrable that there is a... I'm literally saying, “What is the name of your dog? What is the name of your child who lives down the street? Who are your kids that live far away? You know, do you talk to them?” They want to share those things, and they want to be acknowledged. I think these diagnoses can be dehumanizing. And so to rehumanize somebody does not take as much time as we may think it does. Mikkael Sekeres: I 100% agree with you. And there can be a selfish aspect to it also. I think we're naturally curious people and want to know how other people have lived their lives and can live those lives vicariously through them. So I'm the sort of person who likes to do projects around the house. And I think, to the dismay of many a professional person, I consider myself an amateur electrician, plumber, and carpenter. Some of the projects are actually up to code, not all. But you get to learn how other people have lived their lives and how they made things. And that could be making something concrete, like an addition to their house, or it can be making a life. Megan Dupuis: Yeah, I love that you say that it is selfish, and we acknowledge that. You know, sometimes I think that we went into internal medicine and ultimately oncology... and I don't mean this in a trite way: I want the gossip about your life. I want the details. I want to dig into your hobbies, your relationships, what makes you angry, what makes you excited. I think they're the fun things to learn about folks. Again, in some ways, I think the cancer diagnosis is almost such a trite or banal part of who a human is. It's not to say that it's not going to shape their life in a very profound way, but it's not something they picked. It's something that happened to them. And so I'm much more excited to say, “Hey, what are your weekend hobbies? Are you an amateur electrician?” And that dovetails deeply into what kind of treatment might help you to do those things for longer. So I think it is a little bit selfish that it gives me a lot of satisfaction to get to know who people are. Mikkael Sekeres: So part of what we're talking about, indirectly, is the sense of otherness. And an undercurrent theme in your essay is otherness. You were an 'other' as a fellow in training and working in Texas when you grew up in upstate New York. And our patients are also 'others.' They're thrust into this often complicated bedlam of cancer care. Can you talk about how you felt as an 'other' and how that's affected your approach to your patients? Megan Dupuis: I think in the cancer experience, we are 'other,' definitionally, from the start, for exactly the reasons that you said. I'm coming to it as your physician; you're coming to it as my patient. This is a new encounter and a new experience for both of us. I think the added layer of being this person from upstate New York who didn't... I mean, I minored in Spanish in college, but that's not the same thing as growing up in a culture that speaks Spanish, that comes from a Spanish-speaking country—the food, the culture. It's all incredibly different. And so the way that I approached it there was to say, “I am genuinely curious. I want to know what it's like to be different than the culture that I was raised in.” And I'm excited to know about that thing.   And I think we can tell—I think, as humans—when somebody is genuinely curious about who you are and what's important to you, versus when they're kind of just checking the boxes to try to build a relationship that's necessary. I think my patients could tell that even though I'm not necessarily speaking their language, I want to know. I ask these questions because I want to know. I think if you go to it from a place of curiosity, if you are approaching another person with a genuine sense of curiosity... You know, Faith Fitzgerald wrote her most remarkable piece on curiosity many, many years ago. But even the quote-unquote “boring” patient, as she put it, can have an incredible story to tell if you're curious enough to ask. And so I think that no matter how different I might be culturally from the patient sitting across from me, if I approach it with a genuine sense of curiosity, and they can sense that, that. that's going to build the bond that we need truly to walk together on this cancer journey. I think it's curiosity, and I think it's also sharing of yourself. I think that nobody is going to open up to you if they feel that you are closed to sharing a bit of yourself. Patients want to know who their doctor is, too. So when I said I asked those five or six minutes' worth of questions at the beginning of a new patient encounter, I share that info with them. I tell them where I live, how long it takes for me to get to clinic, who my people are, the name of my dog, what I like to do in my spare time, what I'm proud of. So I share that with them too, so it doesn't feel like a one-way grilling. It feels like an introduction, a meeting, the start of a... I don't want to say friendship necessarily, but a start of a friendliness, of a shared communal experience. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, it's a start of a relationship. And you can define 'relationship' with a broad swath of definitions, right? Megan Dupuis: That's right. Mikkael Sekeres: It can be a relationship that is a friendship. It can be a relationship that's a professional relationship. And just like we know some personal things about some of our colleagues, the same is true of our patients. I was wondering if I could pick up on... I love that notion of curiosity that you brought out because that's something I've thought a lot about, and I've thought about whether it could be at least one way to combat burnout. So could you put that in context of burnout? Do you think maintaining that curiosity throughout a career is one potential solution to burnout? And do you think that being open with yourself also helps combat burnout, which is counterintuitive to what we've always been taught? Megan Dupuis: Wow. I think that this is such an important question, and it's almost like you read my justification for a Medical Humanities Certificate Program. One of the foundational arguments for why I thought the GME should support the creation of this program at Vanderbilt was because we hypothesized that it would improve burnout. And one of the arms of that is because it engenders a sense of genuine curiosity. When you're thinking about the arms of burnout: it's loss of meaning in your work; it's depersonalization of patients, right, when they're treated as objects or numbers or a ticket in the system that you have to shuffle through; when it's disconnection from the work that you do. I absolutely think that curiosity is an antidote to burnout. I don't think it's the whole solution, perhaps, because I think that burnout also includes systemic injury and structures of our medical healthcare system that no individual can fix in a vacuum. But I do think when we're thinking about what are the changes that we as individual physicians can make, I do think that being open and curious about your patient is one of the best salves that we have against some of these wounds. You know, I've never left a room where a patient has shared a personal story and felt worse about it, right? I've always felt better for the experience. And so I do think curiosity is an incredibly important piece of it. It's hard, I will acknowledge. It's hard for the speed that we move through the system, the pace that we move through the system. And I'm thinking often about my trainees—my residents, my fellows—who are seeing a lot, they're doing a lot, they are trying to learn and drink from the fire hose of the pace of medical development, checking so many boxes. And so to remain curious, I think at times can feel like a luxury. I think it's a luxury I have boomeranged back into as an attending. You know, certainly as a resident and a fellow, I felt like, “Gosh, why does this attending want to sit and chitchat about this person's music career? I'm just trying to make sure their pain is controlled. I'm trying to make sure they get admitted safely. I'm trying to make sure that they're getting the right treatment.” And I think it's something that I've tried to teach my trainees: “No, we have the time. I promise we have the time to ask this person what their childhood was like,” if that's something that is important to the narrative of their story. So it sometimes feels like a luxury. But I also think it's such a critical part of avoiding or mitigating the burnout that I know all of us face. Mikkael Sekeres: I think you touched on a lot of really important points. Burnout is so much more complicated than just one inciting factor and one solution. It's systemic. And I love also how you positioned curiosity as a bit of a luxury. We have to have the mental space to also be curious and engaged enough in our work that we can take interest in other people. I wanted to touch on one more question. You write in your essay that a patient in pajamas is a canary in the coal mine for deteriorating health. And I completely, completely agree with that. I can vividly recall a number of patients where I saw them in my clinic, and I would look down, and they had food spilled on their sweatshirt, or they were wearing mismatched socks, or their shoes weren't tied. And you thought to yourself, “Gee, this person is not thriving at home.” Do you think telemedicine has affected our ability to recognize that in our patients? Megan Dupuis: Yes, I do think so. I can remember vividly being a fellow when COVID first began in 2020, and I was training in an environment where most of my patients spoke Spanish or Vietnamese. And so we were doing not just telemedicine; we were doing telephone call clearance for chemotherapy because a lot of the patients didn't have either access to the technology or a phone that had video capability. A lot of them had flip phones. And trying to clear somebody for chemotherapy over the phone, I'll tell you, Mikkael, was the number one way to lead to a recipe of moral injury and burnout. As a person who felt this deep responsibility to do something safe... I think even now with telemedicine, there are a lot of things that you can hide from the waist down, right? If you can get it together enough to maybe just put a shirt on, I won't know that you're sitting there in pajama bottoms. I won't know that you're struggling to stand or that you're using an assistive device to move when you used to be able to come into clinic without one, or that your family member is helping you negotiate stepping over the curb in clinic. These are real litmus tests that you and I, all of us, use when we're deciding whether somebody is safe to receive a treatment. And I think telemedicine does mask some of that. Now, on the other hand, does telemedicine provide an access point for patients that otherwise it would be a challenge to drive into clinic for routine visits and care? It does, and I think it's been an incredible boon for patients who live far away from the clinic. But I think we have to use it judiciously. And there are patients where I will say, “If you are not well enough to get yourself to clinic, I worry that you are not well enough to safely receive treatment.” And when I'm thinking about the rules of chemo, it's three: It has to be effective, right? Cancer decides that. It has to be something the patient wants. They decide. But then the safety piece—that's my choice. That's my responsibility. And I can't always decide safety on a telemedicine call. Mikkael Sekeres: I completely agree. I've said to my patients before, “It's hard for me to assess you when I'm only seeing 40% of you.” So we will often negotiate them having to withstand the traffic in Miami to come in so I can feel safe in administering the chemotherapy that I think they need. Megan Dupuis: That's exactly right. Mikkael Sekeres: Megan Dupuis, it has been an absolute delight getting to chat with you. It has been just terrific getting to know you and talk about your fabulous essay, "Tamales." So thank you so much for joining me. Megan Dupuis: Thank you for having me. It was a wonderful time to chat with you as well. Mikkael Sekeres: Until next time, thank you for listening to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. Don't forget to give us a rating or review, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find all of ASCO's shows at asco.org/podcasts. Thank you again.   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.  Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio: Dr Megan Dupuis is an Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  

Douglas W. Lundy, MD, MBA, FACS, FAOA, discussed the future of orthopaedic trauma with William T. Obremskey, MD, FAOA, Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Obremskey shares his vision for the future of orthopaedic trauma surgery, focusing on reducing complications through advanced technologies and improved practices.Perhaps most thought-provoking is Dr. Obremskey's perspective that some of the most impactful advances may not come from fancy technology at all—but from addressing underlying patient factors like smoking cessation and blood sugar control that dramatically affect healing outcomes. The future of trauma care involves both cutting-edge science and fundamental public health initiatives working in tandem.

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Brad Hill, MD, discuss the following articles from the March 2025 issue: “Cost Comparison of Digital Nerve Repair Techniques” Hu, Williams, Kammien, et al. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/DNRCostComparison Special guest, Brad Hill, MD, completed combined residency training in General Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at New York University, followed by a Fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center. Dr Hill currently serves as the Director of Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an avid educator and guest on several other national medical podcasts. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/March25JCCollection

Transforming Clinical Workflows and Patient Care Using Voice Enabled Tech Dr. Yaa Kumah-Crystal shares her pioneering work integrating voice assistant technology and AI into healthcare systems at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This discussion explores practical applications of voice interfaces in clinical documentation, the evolution of hybrid care models, and responsible AI implementation strategies that enhance both provider experience and patient outcomes. Drawing from her dual expertise as a practicing endocrinologist and biomedical informaticist, Dr. Kumah-Crystal offers actionable insights for healthcare leaders navigating technological transformation. • Voice-first EHR design reduces documentation burden while maintaining clinical accuracy • Essential governance frameworks ensure responsible AI deployment in clinical settings • Successful hybrid care models balance telehealth and in-person care for optimal outcomes • Practical evaluation methods help prioritize technologies that genuinely improve workflows To stream our Station live 24/7 visit www.HealthcareNOWRadio.com or ask your Smart Device to “….Play Healthcare NOW Radio”. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Brad Hill, MD, discuss the following articles from the March 2025 issue: “Eaton-Littler Ligament Reconstruction in Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Instability: Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in 74 Patients” by Nieuwdrop, Jongen, Hundepool, et al. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/EatonLittLigamen Special guest, Brad Hill, MD, completed combined residency training in General Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at New York University, followed by a Fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center. Dr Hill currently serves as the Director of Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an avid educator and guest on several other national medical podcasts. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/March25JCCollection

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Brad Hill, MD, discuss the following articles from the March 2025 issue: “Effect of Tourniquet-Related Nerve Ischemia on Response to Handheld Nerve Stimulation in Ulnar Nerve Transposition” by Brogan, Lee, Beamer, and Dy. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/IschemiaNerveStim Special guest, Brad Hill, MD, completed combined residency training in General Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at New York University, followed by a Fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center. Dr Hill currently serves as the Director of Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an avid educator and guest on several other national medical podcasts. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/March25JCCollection

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Brad Hill, MD, discuss the following articles from the March 2025 issue: “Effect of Tourniquet-Related Nerve Ischemia on Response to Handheld Nerve Stimulation in Ulnar Nerve Transposition” by Brogan, Lee, Beamer, and Dy. “Eaton-Littler Ligament Reconstruction in Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Instability: Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in 74 Patients” by Nieuwdrop, Jongen, Hundepool, et al. “Cost Comparison of Digital Nerve Repair Techniques” Hu, Williams, Kammien, et al. Special guest, Brad Hill, MD, completed combined residency training in General Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at New York University, followed by a Fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center. Dr Hill currently serves as the Director of Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an avid educator and guest on several other national medical podcasts. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/March25JCCollection

You can text us here with any comments, questions, or thoughts!In our latest episode, Kemi sit down with Dr. Sharon Onguti, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she has served since 2022. Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, she completed her fellowship at UT Health San Antonio and a sub-fellowship in Antimicrobial Stewardship at Stanford University. Dr. Onguti holds an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is a board member of the Society of Bedside Medicine, she is dedicated to medical education and serves as Associate Program Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. She is also is an alumnus of our Get That Grant® coaching program! Join the conversation as Dr. Onguti shares her remarkable journey in medicine, highlighting her innovative use of AI in healthcare. Highlights: Discover how she navigates multiple roles and responsibilities while finding clarity and focus through coaching.  The importance of aligning your career with personal values and interests.  Why regular reflection and inventory of your activities help ensure alignment with long-term goals. Insights on cultivating a high-functioning support network and redefining mentorship to propel your career forward. Loved this convo? Please go find Dr. Onguti on LinkedIn and Twitter/X show her some love!  If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations. And if you're also a high-achieving WOC facing these challenges and seeking to navigate your path more effectively, Get That Grant is here to support you! Join the waitlist for our April 2025 Get That Grant cohort! Enrollment for the April cohort is exclusive to our waitlist, so sign up now to take the first step toward turning your aspirations into reality. Applications will be sent directly to the waitlist on Monday, February 17.  Sign up for the waitlist now at  www.kemidoll.com/gtgwaitlist REMINDER: Your Unapologetic Career Podcast now releases episode every other week! Can't wait that long? Be sure you are signed up for our newsletter (above) where there are NEW issues every month! 

Send us a textWhat if theater could unlock new dimensions of communication for individuals with autism? Join us as we sit down with the remarkable Dr. Blythe Corbett, a trailblazer from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who has seamlessly intertwined her love for performance with her cutting-edge research in autism. Through the pioneering work of Sense Theater, a nonprofit she founded in 2009, Dr. Corbett has transformed the landscape of social communication interventions, using the power of theater to foster personal growth and social skills in hundreds of participants. Her journey, marked by perseverance and innovation, has garnered significant recognition, including prestigious grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, showcasing the profound impact of blending science and the arts.This episode also takes you behind the scenes of Sense Theater's expansion plans, where inclusivity and creative expression are at the forefront. Through engaging productions, participants tackle themes of belonging, acceptance, and diversity, creating a tapestry of collaboration among individuals from diverse backgrounds. We delve into the thoughtful strategies implemented to support autistic individuals, such as managing anxiety and sensory overload, and the fun, engaging activities like improvisation and joke-telling that teach social cues and body language. Wrapping up, we reflect on the empowering conversations shared and extend an invitation to listeners who might have their own stories and insights to contribute.https://tonymantor.comhttps://Facebook.com/tonymantorhttps://instagram.com/tonymantorhttps://twitter.com/tonymantorhttps://youtube.com/tonymantormusicintro/outro music bed written by T. WildWhy Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

In this episode of the TEMSEA Leadership Podcast, host Eric Clauss speaks with Briana Browne, a suicide survivor who has turned her experience into a life-saving mission. Briana shares her emotional recollection of waking up in the hospital, her road to mental health recovery, and the moment she realized she had survived a nearly impossible fall. She discusses the stigma around suicide, the importance of proper language (saying “died by suicide” instead of “committed suicide”), and how emergency responders and healthcare professionals can better support individuals in crisis. Briana also details her advocacy with the Bridge Barrier Coalition, which successfully implemented a temporary barrier and secured plans for a permanent suicide prevention structure at the Natchez Trace Bridge. Now working with the Trauma Survivors Network at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, she shares how faith, therapy, music, and a strong support system have played a role in her healing. Briana offers powerful words of encouragement for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts, reminding listeners that hope and help are always available. Understanding the warning signs of mental distress and offering compassionate intervention can make a critical difference, especially for first responders, emergency nurses, and healthcare professionals who often encounter individuals at their lowest moments. Encouraging peer support programs and a culture of mental health openness within emergency services can prevent tragedies and help providers care for themselves as well. Applications for Leaders & Healthcare Professionals: Language Matters: Leaders in EMS, healthcare, and emergency response must use proper terminology—phrases like “died by suicide” instead of “committed suicide” help remove the stigma. Suicide Prevention in Leadership: EMS professionals, hospital staff, and first responders are often the first points of contact for individuals in crisis. Briana's story highlights the importance of trauma-informed care, compassionate response, and proactive mental health initiatives within emergency and healthcare settings. Advocacy & Policy Change: Leaders can use their voices to advocate for safety measures, like bridging barriers, crisis response teams, and mental health access, to prevent future tragedies. The Power of Survivor Stories: Briana's work with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Trauma Survivors Network shows how lived experiences can educate and inspire change—an essential lesson for leaders looking to engage survivors in policy and training discussions. Supporting Mental Health in Teams: EMS and healthcare professionals face high-stress environments. This episode reinforces the importance of peer support programs, open conversations about mental health, and suicide prevention resources for those in service. Recognizing Warning Signs & Peer Support in EMS: Emergency responders often witness signs of mental distress in colleagues and patients. Encouraging mental health check-ins, peer support programs, and open discussions can help prevent burnout and crisis escalation. First responders are trained to save lives—that includes their own and those of their peers. Leaders must foster a culture where asking for help is seen as a strength, not a weakness. This episode is more than just a story of survival—it's a call to action for leaders, first responders, and healthcare professionals to challenge the stigma around suicide, implement meaningful prevention strategies, and provide compassionate care to those in crisis. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available. Dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Thank you, Briana, for all the hope you are bringing to our profession and individuals! You can reach out to Briana at briana.browne@att.net