Episodes

Family physician and health benefits advisor Jonathan Bushman discusses his article "." Jonathan contrasts the grueling decade of training and massive debt required to become a doctor with the thirty-minute process of obtaining a health insurance...

Family physician Travis Walker discusses his article "." Travis reflects on the glaring double standard facing his daughter compared to his sons in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling. He explores the unique medical risks inherent in every...

Internal medicine physician Sally Daganzo discusses her article "." Sally explains how the pursuit of a perfect diet can spiral into a debilitating obsession where food rules dictate a patient's entire life. She describes how individuals often adopt...

Psychiatrist, internist, and addiction medicine specialist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article "." Muhamad explores the complex landscape of psychedelic medicine, balancing the growing public interest with the necessity of rigorous FDA oversight...

Physician, author, and health care reform advocate David K. Cundiff discusses his article "." David analyzes the severe funding crisis affecting American families where premiums have skyrocketed and millions lack access to primary care providers. He...

Practicing anesthesiologist and the physician co-founder of Marit Health Rob Anderson discusses his article " Why can’t finding a doctor job be like Zillow ." Rob shares his personal journey through divorce and house hunting, revealing how apps provided the control and privacy missing from his professional life. He contrasts the ease of filtering dates or homes with the invasive reality of medical recruitment, where doctors are bombarded by spam texts and expensive headhunters. The conversation ...

Fertility specialist Oluyemisi Famuyiwa discusses her article "." Oluyemisi explains that while clinicians often focus on egg quality, the aging of the uterus itself is a frequently overlooked factor in implantation failure. She explores clinical data...

Pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article "." Jessie shares how a personal crisis involving her husband's severe depression forced her to abandon her training in logic and control for a more intuitive approach. She explains...

Vascular surgeon Paula Muto discusses her article "." Paula argues that the government shutdown over health care funding misses the real issue of administrative bloat consuming 75 percent of spending. She explains how corporate consolidation and...

Pediatrician Trevor Cabrera discusses his article "." Trevor explains how choosing the path of an independent contractor allowed him to pay off massive student debt while exploring the country on his own terms. He challenges the misconception that...

Postdoctoral researcher Wei Zhang discusses the article "." Wei explains how peripheral artery disease acts as a silent burden on the "life-highway" vessels of the body and why amputation rates are tragically rising by nearly 9 percent annually...

Nationally recognized psychiatrist, internist, and addiction medicine specialist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article " Why CPT coding ambiguity harms doctors ." Muhamad analyzes the landmark case of United States v. Ron Elfenbein, where a federal judge acquitted a physician of fraud charges because the underlying CPT rules were "unquestionably ambiguous." He explains the 2021 changes to Evaluation and Management (E/M) codes and how prosecutors attempted to criminalize reasonable clinical jud...

Board-certified pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article "." Jessie explains how medical training conditions doctors to view endurance as a virtue and delay their own basic needs for the sake of the profession. She argues...

Physician, author, and health care reform advocate David K. Cundiff discusses his article "." David outlines a transformative plan to replace the fragmented U.S. insurance system with member-owned, nonprofit cooperatives that integrate medical...

Palliative care physician and certified physician development coach Christie Mulholland discusses her article " Why every physician needs a sabbatical (and how to take one) ." Christie reveals the harsh reality that while sabbaticals exist on paper, unwritten rules often prevent doctors from accessing this critical recovery tool until it is too late. She shares her personal journey of taking an unsanctioned, unpaid break to combat burnout and how that decision allowed her to return to medicine w...

Otolaryngologist Alan P. Feren discusses his article "." Alan explores why encounters that patients experience as dismissive or manipulative often stem from communication breakdowns driven by productivity pressures rather than clinician malice. He...

Board-certified internist with a long-standing focus on public health, tobacco control, and preventive care Edward Anselm discusses his article " The economic case for investing in tobacco cessation ." Edward reveals that while smoking rates have hit historic lows, 19.5 percent of adults still use tobacco, with significant disparities persisting across race, ethnicity, and income levels. He analyzes why only 6.4 percent of patients receive optimal treatment involving both counseling and medicati...

Family physician Kelly Bain discusses her article "." Kelly explains that while doctors are trained to diagnose and treat patients, they are rarely prepared to navigate the complex financial realities of the modern health care industry. She argues...

Psychiatrist Sarah Hollander, clinical psychologist Kelly D. Holder, and physician advocate and physical therapist Kim Downey discuss their article " Joy in medicine: a new culture ." Sarah, Kelly, and Kim explore how the culture of medicine must evolve from a system of endurance to one of meaningful well-being. They examine the critical role of medical education in shaping the next generation, arguing that joy is not just an emotion but an alignment of purpose that can be taught and modeled. Th...

Board-certified pediatrician, certified coach, and mindfulness and yoga teacher Jessie Mahoney discusses her article " Pediatrician vs. grandmother: Choosing love over medical advice ." Jessie explores the internal conflict she faced between her medical training and her role as a grandmother when her twin granddaughters were born at home. She examines how the physician's impulse to offer risk assessments and warnings can often feel like rejection to loved ones who simply want support. The conver...

Internal medicine physician Shirisha Kamidi discusses her article "." Shirisha explains why prevention is often more powerful than treatment when addressing conditions like diabetes and hypertension. She shares a real-world example of a patient who...

Leading advocate for airline safety measures to protect food-allergic passengers Lianne Mandelbaum discusses her article " When TV shows use food allergy as murder ." Lianne examines the dangerous trend in popular media where severe reactions like anaphylaxis are used as plot devices for violence without consequence. She critiques a recent miniseries that portrays food allergy murder as justified and fears this provides a blueprint for real-world bullying and harassment. The conversation highlig...

Certified coach and medical educator Kathleen Muldoon discusses her article "." Kathleen shares the harrowing personal story of having her social media account disabled when an algorithm mistook compassion for abuse. She explores how online support...

Primary care physician Jerina Gani discusses their article "." Jerina challenges the common narrative that general practice is merely a stepping stone filled with paperwork and low wages. She explains how physicians can unlock scalable income and...