Nationally recognized psychiatrist, internist, and addiction medicine specialist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article, "How President Biden's cognitive health shapes political and legal trust." While carefully observing the ethical constraints of the Goldwater Rule, he analyzes the public discourse surrounding the cognitive health of former President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. from a medico-legal standpoint. Muhamad explains how the former president's known medical history, including surgeries for cerebral aneurysms, creates a clinical basis for concern about potential cognitive decline consistent with vascular dementia. He argues that public moments of cognitive lapse, combined with practices like the use of an autopen for official signatures, raise legitimate questions about a leader's decision-making capacity and the validity of their actions. The core of his argument is an unequivocal call to establish clear, impartial, and publicly accountable protocols for cognitive health assessments for all national leaders, asserting that this is essential to uphold public trust and the integrity of the office.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Gastroenterologist Anuj Vikrant Sharma discusses his article, "Fatty liver disease is no longer reserved for older adults." He warns of a quiet epidemic of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious liver condition now increasingly appearing in people in their 20s and 30s who may not appear outwardly unhealthy. Anuj explains that a primary, and often overlooked, driver is the gut-liver axis. The modern Western diet, high in ultra-processed, low-fiber foods, disrupts the gut microbiome, leading to a "leaky gut" that allows harmful substances to travel to the liver and cause inflammation and fat accumulation. The conversation explores why this connection explains the rise of MASH in younger, non-obese patients and makes a compelling case for a "gut-first" strategy. Listeners will learn why we need earlier screening and a renewed focus on food quality over calorie counting to prevent and reverse this silent but progressive disease before irreversible damage occurs.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Health law attorney Dennis Hursh discusses his article, "Why hospitals are quietly capping top doctors' pay." For nearly 40 years, he has reviewed physician employment agreements and reveals a shocking recent trend: hospitals are increasingly capping physician salaries, often at the 90th or even 75th percentile of national benchmarks. Dennis explains that hospitals often justify this practice with the ludicrous claim that it prevents fraud, an argument that illogically presumes 10 to 25 percent of the top-earning physicians are breaking the law. The conversation details the legitimate reasons for high compensation—from top-tier productivity to practicing in undesirable locations—and exposes the flaw in allowing hospitals to use their own biased, in-house staff to determine "fair market value." Listeners will learn actionable advice on how to demand an independent, third-party valuation and the specific contract language needed to protect their compensation. Finally, Dennis warns how this practice has an insidious, long-term effect of artificially lowering salary benchmarks for all physicians, penalizing the very workhorses the health care system relies on.

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Adjunct professor of psychiatry Arthur Lazarus discusses his article, "How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments," which presents a moving fictional story excerpted from his book. The narrative centers on Thad, a retired physician and aspiring writer, and his two daughters, one of whom is a new doctor herself. Arthur uses their dinner-table debate over creative license versus factual accuracy in Thad's writing to explore the nature of inspiration. The conversation delves into how we find authenticity in storytelling, with the father comparing his creative spark to Bruce Springsteen playing an unplanned song at a concert—arguing that fiction can reveal truths that reality obscures. The theme deepens as the family shares the powerful stories behind their names, revealing how a movie or a concert memory can create a legacy of meaning. Ultimately, the story culminates in the birth of a new baby, whose name connects a moment of shared joy between father and daughter, illustrating how inspiration is a spark that gets passed between generations, defining our most cherished connections.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article, "From burnout to balance: a neurosurgeon's bold career redesign." She shares the powerful story of a female neurosurgeon who, on the verge of leaving medicine for interior design, instead chose to completely redesign her career. Jessie explains how, through coaching and courage, the surgeon created a non-traditional model of working one week on and one week off, which allowed her to find deep fulfillment in both her personal and professional life. The conversation explores the profound role that shame and cultural conditioning play in keeping physicians, especially women, trapped in unhealthy and misaligned roles. Listeners will learn why feeling stuck is not a personal failure but often a sign that the system wasn't built for them, and how creativity, support, and questioning long-held assumptions can help any physician forge a more authentic and sustainable path in medicine.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Independent emergency physician Kenneth Ro discusses his article, "From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption." He shares his deeply personal journey, from growing up as a bullied Korean American boy in Texas who used academic achievement as "armor," to a 35-year career on the front lines of the ER. Kenneth explains how the unprocessed trauma from his work—bookended by the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics—led to a life of compartmentalization and addiction, creating two versions of himself: one who saved lives and one who sabotaged his own. The conversation explores his spiritual awakening and how he began to dismantle an identity built on perfection and pain. Kenneth introduces his new personal mission, the Nova Oath™, which evolves the Hippocratic principle of "do no harm" to "do more good" by prioritizing integrity, self-care, and presence over performance. This is a story of turning scars into scaffolding and choosing to consciously write a new, more honest chapter in life.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Certified coach Kathleen Muldoon discusses her article, "Choosing between care and country: a dual citizen's Independence Day reflection." As a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen and mother to a child with complex health care needs, she explores the profound tension of navigating two vastly different systems. Kathleen recounts the painful, personal decision to turn down a job in her native Canada after discovering its universal system, while philosophically aligned with her values, would likely fail to provide the timely, specialized support her son requires. The conversation delves into the "quiet grief" of choosing the fragmented but fast-moving U.S. system to meet her son's needs at the cost of her own well-being and a return to her homeland. Kathleen explains how this trade-off informs her work in medical humanities, highlighting how health care systems reflect deep cultural priorities about interdependence and worthiness, and the hidden emotional costs for the caregivers who must live within them. The key takeaway is that no system is perfect, and true citizenship involves loving a country enough to name its limits and bravely holding the tension of uncomfortable choices.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Discovering disability insurance? Pattern understands your concerns. Over 20,000 doctors trust us for straightforward, affordable coverage. We handle everything from quotes to paperwork. Say goodbye to insurance stress – visit Pattern today at KevinMD.com/pattern.

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Infectious disease physician Janet A. Jokela discusses her article, "Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever." Recounting her own experience diagnosing a case in the 1990s, Janet contrasts that contained incident with the current crisis in 2025, which has seen over 1000 cases and the first pediatric deaths in the U.S. in 22 years. The conversation covers the critical 95 percent vaccination rate required for herd immunity, a threshold the country is falling below, and explains why measles is one of the most contagious diseases known. Janet dismantles dangerous misinformation about the MMR vaccine and ineffective alternative treatments, emphasizing that the vaccine is 97 percent effective and has saved millions of lives. For listeners, the key takeaways are to understand the severe, and sometimes fatal, complications of measles—such as pneumonia and encephalitis—and to recognize that the benefits of the MMR vaccine far outweigh any risks.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article, "Why judgment is hurting doctors—and how mindfulness can heal." She argues that the culture of medicine is steeped in judgment—from the language of "noncompliant" patients to the intense scrutiny of training—and that this culture is crippling physicians. Jessie explains that while judgment is often disguised as a tool for maintaining high standards, it actually drives shame, blame, and exhaustion rather than excellence. The conversation explores the high cost of this mindset, which drains energy and creates disconnection from patients and purpose. As a radical alternative, Jessie introduces the concept of Maitri, or unconditional friendliness, a mindfulness practice of replacing reflexive judgment with curiosity, compassion, and generosity. Listeners will learn practical ways to reframe feedback, opt out of the judgment cycle, and use mindfulness to protect their energy, build healthier teams, and begin to heal medicine from the inside out.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Nationally recognized psychiatrist, internist, and addiction medicine specialist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article, "How deep transcranial magnetic stimulation is transforming mental health care." He shares his experience with deep TMS (dTMS), a non-invasive neuromodulation therapy that offers rapid relief for patients with severe depression, OCD, and other conditions that have resisted conventional treatment. Muhamad explains how recent accelerated protocols can condense weeks of therapy into a single five-day period, achieving remission rates as high as 79 percent. Contrasting this with the slow progress and side effects of many medications, he highlights the safety of dTMS, which requires no anesthesia and does not cause memory impairment like ECT. Through powerful patient stories, the conversation serves as a call to action for clinicians, patients, and policymakers to overcome insurance barriers and lack of awareness, advocating for a new standard of care where rapid, profound healing is not just an aspiration, but a reality.

Careers by KevinMD is your gateway to health care success. We connect you with real-time, exclusive resources like job boards, news updates, and salary insights, all tailored for health care professionals. With expertise in uniting top talent and leading employers across the nation's largest health care hiring network, we're your partner in shaping health care's future. Fulfill your health care journey at KevinMD.com/careers.

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Discovering disability insurance? Pattern understands your concerns. Over 20,000 doctors trust us for straightforward, affordable coverage. We handle everything from quotes to paperwork. Say goodbye to insurance stress – visit Pattern today at KevinMD.com/pattern.

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