Doctors Take the Mic

Dr. Gloria Wu speaks with Dr. Eileen Barrett, president-elect of the American Medical Women's Association, about the intersection of women's health, addiction medicine, and gender equity. Dr. Barrett highlights how telemedicine has become a vital tool for gender and health equity, especially for women who face barriers like childcare and work commitments. They discuss the stigma surrounding addict...

Dr. Helen E. Fisher, a renowned biological anthropologist, passed away recently at age 79. Fisher's groundbreaking research explored the neural basis of love, utilizing MRI scans to study the brain activity of individuals experiencing new infatuations. Her work revealed that the ventral tegmental area of the brain, associated with dopamine production, becomes highly active when people view images...

In a discussion about career development and personal growth, Dean Louito Edje, Dean, University of Michigan Medical School, emphasized the importance of understanding and nurturing one's professional base, whether in private practice or academia. For women doctors in private practice, nurturing your Base involves supporting and advocating for colleagues and patients, while in academia, it involve...

The fashion industry significantly impacts the environment, with global clothing production reaching 100 billion items annually. Consumers buy 60% more clothing than 15 years ago and keep each item for only half as long. Despite owning plenty of clothes, many still feel they have "nothing to wear," leading to excessive purchasing. Sustainable practices like repairing or upcycling can reduce waste;...

  Danit Peleg, an Israeli designer, used 3D printing to create a personalized and waste-free fashion collection for her graduation project at Shankar College of Engineering and Design. She uses affordable 3D printers to produce clothes sold on her online shop, promoting a circular and cleaner supply chain. Julian Ellis Brown from the UK, co-founder of Ponda, developed Biopuff, a sustainable altern...

Fungi are incredibly versatile organisms, ranging from microscopic spores to massive mycelial networks. An astonishing discovery at the Chernobyl reactor revealed that the black fungus Cryptococcus neoformans thrives in radioactive environments due to its melanin content, which allows it to absorb radiation and convert it into chemical energy. This property is being explored for potential use in p...

Today we discuss the environment and clothing, featuring insights from Christina Dean, a sustainable fashion activist recognized by British Vogue as one of its top 30 inspirational women. Dean highlights that sustainability in fashion aligns with the UN's sustainable development goals, encompassing economic, environmental, and social aspects. She envisions a fashion industry with closed-loop syste...

BASF's "Seed to Sew" project in Greece began in 2022 and focuses on sustainable cotton cultivation. This initiative promotes reducing carbon dioxide emissions, water consumption, and the precise use of crop protection products. It involves 1600 farmers, three cotton ginning plants, and one spinning mill, producing 50,000 to 55,000 bales of cotton annually. The project uses blockchain technology to...

Professor Edwin Keh from the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel points out the difficulty in recycling synthetic blended fibers. Near-infrared spectroscopy offers a solution by identifying textile types quickly, aiding in fiber sorting. BASF subsidiary Trina Mix has developed an NIR-based solution for sorting textile waste, used by companies like Germany-based BASF Group, a leade...

Traditional dyes like indigo and tyrian purple have given way to synthetic dyes, which require large amounts of energy, chemicals, and water—around 5 trillion liters annually, equivalent to 2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.  The snail Muricidae is responsible for the color purple, 6,6'-dibromoindigo. This has led to 20% of industrial water pollution globally, with untreated water often illeg...

In Europe, there is a significant focus on environmental consciousness, particularly in the fashion industry. Fast fashion brands like H&M, based in Sweden, contribute to environmental and social issues, including poor working conditions and significant greenhouse gas emissions. The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh highlighted the dangers faced by garment workers. Fashion production also lea...

Pregnancy increases strain on the heart and blood vessels, raising blood volume and heart rate. Women with pre-existing heart conditions like arrhythmias or heart valve issues face heightened risks, including blood clots and potential complications for both mother and baby. It emphasized the need for thorough pre-pregnancy evaluation, ongoing monitoring, and carefully managed medications to ensure...

Women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty with stenting, tend to have less complex coronary lesions than men but face higher risks due to older age and more comorbidities. Despite cardiovascular disease being a leading cause of death globally, women receiving PCI often have poorer outcomes compared to men. A 2023 European study led by Antonia Sam...

Heart disease in women was discussed as distinct from men's heart disease. It was highlighted that heart disease ranks as the leading cause of death for both genders, with an increasing prevalence among women over the past decade, exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19. The discussion pointed out that traditional treatment guidelines primarily stem from studies conducted on men in the 1990s, under...

 Dr. Gloria Wu interviewed Dr. Paul Wang from Stanford University School of Medicine regarding hybrid surgical catheter ablation for treating atrial fibrillation. This innovative approach involves collaboration between cardiac surgeons and electrophysiologists. By combining surgical intervention outside the heart with catheter ablation inside, the treatment aims to achieve superior outcomes compar...

Dr. Wu recently attended the American Medical Association meeting in Chicago, representing the women physician section on the governing council. A significant topic of discussion was women's pay inequity. A 2018 JAMA Cardiology study by R.U Shah revealed a $2.5 million lifetime pay gap between male and female cardiologists in the U.S., using Medicare data. In 2022, V.L. Crosa's study in Argentina...

Today, we discuss the challenges women face in male-dominated fields, focusing on women pay equity and the need for mentors. Carolyn Conklin, a manager on a catastrophe team for insurance companies, shared her experiences of proving herself in a male-dominated environment. She emphasized the importance of hard work, maintaining high quality, and demonstrating reliability and integrity to counter a...

 Today, we're discussing large language models and ambient natural language models in healthcare. Ambient natural language models, like those developed by Augmedix Inc., transcribe doctors' spoken words into electronic health records in real-time, enhancing accuracy and reducing physician burnout. This technology alleviates the burden of endless typing into systems like EPIC, which dominates 50% o...

Dr. Gloria Wu disscusses AI-mediated chatbots, referencing a New York Times article from April 8, 2024. The article, authored by Cade Metz, Cecilia Kang, Shera Frankel, Stuart A. Thompson, and Niko Grant, highlights how tech companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta navigate legal and ethical gray areas to harvest data for their AI models. In 2021, OpenAI transcribed over a million hours of YouTube...

  Controlling high blood pressure can significantly decrease the risk of dimentia.  High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, requires treatment. An added benefit is that the treatment will decrease the risk of cognitive loss.  The article cited is in Volume 83, issue 13 of the Journal of American College of Cardiology. The authors of the study are Doctors Frederico Rea, Giusseppe Mancia et...

Pregnancy drug classes, established by the FDA, categorize medications based on their potential risks to the fetus when taken during pregnancy. Class A drugs have been tested in pregnant women and found to be safe, showing no risk to the fetus in the first trimester and no evidence of risk in later trimesters. Class B drugs have not been tested in pregnant women, but animal studies have shown no r...

Pregnancy can bring about several changes in a woman's eyes and vision due to hormonal shifts, increased blood volume, and fluid retention. These changes are generally temporary and typically resolve after childbirth. However, in the third trimester of pregnancy there can be some serious issues for the pregnancy patient.  If there is hypertension, the retina can be affected. This condition is call...

Pregnancy can induce various changes in the eyes, often due to hormonal fluctuations, increased blood volume, and changes in metabolism and immune function. Common ocular changes include dry eyes, which result from altered tear production, and refractive changes that may temporarily affect vision clarity. Additionally, some women might experience an increase in pigmentation on the eyelids or face....

Intracardiac tracings, also known as intracardiac electrocardiograms (iECGs), are a critical diagnostic tool for evaluating the electrical activity within the heart. This procedure involves inserting catheters with electrodes into the heart chambers, which record detailed electrical signals from various areas of the heart. The precise information obtained from intracardiac tracings is essential fo...

Adult congenital heart patients are individuals born with congenital heart defects (CHDs) who have transitioned to adult care. Thanks to advances in medical and surgical treatments, many individuals with CHDs now reach adulthood. These patients require lifelong, specialized care to manage their unique health needs, which include regular monitoring of heart function and addressing potential complic...