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The heart is notoriously bad at regenerating following damage to the myocardium. On the horizon are cell therapies that could restore cardiac function following damage.

In this episode, Dr Sanjay Sinha, a British Heart Foundation Senior Research Fellow, and a consultant cardiologist at Addenbrooke’s hospital,  joins us discuss a stem cell derived cardiac ‘patch’, which could be transplanted into patients for heart repair after myocardial infarction. The potential of cardiac cells derived from iPSCs for personalised approached to treatment, and for modeling disease, are also discussed. 

Dr Vinay Prasad, a haematologist oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, joins us to talk about some of the issues with the current clinical trial landscape and the harms caused by these. From distorted incentive structures to lacklustre regulation, we talk about the roots of these problems  before turning towards the changes that could be made around the world to counter them. 

Dr Magdalena Skipper, Editor-in-Chief of Nature, joins to talk about the role of the journal in driving good science and communicating it around the world. We touch upon what can be done to improve reproducibility in research, how scientific publishing is changing, the different ways in which science can be valuable and how we can measure the value of science. 

Dr Eric Rubin, Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, joins us to talk about the roles of the journal in shaping how research is communicated, carried out and interpreted. What are the particular responsibilities of the world's top journals? How are papers assessed and has this changed during the COVID-19 pandemic? 

Dr Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, joins us to talk about where the roles, responsibilities and future of one of the world's top medical  journals lie.  How has COVID-19 affected the journal? How political should a journal be and what makes a good editor? How are editorial decisions made? Have a listen to find out. 

Dr Caroline Elton, an occupational psychologist and author of the book "Also Human: the Inner Lives of Doctors", joins us to talk about the important issue of mental health in the medical profession. Why are mental health issues so prevalent amongst doctors? How should medical schools select applicants and what is the case for institutional change to protect doctors' mental health? From dealing with the challenges faced when doctors become patients to pushing against short rotations for junior doctors with minimal social support and recognising mental health as  a crucial focus for a healthcare system, what changes could, and indeed should, come in the future?

Introduce randomness, shorten the feedback loop, and optimise for happiness and meaning.

In this episode, Dr. Ali Abdaal joins us to question where the value in education lies,  and how we might rethink career and retirement to live more fulfilled lives.

Ali is a junior doctor in Cambridge, as well as a content creator through YouTube and his weekly newsletter.

We also touch on the value of management skills, how stressful work can be enjoyable in its own way, and where experience complements guidelines in medical practice.

If you enjoy the episode, have a listen to the second-half in part II, all of Ali's content can be found at: https://aliabdaal.com/

Introduce randomness, shorten the feedback loop, and optimise for happiness and meaning.

In this episode, Dr. Ali Abdaal joins us to question where the value in education lies,  and how we might rethink career and retirement to live more fulfilled lives.

Ali is a junior doctor in Cambridge, as well as a content creator through YouTube and his weekly newsletter.

We also touch on the value of management skills, how stressful work can be enjoyable in its own way, and where experience complements guidelines in medical practice.

If you enjoy the episode, have a listen to the second-half in part II, all of Ali's content can be found at: https://aliabdaal.com/

Trek from sea level to Everest Base Camp and the pressure of oxygen in the air will halve. Make it to the summit and it sits at just a third of sea level values. Why is it that some people are capable of summiting Everest without supplemental oxygen and some are not? What factors affect performance at altitude and why do traditional explanations of acclimatisation not paint the full picture? Dr Andrew Murray, a mitochondrial biologist at Cambridge University, joins us to talk about his work with the Xtreme Everest group and how work done at altitude can translate to improved care for patients at sea level. 

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All aspects of medicine have been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and general practice is no exception. In this episode we look at how the largest medical specialty in the country is adapting to the pandemic. Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, former chair of the RCGP, chair of the National Academy for Social Prescribing and a practising GP near Birmingham joins us to explore everything from the challenges of remote consultations and conversations around end-of-life care to morale amongst healthcare staff. We also touch upon social prescribing in a lockdown, what care is being prioritised amidst the pandemic and the consequences of lack of testing. 

Enjoyed this episode? Have a listen to our second one in which we look at what long-term effects COVID-19 could have on general practice.