As ICE raids escalate across Chicago, hospitals and clinics have become sites of risk and confrontation for immigrants seeking healthcare. What happens when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents enter a place of healing? What are a doctor's rights - and a patient's - when the line between care and enforcement blurs? To learn more about this, I spoke with Dr. Amy Blair and Dr. Monica Maalouf, two physicians and patient advocates in the Chicagoland area.

For resources about sanctuary doctoring, you can visit the link below: 

https://www.luc.edu/stritch/bioethics/medicaleducation/sanctuarydoctor/

Episode produced by: Griffin K Johnson

Episode recording date: 11/04/2025

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In this mini-series, we explore different health professions to get a better understanding of the variety of team members involved in patient care. In this episode, we spoke with pathologists’ assistant Alyssha Glass about her journey into this unique specialty and the role of pathologists’ assistants in healthcare. 

Alyssha Glass is a Chicago-based pathologists’ assistant who focuses on hospital autopsy. She is a graduate of Rosalind Franklin University and has been in the field of pathology for 8 years. With a passion for patient care and teaching, she spends her days teaching residents, medical students, and pathologists’ assistant students the art of autopsy and the unique specialty of pathology.

To find out more about a career as a Pathologists’ Assistant, please visit www.pathassist.org. 

If you would like to contact Alyssha, please reach out to us at medicuspodcast@gmail.com so that we may connect you.

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga

Episode recording date: 10/9/25

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The goal of this mini series is to spark conversations of these new tools and practices within the community of current and future medical practitioners and staff. It is important for medical professionals to have a say in how these AI tools impact practice to ensure practical and ethical use. Join us in discussions of the history of AI, machine and deep learning, computer visions, natural language processing, responsible AI, and so much more. Let’s take a step into the future together.

To kick off our first episode of this series we have Dr. Mehul Sheth, the medical director for health informatics for Illinois and Indiana based at Loyola. For his training, Dr. Sheth went to Midwestern University for medical school after which he completed a residency in pediatrics at University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Sheth has been working in clinical informatics full-time for over 12 years most recently with oracle (formerly Cerner) where he was a member of the AI board and supported the development of machine learning algorithms and generative AI tools like Sax and Actions assist. In this episode we discuss various topics in AI and medicine including its history, capabilities and limitations, current applications, how to prepare for AI’s impact in medicine, and a special announcement of a new AI elective at Stritch!

Episode produced by: Rohan Sethi

Episode recording date: 02/04/2025

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We are keeping the ball rolling with another amazing MS4 match episode! Alek sits down with Dr. Cesar Delgado, MD, and Dr. Hannah Slovacek, MD, two recent 2021 Loyola Stritch School of Medicine graduates that matched into Urology at University of California San Diego (UCSD) and University of Texas, Houston (UT Houston) respectively. Here, Cesar and Hannah reflect on their journey in pursuing a career in Urology, as well as provide tips and recommendations for all stages of the match process.

If you are interested in learning more about Urology, you can reach out to Cesar via DM on Twitter @CesarDelgadoMD or Hannah at hannah.slov@gmail.com, or the official American Urological Association website at https://www.auanet.org/

Episode produced by: Alek Druck

Episode recording date: 05/2021

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We have another amazing MS4 match episode! Alek and Katherine sit down with Colten Wolf, MD, and Emily Bacalao, MD, two recent 2021 Loyola Stritch School of Medicine graduates that matched into Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Loyola Hospital Systems and University of Colorado respectively. Here, Colten and Emily reflect on their journey in pursuing a career in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (colloquially known as “Ears, Nose, and Throat Surgery or “ENT”), as well as provide tips and recommendations for all stages of the match process.

If you are interested in learning more about ENT, you can reach out to Colten at coltenpwolf@gmail.com or emilybacalao@gmail.com., or the official ENT website at https://www.entnet.org/.

Episode produced by: Alek Druck, Katherine Mott

Episode recording date: 05/2021

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The MS4 Specialty Series is back! Here to kick things off is Melissa D'Andrea, MD, and John Hallsten, MD, two recent 2021 Loyola Stritch School of Medicine graduates that matched into the Integrated Vascular Surgery track at University of Arizona, Tuscan, and University of California, San Diego, respectively. Melissa and John reflect on their reasons for pursuing a career in Vascular Surgery, as well as provide tips and recommendations for all stages of the match process. Additionally, they provide great insight on how medical students can stand out on their surgery rotations. 

If you are interested in learning more about Vascular Surgery, you can reach  to Melissa (@MelissaDAndrea4) or John (@JohnHallsten) via twitter, or go to the American Board of Surgery's webpage at https://www.absurgery.org/default.jsp?examoffered_vs . 

In the final bonus episode of a three part series, Katherine and Brittany interview current students at the Stritch School of Medicine about how COVID-19 has impacted their medical education.

Join us as we talk with current M4, Lauren Lamparter, about her experience finishing her clinical rotations, applying to residency programs, and anticipating ways that the transition to residency may look different from previous years.

Post-Recording Update: Lauren will be going to the University of Illinois Chicago for her residency in Emergency Medicine!

Episode produced by: Katherine Mott, Brittany Zelch

Episode recording date: January 2021

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Through personal, firsthand experience Stacia Dearmin, MD has witnessed the impact of unexpected negative outcomes and medical malpractice lawsuits on physicians and other medical professionals. Through her website and counseling company www.thrivephysician.com, she now works to support others through the confusion and uncertainty that often follows adverse outcomes and malpractice litigation.

Episode produced by: Olivia, Nate

Episode recording date: 2/8/21

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This is the second bonus episode in a three part series where Katherine and Brittany interview current students at the Stritch School of Medicine about how COVID-19 has impacted their medical education.

Join us as we talk with current M3, Gideon Levinson, about what it was like to wrap up pre-clinicals, study for STEP1, and begin clinical training during the pandemic. We found Gideon to be a natural motivational speaker, so this is the perfect episode for anyone looking for a little extra juice to help them finish the year (or Dedicated!) off strong.

Episode produced by: Katherine Mott, Brittany Zelch

Episode recording date: January 2021

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We sit down with Dr. Will Brundidge to discuss financial education from the lens of a resident. Will is a PGY-4 Med/Peds senior at Loyola University Hospital Systems. Outside of spending time with his family, Will has interests in financial independence and real estate. Currently, Will and his wife own and rent out properties in both the California and Chicagoland areas. Through a process known as “House Hacking”, he serves as both a tenant/landlord in a triplex unit to obtain supplemental streams of income to offset his monthly mortgage. We also discuss certain principles of financial education every healthcare-professional-in-training should be aware of, including student loan management, contract negotiations, and financial mentorship. This podcast is for information purposes only; no member of this podcast is a licensed financial advisor. 

Recommended resources from Will: https://www.studentloanplanner.com/ https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/ https://financialresidency.com 

Episode produced by: Alek Druck 

Episode recording date: 3/30/21 

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In the second part of this conversation, Luke talks about their experiences interacting with the healthcare system, and their thoughts on how we can better support our trans and nonbinary patients. From being mindful of making assumptions about patients’ health needs based on their gender identity or sexual orientation, to having the humility to listen and learn from our patients, there is a lot we can work on moving forward. If you are looking for a primer on how to better accommodate our gender non-conforming patient populations, this is an excellent place to start!

Episode produced by: Dave Lee

Episode recording date: 7/25/2020

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Lucas Greeff (xe/they) is a dancer, choreographer, and circus artist in the Chicagoland area, who has done some incredible work with Joel Hall Dancers, Blue Fire Dance Collective, and Aloft Circus Arts. They also have personal experience exploring their gender identity, and going through the process of transitioning over the past several years. In this episode, Luke shares their experiences going through HRT (hormone replacement therapy), continuing their performance art work while transitioning, and we celebrate what they have gained from this process.

Support for LGBTQ+ Health in Chicagoland: https://howardbrown.org/

Episode produced by: Dave Lee

Episode recording date: 07/25/2020

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For students interested in pursuing a healthcare career to serve communities in need both international and domestically, the process of finding an organization and travelling can be complicated yet incredibly rewarding. Aaron and Rasa speak with Dr. Amy Blair, a well-traveled faculty member at the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine about her global experiences who provides stories of her service experience abroad and tips for students to find their own path to international service.

Dr. Amy Blair is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Assistant Dean of Medical Education at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and practices Family Medicine in Maywood, Illinois. She became the Director of the Center for Community and Global Health (CCGH) in 2008.  Dr. Blair became involved in global health training as an undergraduate and continued to seek experiences to immerse and serve in local and international communities throughout medical school and residency. As a faculty, she has been a visiting professor and volunteer clinician in local and international settings in Central America and the Caribbean, South America, and Southern Africa. As Director of the CCGH, she hopes to inspire and support medical students who have a passion for health equity and envision local and global service as a part of their medical careers.‌

Episode produced by: Aaron Deng, Rasa Valiauga

Episode recording date: February 2021

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In this mini-series, we explore different health professions to get a better understanding of the variety of team members involved in patient care. For this episode, we chatted with Angela Kwon about her journey in successfully matriculating into a Physician Associate program.

Angela is a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Department of Pulmonology at Stanford. While originally from Los Angeles, California, Angela grew up in the small agricultural town of Salinas on the central coast of the Golden State. As a first-generation American born to Korean immigrant parents, Angela was immersed in the world of healthcare from a young age, often stepping into roles as a translator, healthcare navigator, and even caregiver for her family. These experiences sparked her passion for healthcare and shaped her dedication to improving the lives of others. She earned her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare, with a minor in Global Poverty and Practice, from the University of California, Berkeley. Her honors thesis focused on women’s health, reproductive justice, and its intersection with health and law. Over the years, Angela has gained various experiences in healthcare, having worked in diverse roles, from an oncology Medical Assistant to Research Coordinator in general surgery. Currently, she is contributing to research in pulmonology focused on COPD, the genetic basis of interstitial lung disease, Bronchiectasis and clinical trials for nontuberculosis mycobacteria. This fall, Angela will take the next step in her medical career by starting Physician Assistant school where she will pursue a dual degree in Physician Assistant and Master of Public Health.

Episode produced by: Deborah Chen

Episode edited by Angeli Mittal and Deborah Chen

Episode recording date: 1/4/2025

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The COVID-19 pandemic has touched the lives of nearly everyone on the globe and has drastically changed how we live and interact on a daily basis. Join Katherine and Brittany as they speak with medical students on what the pandemic has meant for their medical education and the impact it’s had on medical student experiences. Stay tuned for three bonus episodes, including this one, where they speak with students at the Stritch School of Medicine from each class, starting with students in their preclinical years and working their way up to a fourth year student who applied to residency during the pandemic.

In today’s bonus episode, Brittany and Katherine speak with Anisha Sharma and Guy Olson about how they are navigating their first and second years of medical school, mainly from home.

While every medical school is handling the pandemic a little differently, let us show you how it has impacted our students and sit with us as we contemplate how it may change medical education for years to come.

Episode produced by: Brittany Zelch, Katherine Mott

Episode recording date: January 2021

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Have you ever wondered how a medical student, low on the totem pole in the very rigid hierarchy of healthcare, can seek out opportunities for leadership in medicine? If so, then this episode is for you!

Brendan and Brittany chat with Nicolette Codispoti, a second-year medical student at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. She shares how she has pursued various leadership roles, both within medical school and beyond in the broader healthcare landscape.

Nicolette is originally from Long Island, New York and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a major in Biology and certificates in Gender and Women’s Studies, Global Health and Leadership. Following undergrad, Nicolette completed two masters degrees, in Public Health and in Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. While completing her Master’s of Science, she also worked as a Research Associate at Clinical Outcomes Solutions, where she supported several clinical trials. Nicolette has a passion for women’s health and medical education and is intimately involved in both areas at Loyola as the President of the Academic Medicine Interest Group and the Mentorship Chair for the Society of Women’s Health. Outside of Stritch, Nicolette serves on the Committee of Medical Education for the Medical Student Section of the American Medical Association, as well as Education Chair for the Medical Student Forum on Female Sexual Dysfunction. Her past and current leadership experiences led to her latest position, in which she was selected to serve as the first medical student on the Board of Directors for the Academy of Professionalism in Medicine.

You can connect with Nicolette on Twitter at @nmcodispoti.

Episode produced by: Brendan Connolly and Brittany Zelch

Edited by: Shawn Choe

Episode recording date: November 2020

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Dr. Shahid is an expert on the topic of emotional intelligence. In this episode, he shares with us what it means to have emotional intelligence and how developing this important skillset can help physicians become effective leaders, build strong relationships with patients, develop resiliency, and perform well under stress.

Improving your emotional intelligence starts with knowing your strengths and weaknesses. You can start here with these brief assessments:

https://globalleadershipfoundation.com/geit/eitest.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/personality/emotional-intelligence-test

To learn more about the topics of EI and Resilience, check out the review videos Dr. Shahid has posted: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcAalo94zsJeiXv63fmTtGg

About our guest - Dr. Ramzan Shahid received his B.S. from University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 1992 and his M.D. also from UIC in 1996.  He completed his Pediatric Residency training in 1999 from Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL.  Dr. Shahid's entire 20 year career has focused on graduate medical education and academic pediatrics.  He has an interest in emotional intelligence (EI) and has given several presentations and workshops on using EI skills to promote the development of resilience.  Additionally, he has published several articles and a book chapter on this topic.

Episode produced by: Mara and Monica

Episode recording date: November 2020

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Dr. Alyssa Burgart is a board certified pediatric anesthesiologist and bioethicist. She specializes in pediatric anesthesia and pediatric abdominal transplant anesthesia. She also has a joint appointment in the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, serves as the Co-Chair of the LPCH Ethics Committee and as a member of the SHC Ethics Committee. She provides ethics consultation services for people of all ages. Her ethics interests include pediatric ethics, organ transplantation, communication skills, disability rights, women's healthcare access, adolescent decision-making, ethics education, and excellence in ethics consultation. Dr. Burgart is active on Twitter, where she comments on Anesthesiology and Bioethics issues. You can follow her at @BurgartBioethix.

Episode produced by: Emily Hagen, Brendan Connolly

Episode edited by Shawn Choe

Episode recording date: 09/21/20

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Dr. Imran Uraizee is currently a Clinical Instructor and fellow in surgical pathology in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC) and is board certified by the American Board of Pathology. He plans to complete a cytopathology fellowship at LUMC in the upcoming academic year. He graduated from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry and served as an intern in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC). He completed his residency training in combined anatomic and clinical pathology (AP/CP) at UCMC and served as chief resident. Dr. Uraizee curates surgical pathology cases and questions for Loyola Pathology's @HallwayPathQuiz Twitter account and can also be followed at his personal handle, @IUraizee3MD.

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga, Emily Hagen

Episode recording date: 12/19/20

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Loyola University Chicago hosted Dr. Anthony Fauci for a conversation about humanism in medicine and we got permission to share the interview with you! He talks a bit about the COVID 19 outlook as well as his own career. At the end he gives advice for current medical students entering the workforce about the many opportunities there are for people with medical degrees.

Episode produced by: Nate

Episode recording date: 1/28/2020

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Dr. Elizabeth Mueller is the division director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPRMS) at Loyola University Medical Center and incoming president of the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS). She is a renowned expert in female pelvic floor dysfunction, with over 80+ publications and 15+ grant-funded research initiatives. Notably, she is the first AUGS president to graduate from a urology residency. As demonstrated by the litany of these academic accolades, Dr. Mueller understands what it takes to be a successful physician. In this podcast, we dive into nuts and bolts of her success story.

Interestingly, Dr. Mueller’s path to medicine was fairly untraditional. Originally, she started her career as a critical care nurse in the ICU. After saving up enough money to go to college, she found an interest in the math and sciences, and graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. She worked for Procter and Gamble for six years, climbing the ranks of the engineering and business world to eventually lead a 120 person department with a $13 million/year operating budget. In reflecting on the satisfaction she felt during her days as an ICU nurse, she made the decision to apply for medical school at age 36. She would then graduate from St. Louis University School of Medicine and complete a urology residency and urogynecology/FPRMS fellowship at Loyola.

Captivating, insightful, and knowledgeable, Dr. Mueller is known as an amazing mentor inside and outside the OR. Tune in for discussions on what it takes to achieve such success in the world of academic medicine.

Episode produced by: Alek Druck, Josh Lewis

Episode recording date: September 30th, 2020

Dr. John Boockvar is a neurosurgeon and Vice Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in NY, which is featured in a Netflix-original docuseries called “Lenox Hill” (released June 2020). He is also a professor of neurosurgery and otolaryngology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He has an extensive list of awards, lectures, papers, and research accomplishments. Currently, he is a co-principal investigator of ongoing clinical trials testing a new delivery method of targeted drug treatment for common types of brain cancer.

Prior to joining the Northwell in 2014, Dr. Boockvar was a professor of neurosurgery and neuroscience, the co-director of the brain and spine tumor program at the Weill Cornell Medical College, and a neurosurgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital. In 2014, the Feinstein Institute opened a research center, of which Dr. Boockvar is the co-director. In this role, he heads the neuro-oncology research program. The Feinstein Institute  focuses on helping startup companies test ideas to treat or diagnose brain tumors. He has also conducted basic research to study cancer stem cells in the context of brain tumors, as well as methods using neural stem cells to treat brain disorders. Dr. Boockvar is passionately committed to offering patients proven and better therapy.

Episode produced by: Emily Hagen, Rasa Valiauga

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In this episode, we talk to Jessica Simpson, a second-year medical student at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and founder of the Loyola chapter of White Coats for Black Lives, about the WC4BL organization, racism in healthcare, and how to begin having meaningful conversations and take action to combat this systemic issue.

Jessica L. Simpson, M.P.H. is a second-year medical student at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM). She grew up in Maryland and earned her Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Community Health from the University of Maryland College Park. Jessica earned a Master of Public Health degree from her parents’ alma mater, the University of Louisville. Prior to medical school, Ms. Simpson worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for five years in HIV-related surveillance, national survey analysis, and emergency preparedness and response, including deployments to Sierra Leone for the 2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak and the Emergency Operations Center at CDC Headquarters for the opioid epidemic. Early in her career, Ms. Simpson has authored more than 10 peer reviewed abstracts, quick stats, or data briefs and has been the recipient of several federal, state, and academic awards. During her first year of medical school, she was a Co-Coordinator for the high school mentor program, Health Professionals Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) and continues to mentor her mentees. Currently, Jessica volunteers at the CommunityHealth Clinic (CHC) in Chicago, the largest volunteer-based free clinic in the nation, providing gynecological medical care under the supervision of attending physicians. She also volunteers as a phlebotomist at the CHC. Jessica is the founder and President of the White Coats for Black Lives Chapter at SSOM and Vice President of the Integrative Medicine Student Interest Group. She believes that storytelling has the capacity to change heart and minds by igniting action which leads to meaningful change. For that reason, Ms. Simpson organized the White Coats for Black Lives photo collage project in solidarity for Black Lives at Loyola University Chicago. Jessica enjoys yoga, meditation, gardening, cooking, traveling, running, hiking, and spending time with family and friends. She invites you to connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Episode produced by: Rasa

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This episode features Dr. Travis Nielson who started his medical career after obtaining his Doctorate in biology. For those non-traditional wondering if medicine is the right path for you, take a listen! 

Episode produced by: Shawn Choe 

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In this mini-series, we explore different health professions to get a better understanding of the variety of team members involved in patient care. For this episode, we chatted with social worker Lauren Judd about her journey and the essential services social workers provide to patients.

Lauren Judd is a dedicated and experienced social worker with over 12 years of practice in the healthcare setting. Lauren obtained her Masters of Social Work from the University of IL at Chicago and holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Germanic Language and Literature from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  She has worked since 2015 in the Emergency Department at Loyola University Medical Center providing advocacy and support to patients, families, and medical staff.  Lauren is a member of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry and has worked as an expert witness. Passionate about self determination and patient rights, Lauren has found empowering those experiencing mental health crises as part of an interdisciplinary team fulfilling. When not in the ED, Lauren enjoys container gardening and offbeat road trips with family and friends. 

For more information, please visit the following resources:

• National Association of Social Workers

• Types of Social Work Degrees

• Society for Social Work Leadership in Healthcare

• The Center for Case Management | Leading the Industry in Case Management Consulting

• American Case Management Association

• CDC Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) 

• CMS Social Drivers of Health and Health-Related Social Needs 

• Treating the Whole Person: Vince's Story | CMS

  
  

Episode produced by: Rasa Valiauga and Angeli Mittal

Episode recording date: 11/4/24

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Dr. Pamela Wible is a family physician born into a family of physicians who warned her not to pursue medicine. She soon discovered why—to heal her patients she first had to heal her profession. Fed up with assembly-line medicine, Dr. Wible held town hall meetings where she invited citizens to design their own ideal clinic. Open since 2005, Wible’s community clinic has inspired Americans to create ideal clinics and hospitals nationwide. In between treating her own patients and helping doctors launch community clinics, Dr. Wible devotes herself to medical student and physician suicide prevention. She has investigated nearly 1,300 doctor suicides and her extensive database and suicide registry reveals highestrisk specialties—and solutions. Dr. Wible runs a free doctor suicide hotline and has helped countless medical students and physicians heal from anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts so they can enjoy practicing medicine again. Dr. Wible speaks widely on health care delivery and physician suicide prevention.

Episode produced by: Rasa, Dave, and Aaron

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Carrie Reynolds is a pediatric gastroenterologist and host of the excellent podcast “Hippocratic Hustle” where she interviews women physicians who have found their freedom through entrepreneurship and side-projects. Recently she transitioned from a private practice w2 job to working as a locum tenens physician and she joined us on the podcast to discuss the ins and outs of locums work.

Here are some links to websites and organizations mentioned in the show:

• Hippocratichustle.com
  
• Hippocraticholiday.com
  
• Nalto.org/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/physicianmomsgroup/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/Female-Physician-Entrepreneurs-1467853313300571/
  

Episode produced by: Nate

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In this episode we sit down with Justin Cooper, a prominent advocate for disabilities rights in the state of Illinois. In this discussion, we talk about the Community Emergency Services and Support Act (CESSA), a potential state bill that would offer an alternative emergency response system for mental or behavioral emergencies to disabled Illinoisans.  We cover a broad range of topics including many of the myths surrounding this bill, the history of how it came to be, and how it may benefit Illinoisans. Justin also describes some of his other efforts to improve the rights of disability community.

A little bit of background about Justin - Justin has worked together with Access Living since 2014, an organization whose mission statement includes "...igniting disability power and pride, providing critical services, and breaking down systemic barriers to create a stronger, more inclusive society." As part of his work with Access Living, Justin is the president of the Young Professionals Council (YPC).  This group is comprised of multiple disciplines (including healthcare providers, lawyers, architects, and more) and whose goals includes utilizing professional networks to advocate and support the disability community. Justin is also heavily involved with Advance Your Leadership Power, a group whose focus is on combating racial inequalities. 

For more information on many of these topics please see the links below:

CESSA: https://www.accessliving.org/defending-our-rights/racial-justice/community-emergency-services-and-support-act-cessa/

CESSA Virtual Lobbying Week: https://www.accessliving.org/get-involved/join-a-community-organizing-group/advance-your-leadership-power/cessa-virtual-lobbying-week/

YPC: https://www.accessliving.org/get-involved/young-professionals-council-ypc/

YPC Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AccessLivingYoungProfessionalsCouncil

YPC IG Page: @ypcalchicago

Justin's IG Page: @mrcooper82

In this episode, we interview Dr. Nate Kittle, a family medicine faculty member at The Wright Center National Family Medicine Residency program at HealthPoint. Combining his passions for community health and bioethics, Dr. Kittle is especially interested in treating patients with opioid use disorders. Tune in to learn about the different approaches that Dr. Kittle utilizes to humanistically and ethically treat such patients and the associated challenges.

This episode is a follow-up to Dr. Kittle’s talk called, “Treating Patients with Opioid Use Disorder” that he gave to third year medical students at the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine earlier this month. It was also an Ethics Grand Rounds talk and celebrated the 20th anniversary of Loyola’s Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics & Healthcare Leadership.

Dr. Kittle can be reached at: nathankittle@gmail.com. He is very willing to email with students about their questions regarding family medicine or addiction medicine, or other related topics.

Episode produced by: Emily Hagen & Josh Lewis (interviewers), Brendan Connolly (interview preparation), Shawn Choe (podcast editor)

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Raising a child with special needs brings many joys and challenges. On this episode we hear about it firsthand from Sharon Pike, who has a daughter with special needs. Through her experience navigating the healthcare system with her daughter, she was inspired to start Operation Homefront. This organization pairs medical students with special needs children and their families, for an immersive experience that broadens perspective and helps future doctors learn how to better support their patients with special needs. Additionally, Sharon works at Easterseals, an organization dedicated to providing resources to people with different abilities. She is an amazing advocate and we are lucky to learn from her and share her message with you all. 

Get in contact with Sharon: 630-479-7230, samj142@aol.com

Episode produced by: Josh and Mara

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Immigration: you may have strong opinions about it on one side or the other, but how much do you actually know? And what does undocumented immigration have to do with medicine?

For this episode, we sat down with Dr. Mark Kuczewski, a lead bioethicist at Stritch School of Medicine and an expert on the intersection between undocumented immigrants and the American healthcare system. Dr. Kuczewski covered a broad number of topics in this interview, including common myths about the demographics of immigrants in the U.S., medical school admissions for DACA students, and much more. Tune in to learn something new!

Links from the episode: 

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/451937-health-insurance-for-undocumented-immigrants-its-only-fair-to-all-of-us

https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/how-medicine-may-save-life-us-immigration-policy-clinical-and-educational-encounters-ethical-public/2017-03

Episode produced by: Brendan Connolly and Emily Hagen

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If you are interested in learning more technical details of the SOAP we highly recommend these videos on the NRMP website:

SOAP for Applicants Video

SOAP for Programs Video

How the Matching Algorithm Works

Liza a first year resident in Family Medicine at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, IL. She graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 2019. She is passionate about reproductive health and caring for underserved populations. In her off time she loves to read, cook, and explore Chicago!

Episode produced by: Nate, Alek

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It's time once again for every pre-med's favorite topic...admissions! For the latest episode in our Medical Myths series, Brendan, Emily, and Raj--safely on the other side of the admissions hurdle--sat down with Darrell Nabers, the Dean of Admissions at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, to de-mystify the process of getting that desired acceptance. So set aside those MCAT books and give yourself a quick break from Student Doctor Network to tune in!

Episode produced by: Brendan Connolly, Emily Hagen, Raj Ramini

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In this episode, we sat down with a third year medical student Hermona Abera to discuss two topics in medicine which are all too familiar to her - racism and loss. Listen along as we explore the types of discrimination Hermona has faced before and during medical school, the losses she’s experienced, and how she’s dealt with both.

Episode produced by: Rasa, Neal

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In this episode we sat down with Adam Wadina.  Adam is a 4th year medical student applying to neurology residency. He was born missing his left hand, and this has shaped his medical school experience and overall life outlook in many ways. He has become very passionate about disability ethics, and hopes his experiences can help further the discussion in the future for both patients and doctors who face long term disability. In today’s conversation, Adam talks about his experiences through medical education, and shares his insights on how we view and discuss issues around disability.

For resources and support for parents of children with limb deformities, Adam recommended checking out The Lucky Fin Project: https://luckyfinproject.org/

In this mini-series, we explore different health professions to better understand the variety of team members involved in patient care. For this episode, we spoke with Anh Phu about his journey to becoming a physician-scientist.

Anh Phu is an MD-PhD student at the Yale School of Medicine. He was born in Vietnam and moved to San Francisco, CA at 11. He attended City College of San Francisco and transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his Bachelor of Arts with/ Honors in Molecular & Cell Biology in 2019. Anh then worked as a research assistant at UCSF and the San Francisco VA Center studying the roles of macrophages in cardiometabolic diseases. He has published three first-author articles in prestigious scientific journals that further contribute to understanding the metabolic reprogramming of macrophages to regulate chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis. Anh also co-authored numerous publications that investigated the functional properties of extracellular vesicles in atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, sepsis, and cancer. He is now a 3rd year student and just recently joined the Department of Immunobiology at Yale to begin his PhD work. His scientific interest focuses on understanding the effect of aging on the immune system and cardiovascular diseases. This also translates to his clinical interest, which he aspires to pursue a career in cardiovascular medicine. As an immigrant himself, Anh is also passionate about immigrant health. He volunteers at the HAVEN Free Clinic, where he helps provide primary care services to immigrant patients in New Haven. 

Episode produced by: Deborah Chen

Episode recording date: 10/13/2024

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This episode is for those who love school. We have a special guest Robert Canning who decided to obtain his JD and MBA and then pursue medical school. He is currently a first year student at Stritch School of Medicine. Listen as he shares his story about being a lawyer by day and EMT by night prior to beginning medical school. Hope you enjoy!

Robert Canning is a first year student at Stritch School of Medicine. He received his JD/MBA degree from the University of Connecticut, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and History from Wake Forest University while being part of pre-hospital emergency medicine since 2004.

This series is especially for pre-meds pursuing or thinking about pursuing a non-traditional path to medicine. Our guest for this episode is Cheryl Zhang, who transitioned from a career in marketing to being a student at Stritch School of Medicine. She shares her stories, thought process, post-bac program experience, and tips and tricks about applying to medical school. We hope you enjoy!

Cheryl Zhang is a first year medical student at Stritch School of Medicine. She worked in marketing for a few years before attending a formal post-bac program at the University of Michigan. She was then accepted to Stritch School of Medicine for class of 2023 and is currently the president of the M1 Class Board.

Episode produced by: Shawn

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Welcome to "Medical Myths,"  a new series on the Medicus podcast where we explore misinformation and common misunderstandings in the healthcare world, with the goal to help dispel common myths and promote education and awareness.

Today’s episode focuses on women’s health, specifically women’s pleasure and pain. We interviewed Jen Romanello, a medical student at Rush Medical College in Chicago who has previously done extensive work in women’s health, which she considers a passion.

Before medical school, Jen was an Ambassador at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC. In this role, she created a panel with local physicians and health educators open to the public titled, "I LIKE IT: A Conversation on Female Pleasure and Sexual Communication" on raising the consciousness of how women can more readily identify and communicate what is pleasurable for them in their own lives. She has worked at a global fertility practice doing clinical research and also served on the organization’s ethics committee. She keeps a blog about exploring the intersection of bioethics, women’s health, and identity, and she graduated from the George Washington University with B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Applied Ethics.

So, how "cliterate" are you? What myths about women’s health are you holding onto? Tune in to find out!

Correction to episode:

The urologist cited in the podcast has a fellowship in “Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction” not “Sexual Medicine”

Links from episode:

https://jenromanellobioethics.com/

https://www.isswsh.org/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/serena-williams-black-women-health-care_n_5aa156fce4b002df2c61c6aahttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/serena-williams-black-women-health-care_n_5aa156fce4b002df2c61c6aa

In today’s episode we dive deep into the topic of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, one of the newer emerging modalities in the field of medicine.  We sit down to discuss with Dr. Timothy Buckley, a clinical psychiatrist at the Edward Hines VA system to discuss the what the current research is telling us, why this is so exciting for the field of psychiatry and how this new therapy will fit into medicine in the future.

Before we hop into our discussion, we wanted to make sure that our listeners understand that this episode is intended to be for general informational purposes only and is not to be interpreted as an endorsement for use.  Dr. Buckley’s discussion today is not meant to represent the views or policy of the VA hospital system, but are rather an expression of his own academic interests in this evolving therapeutic modality. Furthermore, listeners should be aware that the inappropriate use of these compounds carry real consequences including both the potential for physiologic harm as well as potential legal ramifications, as these substances are currently considered schedule 1 drugs by the DEA.  With that said, please enjoy this discussion with Dr. Timothy Buckley

Bio - Dr. Buckley grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Western Michigan University where he received a BA in English and Spanish. He then worked with the mentally ill in rehabilitation centers for several years before returning to school to obtain a medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and later did his residency in psychiatry at the University of Kansas Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry from NW University. He now works at Hines VA medical center and teaches Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine.

Links from episode 

https://maps.org/

https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/

https://www.nature.com/articles/npp201784 - great review article on the potential for psychedelics as a therapy

https://tim.blog/2019/09/10/largest-psychedelic-research-center/

https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transcendence/dp/0735224153/ref=sr_1_3?crid=DV9Q4Y90D9S7&keywords=how+to+change+your+mind&qid=1574527221&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sprefix=how+to+change+%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-3

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641975/

The terms “hospice” and “palliative care” are frequently associated with end stages of dying and can be misinterpreted as giving up or losing hope, but it could not be further from the truth.  In fact, hospice and palliative care are not synonymous and do not have to be mutually exclusive.  Listen as we discuss the differences between hospice and palliative care, debunk some common misconceptions, and explore the benefits of these routes of treatment.

Dr. Aziz Ansari is an Associate Professor of Medicine and is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Optimization and Revenue Integrity at Loyola University Medical Center. He graduated from Midwestern University and completed his residency training at Loyola University Medical Center. He is a practicing and board certified hospitalist and palliative care physician. Dr. Ansari teaches frequently on the role of primary palliative care in improving health care delivery, primary communication skills in serious illness, opioid management and the role of cultural humility in challenging one's implicit biases at the bedside. He has over a decade of speaking and teaching experience.

To honor breast cancer awareness month, we sat down with Alice Moon, Devon and Peter Moon to get a patient’s perspective on being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer as a 26 year old woman. We talk about various topics such as dealing with cancer, navigating the healthcare system, and handling side effects of chemotherapy treatment.

Alice is a 26 year old patient who graduated with a masters of science in nutrition from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She has various interests such as cooking, walking on the beach and enjoying spending time with friends and family.

Instagram: @moonwalkingtc

Episode produced by: Shawn Choe

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Medical students Megha Srivastava and Andrea Escobar spent a whole year working at a free clinic in rural Bolivia for their global health fieldwork fellowship. You can find out more about the clinic and the fellowship here:

http://centromedicohumbertoparra.org/

https://hsd.luc.edu/global_health/programs/scholarsprogram/

Episode produced by: Nate

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Women have made up at least 40% of medical students in the US for over 25 years, yet this is not reflected in medical leadership.  Women account for only 18% of hospital CEOs and 16% of all deans and department chairs.  While the reasons behind this discrepancy are numerous and the potential solutions even more complex, there is hope.  We sat down with Dr. Shikha Jain, a hematology and oncology physician at Rush University Medical Center, to discuss some of these barriers to women leadership and some questions we all should be asking ourselves as we shape the future of medicine.

Dr. Jain has also written for several organizations including Doximity, KevinMD, ASCO Connection, and completed a year as a Doximity writing fellow. Additionally, Dr. Jain has peer-reviewed publications on her research interests,  which include gender equity, career advancement for women, increasing underrepresented minorities in medicine, the impact of social media on medicine, and GI oncology. Her clinical research focus includes precision oncology, immunotherapy, neuroendocrine tumors and hepatocellular carcinoma.

In this 4th year medical student (MS4) specialty episode, we investigate the field of obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn). Our specialty series with 4th year medical students consists of three parts. Part I consists of a discussion about the field. Here, we will learn about the reasons why our guests have decided to pursue a career in this specialty, likes/dislikes about the field, and common stereotypes surrounding the field. Part II explores what it takes to match into the field. Our discussions in this section include ways in which medical students can become a competitive applicant for this specialty, tips for rotations in this specialty, advice on structuring your curriculum, and ways to evaluate which residency programs to apply to. Part III is the general advice section. Here, our 4th year students will reveal the secrets to success for each year of medical school, as well as advice for pre-med students, gap year students, excelling on board exams, and more.

Our guest in this episode, Andy Chen, is completing his medical education at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Andy is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and majored in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics. Andy took four years off after college to work on his medical school application. During this period, he would take the MCAT multiple times, went on a medical mission’s trip, and obtained EMT certification. Andy’s journey to medicine has been published in the “Inspiring Stories” section on the AAMC website, which can be found at the following link: https://students-residents.aamc.org/choosing-medical-career/article/andy-chen/

Andy provides great insight into the world of Ob/Gyn, delivering a unique perspective of a being a male applicant/provider. He highlights the importance of women’s health and the variety that Ob/Gyn can offer.

For advice, tips, and a glimpse into the lives of medical students pursuing a career in Ob/Gyn, follow along!

In this episode, we sat down with fellow Medicus team member Dave Lee to discuss his experience with pediatric cancer (specifically ALL).  Dave shares his perspective as a former patient and now as a physician in training.  We get into some pretty interesting discussions (I especially enjoyed his thoughts on the role that labels play in our identification process).  Additionally, we are excited to start bringing in the new M1 members of the team.  On this episode, we are joined by Shawn Choe! We are excited to have him as well as all of our new members.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Laura Vater,  board certified Gastrointestinal Oncologist at Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and physician advocate. She shares her journey into medicine, how she started writing, and became a physician advocate at all levels of medical education.

Dr. Vater is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She is also the founding director of the Young-Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer Program at IU and co-founder of the narrative medicine program, Writing for Wellness. She was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2018 and is a member of the Pegasus Physician Writers at Stanford University. She has developed a wellness behavior tool for patients and clinicians (called the SMILE Scale) and has published several narrative medicine essays and peer-reviewed publications. Besides being a writer, Dr. Vaah-ter is a TEDx and commencement speaker, mother, and advocate for patients and healthcare workers. She believes that patients should be treated as whole human beings and that clinicians deserve the same.

We explore the topics of humanism in medicine, compassion, the importance of physician wellness and mental health, burnout in healthcare, and the nuances of medical care both in the clinic and at the institutional level.

For further reference follow Dr. Laura Vater on Instagram @doclauravater and at https://www.lauravater.com/. 

Episode produced by: Nikita Ganeshan

Episode recording date: 11/15/2024

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On this episode we take a look into complementary and alternative medicine. Does hypnosis actually work? Can a certain herbal medicine make me live longer? These are some of the questions we ask Dr. Kit Lee, a Family Medicine physician at Loyola University Medical Center. While medical education programs spend little class time addressing non-traditional therapies, the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative health reports that about 38% of adults and 12% of children currently use some type of complementary and alternative (CAM) therapy. To shed some light onto CAM therapies like chiropractic/osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, aromatherapy, biofeedback therapy, biofield therapy, herbal medicine, hypnosis, meditation, naturopathy, and yoga, we brought in a champion of CAM therapy, Dr. Lee. Dr. Lee completed her undergraduate and medical education at Northwestern University, and completed her residency at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IL. She is board certified in medical acupuncture and is a certified yoga instructor. Additionally, she has professional training in mind, body spirit medicine and training in medical hypnosis. If you have wanted to hear some of the research, science, and anecdotal testaments behind complementary and alternative medicine, be sure to give this one a listen!Episode produced by Alekwww.medicuspodcast.com | medicuspodcast@gmail.com | Donate: http://bit.ly/MedicusDonate

If you've ever watched any crime show, you're probably familiar with the stereotype of the pathologist - alone in the recesses of the hospital, dissecting the deceased. Thanks largely to this stereotype (we are looking at you CSI), this has lead to the misconception that pathology is boring and lonely. But in the real world, this could not be further from the truth.  We sat down with Dr. Kamran Mirza, a clinical pathologist, to discuss why this medical specialty can be just as rewarding and challenging as other specialties, and why medical students should consider it.  In our discussion, we get into a host of other topics such as the future of medical education, how to develop a meaningful and engaging career, how technology can enhance learning and foster collaboration and much more. If you’ve never considered pathology as a career, you will definitely want to listen to this episode.

About Dr. Kamaran Mirza

Dr. Mirza, MD, PhD is completed medical school at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan and his graduate training at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  His residency was in combined anatomic and clinical pathology, followed by fellowships in hematopathology, thoracic pathology, and medical education at the University of Chicago.  He is currently a hematopathologist, assistant professor of pathology, associate director for the pathology residency, medical director of molecular pathology, and director of the medical student pathology clerkship at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine-Chicago.

Follow Dr. Mirza at 

@KMirza on Twitter

@ kam5.2 on instagram 

Or you can check out some of his published articles here 

"My Classroom is empty: Is that a problem?"

"#Twitter Homework"

"Meeting Kristoff"

In this 4th year medical student (MS4) specialty episode, we investigate the field of Pediatrics. Our specialty series with 4th year medical students consists of three parts. Part I consists of a discussion about the field. Here, we will learn about the reasons why our guests have decided to pursue a career in this specialty, likes/dislikes about the field, and common stereotypes surrounding the field. Part II explores what it takes to match into the field. Our discussions in this section include ways in which medical students can become a competitive applicant for this specialty, tips for rotations in this specialty, advice on structuring your curriculum, and ways to evaluate which residency programs to apply to. Part III is the general advice section. Here, our 4th year students will reveal the secrets to success for each year of medical school, as well as advice for pre-med students, gap year students, excelling on board exams, and more.

Our guests in this episode, Tara Funk and Hannah Friedman, completed their medical education at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Tara is a graduate from Baylor University, and completed a dual degree in business and pre-medicine. To prepare for her application for medical school, she did research and scribed in an emergency department after graduating. Tara has always had interests in medicine, and originally had thoughts of becoming a veterinarian before realizing that medical school was her true calling. Tara also “couples matched” with her partner, who is currently in an emergency medicine residency. A native of Colorado, Hannah completed her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College with a degree in psychology. She would then spend two years at Yale University as a research fellow before applying to medical school. Hannah says she has always wanted to be a pediatrician, and is excited to pursue her dream career. Today, both Tara and Hannah are in their first year of Pediatrics residency at the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado Boulder respectively.

For advice, tips, and a glimpse into the lives of medical students pursuing a career in Pediatrics, follow along!

Episode produced by: Alek

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