Focus on Sports Medicine

Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA

Guest: Joseph Marek, MD

Sudden cardiac death is rare in younger patients, but it remains one of the leading causes of death in young athletes. To learn more about this, Dr. Alan Brown is joined by Dr. Joseph Marek, Clinical Cardiologist and Senior Medical Director of Cardiopulmonary Service at Advocate Medical Group, to share how his foundation, Young Hearts 4 Life, is working to increase awareness for sudden cardiac arrest and provide young athletes resources.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: Michael McKee, MD, FRCS(C)

Diagnosing and treating nonunion fractures comes with its set of challenges. Fortunately, Dr. Michael McKee is here to share his expertise and recommendations for success to benefit your patients with nonunion fractures.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: Michael R Redler, MD

Guest: Ryan Riggs, MD

Osteoarthritis is a progressive joint disease that affects millions worldwide, and with incidence rates continuing to climb due to a longer-living population and an increase in obesity, staying up to date on the latest treatment approaches is essential. Join Drs. Michael Redler and Ryan Riggs as they discuss the current treatment landscape for osteoarthritis and what's on the horizon for this growing problem.

Host: Prathima Setty, MD

Dr. Prathima Setty traveled to the Physician Advisor and Medical Director Summit in Orlando, Florida, where she caught up with Dr. Simon Ahtaridis. As the National Clinical Advisor and the Chief Medical Officer of Advisory Services of Sound Physicians, Dr. Ahtaridis describes the implications of the change regarding total knee replacements and how providers and patients alike will be impacted.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Guest: Benjamin Levine, MD, FACC

Poor fitness in middle age is a strong predictor of a person’s future risk of heart failure. Prolonged exercise training, including a regular routine of high-intensity and moderate-intensity workouts, can forestall the effects of sedentary aging by preventing increased left ventricular stiffness.

Dr. Benjamin Levine joins host Dr. Brian McDonough to talk about how regular exercise training may provide protection against the sedentary aging of the heart by preventing an increase in cardiac stiffness.

Dr. Levine is a Professor of Internal Medicine at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Director of Autonomic Function and Cardiopulmonary Clinics at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

Guest: Bennett Omalu, MD

Many studies have demonstrated long-lasting and even permanent brain damage that can originate from just one concussion. With athletes suffering multiple repeated head traumas due to high-contact sports, the controversies over player safety and long-term health risks remain hot-button issues.

Pathologist Dr. Bennett Omalu coined the term "CTE" and published the first evidence for chronic traumatic encephalopathy after autopsying American football players. In this second of a two-part interview, he shares his perspectives on CTE in athletes and the lifelong dangers of contact sports.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

Guest: Bennett Omalu, MD

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others who experience repetitive brain trauma. Pathologist Dr. Bennett Omalu coined the term "CTE" and published the first evidence for this condition after autopsying American football players.

Host Dr. Shira Johnson welcomes Dr. Omalu to share the story of his discovery and the medical, athletic, and public responses that followed.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Exercise can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing several diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Host Dr. Brian McDonough chats with veteran personal trainer and exercise therapy specialist Bobby Whisnand about ways to to keep your workout "working out" and how to avoid exercise pitfalls.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

Guest: Ellen Casey, MD, CAQSM, FACSM

Female athletes are at an increased risk for certain specific sports-related injuries, a fact that led to the creation of the Penn Center for the Female Athlete. Due to the major differences between male and female athletes, the Center provides a place where female athletes have a place to understand their bodies and receive more personalized care. Dr. Ellen Casey is the Co-Director of the Center, and she is joined by host Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss special care considerations for female athletes and the emerging clinical research advancing this cause.

Host: Rebecca Kaplan

Dealing with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on its own is difficult, but managing it with a professional athletic schedule is another task altogether. Dajuan Wagner, a former NBA player, was diagnosed with IBD early in his career. In this episode, he will discuss how he learned to manage his disease, and his advice for physicians treating IBD patients who are also athletes.

He is joined by Rebecca Kaplan of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.