General Medicine and Primary Care

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: Sandra Gomberg

From the Villanova Health Summit's Speaker Event, host Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with guest Sandra Gomberg, President of Aria Jefferson Health. They discuss ways that technology is changing the healthcare landscape, as well as the benefits and risks that follow this evolution.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD

Guest: Peter Dawson, MD

In the male-dominated world of medicine, she dared to step forward and fight for fairness—graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School with honors in the year 1900. But for physician Dorothy Reed Mendenhall, MD, the battle for equality was just beginning.

In the name of improving the standards of care for women and infants, she faced the scorn of prejudiced doctors in an establishment marked by its unwillingness to change. Still, through the Gilded Age, two World Wars, and beyond, she kept up her fight—in the process, discovering new breakthroughs and saving lives, all while outperforming many of her male peers.

Dorothy in a Man’s World is an inside look at the life and career of Dr. Mendenhall, documented by physician and pathologist Dr. Peter Dawson. This biographical tribute to one of medicine’s great female pioneers showcases the struggles women faced to make a name for themselves in the world of health care—in addition to the drastic improvements which have been made in the specific area of care for women and their infants.

Dr. Dawson sits down with host Dr. Maurice Pickard as they explore Dr. Mendenhall's extraordinary life.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

Guest: Vincent Lo Re, MD, MSCE

In 2014, the CDC estimated a total of 2,194 cases of acute hepatitis across 40 states and estimates that 2.7-3.9 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C. Of every 100 persons affected by the disease, 75 to 85 will go on to develop chronic infection, 60 to 70 will go on to develop chronic liver disease, 5 to 20 will go on to develop cirrhosis over a period of 20–30 years, and 1 to 5 will die from the consequences of chronic infection (liver cancer or cirrhosis).

Joining our host, Dr. Jennifer Caudle, is Dr. Vincent Lo Re, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at Penn Medicine. Dr. Lo Re discusses the current screening guidelines and recommendations regarding hepatitis C, long-term patient care, and the current landscape of treatment options.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is restricting the use of codeine and tramadol medicines in children. Codeine is approved to treat pain and cough, and tramadol is approved to treat pain. These medicines carry serious risks, including slowed or difficult breathing and death, which appear to be a greater risk in children younger than 12 years, and should not be used in these children. These medicines should also be limited in some older children. Single-ingredient codeine and all tramadol-containing products are FDA-approved only for use in adults. The FDA is also recommending against the use of codeine and tramadol medicines in breastfeeding mothers due to possible harm to their infants.

As a result, the FDA is requiring several changes to the labels of all prescription medicines containing these drugs. These new actions further limit the use of these medicines beyond the 2013 restriction of codeine use in children younger than 18 years to treat pain after surgery to remove the tonsils and/or adenoids. The FDA is now adding:

• FDA’s strongest warning, called a Contraindication, to the drug labels of codeine and tramadol alerting that codeine should not be used to treat pain or cough and tramadol …

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Several new screening tests have been developed to help doctors find colorectal cancer early when it's most treatable and can reduce the burden of this disease and the death toll nationwide.

Host Dr. Matt Birnholz chats with Dr. John Kisiel, gastroenterologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, about new screening guidelines for detecting colorectal cancer.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: James Capretta

On this episode of Voices From American Medicine, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with James Capretta, a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, studying health care, entitlement, and US budgetary policy, as well as global trends in aging, health, and retirement programs. They discuss the future for American health care policy, and where health care professionals and the general public alike will go from here.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

Guest: Leah Sarris, RD, LDN

It's important for physicians to know how to talk to their patients about healthy eating habits and smart dietary choices, which can be a difficult conversation to have. Tulane Medical School is trying to overcome this obstacle by teaching their medical students how to cook, hoping that it translates into better communication with patients in the future.

Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle explores this innovative program with Chef Leah Sarris, a registered dietitian and Director of Operations and Executive Chef at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. They talk about ways in which teaching culinary medicine to medical students is leading to healthy eating habits and improved outcomes for the larger community.

Host: John Russell, MD

Guest: H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH

The central problem with health care, according to physician and author Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, is that too much of it has too little value.

Host Dr. John Russell chats with Dr. Welch about his book Less Medicine, More Health: 7 Assumptions that Drive Too Much Medical Care and the issues of the American healthcare system today. They talk about how the American public has been sold the idea that seeking medical care is one of the most important steps to maintaining wellness. Dr. Welch argues that more medical care is not, in fact, well correlated with good health; by contrast, the opposite may be true.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Host Dr. Brian McDonough chats with Dr. John Barrasso, US Senator from Wyoming and former orthopedic surgeon, about the current state of health care policy as seen from the senate floor.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

Women today often feel fed up, overwhelmed, overworked and completely stressed out. What can physicians do to help patients manage this stress?

Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle chats with Dr. Tiffany Lowe-Payne, a family physician, Founder & CEO of the Institute of Transformational Health and Wellness Inc, and author of the book, A Woman’s Guide To De-Stress For Success: 10 Tips to Conquer Stress and Live at Your Best.

They talk about how busy women can find balance and transform their lives from the inside out.