Podcasts - WISER Podcast

Hi everyone! Welcome back to The WISER Podcast after our mid-season break. We are super excited to start this new series, called Moms in Medicine, to share with you the stories from our wonderful guests about residency, motherhood, and family as busy surgeons.

Our first guest is Dr. Melika Zarei Deaton. Dr. Deaton attended medical school at the Virginia Tech Carillon School of Medicine and has been at Emory for plastic surgery residency. She is currently a PGY5 and shares with us stories about her first pregnancy during residency, navigating a surgical residency as a mother, and her tips and tricks for others who may be in her shoes soon.

P.S. Listen to the very end for a surprise! Congrats, Dr. Deaton, and thank you for sharing this exciting news with us.

Click here to listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider donating to our GoFundMe. This will help us pay for the editing software necessary to run this podcast. Thank you for your generosity!

Hosts: Shannon Su and Megan Wasson
Editors: Megan Wasson
Producers: Shannon Su and Megan Wasson
Artwork: Shannon Su
Music: Bluedot Sessions

Stay tuned for the rest of the series!

The post Moms in Medicine: Kicking it off with Dr. Deaton first appeared on WISER Podcast.

In this episode, we are honored to have Dr. Jennifer Kawwass with us on the podcast. Dr. Kawwass is joined by President and OBGYN hopeful Megan Wasson and Vice-President Rachel Holstein. Dr. Kawwass speaks with our team about the field of REI, the influence of social media on her patients, and her work in advocating for patients and residents.

Among her numerous roles and responsibilities, she serves as the division director of Reproductive Endocrinology at Emory University and director of the Emory Reproductive Center. Dr. Kawwass obtained her undergraduate degree at Davidson College where she split her time between studies and a division I sport. She went on to medical school in her home state of Virginia at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and found her way to Atlanta for residency and fellowship training. She has received many accolades along the way including her role as Chief Resident and guest researcher for the CDC as well as her current engagements at the national level with the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Click here to listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Hosts: Megan Wasson and Rachel Holstein
Editors: Grace Nguyen and Megan Wasson
Producers: Shannon Su and Megan Wasson
Artwork: Shannon Su
Music: Bluedot Sessions

The post On Family Building & Wearing Hats with Dr. Kawwass first appeared on WISER Podcast.

On this episode, president Shannon Su and president emeritus Elizabeth Rieger are honored to host Dr. Betsy Grunch on the WISER podcast. Dr. Grunch is a neurosurgeon, mom, and “medfluencer” who speaks with us about her insane balancing act of being a mom and a physician, working social media, and what it’s like to be a physician in the spotlight.

Dr. Grunch is an esteemed Neurosurgeon and physician shareholder at the Longstreet Clinic, in Gainesville, Georgia, where she operates at both the Northeast Georgia Medical Center, and the Gainesville Surgical Center. She is a Georgia Native and attended the University of Georgia for her undergraduate degree, and the Medical College of Georgia for medical school. She then attended Duke University for her residency in Neurosurgery, and then spine fellowship. Dr. Grunch is also known as “Lady Spine Doc” on social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, where she has almost 2 million followers!

Click here to listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Hosts: Shannon Su and Elizabeth Rieger
Editors: Julia Byrnes
Producers: Shannon Su and Megan Wasson
Artwork: Shannon Su
Music: Bluedot Sessions

The post S6E4: @ladyspinedoc on The WISER Podcast! first appeared on WISER Podcast.

Welcome to episode 3 of season 6! In this episode, presidents Shannon and Megan speak with Dr. Jennifer Gross about her journey to becoming a head and neck surgeon and the intrigue of head and neck surgery.

Dr. Jennifer Gross is an Assistant Professor in Otolaryngology in the division of Head and Neck Surgery at Emory University. She is an Emory University School of Medicine graduate! Before attending medical school, she was awarded a national research scholarship to work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She also interned as a public health inspector at the Beijing Centers for Disease Control, China. Dr. Gross completed her otolaryngology residency at Washington University in St. Louis and her fellowship in head and neck oncologic surgery at the University of Miami. She has authored multiple research publications and book chapters.

Hosts: Megan Wasson, Shannon Su
Editors: Grace Nguyen
Producers: Shannon Su and Megan Wasson
Artwork: Shannon Su
Music: Bluedot Sessions

Stay tuned for our next episode!

The post S6E3:On Head & Neck Surgery and Work-Life Balance with Dr. Jennifer Gross first appeared on WISER Podcast.

In this episode, our chief editor extraordinaire, Grace, hosts Dr. McKenzie Hollon on the WISER podcast. After many seasons of speaking with surgeons at the table, we figured it was about time to go beyond the drape, and there is no better person than Dr. Hollon to do that with us. She provides a peek into the wonderful world behind the drape, what it’s like to work and train as a cardiac anesthesiologist at a level one trauma center, and her foray into the realm of anesthesia education.

Dr. Hollon is an esteemed faculty member in the Department of Anesthesiology at Emory University Hospital who specializes in Cardiac Anesthesia. She is also the vice chair for education in the department of anesthesiology. Dr. Hollon obtained her undergraduate degree at Auburn University, and her medical degree from Louisiana State University. She completed both her residency and cardiac fellowship at Emory, and she currently serves as the Vice Chair of Education of Emory’s Anesthesia department.

Hosts: Grace Nguyen
Editors: Grace Nguyen, Megan Wasson
Producers: Shannon Su and Megan Wasson
Artwork: Harleen Kaur
Music: Bluedot Sessions

Stay tuned for our next episode!

The post S6E2: Behind the Drape with Dr. Hollon first appeared on WISER Podcast.

Welcome to season 6! In this episode, newly minted presidents Shannon Su and Megan Wasson interview Dr. Angela Cheng, a Plastic and Reconstructive Microsurgeon at Emory. Dr. Cheng provides insight into her experience as a woman in largely male-dominated fields, the significance of mentorship, and the importance of standing up for yourself and asking for what you deserve.

Dr. Cheng is an esteemed faculty in the Plastic Surgery Department at Emory University who specializes in breast reconstruction, microsurgery, lymphedema surgery, and body contouring. She is also Chief of Plastic Surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and Assistant Program Director for the Plastic Surgery Residency Program at Emory. Dr. Cheng obtained both her undergraduate and medical degree from the University of Florida. She completed her general surgery residency at the University of Texas-Houston, followed by plastic surgery residency at the University of Virginia and a fellowship in breast and microsurgery at UT Southwestern.

Click here to listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Hosts: Shannon Su, Megan Wasson
Editors: Grace Nguyen, Jennifer Wang, Julia Byrnes, Shannon Su
Producers: Shannon Su and Megan Wasson
Artwork: Shannon Su
Music: Bluedot Sessions

Stay tuned for our next episode!

The post S6E1: Dr. Angela Cheng, on Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (and Asking for What You Deserve) first appeared on WISER Podcast.

In this episode, WISER president Lara Schwieger, and co-host Helen O’Leary interview Dr. Kirsten Freeman, a cardiovascular surgeon at the University of Florida. Dr. Freeman discusses her experiences training in hospitals around the country, touches on the pros and cons of integrated vs traditional residency pathways to CT surgery, and describes the transition from surgical trainee to attending. 

Dr. Freeman completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, then went on to do general surgery residency at the University of Colorado Denver and cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the University of Florida. Dr. Freeman is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Florida, and the Associate Program Director for the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Integrated and Traditional Residency Training Programs.

Hosts: Lara Schwieger, Helen O’Leary

Editors: Grace Nguyen, Julia Byrnes, Lucy Avant

Producers: Lara Schwieger and Lizzie Rieger

Artwork: Victoria Mau

Music: Bluedot Sessions

The post S5E8: Dr. Kirsten Freeman, on Cardiovascular Surgery first appeared on WISER Podcast.