In this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Dennis J. Keane, MD, physiatrist at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, discusses several leading-edge specialty programs that Marianjoy offers. From the Northwestern Medicine Driver Rehabilitation Program to the on-site Northwestern Medicine Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinic, Dr. Keane breaks down how each program functions and what makes Marianjoy’s programs unique compared to other rehabilitation programs.

Over the past year, Amy Krambeck, MD, chief of the Division of Endourology and Stone Disease and professor of Urology at Northwestern Medicine and a world leader in Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP), has diagnosed prostate cancer in nearly 13% of her patients who underwent HoLEP for benign prostatic hyperplasia. She has partnered with Ashley Ross, MD, PhD, associate professor of Urology at Northwestern Medicine and a nationally recognized expert in prostate cancer, to develop an active surveillance protocol for the management of incidental prostate cancer after HoLEP. They explain their recommendations in the latest episode of the Better Edge podcast.

In this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Aaron Cohn, MD, gastroenterologist, and Eugene Yen, MD, associate professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), discuss the Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) program at Northwestern Medicine. They talk about the clinical implications that this treatment has for diseases such as colorectal cancer and Lynch syndrome, and what makes Northwestern Medicine uniquely qualified to handle these cases.

In this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Daniel R. Schimmel, MD, MS, associate professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and director of the cath lab at the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, discusses Northwestern Medicine’s Pulmonary Embolism Response Team and how they take swift, coordinated action to save the lives of patients with pulmonary embolisms. Their multidisciplinary approach, along with new advanced technology, allowed them to become experts in the care of this disease.

In this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Nilay S. Shah, MD, MPH, discusses his recent study about the social and psychosocial determinants of racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular health in the U.S.

He outlines several of the proposed interventions that emphasize the need for further studies in underrepresented populations that can then help inform tailored, effective preventive interventions. He identifies key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed, the clinical implications of the findings and what other physicians involved in cardiology should keep in mind when working with populations that experience disparities.

In this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Nausheen Akhter, MD, associate professor of Medicine (Cardiology), gives us an inside look into Northwestern Medicine’s Cardio-oncology program. She discusses the importance of this program and the advances that are on the horizon for cardio-oncology.

Despite a prevalence of over 50% among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), neuropsychiatric symptoms of SLE (NP-SLE), including anxiety and movement disorders, have not been well understood. The paucity of data examining underlying mechanisms is what spurred the work of Carla M. Cuda, PhD, pointing to microglia as a driver of disease.

Dr. Cuda, who is assistant professor of Rheumatology at Northwestern Medicine, and other Northwestern Medicine investigators were the first to show that microglial expression of disease-associated microglia (DAM)-associated genes correlates with the severity of hippocampal- and cerebellar-associated behavioral deficits in an NP-SLE model prior to overt systemic disease. While DAM have been extensively studied in Alzheimer's disease, no studies have specifically examined DAM in NP-SLE, until now.

Rod Passman, MD highlights a new study on wearables for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation: the Rhythm Evaluation for AntiCoagulaTion (REACT-AF) trial.

Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins University were recently awarded a $37 million grant by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to conduct this seven-year trial. The study will use Apple Watches and a specially developed app available on iPhones to create personalized care for each patient.

In this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Kaitlyn N. Kunstman, MD, instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern Medicine, discusses the importance of Northwestern Medicine's Gender Pathways Program, and specifically her role leading an outpatient psychiatry Gender Clinic. She talks about collaborating with different clinical specialties and how the program is committed to providing gender-affirming care to transgender and gender nonbinary patients.