Public policy analyst Julia Drydyk discusses her article " Human trafficking isn't what you think: Why education is key to stopping it ." Julia clarifies the crucial distinction between human smuggling and human trafficking, explaining that trafficking involves exploitation through coercion regardless of geographic movement, often occurring within communities rather than solely at borders. She addresses how popular media perpetuates misconceptions, leading people to overlook the subtle, psycholo...
Jun 14, 2025•18 min
Endocrinologist Michael Morkos discusses his article " Mastering the art of efficient patient encounters: tips for physicians ." Michael shares practical strategies for optimizing the patient encounter to enhance both efficiency and patient satisfaction. He delves into effective documentation techniques, emphasizing the importance of maintaining eye contact while touch-typing in the exam room, and adapting clinic setups with adjustable carts and laptops. Michael explains his system for ordering ...
Jun 13, 2025•23 min
Nurse practitioner Surani Hayre-Kwan discusses her article " Are you protecting your career? 5 essential questions about your NP liability insurance ." Surani discusses the critical need for nurse practitioners to secure their own professional liability insurance, highlighting how relying solely on employer-provided coverage can leave significant gaps. She provides insights into common pitfalls, such as employer policies often excluding licensing board complaints or having shared liability limit...
Jun 12, 2025•20 min
Internal medicine and pediatric physician Charles LeBaron discusses his article " How the CDC's opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients ." Charles discusses the 2016 CDC opioid guideline, initially framed as a solution to over-prescription and overdose deaths, and critically examines its actual impact. He reveals how the guideline, despite being based on "low quality of evidence," led to widespread restrictions on opioid prescriptions by states, federal agencies, insurance compan...
Jun 11, 2025•18 min
Otolaryngologist Kevin C. McMains discusses his article " The hero's journey: Understanding professional identity formation in graduate medical education ." Kevin discusses the ongoing crisis of burnout and mental health issues in medical training, critically examining traditional educational and environmental interventions. He identifies a gap in the current narrative surrounding work-life balance, suggesting that framing work and life as dichotomous can inadvertently diminish the intrinsic rew...
Jun 10, 2025•19 min
Osteopathic medical student Scarlett Saitta discusses her article " The school cafeteria could save American medicine ." Scarlett discusses the profound connection between childhood nutrition and long-term health outcomes, drawing from her personal experiences and observations in her hometown. She highlights how current food systems contribute to chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes and hypertension, and how misleading food marketing exacerbates the problem. Scarlett shares her proposed soluti...
Jun 09, 2025•21 min
Licensed clinical psychologist and health care ethicist Jenny Shields discusses her article, " DSM-5 doesn’t name it, but moral distress is everywhere in medicine ." Jenny illuminates the pervasive issue of moral distress among clinicians, defining it as the psychological toll exacted when they know the ethically appropriate action but are systematically prevented from taking it by institutional constraints such as hospital policies or insurer mandates. She carefully distinguishes moral distress...
Jun 08, 2025•18 min
Psychiatrist, internist, and addiction medicine specialist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article, " When rock bottom is a turning point: Why the turmoil at HHS may be a blessing in disguise ." Muhamad offers a counterintuitive perspective on the recent wave of layoffs and leadership changes sweeping through federal health agencies like the NIH, CDC, and FDA. He argues that this "rock bottom" moment, rather than signaling collapse, presents a critical opportunity for a fundamental overhaul of a...
Jun 07, 2025•19 min
Physician and clinical researcher Chris Apfel discusses his article, " Functional precision oncology: a game changer in cancer therapy ." Chris explains that functional precision oncology takes a highly personalized approach by testing a patient's live tumor cells outside the body (ex-vivo) against a panel of cancer drugs to directly observe which treatments are most effective against that specific cancer. This method, he argues, can significantly improve cancer response rates and survival while...
Jun 06, 2025•23 min
Health care attorney Dennis Hursh discusses his article, " What independent and locum tenens doctors need to know about fair market value ." Dennis explains why understanding fair market value (FMV) is crucial for independent and locum tenens physicians, not only for securing appropriate payment but also for ensuring compliance with federal laws like the Stark Law. He breaks down the Stark Law's definition of FMV as compensation arising from bona fide bargaining between well-informed parties not...
Jun 05, 2025•16 min
Physician executive Jay Anders discusses his article, " Health care's data problem: the real obstacle to AI success ." Jay asserts that the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in health care is fundamentally dependent on the quality of the underlying clinical data. He explains that while tools like large language models and conversational AI show promise in synthesizing information and easing documentation, their reliability is compromised when fed with data from repositories oft...
Jun 04, 2025•19 min
Patient advocate Tami Burdick discusses her article, " How collaboration saved my life from a rare disease doctors couldn't diagnose ." Tami shares her personal and arduous journey with granulomatous mastitis (GM), a rare and poorly understood condition, and how embracing collaborative health care in three key ways led to her successful remission. She details the crucial partnership between her conventional Western medicine doctor, surgical breast oncologist Dr. Kelly McLean, and her functional ...
Jun 03, 2025•17 min
Patient advocate Lianne Mandelbaum discusses her article, " What Avarie's death in Rome teaches us about the gaps in food allergy education ." Lianne reflects on the tragic death of Avarie, a young American student with a known tree nut allergy who died in Rome due to anaphylaxis, contrasting this loss with the promising advancements in food allergy research and treatment. She meticulously outlines the systemic failures in Avarie's case: despite informing the restaurant of her allergy, she was s...
Jun 02, 2025•24 min
Endocrinologist William Hsu discusses his article, " Reimagining diabetes care with nutrition, not prescriptions ." William argues for a paradigm shift in treating Type 2 diabetes, moving away from a primary reliance on medications for symptom management towards a focus on achieving disease remission and regression through comprehensive, nutrition-based lifestyle interventions. He critiques the traditional model that often consigns patients to a lifelong battle with chronic illness and a heavy m...
Jun 01, 2025•25 min
Health reporter Martha Rosenberg discusses her article, " Conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies ." Martha outlines how faith in government health bodies like the FDA and CDC has plummeted due to escalating conflicts of interest, tracing some concerns back to the 1992 Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which allowed drugmakers to fund aspects of the drug approval process. She points to a pattern of FDA commissioners, such as Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Dr. Robert Califf, an...
May 31, 2025•17 min
Shane Tenny discusses his article, " Navigating your 457 plan: key steps for physicians changing jobs ." He provides crucial advice for physicians, particularly those with non-governmental 457(b) plans, on how to manage these retirement savings vehicles during a career transition. Shane clarifies that a 457(b) is a type of deferred compensation plan offered by state and local governments and certain tax-exempt organizations, differing in key ways from 401(k)s. For physicians leaving employers wi...
May 30, 2025•17 min
Urologist Diana Londoño discusses her article, " From healers to influencers: How fear took over health care advice ." Diana addresses the concerning trend of physicians using fear-inducing tactics on social media, which she argues prioritizes engagement over genuine patient well-being. Instead of guiding and comforting, this approach often leaves people feeling scared and confused about their health choices. Diana explores the potential motivations behind this shift, such as the pursuit of clic...
May 29, 2025•17 min
Pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article, " What if we stopped sacrificing ourselves to practice medicine? " She explores the pervasive culture of martyrdom and self-sacrifice within the medical field that often leads to physician burnout and a deep yearning for greater peace and purpose. Jessie shares her insights from coaching hundreds of physicians, emphasizing that the issue is not a lack of resilience but a system that discourages well-being. The conversation co...
May 28, 2025•18 min
Physical therapist John Corsino discusses his article, " Lifelong learning: a game-changer in diagnosing dizziness ." He highlights how often the answers to complex cases, like acute dizziness, are present in the exam room but can be missed due to an over-reliance on diagnostic testing and systemic pressures that undervalue thorough physical examination. John champions the importance of lifelong learning for clinicians and the effective use of specific physical exam techniques, such as the HINTS...
May 27, 2025•19 min
Former American College of Physicians treasurer and infectious disease physician Janet A. Jokela discusses her article, " Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting ." She shares her personal reflections on the profound value of attending the American College of Physicians annual internal medicine meeting, drawing from decades of experience. Janet highlights the three core pillars of the event—education, inspiration, and community—emphasizing the exceptional quality of clinical up...
May 26, 2025•18 min
Health care executive Traci Sweet discusses her article, " The role of contingency management in addiction treatment ." She makes a compelling case for the increased use of contingency management—an evidence-based approach utilizing positive reinforcement—to improve outcomes for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). Traci explains how this method, which rewards positive behaviors like treatment engagement, can effectively leverage the brain's reward system and is particularly beneficial...
May 25, 2025•18 min
Registered dietitian Ava Safir and physician advocate Kim Downey discuss their article, " Why patients need a registered dietitian on their health care team ." They highlight the often-overlooked yet crucial role registered dietitians play in improving patient health outcomes and supporting physicians. Drawing from personal experiences and professional insights, Ava and Kim explain how dietitians offer specialized, in-depth nutritional counseling that goes beyond the scope of typical medical app...
May 24, 2025•20 min
Certified coach Kathleen Muldoon discusses her article, " The cost of presence: a lesson in listening ." She recounts a poignant experience observing a health care student disengaged during a powerful presentation by a mother sharing her life as a caregiver to children with disabilities. Kathleen, who is also a medical school faculty member and mother to a child with complex health needs, reflects on the immense value of such shared stories for interprofessional students and the "cost of presenc...
May 23, 2025•19 min
Health care executive and patient advocate Aja Best discusses her article, " How early CKD diagnosis can save lives: a transplant survivor's journey ." She shares her harrowing personal experience with a delayed diagnosis of IgA nephropathy during pregnancy, which led to a challenging path through dialysis and ultimately to a life-saving kidney transplant. Aja highlights the often-silent progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a growing global health crisis, and points to critical gaps in t...
May 22, 2025•19 min
Health care public relations leader Melanie Doupé Gaiser discusses her article, " Antimicrobial resistance needs a publicist ." She highlights antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as an urgent and deadly public health crisis that is not receiving the attention it warrants, particularly in the U.S. Melanie shares her personal stake in the issue, living with a critical antibiotic allergy, and underscores the looming threat of a post-antibiotic era where common infections could become fatal. The conversa...
May 21, 2025•16 min
Medical student Rishma Jivan discusses her article, " Medical curriculum 2.0: Integrating technology and innovation in medical education ." She argues for an urgent update to medical training, embedding technology and innovation as core components to prepare future physicians for a digitally transformed health care landscape. Rishma highlights the necessity for medical students to become active contributors to health technology, not just end-users, to address pressing issues like physician burno...
May 20, 2025•20 min
Gastroenterologist Shamita B. Shah discusses her article, " How doctors can help IBD patients manage symptoms between visits ." Addressing the rising prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the U.S., Shamita highlights the challenges patients face managing unpredictable symptoms like pain and diarrhea, even while on therapy, often leading to undertreatment and complications. She outlines three key ways physicians can empower patients for better self-management between appointments: Fir...
May 19, 2025•19 min
Practicing internist and psychiatrist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article, " How America became overmedicated—and what we can do about it ." He raises concerns about the high rate of psychotropic medication use in the U.S., citing CDC data suggesting nearly 1 in 4 adults may be taking these drugs, often without clear long-term plans or exit strategies. Muhamad contrasts this with U.K. NICE guidelines that emphasize structured deprescribing protocols, highlighting a significant gap in U.S. cl...
May 18, 2025•18 min
Occupational medicine physician Robert Nathan Clapp discusses his article, " Why you should take a closer look at occupational and environmental medicine ." Addressing the pervasive issue of physician burnout, Robert introduces occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) — a specialty under preventive medicine — as a compelling but often overlooked field boasting high job satisfaction and low burnout. He notes that despite its appeal, only about 20 percent of OEM residents knew about the speci...
May 17, 2025•18 min
Journalist and patient advocate Carol Steinberg discusses her article, " Alzheimer's impact on the young should be an open book ." She argues that while Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are known to affect the whole family, children under 18 are often excluded from conversations about a loved one's condition, leading to fear, confusion, and missed opportunities for connection. Carol details the emotional toll on children witnessing cognitive decline, the distinct difficulties for...
May 16, 2025•13 min
