covid-19: on the frontlines

Guest: John Russell, MD

With so many COVID-19 vaccines in development, new medical ethical questions have been brought to the forefront of the healthcare field. With that in mind, Dr. John Russell takes us through the history of ethics and vaccinations throughout the world.

Published January 4, 2021

Guest: Abigail T. Berman, MD, MSCE

The risk of COVID-19 has become a significant factor to consider when selecting between SBRT and surgery for patients with early-stage lung cancer. Dr. Abigail Berman, a radiation oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, discusses how she works with patients to decide on the best treatment for them.

Guest: Lauren K. Brooks, MD

During this unprecedented time, finding the best approach to providing treatment for patients with thyroid cancer can be a challenge. Endocrinologist Dr. Lauren Brooks of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health shares some of her approaches to this dilemma and stresses the importance of keeping up on routine practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published September 28, 2020

Guest: Ann L. Steiner, MD

Access to breast cancer screening and treatment can be difficult for women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, healthcare professionals are finding ways to overcome these barriers. Dr. Ann Steiner, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, compares her practice to before COVID-19 and explains how testing for breast cancer patients has changed.

Published September 23, 2020

Guest: Ann L. Steiner, MD

COVID-19 has encouraged many people to adopt new habits, but some of them can take a toll on a woman’s breast health. Tune in to hear Dr. Ann Steiner, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, share what two of those risky habits are and how women can lower their risk of breast cancer while they’re sheltering at home.

Published September 23, 2020

Guest: Ann L. Steiner, MD

COVID-19 has encouraged many people to adopt new habits, but some of them can take a toll on a woman’s breast health. Tune in to hear Dr. Ann Steiner, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, share what two of those risky habits are and how women can lower their risk of breast cancer while they’re sheltering at home.

Published September 23, 2020

Guest: Ann L. Steiner, MD

When it’s not safe for a patient to come into the office, what can we do to help patients manage their breast pain at home? Dr. Ann Steiner, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, explains how COVID-19 has influenced lifestyle and dietary habits and how simple changes can go a long way in managing breast pain.

Published September 23, 2020

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

Now that we’re several months into the pandemic, many states and counties are turning to the local data gathered on COVID-19 incidence to help inform their plans moving forward. But are those reports really the most accurate sources of information? To find out, Dr. Charles Turck is here to discuss a recent report discussing how disparities in access to COVID-19 testing sites may be skewing case estimates.

Published August, 19 2020

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a global concern among healthcare professionals has been the shortening supply of personal protective equipment like N95 masks. But now, that concern might become a thing of a past thanks to a recent development made by a team of researchers. To find out more about this discovery, Dr. Charles Turck joins us to discuss the innovation that could become a huge win in the battle against COVID-19.

Published August, 19 2020

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Anil Agarwal, MD

The emergence of blood clotting and clogged equipment for vascular procedures is a more recent—and troubling—phenomenon that’s emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. Tune in as Dr. Anil Agarwal from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center discusses these two challenges and strategies for overcoming them.

Published August 13, 2020

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN
Guest: William W. Li, MD

How do the lungs of healthy patients differ from the lungs of patients with COVID-19 or the flu? That’s the exact question Dr. William Li wanted to answer, and now, he’s sharing the results of his study that was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Published August 12, 2020

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

To find out how different racial and ethnic groups are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Charles Turck joins us to analyze data that was collected by the COVID Racial Tracker.

Published July 24, 2020

Guest: Gregory J Kubicek, MD

When caring for patients who are at greater risk of complications from COVID-19, what extra precautions are needed to help keep them safe and healthy? That’s what staff radiation oncologist Dr. Gregory Kubicek from the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center shares with us.

Published June 23, 2020

Guest: Michael Greenberg, MD

The chaos and uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic may make us forget the simple actions we can all do to connect with others and make the world a better place. Listen in as Dr. Michael Greenberg shares three of those simple actions.

Published June 15, 2020

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, children have adjusted their schedules and way of living like everyone else, but what effects has this massive shift had on our young patients? That’s the question Dr. Jennifer Shu is here to answer.

Published June 12, 2020

Guest: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Tune in to hear Dr. Jennifer Shu describe what her life as a pediatrician is now like due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps she has taken to keep her patients and colleagues healthy.

Published June 12, 2020

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: David Fajgenbaum, MD

Since its founding, the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) has worked to identify an effective treatment for Castleman disease, a rare immune system disorder that leads to a cytokine storm and multi-organ failure—much like what’s being seen in COVID-19 patients. Here to review how the CDCN’s innovations are now being leveraged toward the fight against COVID-19 is the CDCN’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Dr. David Fajgenbaum.

Guest: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

As researchers look at the spread of COVID-19 in warm areas of the globe, their findings cast doubt on the idea that the summer heat will help slow the spread. Tune in as Dr. Charles Turck explains recent studies on how heat has very little—if any—impact on the spread of viruses.

Published June 5, 2020

Guest: Bret Nelson, MD

When it comes to using ultrasound at the point of care in the setting of COVID-19, what do we need to keep in mind? Here to share his five key considerations is Dr. Bret Nelson, Professor of Emergency Medicine and the Chief of the Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Division at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Published June 5, 2020

Guest: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

Against the backdrop of a global push to get more ventilators and other critical gear into the hands of healthcare professionals, some clinicians are opting out of using ventilators to treat their COVID-19 patients as several hospitals have reported unusually high death rates. Listen in as Dr. Charles Turck explains.

Published June 5, 2020