Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Opiate addiction is rapidly becoming one of the biggest health crises in the United States today. Opiates have killed more than 28,000 people in 2014 and opioid deaths outnumber motor vehicle accidents and gunshot fatalities. Dr. Shira Johnson talks with Dr. Kenji Oyasu, the Executive Medical Director for Brightside Clinic in Northbrook, Illinois. They discuss common miscon...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Today’s culture of stress is driving people to pharmaceuticals and other dangerous outlets as coping mechanisms. What strategies should people employ to mitigate stress and manage their time better? Host Dr. Matt Birnholz sits down with Dr. Patricia Sulak, Endowed Professor at Texas A&M University to talk about the dangers of stress.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have made several recommendations regarding the practice of umbilical cord blood banking. Host Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Dr. Jordan Perlow, Associate Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ, about the newest guidelines set forth from ACOG.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD The simple act of going out to eat can be a tricky proposition for people dealing with gluten intolerance or sensitivity issues. A new portable device is aiming to help people with this problem by allowing them to test food’s gluten content and help find foods that they are able to eat. Host Dr. Matt Birnholz talks with guest Carla Borsoi, Vice President of Marketing at 6Se...

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Midlevel providers help fill the gap in health care coverage across the country. Nurse practitioners, in particular, have the distinct capabilities to work independently in a variety of areas including consultations, treatments, and authorization of durable medical equipment. Host Dr. Renee Allen chats with Patrick Washington, a board-certified nu...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Integrative medicine is an approach to care that purports to address a more wholistic range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences affecting a person’s health than traditional care models. How did this field come into prominence, and where is it headed? From the floors of the A4M Meeting in Las Vegas, Dr. Matt Birnholz talks with Jame...

Host: Patrice L Basanta-Henry, MD, MHSc, FACOG Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome, complicate up to 10% of pregnancies worldwide. Hypertension is the leading medical problem encountered in pregnancy and, despite major advances in medicine, remains one of the greatest causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Host Dr. Patrice Bas...

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Obstetrical emergency care units offer pregnant women highly-specialized emergency care as a better alternative to the traditional emergency room visit. These units have been proven to increase patient satisfaction and improve emergency room wait time lengths. Where are they being utilized, and what are the barriers to implementing them nationwide...

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Charles N. Walker, MD Dr. Shira Johnson speaks with Dr. Charles Walker, Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Department of Urology at Yale University School of Medicine. The two focus on erectile dysfunction as a common complication for patients dealing with diabetes and heart disease, and ways that clinicians can help patients manage this problem through lifestyle...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Patricia Sulak, MD The American Heart Association instituted a Strategic Impact Goal to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular deaths and disabilities by 20% by 2020. Host Dr. Matt Birnholz chats with Dr. Patricia Sulak, Endowed Professor of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine about the 7 key health metrics to reduce cardiovascular deaths including blood...

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Babies born before 37 weeks gestation face many challenges in their first weeks of life. For premature babies to thrive in the NICU, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all preterm babies weighing less than 1500 grams be fed human milk. However, this recommendation creates a dilemma for mothers who are unable to supply their own breast m...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Ronald J. Wapner, MD Innovations in medical genetics are changing the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. With advancing knowledge of underlying genetic predispositions, doctors can provide more precisioned care plans for patients in women's health centers. Dr. Matt Birnholz talks with Dr. Ronald J Wapner, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Rep...

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Many physicians are daunted by the contract negotiation process for a new job. They often worry that employers will retract their offers if candidates try and negotiate for a more favorable contract. Dr. Renee Allen sits down with Arden Miller, JD, attorney with Cohen, Pollack, Merlin and Small P.C. in Atlanta, Georgia to talk about best practices...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Dr. Matt Birnholz sits down with Dr. Carl Schultz, Research Director at the Center for Disaster Medical Sciences at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Schultz is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the UC Irvine and recipient of the Disaster Medical Science Award at ACEP. He talks about the challenges of securing funding for disaster relief in the field and the integrat...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Meningitis is one of the most feared manifestations of infectious disease for the medical community. Yet in spite of this fact, there are very few educational or advocacy-based resources dedicated to increasing public and professional awareness for meningococcal disease and updated prevention methods. Dr. Matt Birnholz talks with Lynn Bozof, cofounder and President of the N...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Cannabis is gaining increased acceptance within the medical community for pain relief and other supportive care applications. But for oncology specialties, the use of cannabis may additionally extend into therapeutic purposes for patients. From the floors of the A4M Conference in Las Vegas, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Constance Finley, Founder and CEO of Constance Therape...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD In the ongoing global campaign to prevent, treat, and cure HIV and AIDS, there have been countless therapeutic approaches targeting the HIV virus and everything it interacts with on the path to infection. But after decades of relentless infectivity claiming over 25 million lives, what if we could one day simply edit and delete the HIV virus right out of existence? Joining D...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD There is a curious American sentiment toward exercise that celebrates the mantra of "no pain, no gain." When exercise isn't followed by soreness, or when a sufficient amount of sweat hasn't been produced, participants are often led to believe that their efforts have been wasted. But is this notion actually valid, and do clinicians benefit their patients in advocating for st...

Host: Patrice L Basanta-Henry, MD, MHSc, FACOG Guest: LaToya Stephens, MD Vaginal atrophy is a painful and emotionally distressing condition affecting many women, yet many suffer in silence. For those who find traditional treatment options to be ineffective, a vaginoplasty procedure already in use for cosmetic applications has been demonstrated to help counter the most severe symptoms. Join host D...

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development and persistence of many chronic diseases, but only recently has the human microbiome been linked as something more central to inflammatory processes than a passive reservoir. What roles do the gut, microbiome, and gut-brain axis play in chronic disease development, as well as prevention? From the floors of the A4M Confere...

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG From the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 75. Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 100. Host Dr. Renee Allen is joi...

Host: Thomas C. Wright, Jr., MD How should clinicians educate patients on recommended timing intervals for receiving pap smears based on updated guidelines? And for those patients who receive a positive HPV test, what counseling strategies and treatment pathways would be most helpful? Joining Dr. Thomas Wright from Omnia Education's Women's Health Annual Visit in Boston, MA is Dr. Dana Gossett, Di...

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Recent guidelines have been released on the recommended frequency of conducting pap smears, which has caused considerable debate between health care providers. How should non-gynecologists interpret these guidelines, as well as opposing views from specialists, for best performance of pap smears? And why in the age of DNA testing is this still an i...

Host: Patrice L Basanta-Henry, MD, MHSc, FACOG Guest: Kenan R. Omurtag, MD It is estimated that 3 to 5% of all couples desiring pregnancy will suffer recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). What are our current understandings of this unfortunate condition, and how can patients be treated to support successful future pregnancies? Host Dr. Patrice Basanta-Henry discusses the many facets of this clinical iss...

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG What is the role and importance of the Ob-Gyn Oncologist, especially for women diagnosed with pelvic cancers? What are some barriers patients face in seeing an Ob-Gyn Oncoloogist? And how can clinicians better partner with this group of specialists? In this episode, host Dr. Renee Allen explores answers to these questions with guest expert Dr. Eve...