Infectious Diseases

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc

Guest: Kalin Clifford, PharmD

Focusing on hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia in older adults, Mario Nacinovich is joined by Dr. Kalin Clifford at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Annual Meeting. Together they dive deep into these two types of pneumonia to reveal new guidelines and the latest treatment options.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Guest: Peng Zhang, PhD

Oxygen: It's the third most abundant element in our universe. From healthcare to industrial needs, we know oxygen's uses to be far-reaching, but could there still be more therapeutic potential yet?

In an in-depth conversation with Dr. Matt Birnholz, Dr. Pang Zheng presents new evidence of oxygen's potential uses within the healthcare industry.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

August is National Immunization Awareness Month sponsored by the National Public Health Information Coalition. Dr. Jennifer Caudle discusses the important role immunizations play in healthcare.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in both females and males, with about 9 in 10 people contracting HPV at some point in their lives.

Host Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Samantha Gottlieb, medical anthropologist and author of Not Quite a Cancer Vaccine: Selling HPV and Cervical Cancer. They explore the history of Gardasil, a vaccine developed for HPV but marketed primarily as a cervical cancer vaccine, which became embroiled in sociopolitical debates about adolescent sexuality and pediatric vaccinations.

The two discuss these precedents alongside current controversies, such as whether vaccinating both males and females will induce herd immunity, and if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

Guest: Lisa Ipp, MD

Although most college students in the U.S. believe it is important to get an annual influenza vaccine, less than half say they typically get vaccinated, according to results from a new National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) survey. Motivating college students to get their annual flu vaccinations remains a public health challenge that many health care officials have struggled to overcome.

Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle chats with Dr. Lisa Ipp about the results and takeaways from this survey and what methods and strategies would be the most effective in encouraging more students to get vaccinated.

Dr. Ipp is a Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Director of Adolescent Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. She also serves as a board member for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)

Host: John Russell, MD

Guest: Meredith Wadman, BM, BCh, M.S.

Until the late 1960s, tens of thousands of American children suffered crippling birth defects if their mothers had been exposed to rubella, popularly known as German measles, while pregnant; there was no vaccine and little understanding of how the disease devastated fetuses.

In June 1962, a young biologist in Philadelphia, using human tissue samples sent from Sweden, produced a line of cells that allowed the creation of vaccines against rubella and other common childhood diseases. Two years later, in the midst of a massive German measles epidemic, the vaccine that would one day wipe out homegrown rubella was introduced. This vaccine has since protected more than 150 million people in the United States, and its development method has also led to other vaccines that have protected billions of people around the world from polio, rabies, chicken pox, measles, hepatitis A, shingles, and adenovirus.

Host Dr. John Russell chats with Meredith Wadman, author of The Vaccine Race: Science, Politics, and the Human Costs of Defeating Disease, about the story of both the science of this urgent race and the political and ethical controversies that nearly ended it prematurely.

Host: Matt Rosenberg, MD

Guest: Aiden Harrington, ANP, CNM

Current CDC Treatment Guidelines include transgender men and women as special populations. These guidelines recommend risk assessment based on current anatomy and sexual behaviors and screening for asymptomatic STIs based on the patient's history and sexual practices.

At a recent live event recorded in Chicago, moderator Dr. Matt T. Rosenberg welcomes Aiden Harrington, ANP, CNM from Howard Brown Health in Chicago, Illinois. Topics covered include health risks in the LGBTQ community, STI screening and treatment, and how to discuss sexuality with your patients.

Host: John Russell, MD

Do pets help prevent allergies? Does the 5-second rule actually exist? And is dirt really good for a child’s immune system?

Host Dr. John Russell talks with Jack Gilbert, Ph.D., Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago and Director of the Microbiome Institute. Dr. Gilbert is author of the book Dirt is Good, answering questions about the potential benefits of exposure to germs and bacteria. He and Dr. Russell sift through common misconceptions about microbiomes to better understand their actual risks and benefits for the body's immune system, explaining its role in disease and health.

Host: Kathy King, RDN

Lyme disease is one of the most puzzling illnesses on the planet. Anyone who has suffered from its debilitating symptoms knows the frustrations of trying to find a cure.

Joining host Kathy King is Dr. Bill Rawls, physician and author of the book Unlocking Lyme: Myths, Truths and Practical Solutions for Chronic Lyme Disease. Dr. Rawls, who overcame Lyme disease himself, gives a comprehensive, practical review of clinical approaches.

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.