In this episode, host Abhishek Bhardwaj, MD, FACP, discusses his path to medicine, the differences in the Indian and United States health care systems, being on the frontlines of a pandemic, and more.

• Intro :00
• About Bhardwaj :08
• The interview :22
• What's something listeners should know about your early life? :31
• What lessons did you learn during your time at Penn? What are some major takeaways from that experience? 2:53
• If you didn't go into the field of medicine, what career path would you have taken? 4:42
• You mentioned initially going into internal medicine … what other avenues were you focusing on in addition to pulmonology and critical care? 5:53
• How would you compare what you've seen of health care in India to the way health care is done in the United States? What are some of the major differences? 7:05
• What's one advantage the Indian health care system has over the U.S. model? 8:48
• You have been on the frontlines of COVID-19 for almost a year now. What has that experience been like? Did you ever imagine you would be at the forefront of a global pandemic? 10:49
• You've mentioned the role of essential workers as they've put their lives on hold. What has the mental toll been like as they have dealt with something that's never been seen in recent history? 12:56
• How do you avoid the burnout factor of the toll the pandemic has taken on you and other medical professionals? 14:45
• As host of Vital Capacity, what are some of the most important things that you hope listeners from the pulmonology and critical care fields can take from this show? 16:15
• How did your family play a role in the creation of this podcast? 19:07
• What's the biggest piece of advice you've received during your time in medical school that you carry with you to this day? 20:58
• Is there anyone you're looking forward to having on that is going to be a major player in the field of pulmonology and critical care that listeners will be excited to hear from? 22:23
• Is there anything we haven't discussed yet that is something that listeners would want to know? 23:56
• Thank you Dr. Bhadrwaj 24:32

Abhishek Bhardwaj, MD, FACP, is a fellow in pulmonology and critical care medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He is also the host of Vital Capacity.

We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Bhardwaj at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @HealioPulm @abhi_bhardwaj99.

Disclosures: Bhardwaj reports no relevant financial disclosures.