ADHD pharmacology
Can't pay attention? Well, you're gonna want to save SOME of that attention to learn about ADHD pharmacology, a surprisingly tricky topic made easy by OMS3 Ghazal Adibi!
Aug 07, 2025•13 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Spoonful of Sugar
A podcast to help the medicine go down
For medical students, by medical students
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Episodes
Mechanical Ventilation
In this episode, OMS4 Julia Shepherd from UNECOM discussed an often-overlooked Step 2/Rotations relevant topic in an incredibly detailed manner! This MAY pop up on Step 1, so if you have the time, listen in :)
Jul 14, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Genitourinary Cancers
From painless hematuria to paraneoplastic syndromes, GU cancers can get overwhelming very quickly. Fortunately, OMS3 Angelica Batholomew from Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Cleveland will make this topic much easier!
Jul 03, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Statistics Part 3
Final part of our 3-part statistics series! OMS3 Akiva Eleff has you covered.
Jun 25, 2025•30 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Peripheral Vascular Disease
PVD is REALLY common. This episode by MS3 Sahil Sardesai will help you net several high yield points!
Jun 25, 2025•27 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Bone Tumors
Osteomas... Osterosarcomas... Chondrosarcomas... they all sound so similar! MS3 Angia Chen will clarify these differences by discussing the high yield concept of bone tumors.
Mar 08, 2025•25 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Statistics Part 2
This is part 2 to our review on high yield stats concepts. In this episode 3rd year medical student, Akiva Eleff, will be going over study designs and biases that are commonly tested on board exams. Be sure to tune in and check it out!
Feb 10, 2025•24 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Statistics Part 1
In this episode 3rd year medical student, Akiva Eleff, will cover a common tough subject among medical students: Stats. It can be a very dense topic but it will be broken into a 3 part series to help break it down into bite-sized pieces. This episode will go over introductory concepts and equations. Be sure to tune in and check it out!
Feb 03, 2025•24 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Vaginitis
In this episode, 3rd year medical student Tal Sherman will cover the most common causes of vaginitis—bacterial vaginosis (BV), candida vulvovaginitis, and trichomoniasis. We’ll also touch on noninfectious vulvovaginitis in children and considerations for infectious vulvovaginitis during pregnancy. Be sure to tune in and check it out!
Jan 27, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Medical Ethics, Legal Principles, and Professionalism
In this episode of Spoonful of Sugar , Verity Lee, an M3 at Drexel University College of Medicine, takes you through the most critical ethics concepts for Step 1. From foundational principles like autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, to scenarios on informed consent, confidentiality, and mandatory reporting, this episode simplifies complex topics with practical examples and test-style questions. Verity also discusses cultural competence, motivational interviewing, and common ethic...
Jan 20, 2025•17 min•Season 4Ep. 30
Viscerosomatic Reflexes (OMM)
In this episode of Spoonful of Sugar , host Felina Thomas, a medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, tackles one of the most high-yield yet confusing topics for DO students: viscerosomatics. Felina breaks down viscerovisceral, somatovisceral, somatosomatic, and viscerosomatic reflexes with relatable examples and clinical vignettes to help you prepare for COMLEX exams. From understanding reflex definitions to reviewing key viscerosomatic levels and their clinical impl...
Jan 13, 2025•18 min•Season 4Ep. 29
Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection
In this episode of Spoonful of Sugar , host Eishan Ashwat, a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh, dives into the essential yet often life-threatening topics of aortic aneurysms and dissections. Starting with a clinical vignette to set the stage, Eishan explores the anatomy, pathophysiology, and clinical presentations of these conditions. Tune in to learn about key risk factors, diagnostic strategies, and the latest management approaches, including surgical interventions and emerging ...
Jan 06, 2025•19 min•Season 4Ep. 28
Tick Talk: A Conversation on Lyme, Babesia, and Beyond
One thing possibly more annoying than tick bites is trying to study the various tick-borne illnesses and keeping them straight! Have no fear, in this episode 3rd year medical student, Alexis Seery, will discuss several high yield tick-borne illnesses. If this topic has you ‘itching’ to learn more, be sure to tune in and check it out!
Sep 16, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 27
Stages of Labor
In this episode, Drexel's Hayley Hart will walk us through the stages of labor, a helpful topic for Step/Level 1 and 2 listeners!
Sep 09, 2024•15 min•Season 4Ep. 26
Headaches
In this episode, 3rd year medical student Hashim Aslam will start by looking at the primary headaches such as migraines, and then explore some warning signs of head pain and types of secondary headaches that tend to show up on boards.
Sep 02, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 25
Overview of Liver Diseases
OMS4 Rebecca Shaneck guides us through a rapid review of the high yield liver diseases you will see in board exams. If you find the liver confusing, start here to develop a foundation!
Jul 30, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 24
Appendicitis and Pseudoappendicitis
In this episode, 3rd year medical student Sahil Sardesai will discuss Appendicitis and Pseudoappendicitis as this is a heavily tested topic on Step and Level exams and comes up often on rotations! Be sure to tune in and check it out!
Jun 10, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Neurocutaneous Syndromes
In this episode, third-year medical student Patrice Nguyen will discuss Sturge–Weber syndrome, Neurofibromatosis (Type 1 and 2), and Tuberous Sclerosis, which are three neurocutaneous syndromes that often get confused for one another. She will also provide some helpful dedicated advice at the end of the episode, so stay tuned!
Jun 04, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 22
Congenital GI Pathology
If the thought of trying to study the various congenital GI diseases has your stomach turning, you’re in the right place. In this episode, third-year medical student Vivian Zhong, will discuss congenital GI diseases as this is a heavily tested topic on Step and Level 2. Be sure to tune in and check it out!
May 21, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Reintroduction & How to Get Involved
We can't believe this is our 100th episode of Spoonful of Sugar! Thank you so much to all of our listeners who have supported us along the way, and an enormous thank you to all of the medical students who have contributed to our team and helped create content. SoS is about building a community of medical students that continually teach and learn from one another. We are always looking for medical students to join our team. Tune in to hear our founder Ria provide a reintroduction to the podcast a...
May 20, 2024•13 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Postoperative Fever
Wind, water, walking, wound, & wonder drugs. The infamous 5 W’s of your surgery rotation. Although this podcast is a bit more geared towards third-year shelf exams and Step 2/Level 2, its content is still super high-yield. In this episode, third-year medical student Maya Amy will discuss different etiologies and presentations of postoperative fever. Be sure to tune in and check it out!
May 13, 2024•17 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Hair Loss
Hair loss is one of those topics that often tricks students on the USMLE exams. Don’t be fooled into thinking it isn’t high yield! In this episode, third-year medical student Zane Sejdiu will discuss different etiologies and presentations of hair loss. From alopecia areata, androgenic alopecia, tinea, and more, we cover it all. Be sure to tune in and check it out!
May 06, 2024•11 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Rapid Review - Psychiatry
MS3 Bilal Rana goes over the highest yield topics for psychiatry for USMLE Step 1/COMLEX Level 1. Best of luck to everyone studying!
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines
In this episode, MS3 Bilal Rana will go over the most pertinent information regarding barbiturates and benzodiazepines, a topic that can be more confusing than it needs to be!
Apr 22, 2024•29 min•Season 4Ep. 16
CSF Analysis Part 2 - Meningitis and Guillan-Barré Syndrome
Welcome to part 2! In this episode, Bilal Rana will go over easy ways to remember how to differentiate meningitis using CSF findings as well as touch upon high yield points about GBS.
Apr 15, 2024•25 min•Season 4Ep. 15
CSF Analysis Part 1 - Hydrocephalus
You'll definitely run into questions about CSF. In this episode, Bilal Rana will go over some must know points about communicating and noncommunicating hydrocephalus, as well as hydrocephalus ex vacuo.
Apr 08, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Anesthetic Agents
In this episode, MS4 Tania Mulherkar will review common anesthetic agents, their properties, usage, and side effects. This is an excellent Step 1 and 2 review!
Apr 01, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is arguably one of the highest yield topics on USMLE Step 1/COMLEX Level 1 exam. In this episode, third-year medical student Alexa Rae Churan will discuss HIV and all the critical facts you need to know. From basic biology, including genes, viral structure, and lifecycle, to clinical presentation, workup, and treatment, we cover it all. Be sure to tune in and check it out!
Mar 25, 2024•29 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Schizophrenia
Arguably one of the most complicated topics concerning the psychiatry questions seen on USMLE/COMLEX. In this episode, Bilal Rana will work through the differentials related to schizophrenia to clarify the pitfalls students find themselves in.
Mar 18, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 11
What Every Medical Student Should Know About Integrative Medicine
Have you heard of the specialty of integrative medicine? What is it, and how does an integrative medicine physician care for their patients? In this episode, Ria interviews Dr. Chiti Parikh, who is board certified in integrative medicine and is the executive director of the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Program at Weill Cornell Medicine. She also recently published a book called “Intentional Health,” which talks about how she blends ancient health principles from ayurvedic medicine with moder...
Mar 14, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 10
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