The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months be vaccinated against influenza. Jarrod Bagatell, MD, a family physician who directs Upstate's Employee and Student Health, encourages people to get vaccinated by the end of October if possible. While it's true that getting a flu shot does not guarantee that a person will not be exposed to and become sick from the flu, it improves one's chances of staying healthy during flu season. Bagatell also goes over methods to help reduce transmission of the virus. He also recommenda a lighthearted music video from Upstate encouraging flu vaccination. For additional guidelines on flu vaccinations, visit the websites of the New York State Health Department, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

About a third of homeless people have a serious chronic mental health issue, and almost all have some type of addiction, says Upstate psychiatrist Sunny Aslam, MD, who volunteers to provide care to people living on the streets or in shelters. He explains how he is part of a team of people who work closely to provide medical and psychiatric care to the homeless and to train the next generation of health care providers to do so.

A new vaccine is available to guard against shingles.  Ali Scrimenti, a doctor of pharmacy at Upstate, explains why healthy adults age 50 and older are recommended for the Shingrix vaccine, which is given in a series of two shots two to six months apart. Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a reactivation of the chickenpox virus that causes painful rashes. People who were vaccinated against chickenpox or shingles have a lower risk of developing shingles. With a national shortage of the Shingrix vaccine, Scrimenti recommends calling your pharmacy ahead of time to make sure the vaccine is in stock.

Movie star Clark Gable was just 59 when he died of a heart attack in 1960, on the cusp of major changes in the understanding and treatment of coronary heart disease. Professor emeritus and cardiologist Harold Smulyan, MD, talks about his research paper examining Gable's life and death and the advances in cardiology that have happened since he died. Smulyan's co-author on the paper was Robert S. Pinals, MD, a former chief of rheumatology at Upstate.

The role of a caregiver can be draining, but there are ways to build resilience. Visiting lecturers from the Center for Trauma-Informed Innovation at the Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo., visited Upstate recently to train professional caregivers. Much of their advice also applies to people who care for children or aging relatives. Andrea Dalton and the Rev. Roxanne Pendleton explained some of the risks for this group. "Secondary trauma" is when the caregiver is affected by trauma that happens to someone else. "Compassion fatigue" is a weariness that signals the caregiver is running out of his or her resilience. "Burnout" is marked by a numbness or cynicism. Dalton and Pendleton offer strategies for maintaining or rebuilding compassion.

Plastic surgeon Prashant Upadhyaya, MD, explains transgender surgery. Rehabilitation psychologist Michelle Woogen, PsyD, discusses depression in people who survive a stroke. Ethicist Thomas Curran, MD, shares why he opted against home genetic testing.

Toxicologists Jeanna Marraffa, PharmD, and Christine Stork, PharmD, from the Upstate New York Poison Center discuss new drugs of abuse. Neurologist Ahmed Eldokla, MD, explains what goes on in the autonomic neuropathy clinic and lab. Psychiatrist Christopher Lucas, MD, talks about efforts to reduce suicide.

Bioethicist Thomas Curran, MD, was going to have his DNA analyzed as he prepared to give a lecture on genetic testing. He decided to research the home genetic testing industry first -- and he's glad he did. Curran decided against having his DNA analyzed and explains his reasoning, which includes privacy and other concerns.

Only 2 percent of the people who qualify for lung cancer screening are enrolled in a screening program, which is designed to find cancers at an early stage,f when they are most treatable, says Leslie Kohman, MD. She is a distinguished service professor of surgery at the Upstate Cancer Center with extensive experience in the diagnosis, treatment and research of lung cancer. Kohman outlines who should consider the no-cost screening: smokers or former smokers between the ages of 55 and 79. Eight out of 10 cancers that are discovered early can be treated successfully with surgery. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and she encourages smokers and former smokers to speak to their doctors about getting screened.

Rehabilitation psychologist Michelle Woogen, PsyD, explains that when a person is recovering from stroke, caregivers watch out for "post-stroke depression." Symptoms may include a sad mood, crying, low motivation or changes in sleeping or eating behavior. She talks about treatment -- which could include medication, psychotherapy or both -- and why treatment is important, since untreated depression can impede stroke recovery.