Setting The Scene

On the seventeenth overall episode and our second episode of Setting the Scene’s series: “Dual Degrees in Medicine,” we are joined by Dr. Lawrence Brass. Dr. Brass is a graduate of Harvard College and Case Western Reserve University, where he received his MD and a PhD in biochemistry. After residency training in internal medicine, he became a fellow in Hematology-Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania where he served as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine from 2004 to 2007, and is currently Professor of Medicine and Professor of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics. He has led the NHLBI-funded Hematology Research Training Program since 1994 and became Associate Dean for Combined Degree and Physician Scholars Programs and Director of Penn’s MSTP in 1998.

On the sixteenth overall episode and our second episode of Setting the Scene’s series: “Guest Spotlight,” we are joined by Alekhya, a high schooler. While still working through coursework in 10th grade, Alekhya has taken a leap in establishing her career early on. From gynecological research to being involved with internships across public health and policy, Alekhya has great ambitions and is already working towards them in high school. Alekhya has proved to be a young pioneer on the front of leadership with positions as her school’s Chair of the Judicial and Parliamentary Committee and a member of Pittsburgh Cares Youth Advisory Council. Her passions don’t just stop at medicine! Alekhya has invested herself across involvement in debate and learning more insight around business, two areas she plans to tie in her future career with.

Join us as we’ll cover the journey of a student who has proven “age is just a number” as we dive into the experiences, passions, and ambitions behind this young student that have led to immense success and early start to her medical career!

On the fifteenth overall episode and our second episode of Setting the Scene’s series: “Exploring Ethical Dilemmas," we are joined by Dr. Ryan Nelson. Dr. Nelson is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. He also works as an ethics consultant at Houston Methodist, providing expertise over dilemmas and contributing to top-notch care even in the most unsteady of times for patients. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Utah in 2019 and completed a clinical ethics fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in 2021. Dr. Nelson’s research addresses the role of values in medical science and practice, with a particular focus on disability, psychiatry, and end-of-life care.

Join us as we’ll cover end-of-life decision making, futility, the challenge of tackling ethical dilemmas, and work as a clinical ethicist - all on this episode with Dr. Nelson!

On the fourteenth overall episode and our third episode of Setting the Scene’s series: “Exploring Startups," we are joined by Dr. Duffy Casey. Dr. Casey completed his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in 2003, and received his Doctorate of Medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2009. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine in 2013 and works at the Malama I Ke Ola Community Health Center on Maui.

Dr. Casey is passionate about international development and creating holistic programs which focus on poverty alleviation. In 2003 he co-founded Global Brigades, Inc., and currently serves on the Board of Directors. Dr. Casey was a recipient of the Gold Medal for the United States President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2008 for his work with Global Brigades. In April 2021, Dr. Casey co-founded Angel Protocol, a decentralized autonomous nonprofit organization (DANO) focused on bringing the power of Endowment Accounts to charitable organizations around the world, empowering them to achieve financial freedom. He currently serves as Angel Protocol’s Chief Impact Officer.

Join us on this episode with Dr. Casey to explore how he did it all from starting up the Global Brigades, which has an international presence, in college to now leading its efforts across several countries while continuing to lead another nonprofit with Angel Protocol. We’ll dive into all of this with Dr. Casey!

On the thirteenth overall episode and the first episode of our new series: “Dual Degrees in Medicine,” we will cover the unique paths offered through dual degrees, aspects to consider over pursuing them, and what your career could look like if you do pursue one. We are joined by Dr. Sharona Hoffman. Dr. Hoffman received her B.A. from Wellesley College, her J.D. from Harvard Law School, an LL.M. in health law from the University of Houston, and an S.J.D. in health law from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She is a Professor of Law and Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She joined the faculty in 1999 and is now the Edgar A. Hahn Professor of Law, Professor of Bioethics, and Co-Director of the Law School’s Law-Medicine Center. She teaches Health Law courses, Employment Discrimination, and Civil Procedure and was voted First Year Teacher of the Year in 2011, 2012, and 2019. She was elected to membership in the American Law Institute in 2017. She also served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2006 until 2009 and won the 2014 Distinguished Teacher Award.

In 2013, Dr. Hoffman was selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a scholar-in-residence fellowship in public health law. She has also twice spent a sabbatical semester as a Visiting Scholar at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007 and 2014) and was a Visiting Scholar at Emory University in 2014 as well. Dr. Hoffman has published over sixty articles and book chapters on health law and civil rights issues. In 2021 Leiter’s Law School Reports listed her as 9th most cited health law professor for the years 2016-2020 (tied with two other academics). Dr. Hoffman has lectured throughout the United States and internationally and has been widely quoted in the press. She has developed particular expertise and a national reputation in the area of health information technology.

On the twelfth overall episode and our sixth episode of Setting the Scene’s series: “Money Management & Independence," we are joined by Dr. Christopher Loo. Dr. Loo is a surgeon, serial entrepreneur, investor, author, consultant, executive coach, and keynote speaker. He received his MD-PhD from the medical scientist training program offered jointly through the Baylor College of Medicine and Department of Bioengineering at Rice University. Dr. Loo achieved financial freedom by the age of 29, and F.I.R.E. in 2016 through his multiple passive investment income strategies. After traveling the globe for a year, Dr. Loo started his consulting company in 2017 to spread awareness about the importance of financial literacy among the physician community.

Dr. Loo is a 4x Amazon author including “How I Quit My Lucrative Medical Career and Achieved Financial Freedom Using Real Estate”, and is the Host of the Financial Freedom for Physicians Podcast. He has been a contributor to KevinMD (over 2k shares), Doximity, MedPage Today, SoMe Docs, SEAK, Passive Income MD, the White Coat Investor, Board Vitals, and FinCon in 2021. Dr. Loo has his own monthly career success membership program along with a rapidly growing 900+ member private Facebook group “Financial Freedom for Physicians”, and has been named by Board Vitals as one of the top 50 MD’s to follow in Instagram. Join us on this podcast episode to learn Dr. Loo’s journey and the experiences he’s gained behind it!

On the eleventh overall episode and our first episode of Setting the Scene's new series: “Guest Spotlight,” we are joined by Zakia. Zakia is an enthusiastic high schooler from Canada that has picked up several experiences to develop and foster her passions. Zakia has found a particular interest in writing. From being a write for the Hands on Health Magazine to receiving awards in essay competitions, Zakia has shown resilience in her journey to make use of her talents even during a global pandemic. Amongst her awards and distinctions are as 2021’s national winner of the grade 9-12 astrological essay competition for the NASA Scientist For A Day Competition. Her awards and distinctions extend back to 2019, when Zakia first took up this extracurricular. Zakia has also expanded her interests to music and has similarly seen exponential growth even during the pandemic. From essay competitions to practicing piano and a lot of practice in between, Zakia has made great accomplishments with fantastic ambitions and she knows that there is even more in store for her in the future! Learn more about how Zakia did this and more all during the pandemic as a high schooler!

On the tenth overall episode and our first episode of Setting the Scene's new series: “Exploring Ethical Dilemmas,” we are joined by Dr. Wesley Boyd. Dr. Boyd is a professor of psychiatry and medical ethics at Baylor College of Medicine. He also is a lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Before his career as a psychiatrist and ethics expert, Dr. Boyd completed his medical degree at UNC Chapel Hill, a psychiatry residency at Cambridge Hospital, and a fellowship in Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School. He has taught extensively in the humanities, bioethics, human rights and psychiatry. His areas of interest include social justice, access to care, human rights, asylum and immigration, humanistic aspects of medicine, physician health and well-being, the pharmaceutical industry, mass incarceration, and substance use, and writes for both academic and lay audiences in these areas.

On the ninth overall episode and fifth episode of Setting the Scene's episode series: "Money Management & Independence," we are joined by Dr. Cory Fawcett. Dr. Fawcett is an award winning author, speaker, entrepreneur, personal coach, and repurposed general surgeon. He completed his bachelor’s degree in biology at Stanford University, his doctor of medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University and his general surgery residency at Kern Medical Center. After completing his training, he returned to southern Oregon to practice for twenty years in a single specialty, private practice group in Grants Pass. Since 1988, he has shared his home with his lovely bride Carolyn. They have two boys: Brian, who graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in economics, and Keith, who graduated from Full Sail University with a degree in mobile development.

On the eight overall episode and our first episode of Setting the Scene's series: "Exploring Startups," we are joined by The Premed Scene's very own founders. In this episode, we cover everything from the start to now where the team has built up several programs and resources, including a blog, medical newsletter, virtual shadowing, a research journal club, mentorship program, and our very own podcast: Setting the Scene! The Premed Scene has brought together a team of over twenty who pitch in with each one of these flourishing programs. Altogether, The Premed Scene has grown to foster a collaborative environment amongst aspiring physicians, and during the episode, we will take you through each step of the process.

Find out more about The Premed Scene: thepremedscene.com