How systemic racism impacts health outcomes across a lifetime
Release Date: 04/05/2025
Silence is a survival mechanism that costs women their joy
The Podcast by KevinMD
Obstetrician-gynecologist Priya Panneerselvam discusses their article "." Priya discusses how the quiet deference observed in their mother's generation continues to manifest in patients who apologize for their pain and hesitate to ask questions. The conversation explores the cultural and national forces that suppress female voices, linking personal family history to the broader political landscape regarding women's rights and leadership. By examining the cost of this inherited silence, Priya advocates for speaking out as an act of rebellion and gratitude for those who could not. Breaking this...
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Focusing on outcomes over novelty prevents AI failure in health care
The Podcast by KevinMD
Health care executive Dave Wessinger discusses their article "." Dave explains why organizations must move beyond the hype of artificial intelligence to focus on measurable goals like driving growth and improving quality. The conversation highlights specific high-value applications in documentation and patient intake while emphasizing the critical need for a clinician in the loop approach to ensure patient safety. By prioritizing administrative automation over clinical decision-making initially, leaders can build trust and avoid the risks associated with imperfect technology. This episode...
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Escaping the golden cage of traditional medical practice to find joy again
The Podcast by KevinMD
Urologist Tracy Gapin discusses their article "" Tracy explores the paradox of achieving professional success while feeling trapped in a demoralizing and insurance-driven health care system. The conversation highlights how factors like short visits and administrative burdens contribute to physician burnout and alarmingly high rates of suicide among doctors. By identifying the limiting beliefs that hold medical professionals hostage in their careers, Tracy outlines a path toward freedom through a cash-based precision medicine model. This episode examines the necessity of prioritizing personal...
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Capping student loans destroys the rural medical pipeline
The Podcast by KevinMD
Kenneth Botelho, founding director of the doctor of medical science (DMSc) program at The College of St. Scholastica and a physician assistant, discusses his article "." Kenneth explains how impending borrowing limits for physician assistant and nurse practitioner programs create an insurmountable barrier for students from the very communities that need providers most. He illustrates the paradox where government grants aim to stabilize rural health care while loan policies simultaneously cut off the supply of future clinicians. The conversation highlights the urgent need to align financial aid...
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Physician suicide represents a silent epidemic demanding urgent reform
The Podcast by KevinMD
Psychiatrist, internist, and addiction medicine specialist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article "." Muhamad opens with the tragic losses of Dr. Nolan R. Williams and Dr. Charles Szyman to illustrate the devastating toll of the profession on even its most accomplished members. He examines the alarming data showing suicide as a leading cause of death among medical residents and outlines specific, actionable steps for trainees, program directors, and hospital executives to build safety nets rather than barriers. The conversation emphasizes the importance of using neutral language like "died by...
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Personal memories reveal the transformation of HIV care over four decades
The Podcast by KevinMD
Professor and senior associate dean of engagement Janet A. Jokela discusses her article "." Janet shares harrowing memories from her time as a medical student in the mid-1980s, recalling the fear and stigma that surrounded the early days of the AIDS epidemic. She traces the evolution of treatment from a time of hopelessness to the revolutionary arrival of protease inhibitors and the global impact of PEPFAR. The conversation highlights touching patient stories that illustrate how a diagnosis once considered a death sentence has become a manageable condition, allowing people to live full and...
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Economic reality tests the limits of subscription medicine
The Podcast by KevinMD
Health care strategist Dana Y. Lujan discusses her article "" Dana explains how the rising cost of living and subscription fatigue are challenging the retail model of direct primary care for middle-class families. She contrasts this fragility with the stability of employer-sponsored models where organizations absorb the cost to ensure consistent access for their workforce. The conversation highlights the critical need to align medical business models with the actual economic capabilities of the communities they serve rather than relying solely on ideological goals. Join us to explore how...
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Navigating the medical system requires specific life skills
The Podcast by KevinMD
Otolaryngologist Alan P. Feren and patient advocate Joyce Griggs discuss their article "Why health self-advocacy is an essential life skill." Alan and Joyce share the personal journey of becoming a "chief health executive" and explain why managing medical care should be treated with the same seriousness as financial planning. They outline the eight core pillars of advocacy, ranging from health literacy to financial navigation, and argue for the creation of condition-agnostic tools that help patients regardless of their specific diagnosis. The conversation highlights how preparation and...
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Regulatory red tape threatens survival of rare disease patients
The Podcast by KevinMD
Medical oncologist, geriatrician, and physician scientist GJ van Londen and Chief of Genetic and Genomic Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Gerald Vockley discuss the article "." GJ and Gerald explore the complex regulatory impasse where the U.S. Food and Drug Administration denied standard approval for elamipretide despite a positive advisory committee vote, creating a financial crisis that threatens to cut off supply for everyone. GJ shares his personal journey from treating cancer to living with primary mitochondrial myopathy, while the conversation emphasizes the...
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Sustainable legislative reform outweighs temporary discount programs
The Podcast by KevinMD
President and chief executive officer of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) Leah M. Howard discusses her article "." Leah analyzes the recent emergence of direct-purchase drug programs and argues that while innovative thinking is welcome, it cannot replace the need for deep systemic change. She advocates for bipartisan legislative solutions such as the Safe Step Act to address the root causes of high costs in the U.S. health care system rather than relying on siloed fixes that may not help everyone. The conversation emphasizes that true relief for patients with chronic diseases requires...
info_outlinePhysician coach Seema Pattni discusses her article, "Why racism in health care is still an emergency." Seema reflects on a painful encounter with an eight-year-old Black patient who wished to be white, illustrating the devastating impact of systemic racism. She outlines the profound racial disparities in health outcomes from birth to death, and highlights the lack of urgency within medical education and leadership to address these issues. Seema also calls out the exclusion of ethnic minorities from positions of power and the continued presence of toxic teaching methods in medical training. Her conversation offers both a reality check and a plea for institutional reform, authentic representation, and a more humane clinical culture.
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