Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is designed primarily to fit clean-shaven, European male faces and body types. This has a disproportionate impact on women, who make up the majority of front-line healthcare personnel. While this was a concern prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, issues with fit became more acute as the demand for PPE increased. This episode explores how one physician coped with ill-fitting PPE and what the change is or is not happening to address these issues.

Dr. Benson Hsu, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of South Dakota, joins the show to discuss how he and his colleagues in the pediatric ICU adapted their practice to the COVID-19 pandemic, embracing uncertainty, demonstrating compassion, and protecting themselves and their community.

This episode was produced in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Dr. Michael Bell, an expert in drug-resistant pathogens and hospital-acquired infections, and Dr. Karthik Sivashanker, Vice President of Equitable Health Systems & Innovation in the Center for Health Equity at the American Medical Association discuss how IPC and equity converge and how understanding those intersections contribute to the health and wellbeing of health care professionals and patients alike. 

Megan Srinivas, MD, introduces a CDC Project Firstline Podcast from the AMA: Stories of Care.