The CMDA Student Pulse Podcast

For medical and dental students, life can feel like a relentless cycle of earning, proving, and measuring up. In this episode of the Student Pulse Podcast, Bible teacher and author Elizabeth Nuthalapaty offers a freeing counter-message: we were never made to chase glory or manufacture it — only to behold and reflect it. Drawing on her new 50-day devotional, Reflecting God’s Glory, she unpacks what it actually means to behold God — not merely study Him — and how that quiet daily practice slowly, even irreversibly, changes us. She speaks directly to the exhausted trainee who’s already fallen behind, making the case that small, ordinary faithfulness matters more than dramatic spiritual highs. It’s an invitation for students entering a life of caring for the vulnerable to be transformed by the One they behold — and to let that change spill over onto every patient, classmate, and roommate they meet.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

When the Match didn’t go the way Josh Lee planned, he found himself in the SOAP process — facing a season that felt a lot like fishing all night and catching nothing. In this episode of the Student Pulse Podcast, Josh is honest about what was happening inside him, spiritually and emotionally, in the disorientation of not matching. He shares what it actually took to trust God enough to “let down the net” one more time and submit to an uncertain process all over again. Drawing on Peter’s story in Luke 5, Josh reflects on the strange tension of holding onto faith while your hands are still empty. It’s a candid, hopeful conversation for any student standing in the “caught nothing” part of their own story.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

What if medical training isn’t just teaching you how to practice, but quietly shaping who you become? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Danielle Shelton — family physician, lifestyle medicine leader, and educator — to talk about the hidden curriculum of medicine and the culture it reproduces. She makes the case that we can’t keep passing down burnout, competition, and ego and expect a healthy profession, and that Christian physicians are called to model something different: generosity, courage, humility, and collaboration. Along the way we explore why mentorship is stewardship, why depleted physicians can’t care or lead well, and what it means to be faithful within medicine while helping build what doesn’t yet exist. It’s a conversation about formation, calling, and the courage to offer your gifts before you feel fully ready.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

Join John Bayon, Detroit Area Director, Mitzi Roberts, San Antonio Area Director and Corey Whittaker, Triangle NC Area Director join Mike Chupp, CMDA CEO, for an encouraging conversation about the encouraging and challenging ministry to healthcare trainees and professionals in their local areas.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

How hard is it, really, to follow Christ in medicine today? In this episode, Corey Whitaker — who walks alongside students, residents, and physicians across Raleigh-Durham — gives an unusually honest answer. He names the pressures bearing down on Christian trainees, from moral injury to conscience protections, and tells the truth about the consequences he’s seeing play out. But this isn’t a conversation about despair; it’s about what’s actually working to keep faithful clinicians standing. Tune in for an encouraging, clear-eyed look at faith on the front lines of healthcare.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

What happens to your soul when the systems that train you run on efficiency, measurement, and output? Artist and author Bette Dickinson joins host Bill Reichart for a rich and unhurried conversation about spiritual flourishing in a productivity-driven culture — and why the vineyard, not the factory floor, is a far truer image of how God forms us. Bette unpacks the vital difference between bearing fruit and truly flourishing, examines how medical training quietly reshapes our image of God, and offers a life-giving alternative for the student, resident, or healthcare professional who feels like their formation has been hijacked by metrics. Whether you’re running on empty or just sensing that something deeper is missing, this conversation is an invitation to receive the long, patient work of the Vinedresser.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

In this CMDA Student Pulse Podcast conversation, Davis Melin sits down with host Bill Reichart to talk about what leadership looks like when you are still in training and don’t yet have the title, experience, or authority you wish you had. Davis shares how trainees can lead from the middle of the team by first learning to lead themselves well, by honoring authority without becoming passive, and by speaking truth with grace when something needs to be said. The discussion also gets practical about the pressures of medical training, the challenge of leading up in real time, and why leadership in a clinical setting matters not only for teamwork and patient care, but also for witness and character. It’s a thoughtful, honest conversation for anyone who wants to become the kind of physician-leader others can trust, follow, and genuinely enjoy working with.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

What happens when a family medicine physician trained in China, formed in West Africa, and forged in the crucible of American medical residency decides the Church needs to speak more directly into the lives of healthcare professionals? Dr. Carla Da Goia Pinto joins Bill Reichart on the CMDA Student Pulse Podcast to talk about her book Pray Like This — a 12-week Scripture-based prayer devotional written specifically for those who heal for a living. Dr. Pinto brings a word that is equal parts practical and prophetic — and it’s one every medical or dental student, resident, and fellow needs to hear.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.

Pornography is one of the most pervasive and least discussed struggles in the church today — and healthcare professionals are far from immune. In this episode, Bill Reichart sits down with Dr. David Staab, a retired general surgeon and CMDA Member Care volunteer, to talk about what no one wants to talk about. Dr. Staab shares why those in the healing professions are uniquely vulnerable to hidden struggles, what he’s actually seeing among students and trainees, why common approaches like informal accountability groups often fall short, and what real transformation looks like when someone finally brings their struggle into the light. If you or someone you know is wrestling silently, this conversation is a place to start.

Producing each conversation — the guests, the editing, the hours — takes real resources. Your gift keeps the mic on and the episodes coming, at no cost to those who enjoy them. Would you consider paying it forward?

Every tax deductible dollar goes directly into the production of this podcast resource.