General Medicine and Primary Care

Guest: Mangala Narasimhan, DO, FCCP

Managing COVID-19 continues to be a work in progress as healthcare systems struggle to prepare for high volumes of patients in such a quick time. To help address this, Dr. Mangala Narasimhan shares her experiences and the importance of planning for double during this outbreak.

Published March 16, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Host: Stephanie Desmon

Guest: Megan M. Tschudy, M.D.

Although COVID-19 does not appear to infect children at the same rate as adults, there are significant indirect impacts on kids from the pandemic. Baltimore pediatrician Dr. Megan Tschudy talks with Stephanie Desmon about the “profound disruption” of the pandemic and its impacts on vaccinations, regular check-ups, and other aspects of children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Published May 12, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Panagis Galiatsatos, M.D., M.H.S.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos spends 12-16 hour days attending to COVID-19 patients in the ICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital. When he’s not at the hospital, he’s on duty in the community working with faith-based organizations, schools, and housing units to help leaders protect their community members from getting sick. Dr. Galiatsatos talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about these dual roles of being on both the last and first lines of defense—caring for patients in the ICU and helping to prevent them from getting there in the first place.

Published May 11, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Host: Stephanie Desmon

Guest: Laura K. Murray, PhD

How can I convince my family and friends to follow social distancing guidelines? How can I stay informed without becoming overwhelmed? How can I help family members if I can’t be near them? What does resilience look like in this new normal? On this week’s Q&A, Laura Murray, a clinical psychologist and senior scientist at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, addresses listener’s mental health questions with Stephanie Desmon.

Published May 8, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Host: Sara Bennett, PhD

Guest: Timothy J. Roberton, DrPH

The global health community has worked for years to lower rates of maternal and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries. But while the world focuses on the number of deaths from COVID-19, estimates of indirect mortality due to disruptions in health systems cannot be ignored.

Tim Roberton, an assistant scientist in international health, talks with guest host Sara Bennett, a professor in international health, about a paper he co-authored that estimates there could be a 45 percent increase in child mortality and a 38 percent increase in maternal mortality in severe scenarios where care is disrupted due to COVID-19. One way to head off these numbers is to categorize care by prioritizing only emergency care that cannot be delivered in any other way.

Published May 7, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD

Dr. Arturo Casadevall—head of the convalescent plasma research project at Johns Hopkins—talks through the WHO’s recent statement that there’s no evidence of COVID-19 infection leading to short- or long-term immunity. Dr. Casadevall and Dr. Josh Sharfstein also discuss how COVID-19 is not like HIV or pneumonia and what we currently know about new strains of the novel coronavirus.

Published May 6, 2020

Host: Joshua Sharfstein, MD

Guest: Megan Hosey Mastalerz, PhD

The intensive care unit can be stressful for all patients, but those with COVID-19 face unique challenges when it comes to mental and cognitive health. Clinical psychologist Dr. Megan Hosey of the Johns Hopkins Hospital ICU talks with Stephanie Desmon about ICU delirium, COVID-19 stigma, and what longer term prognosis could look like for patients inside and after the ICU.

Published May 6, 2020

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc

Guest: Salman Ahmed, MD, MPH

During the COVID-19 pandemic, e-consults have become the new norm, but what impacts do they have on patient care? To find out, Mario Nacinovich is joined by Dr. Salman Ahmed, who takes us through his research finding that e-consults might not just be the appropriate choice, but the preferred one over face-to-face appointments.

Published May 13, 2020

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc

Guest: Randy Young, MD

Here to give us a firsthand look into how ICUs across the country are confronting the COVID-19 pandemic head-on is Dr. Randy Young, a critical care doctor who’s treating COVID-19 patients in the mid-Atlantic area. Dr. Young joins Mario Nacinovich to discuss what he has seen during the pandemic and how the ICU is responding to both expected and unexpected challenges.

Published May 13, 2020

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: April Taylor, MS, MHA, CPPS, CPHQ

Every organization has disaster preparedness plans for one-day and one-week events like fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes, but how do those plans come into play during a pandemic like COVID-19 when there isn’t an end date in sight? Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss this and more is April Taylor, Senior Director of Improvement and Project Management at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Published May 13, 2020