During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the phrase “Healthcare Heroes” echoed through hospital walls and city streets. For many people, this felt like an overdue acknowledgment of the difficult and important work that healthcare professionals carried out during the most devastating healthcare crisis the world had seen in a century. But this phrase can also be problematic, romanticizing the sacrifices of individual clinicians without addressing the systemic failures that put them at risk, overlooking the mental health struggles they experienced, and undermining healthcare environments that encourage reflection about respect and duty. 

Our guest on this episode is Dhaval Desai, MD, a hospitalist at Emory Healthcare in Georgia and the author of the book Burning Out on the Covid Front Lines: A Doctor's Memoir of Fatherhood, Race, and Perseverance in the Pandemic (2023), in which he details his personal narrative as a healthcare leader and frontline physician fighting to hold his hospital together. 

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Desai shares why he decided to train in both internal medicine and pediatrics, how his experiences caring for his ailing father revealed the flaws of our healthcare systems, the nerve-wracking first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, his own struggles as a leader, healer, father, and husband during a time of deep uncertainty, how we can all better connect with patients through even a few moments of shared humanity amid our busy days, and more.

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:36 - Dr. Desai’s path to medicine

5:05 - How a Med-Peds residency differs from other medical residency tracks 

8:06 - How Dr. Desai’s personal experiences have shaped his approach to patient advocacy 

11:53 - Dr. Desai’s personal and professional life leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic

18:46 - Dr. Desai’s opinion on why it is important for leaders to be able to express emotion 

24:53 - How Dr. Desai used his leadership role to help his staff navigate the emotional turmoil of the pandemic experience 

28:32 - Moments when Dr. Desai suffered heavily from burnout

34:47 - Stories of the isolating effects of COVID-19 in the ER 

39:53 - Our society’s support of healthcare workers

46:19 - Advice for young clinicians on ensuring humanity stays central to their work 

Dr. Dhaval Desai can be found on Instagram at @doctordesaimd and on X/Twitter @DrDesaiMDx.

In this episode, we discussed the New York Times article “I Couldn’t Do Anything: The Virus and an E.R. Doctor’s Suicide” 

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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Precision medicine — the approach to health care that involves tailoring medical interventions to an individual's genetic makeup, environment and lifestyle — promises to deliver the right treatment to the right person at the right time. From preventing diseases decades before they appear, to specially designed cocktails of cancer drugs, to genetic modification of rare diseases, many of these applications sound straight out of science fiction. 

At the forefront of precision medicine and medical genomics is Euan Ashley, MBChB, DPhill, Chair of Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center. A cardiologist and intensive care physician by training, Dr. Ashley has pioneered the use of genetic sequencing to identify risk factors for heart disease and new treatments for rare diseases. He is also the author of The Genome Odyssey: Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them (2021).

Over the course of our conversation, we discuss his path from growing up in a small Scottish town to now working at the cutting edge of medicine, the excitement and fulfillment he experiences as a clinician in the cardiac intensive care unit, remarkable patient stories of healing and resilience, the future of precision medicine, why he is optimistic about the development of artificial intelligence, and more.

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:24 - Dr. Ashley’s path to medicine and to cardiology 

7:19 - What life is like working in the CCU

21:34 - How the Undiagnosed Diseases Network was founded and what it does

33:22 - An overview of precision medicine

38:09 - The impact that genetic testing and genomic medicine is having on modern medicine and where it could go from here 

45:00 - Dr. Ashley’s thoughts on how AI will change the field of medicine 

51:40 - Making access to medical advancements in AI and genomics more equitable 

1:04:39 - Dr. Ashley’s advice for healthcare professionals in training 

Dr. Euan Ashley can be found on Twitter/X at @euanashley. 

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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Joseph Sakran, MD, MPH was a teenager in a small town in Virginia when, in 1994, his life took a dramatic turn. At the age of 17, he was out with his friends after a high school football game when a nearby gunfight broke out and he was struck by a stray bullet in the throat. The bullet, tearing through his windpipe and a carotid artery, brought him to the razor edge of death before he was saved by trauma surgeons. 

Thirty years later, Dr. Sakran is now a trauma surgeon who serves as Director of Emergency General Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a vocal advocate of reducing firearm injury through public health initiatives at the state and national levels. Following the 2018 comment by the National Rifle Association that doctors should “stay in their lane” with regard to gun violence prevention, Dr. Sakran started the #ThisIsOurLane movement, mobilizing thousands of health care professionals to advocate for gun violence as a public health crisis. 

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Sakran shares his harrowing experience of being shot and what it was like to be confronted with imminent death, how his perspectives on and priorities in life changed after the incident, what goes on in his mind when he operates on victims of gun violence, how he connects with his patients over shared experiences of trauma, how all clinicians can be more empathetic with their patients, and why advocacy is integral to the work of a physician. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:46 - How a personal tragedy set Dr. Sakran on the path to becoming a trauma surgeon 

9:51 - How Dr. Sakran’s perspective on life was altered by his personal experience with gun violence

13:11 - How Dr. Sakran’s experiences informs his approach to speaking with patients and their loved ones during traumatic situations 

19:09 - The importance of showing empathy to build rapport with patients and families

23:51 - What it is like to tend to victims of violence 

29:26 - Addressing the public health crisis of gun violence in America 

37:41 - How clinicians can become more involved in advocacy

45:32 - Dr. Sakran’s advice to future clinicians 

Dr. Joseph Sakran can be found on Twitter/X at @josephsakran.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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To the best of our knowledge, humans appear to be unique among animals in our awareness of mortality — at least in our capacity for existential reflection about death in an abstract, cultural, and symbolic sense. With this capacity comes profound psychological experiences, from our search for meaning, to our struggle with grief, to a yearning for the spiritual. 

Our guest on this episode is Dr. Rachel Clarke, a palliative care physician based in the United Kingdom who entered medicine after an initial career in journalism. As she would discover, her love for language and storytelling has turned out to be one of the most important ways she helps patients heal in some of the most devastating moments of their lives. As a writer. Dr. Clarke is the author of multiple best selling books, including Dear Life: A Doctor's Story of Love and Loss (2020), Your Life in My Hands: A Junior Doctor's Story (2017), and Breathtaking (2021), which was adapted into a TV series of the same name. Her writing, imbued with both grace and grit, invites readers to confront difficult truths about mortality, suffering, and the inequities of the healthcare system, while also offering a vision of medicine that is as deeply human as it is healing. Over the course of our conversation, we discuss her journey to medicine by way of journalism, her reflections on the moral imperatives that drive her work, the power of storytelling in comforting patients, why suffering is inextricably connected to love, and more. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

3:12 - Why Dr. Clarke switched careers from journalism to palliative care

9:46 - The challenge modern doctors and patients face when it comes to thinking about mortality 

15:09 - Supporting a patient’s psychological suffering through conversation 

20:31 - Grappling with what Dr. Clarke calls the “essential paradox of being a human being” — our awareness of mortality

33:41 - The experience of watching a person die and the reverence we hold for the bodies of the dead 

43:05 - The doctor’s dual responsibilities of navigating both science and human emotions

Dr. Rachel Clarke is the author of four books, including most recently, The Story of a Heart (2024). 

Dr. Clarke can be found on Twitter/X at @doctor_oxford.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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Modern medicine has long considered many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease to be immutably linked to the fate of certain unlucky individuals through yet-poorly understood genetic mechanisms. But increasingly, we are seeing evidence that some of our lifestyle choices, including our diet, physical activity, and relationships, may play a significant role in the development of, or protection against, these diseases. Our guest on this episode, David Perlmutter, MD, is a neurologist and writer whose immensely popular books, including Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar — Your Brain’s Silent Killers (2013), discuss why diets low in refined carbohydrates and high in fats, in addition to foods that nurture a healthy gut microbiome, may prevent cognitive decline. 

Over the course of our conversation, we discuss Dr. Perlmutter's path from conventional neurology to moving towards a more functional and holistic approach to treating brain disorders, the importance of metabolic health in maintaining our cognitive capacities, how Dr. Perlmutter responds to critics of his non-conventional medical advice, why nutrition science is riddled with messy and conflicting findings and how we can better navigate through it all, what clinicians can do to better help their patients live well, and more. 

Note: Some of Dr. Perlmutter’s ideas and recommendations have been the subject of debate and controversy within the medical community. While we believe in fostering open dialog and exploring diverse perspectives, the views expressed in this episode are those of Dr. Perlmutter and do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of this podcast. We encourage listeners to critically evaluate the information presented and work with qualified healthcare professionals when making any changes to their health and wellness routines.

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

3:11 - Dr. Perlmutter’s transition from conventional neurology to what he calls “preventative” neurology

8:43 - Dr. Perlmutter’s views on what constitutes a “disease” and the role of the doctor. 

19:08 - Emerging science on the importance of metabolic health on brain health 

25:17 - How scientific studies on preventative health can be (and have been) designed 

34:56 - Why Dr. Perlmutter prioritizes health markers (such as HbA1c) over specific dietary recommendations when working with patients

42:21 - Dr. Perlmutter’s views on GLP-1 antagonists such as Ozempic and Mounjaro

50:36 - How Dr. Perlmutter has dealt with critics of his work

Dr. David Perlmutter is the author of eight books. 

Dr. Perlmutter can be found on Twitter/X at @davidperlmutter. 

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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What makes a life worth living? This question has animated great thinkers and faith traditions for millennia. Interestingly enough, in our time of rapid globalization, technological advancement, and material abundance, we often seem more unmoored from our conception of the self and its relation to the world than ever before.

Our guest on this episode, Miroslav Volf, has spent his life wrestling with this question of questions and helping others to do the same. Volf is a professor of theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, and his work explores the intersections of faith, identity, and public life. He is the author of more than 10 books, including the bestselling Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most (2023), based on one of the most popular courses at Yale University, which he co-teaches. The book, an inquiry into the nature of human flourishing, invites readers to consider wisdom drawn from various religious, philosophical, and literary traditions. He challenges the often superficial metrics of happiness promoted by modern society, urging readers to reflect deeply on the kind of life they want to lead — one that is not just pleasurable or successful by conventional standards, but that is positively shaped by adversity, contemplation, and interconnectedness.

In our conversation, we discuss how growing up as the son of a Pentecostal minister in Former Yugoslavia influenced Volf's relationship with Christian theology, why faith is a “comfortably difficult” thing, why “finding your authentic self” is a problematic concept in modern culture, how social media, divisive political currents, and the relentless drive for productivity distract us from what matters most, and the nobility in pursuing a richer, more intentioned, and just life.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

3:12 - What Volf’s work as a systematic theologian entails, and key childhood experiences that shaped his relationship with faith

12:18 - The philosophical basis for the Yale class that inspired the book Life Worth Living 

20:23 - Why Volf uses Smokey Bear as a representation of the pursuit of a meaningful life

26:53 - Shifting the focus of life from personal desires toward the quest to live by “truth”

40:38 - The inherent challenge in shifting focus away from “I, Me, and Mine”

45:49 - How the search for a meaningful life relates to the experiences of a medical professional

51:42 - Advice for how to add philosophical practices to a busy modern life

Miroslav Volf is the author of 17 books, including Life Worth Living (2023)

Past episodes discussed in this episode:

Episode 95: Shaping a Soul, Building a Self | William Deresiewicz

Episode 21: Pain, Pleasure, and Finding Balance | Anna Lembke, MD

Visit www.TheDoctorsArt.com for transcripts of all episodes. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, send an email to [email protected].

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Most people shudder at the idea of an infectious disease outbreak — patients stricken with a mysterious illness, hospitals overflowing, and cities going into lockdown. But for Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc , MCP, rushing into such a scenario, donned in a hazmat suit, to control the chaos has been a dream since childhood. Today, she is an epidemiologist, biosecurity advisor, and a pathogen preparedness expert who serves as Senior Director of the System-Wide Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health and Hospitals, which operates the municipal health care system of New York City. 

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Madad shares what excites her about the work of infectious disease control, why she believes we have emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic worse prepared for the next pandemic, how scientists and doctors can better communicate with the public in the absence of clear data, the importance of utilizing trusted messengers in the community to fully deploy the power of public health, and more. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:09 - How a movie led Dr. Madad to become an infectious disease preparedness expert

6:54 - An overview of Biosafety levels (BSL)  

9:30 - Moments in Dr. Madad’s career when disease containment went well and moments when it did not. 

12:27 - How Dr. Madad mentally and emotionally manages the heavy weight of often-lethal infectious diseases

18:05 - Dr. Madad’s opinion on how COVID-19 policies were handled 

24:02 - Dr. Madad’s personal thoughts on the potential origins of COVID-19 

26:55 - What concerns Dr. Madad most about future pandemics and how we can make positive steps toward recovering trust in science

35:40 - Dr. Madad’s advice for those considering a career in public health or infectious diseases 

Dr. Syra Madad appears in the Netflix special Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak.

Dr. Syra Madad can be found on Twitter/X at @syramadad.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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For many physicians, having serious illness conversations with patients — talking about a dire prognosis or the futility of curative treatments — is one of the most daunting aspects of patient care. But to palliative care physician Shunichi Nakagawa, MD, these conversations are fundamentally about communicating the honest truth in an elegant, considerate, and humane way. 

Dr. Nakagawa, the director of the Inpatient Palliative Care Service at Columbia University Medical Center, joins us in this episode to discuss both his unique personal journey, as well as his insightful approach to figuring out what really matters to patients during critical moments in their lives. He shares what it was like completing his surgical training in Japan, than coming to the United States with the hope of becoming a liver transplant surgeon, before having those hopes dashed when he found out he was ineligible to work as a surgeon in the US due to his hepatitis carrier status, and finally discovering his true calling in geriatrics and palliative care. 

We also discuss cultural challenges in thinking about the end of life, why it is so difficult for physicians to communicate with their patients about serious illness, how clinicians ought to approach shared decision making, and why, when done well, this can be one of the most meaningful and rewarding parts of doctoring.

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:34 - How Dr. Nakagawa entered a career in medicine in Japan

5:33 - Dr. Nakagawa’s unique journey through medical training, from surgery to palliative care  

16:25 - The three-stage process that Dr. Nakagawa follows when communicating challenging medical information to patients

28:10 - Delivering medical advice in a succinct way when speaking to patients and their family members 

36:14 - Lessons on what works and what doesn’t work in sensitive patient communication 

Dr. Shunichi Nakagawa can be found on Twitter/X at @snakagawa_md. 

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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When Impossible Foods released its first product, the Impossible Burger, in 2016, it was met with equal parts curiosity, skepticism, and excitement. This plant-based “meat that bleeds” was seen as a novelty item. Today, Impossible Foods’ expanded line of offerings, from sausages to chicken nuggets to Italian meatballs, can be found in most American grocery stores at a price that rivals traditional meats. 

The founder of Impossible Foods is Pat Brown, MD, PhD, a physician and molecular biologist who, after seeing the detrimental impact of animal farming on deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, made it his ambitious mission to create a sustainable food system by reducing our reliance on animal agriculture. He set out to develop plant-based alternatives to meat that not only matched, but surpassed the taste and nutritional value of traditional meats, harnessing biochemistry to recreate the sensory experience and culinary qualities of meat at a molecular level. 

In this episode, Dr. Brown joins us to share his early career path from clinical pediatrics to biochemistry research, along the way inventing the DNA microarray, now an essential laboratory tool used to measure the expression levels of thousands of genes. He then discusses the origins of Impossible Foods, the scientific breakthroughs that have propelled its success, and how he hopes to inspire a cultural shift towards more sustainable eating habits and ensure a healthier planet for future generations.

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:41 - How Dr. Brown was initially drawn to a career in medicine 

7:54 - Why Dr. Brown chose to transition from clinical work to biomedical research 

14:05 - How Dr. Brown’s drive to tackle the biggest problems of humanity led to the creation of Impossible Foods

24:19 - The scientific approach that Impossible Foods takes in creating its products

30:17 - Whether plant-based meats are too highly processed

38:40 - Dr. Brown’s vision for the future of food 

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

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Many people regard dementia as a fate worse than death, in large part because it strikes at the essence of our humanity — our memories, identity, and relationships with others. Unlike diseases that primarily afflict the body, dementia erodes the mind, leading to a gradual fragmentation and loss of self and autonomy. 

The burden of this disease on caregivers also cannot be understated. Not only does dementia require comprehensive, long term care that addresses the afflicted individual’s cognitive, behavioral, and physical issues; witnessing a loved one's slow and irreversible decline often exerts an immense emotional toll on the caregiver. Additionally, the pervasive stigma and isolation associated with dementia can leave caregivers feeling unsupported and alone. 

Our guest on this episode is Dasha Kiper, a clinical psychologist who works with caregivers to people with dementia. She's the author of Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, The Caregiver, and the Human Brain (2023). The book explores the complex relationship between caregivers and dementia patients, which are frequently rife with heartbreak, guilt, frustration, helplessness and shame. Over the course of our conversation, Dasha shares her transformative personal experiences working as a caregiver, why caregivers deserve more empathy and understanding, ethical dilemmas over medical interventions and patient autonomy, navigating the distorted reality in the mind of a dementia patient, coping strategies for caregivers and healthcare professionals, and more. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

3:13 - How Dasha “stumbled” into working as a live-in caregiver for a dementia patient while still in school

4:44 - How serving as a caregiver for a dementia patient shaped Dasha’s views of neurological illness

10:23 - Managing the “loss of shared reality” that often occurs between the caregiver and the dementia patient

23:45 - The added emotional toll that dementia can take on family members

32:46 - What human dignity means in the context of dementia care      

36:55 - Fostering self-compassion as a clinician or caregiver by connecting with community 

49:16 - Dasha’s advice for finding community support if you are a family caregiver 

Dasha Kiper is the author of Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia The Caregiver and the Human Brain (2023).

Past episodes and works discussed in this episode: 

Episode 62: Navigating my Father’s Alzheimer’s as a Doctor | Sandeep Jauhar, MD

My Father’s Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s by Sandeep Jauhar, MD

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2024