The Present Illness – Details, episodes & analysis

In this week's episode, Drs. Salles and Burgart perform a critical examination of academic freedom under attack, focusing on the viral case of an Oklahoma pre-med student who's created a fever pitch of controversy by turning in shoddy work and targeting her transgender professor. The doctors dissect how right-wing influencers are turning classroom disagreements into national culture war symptoms, with concerning implications for academia's immune system.

Our hosts investigate the alarming trend of politically-motivated complaints against university professors. From Indiana University to Texas A&M, faculty are experiencing acute cases of administrative panic when confronted with student outrage—often resulting in terminal employment outcomes.

Fact Check: The correct way to reference people from Somalia is Somali, not Somalian. We apologize for the error!

Links

• Here’s more about Samantha Fulnecky and the story at the University of Oklahoma
• Here’s more about the instructor (Jessica Adams) who was removed from teaching her class at Indiana University
• Here’s more about the instructor (Melissa McCoul) who was fired at Texas A&M and the findings of the faculty committee that reviewed what happened
• Jennifer Freyd’s DARVO concept - Deny-Attack-Reverse Victim and Offender

💊Take Two and Call Me In The Morning 💊

• Here’s one of Haley Dortch’s videos. You’re welcome!
• Somebody, Somewhere on HBO
• How I escaped MAGA! Critical thinking woke me up.
• Nurse Johnn on being unprofessional
• Here’s Jeff Hiller’s book Actress of a Certain Age

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

The doctors perform an emergency triage on the state of public health leadership this week, starting with a scathing dissection of The Atlantic's profile of RFK Jr. that seemingly skipped the fact-checking department. Drs. Salles and Burgart administer a strong dose of reality as they examine how mainstream media continues to platform dangerous health misinformation with fewer guardrails than a pediatric rollercoaster.

Their differential diagnosis extends to the newest clown to emerge from the Clown Car of Public Health - the CDC's latest deputy director Ralph Lee Abraham. An avid COVID vaccine skeptic with min-bogglingly illogical public health positions, we're in for more shenanigans out of the nation's top health administration. 

Between discussions of pertussis vaccine efficacy and the EPA's concerning moves on PFAS, asbestos, and air pollution regulations, this episode delivers a thorough examination of how public health leadership impacts everyday Americans - no insurance preauthorization required.

Joy: Take Two And Call Me In The Morning

• Alyssa recommends the dark comedy show, Pluribus (AppleTV)
• "Just look at the degree on that chick" and Dr. Turner’s post on Twitter
• Distractingly Sexy - I can’t believe this trend is from 2015… In response to Nobel scientist Tim Hunt stating, “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls … three things happen when they are in the lab … You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.”)

Fact check:

The large study Arghavan mentioned was Danish, not Swedish. Apologies!

Links

• The Atlantic article about RFK Jr
• The New Yorker article by Tatiana Schlossberg
• Information about the pertussis vaccine (as part of Tdap); adults should get a booster every 10 years
• More on Ralph Abraham, the new CDC Deputy Director
• On the Trump administration’s approval of PFAS
• On the Trump administration’s moves regarding particle pollution
• On the Trump administration’s moves regarding asbestos in talc
• To learn more about Rachel Carson
• Book:

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

In this engaging first episode of "The Present Illness," physician-hosts Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart delve into the complexities of public health, politics, and culture. They discuss the controversial claims surrounding Tylenol and autism, emphasizing the importance of scientific evidence and the dangers of misinformation. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by patients trying to access care, the medical community, the impact of deregulation, and the role of social media in spreading health-related myths. With humor and insight, Arghavan and Alyssa aim to make sense of a world that often feels febrile and underdiagnosed, inviting listeners to join them in exploring these critical issues.

00:00 Introduction to The Present Illness Podcast

The Swedish Study: Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. Ahlqvist VH, et al. JAMA. 2024.

04:59 The Role of Science in Public Health 10:49 Eugenics and the Stigmatization of Autism

16:19 The Impact of Misinformation on Public Perception

Co-author of study linking Tylenol to autism says pain reliever still an option. Politico.

Harvard’s Public Health Dean Was Paid $150,000 to Testify Tylenol Causes Autism. The Harvard Crimson.

21:51 The Importance of Research Funding

Danish Study of Aluminum in Vaccines: Aluminum-Adsorbed Vaccines and Chronic Diseases in Childhood: A Nationwide Cohort Study. Andersson NW, et al. Ann Intern Med.

Explaining the Danish Study on Aluminum in Vaccines. VaccinateYourFamily.org.

27:38 The Future of Public Health and Vaccination

Book: The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century By Deborah Blum

33:36 The Role of NIH in Rare Disease Research

The Persian word Sheytân (شیطان) for "devil" or "evil spirit" is borrowed from the Arabic shayṭān (شَيْطَان).

39:11 The Dangers of Misinformation in Cancer Treatment

45:41 The Importance of Early Detection in Cancer

Cartoon: Autism Causes Vaccines. smbccomics on Instagram.

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Activation Awareness: This episode discusses serious pregnancy complications and the dismissal of women's health concerns.

In this week's episode of The Present Illness, Drs. Arghavan and Alyssa deliver a stat consultation on two viral stories about Black women receiving substandard obstetric care. With surgical precision, they dissect the case of Karrie Jones at Dallas Regional Medical Center, who was kept in a wheelchair for admitting questions while in active labor, and Mercedes Wells, who was turned away from Franciscan Hospital in Indiana only for her husband Leon to deliver their baby on the side of the road. Their differential diagnosis includes systemic racism, dismissal of women's pain, and healthcare systems operating with more red tape than gauze.

This TikTok from OB-Gyn Shannon Clark gives her expert take.

Fact check: Texas did not disband their maternal mortality review committee—Georgia did, after ProPublica reported on deaths in Georgia.

Resources mentioned:

• 2025 March of Dimes Report Card 
• Allyson Felix: Tori Bowie Can't Die In Vain
• Tierra Walker’s death due to lack of abortion access
• ProPublica’s reporting on what happens when someone who needs an abortion can’t get one—and how the system fails them once they have a child: 
• ProPublica’s Post-Roe American archives
• Brittany Watts on her experience being arrested after a miscarriage 
• Another woman was arrested for having a miscarriage at a fast food establishment
• On the woman being prosecuted in South Carolina
• Texas' so-called abortion-trafficking laws
• South Carolina’s bill to punish abortion with death penalty
• Arghavan’s essay on maternal and infant mortality after Dobbs

Looking for ways to help by volunteering or donating?

Nonprofits 

• SisterSong
• Black Mamas Matte

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Join Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart as they don their sterile gloves to dissect the web of connections surrounding Mr. Pedophile Criminal, Jeffrey Epstein, in "The Epstein of It All." The doctors examine how powerful men shield each other from consequences - and compound harms to survivors.

Arghavan shares her social media deep dive into the recently released Epstein emails about Donald Trump, including those with journalist Michael Wolff and former Harvard Dean Larry Summers. These emails are so poorly written that listeners face the risk of losing brain cells. Alyssa rolls her eyes over how gross and foolish people have way too much power. Etsy sellers are already hawking T-shirts that say "I know how dirty Donald is.”

The episode's diagnostic workup includes a careful examination of how society treats allegations against powerful figures and the chronic condition of powerful men escaping accountability.

What’s bringing you Joy this week?

This week our physicians prescribe a healthy dose of Soraya Chemaly and her new book, All We Want is Everything, and Fumi Abe, whose nephew apparently knows too much about the American healthcare system (we're not asking questions).

Fact check: The guest who was going to visit Epstein and was worried about whether they might run into Trump wasn't a young woman or a woman at all--he was a former member of the Kuwaiti government.

Links:

• To read more about the latest trove on the Epstein emails on Arghavan’s Instagram carousel
• The Harvard Salient: The 20th Anniversary of Larry Summers’ Remarks and the Debut of Cancel Culture

Take two of this episode and call us in the morning.

Activation awareness: This episode contains discussions of SA and mentions of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged crimes. Listener discretion is advised.

Note: The literary reference people are mentioning regarding a “dog not barking” is from Sherlock Holmes, referring to a case in which the dog didn’t bark because the thief was someone the dog knew.

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

In this electrifying episode of The Present Illness, Drs. Arghavan and Alyssa examine America's complicated relationship with lady voters. 

Our physician hosts unpack the historical struggle for women's voting rights with their characteristic wit, dissecting how gender equality at the ballot box has changed our political anatomy. Fresh from the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities conference, Alyssa shares insights on disability bias in ethics consultations and the lesser-known consequences of the Dobbs decision, while Arghavan administers a dose of "Shakira Law" that will have you hips-not-lying with laughter.

The doctors' differential diagnosis includes exploration of voting barriers, political representation, and the ongoing treatment plan for a democracy that still hasn't reached gender homeostasis. This episode features a special cameo by Cesar the Llama, who demonstrates better judgment than many elected officials.

Side effects may include: heightened civic awareness, spontaneous ballot-box enthusiasm, and an irrepressible urge to thank the suffragettes for their service.

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Arghavan & Alyssa diagnose America's latest nutrition emergency as SNAP benefits face potential cuts. They dissect the economic consequences of food insecurity with surgical precision while examining the bizarre phenomenon of billionaires hoarding wealth like it's toilet paper in a pandemic.

The doctors perform a thorough examination of:

• The alarming case of disappearing SNAP contingency funds (prognosis: sus)
• How cutting food assistance creates a cascade of symptoms across the economy
• Billie Eilish prescribes wealth redistribution to Mark Zuckerberg

Side effects of this episode may include: righteous indignation, increased awareness of food insecurity, and an irresistible urge to check if your local billionaire is sharing their metaphorical sandbox.

This episode may induce hunger for both nourishment and economic justice.

Please, donate to your local food banks and/or volunteer your time. 

Not sure where how? Check out your city/county resources, or search these national databases:

• Feeding America
• Hunger Free America
• No Kid Hungry

For relief from the heavy diagnosis, get a dose of joy featuring Isabel Klee and her pet dog Whimsy, who frankly demonstrate better social skills than some humans with bank accounts larger than GDP.

• Isabel Klee and Whimsy, the Rescue Dog
• A woman hits the Conservative dating apps
• You think scientists are hiding things from you? Have you met these losers? 

Resources:

Mississippi Monkey Hunt

• Questions remain after monkeys leaving Tulane lab escape

SNAP

• Joyce Vance: “When did making kids go hungry become a Christian value?”
• Elizabeth Austin's essay: $149.57 Is Going to Have to Feed My Family Indefinitely
• 'I don't think we fully understand who SNAP recipients are': Single mother speaks out

Billionaires, Wealth Inequality & Financial Struggles

• Billie Eilish Calls Out Billionaires In Room With Mark Zuckerberg: ‘Give Your Money Away’
• The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax

FACT CHECK (19:00):

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

TikTok is up for sale in America, but Arghavan and Alyssa are not into it. They discuss the implications of TikTok's potential sale and its impact on privacy and social media dynamics. They explore how social media influences relationship norms, particularly through examples of weaponized incompetence in partnerships. The conversation shifts to public health, focusing on the importance of hepatitis B vaccination for children and the challenges posed by misinformation in healthcare. They also touch on the difficulties of academic publishing and the need for accessible information for people outside the medical field.

Joy this week?

The Portland Frogs vs. ICE Agents

American Society of Bioethics and Humanities National Meeting

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

In this episode, Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart dive into the world of vaccine misinformation, examining a debate between science communicators and anti-vaccine advocates. They explore how scientific illiteracy fuels dangerous health trends, including the current measles outbreak. The hosts then switch gears to discuss an evangelical pastor's claim that women should remain quiet and out of public life, highlighting how this rhetoric connects to broader political movements aimed at restricting women's rights and visibility. 

Looking for joy this week? They close with moments bringing them joy: viral pizza-tossing videos and humorous social media content that provides relief from today's challenging news cycle.

Here is the Politico group chat article mentioned at the top of the show:

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146

For those who really need to know, it was Arghavan’s mumps titer that was low when she had measles, mumps, and rubella titers checked a couple of years ago.

What RFK Jr actually said about the evidence on Tylenol and autism: he will “doing the studies to make the proof”

The word Arghavan was trying to think of regarding the Epstein files was discharge petition, and the representative Mike Johnson refuses to swear in is Adelita Grijalva.

Here is the paper on surgical referrals Arghavan mentioned:

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/sarsons/files/sarsons_jmp_01.pdf

Check out pizza wars on Tik Tok, or if you don’t have Tik Tok, check out a few videos here on Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/arghavansallesmd.medsky.social/post/3m3bp5n2rxs26

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles

In this episode of "The Present Illness," hosts Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart delve into the tragic story of Paloma Shemirani, a young woman whose life was cut short by misinformation and a lack of standard medical intervention. Despite being diagnosed with a treatable form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Paloma's journey was marred by her mother's influence and a series of misguided decisions that led her away from life-saving treatment. The episode explores the broader implications of medical misinformation, the role of wellness influencers, and the emotional toll on healthcare providers. Join us as we unpack this complex narrative and discuss the urgent need for accurate medical information in today's digital age.

• The dangerous impact of misinformation on medical decisions.
• The emotional burden on healthcare providers navigating misinformation.
• The role of social media in spreading misinformation. (It doesn't have to be this way!)

What's bringing us joy this week?

• Hidden Talent on TikTok

Resources:

BBC Sussex overview of Paloma’s case (Instagram)

Official inquest: Inquest touching the Death of Paloma Shemirani

Cancer Research UK's detailed description of “Gerson therapy”

Anti-vaccine strategy: The narrative around Daisy Hildebrand’s death (the second child to die in the 2025 Texas measles outbreak) was complicated by anti-vaccine influencers like Robert Malone and the Children’s Health Defense (America’s largest anti-vaccine non-profit)

Entrepreneur Media: The Wellness Industry Is Now Richer Than Big Pharma and Sports

Graphic from Nini Munoz showing Big Wellness at $6.3 trillion and the global vaccine market at only in the billions at $78.5 billion.

The Role of Trauma in Mothers’ COVID-19 Vaccine Beliefs and Intentions, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Volume 46, Issue 5, June 2021, Pages 526–535, https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsab043 (no paywall) - - Key takeaway from this paper: Mothers with a PTSD history showed lower confidence and intent to get COVID-19 vaccines for themselves and their children, largely due to higher institutional distrust, suggesting the need for trauma-informed, trust-building vaccine messaging.

Note: the deceased's father, Dr. Faramarz Shemirani, PhD, MSc, BSc, is not a medical doctor. According to their son, Gabriel, he inspired Kate Shemirani's interest in conspiracy theories.

Thanks for listening to The Present Illness with Drs. Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart!

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ThePresentIllness

Credits

• Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
• Editing by Alyssa Burgart
• Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
• Social Media by Arghavan Salles