Poppies & Propofol Podcast

Zed Zha, MD (she/her) joined me in conversation to discuss her new book Consented: A Doctor's Call to End Medical Violence and Reclaim Patient Autonomy. Consent is far more than a signature on a form. Violations of patient autonomy are frequent in medicine, causing irreparable harm to patients. Yet such violations are normalized in medical culture. Dr. Zha and I share a passion for ending violence...

I had the most fun talking to Mary Roach about her new book Replaceable You: Adventures in Anatomy . Mary does a fabulous job of describing the weird and wonderful science of the human body with her wry humor and attention to detail. She takes us on a journey through the many creative ways humans have tried and are trying to upgrade our bodies. While some of the techniques used today are novel (xe...

“Creativity is not frivolous; it’s the muscle that lets us imagine a different future when the system tells us there’s no alternative.” I’m so excited to share this conversation with the founders of Introspective Spaces , pediatrician Anu Gorukanti and public health nurse Laura Holford. In this episode, they share information and insights about their program, Artist’s Way for Healthcare Workers ,...

In this episode of Poppies & Propofol , Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA speaks with Mark Kuczewski , PhD, Professor of Bioethics and Health Policy at Loyola University Chicago and Director of the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics. Kuczewski has been a national leader in advocating for immigrant health access and creating the framework for “Sanctuary Doctoring”—an approach that ensures undocumented and mix...

Fellow anesthesiologist, Dr. Zeest Khan , and I got together in late April to talk about long COVID, healthism, and blame in medicine. Zeest writes extensively about the impact of Long COVID and what it’s like to become someone with a chronic disease as a physician. I highly recommend you check her work out, if you’re not already familiar. She’s awesome! This is a public episode. If you would like...

This week, staff across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released an open letter to Jay Bhattacharya, the current Director of the NIH, calling for for NIH and HHS leadership to deliver on promises of academic freedom and scientific excellence. Have you read the Bethesda Declaration ? We have! In this Substack Live, Dr. Arghavan Salles and I discuss the letter in depth and share our thoughts...