Medicus

In this mini-series, we explore different health professions to get a better understanding of the variety of team members involved in patient care. For this episode, we chatted with Jayne Phoenix about her journey to becoming a medical dosimetrist and the integrated team approach to treating cancer patients.

Jayne Phoenix, RT(R)(T), CMD is a Certified Medical Dosimetrist working at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. She completed her education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL.

Find out more about the career of medical dosimetry and how to become a medical dosimetrist at the following links:

Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board: https://mdcb.org/

American Association of Medical Dosimetrists: https://www.medicaldosimetry.org/ 

“What is a Medical Dosimetrist?” by AAMD: https://www.medicaldosimetry.org/about/medical-dosimetrist/

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga

Episode recording date: 5/19/23

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In this episode, we speak with Maureen Kerr RN, who is certified as a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE). Maureen has been a registered nurse since 2019 and has been working in the emergency department at Glenbrook Hospital since then. Shortly after accepting that position, she also took it upon herself to become registered as a SANE nurse in order to thoroughly conduct sexual assault forensic exams and provide acute and empathetic care to traumatized survivors.

Throughout the episode, we touch on the rampant problem of sexual violence in our modern society. We describe the emergence of trauma-informed care and how it can help alleviate the impact these acts of violence cause towards victims and their families, as well as members of the healthcare team. 

To learn more about sexual assault, including measures to take as a healthcare provider when caring for survivors as well as statistics about the issue in the US, visit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8366721/#s001 + https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/366280/9789289058827-eng.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

Episode produced by: John Engelbert

Episode recording date: 6/15/23

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We are back with another specialty series interview! In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Tate Halfman, MD, who graduated from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in May 2023. After a Preliminary Medicine year at University of Chicago Northshore, he will be heading north for PM&R residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Born and raised in San Luis Obispo, CA, Tate came to med school with an eye on musculoskeletal medicine. After two years of exploration, he stumbled upon physiatry and has never looked back. Tate is a proud graduate and Mic Man alumnus of UC Berkeley (GO BEARS!) where he studied Integrative Biology and Spanish Linguistics. After college, he spent two years working as a research assistant in the Kinesiology department of Cal Poly, SLO. He is a lifelong gamer and huge esports fan. He is passionate about mentorship, medical education, and multilingual medical care. 

In our conversation, Tate describes his experiences applying and matching into PM&R this past March. Given the often overlooked nature of PM&R, he also explains what the specialty entails and why it appealed to him. Tate provides useful tips and tricks for students interested in PM&R, as well as valuable advice for the residency application process in general.

You can reach out to Tate at [email protected]

Episode produced by: Emily Hagen

Episode recording date: 4/9/23

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This episode is part of our specialty series, where we interview MS4 students about their experiences applying and matching into their chosen specialty. In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Elizabeth Belford, MD, who graduated from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in May 2023. Elizabeth now is a first-year resident in Internal Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. 

She reflects on her journey to Internal Medicine with us and shares valuable pieces of advice for medical students in various stages of training. Additionally, Elizabeth describes her decisions for choosing Internal Medicine and provides tips for how to wisely choose a specialty, crafting one’s narrative, and putting one’s best foot forward in the application process. 

If you are interested in getting in touch with Elizabeth, you may reach her at @ElizabethMD15 or [email protected]. 

Episode produced by: Emily Hagen, Nikki Ganeshan 

Episode recording date: 3/31/23

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In this episode, we discuss the uncomfortable yet important issue that plagues our society - child sex trafficking. Dr. Cassandra Ma discusses what makes children vulnerable to trafficking, her work with the Chicago-based organization Reclaim13 in ending the cycle of sexual exploitation, and what healthcare providers can do to provide trauma-informed care.

Dr. Cassandra Ma, Psy.D., is the Founder and Executive Director of Reclaim13, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing healing services to survivors of sexual abuse, trafficking, and exploitation. Dr. Ma received her doctorate in clinical psychology and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in marriage and family therapy at the Family Institute at Northwestern University, where she joined the staff team teaching and coordinating the Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic.

Reclaim13 forges healing pathways for survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation. The healing programs include two residential homes for children and young adults. The Child and Family Program, serves survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation and their families by pairing them with trained mentors and opportunities to meet with licensed therapists who specialize in trauma informed therapy. Reclaim13 also engages in prevention and engagement initiatives to equip individuals and communities about the cycle of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

In 2017, Dr. Ma and Reclaim13 were recognized by the Office of the U.S. Attorneys for the Northern District of Illinois for their work with victims of sex trafficking. She has been recognized by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services for her compassion, dedication and commitment to the children and families of Illinois and has served on various advisory boards, including the Illinois Children’s Justice Task Force, College of DuPage’s Human Services. In 2023, Dr. Ma was recognized as Woman of the Year by the Rotary Club of Chicago.

To learn more about Reclaim13, visit www.reclaim13.org or email [email protected] and check out the Reclaiming Voices Survivor Art show at www.reclaimingvoices.org 

If you are in need of services, please visit www.reclaim13.org/therapy 

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga

Episode recording date: 4/26/23

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In this mini-series, we explore different health professions to get a better understanding of the variety of team members involved in patient care. For this episode, we chatted with occupational therapist Alex Le about his journey to becoming an occupational therapist and the essential care occupational therapists provide to patients.

Alex Le is originally from the northern VA area currently residing outside of Richmond, VA. He attended the University of Virginia majoring in Biology and Psychology and received his Masters in Occupational Therapy from James Madison University. Alex currently works at Sheltering Arms Institute where he collaborates with other speech therapists, physical therapists, physicians, nurses, recreational therapists, and psychologists to treat a variety of patients with diagnoses including but not limited to brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological and orthopedic injuries. Alex has experience in acute care, long-term acute care, inpatient rehab, skilled nursing, psychosocial rehab and vocational training. He is happily married to his wife who is a speech language pathologist and enjoys traveling with her and their goldendoodle Monty, swimming, hiking, cooking, and hosting family and friends. 

Find out more about Occupational Therapy at American Occupational Therapy Association:  https://www.aota.org/practice/practice-settings

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga

Episode recording date: 4/13/23

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In this episode, learn all you can about space medicine from Dr. Barratt! As a NASA astronaut and a flight surgeon double board certified in internal medicine and aerospace medicine, Dr. Barratt is an expert on human physiology here on Earth and up in orbit. We talk about the body’s adaptations from takeoff to spending time on the ISS, what aerospace medicine really is, and the future of spaceflight. Join us for an episode that’s truly out of this world!

Dr. Michael Barratt attended the University of Washington where he majored in zoology, and became interested in aerospace medicine while studying for the MCAT. He went on to earn his MD from Northwestern University, where he also completed residency for internal medicine, and after his year as chief resident, started aerospace residency at Wright State. Dr. Barratt joined NASA in 1991 and was shortly assigned as a flight surgeon. He worked on joint U.S./Russian shuttle missions until his selection as an astronaut in 2000. He has participated in two spaceflights and has spent 212 days in space, and is currently in training for an upcoming mission.

Episode produced by: Sarah Ditelberg

Episode recording date: 4/15/23

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In this episode of our podcast, we have the pleasure of speaking with the accomplished and passionate Dr. Andrea Deyrup. As a Professor of Pathology at Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Deyrup is an expert in her field, serving as the course director for the medical school pathology course and co-editor of Robbins Essential Pathology and of Robbins and Kumar Basic Pathology.

But Dr. Deyrup's work goes beyond academia. She is a dedicated advocate for anti-racism in medicine, using her thriving Pathology website and YouTube channel to share information and raise awareness about the intersection of race and healthcare.

During our conversation, we delve into Dr. Deyrup's impressive educational background, from her undergraduate studies in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University to her Ph.D. in Pathology at the University of Chicago and her M.D. from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the same university. We also discuss her residency in Anatomic Pathology at the University of Chicago and her fellowship in soft tissue pathology at Emory University.

Join us as we learn from Dr. Deyrup's wealth of knowledge and passion for pathology and anti-racism in medicine. This is an episode you won't want to miss.

Episode produced by: Isabelle Tan, Lauren Hekman

Episode recording date: 01/23/23

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In this new mini-series, we explore different health professions to get a better understanding of the variety of team members involved in patient care. In our inaugural episode for the series, we sat down with speech-language pathologist Blake Potts Le and discussed her path to becoming an SLP and the field more broadly.

Blake Potts Le is from Richmond, Virginia. She attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia and received a double major in French and Communications Sciences and Disorders. She went on to achieve her Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She began her career as a speech-language pathologist at Lucy Corr, a retirement community in Chesterfield, Virginia. She then accepted a position with HCA at Henrico Doctor's Hospital working primarily with adults. Blake has also worked in outpatient pediatrics at Retreat Doctor's Hospital. She currently works primarily in the NICU at Henrico Doctor's hospital as a feeding specialist. In her free time, Blake loves to play with her dog, spend time with her husband (who is an occupational therapist), read, and go to the gym.

Find out more about Speech Pathology at American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: https://www.asha.org/ 

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga

Episode recording date: 3/19/23

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