Rio Bravo qWeek

Introduction Dr. Arreaza: Hello, everyone, today we continue with our series about sleep. I invite you to listen to Moira Wilson on Episodes 220 and 221 about the approach of insomnia and CBT-I in adults. Today we will discuss not only what to do, but also why it works. We frequently hear advice like ‘get more sleep,’ but we need to dig deeper into the physiology behind it. So, Dr. Kim and Dr. Car...

Dr. Arreaza : Hello, everyone, my name is Dr. Hector Arreaza, I am a family physician and an associate program director in the Clinica Sierra Vista – Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program.  Today we’re discussing one of the most powerful predictors of health that many people rarely think about: geography. Where someone lives can influence everything from access to physicians and emergency ca...

Episode 224: Community Health Workers Dr. Arreaza: Today we will discuss a topic that, frankly, every single person listening, whether you're a medical student, a resident, a nurse, a family doctor, or any primary care provider, needs to really understand. We're talking about community health workers (CHWs). We are joined by our stellar medical student; you may be familiar with her voice from prev...

Episode 223: Oncogenic Viruses Introduction Mehr: Hi everyone, welcome back to the Rio Bravo qweek podcast. Back by popular demand is Me, Mehr Boparai a third-year medical student at COMP-NW. Here with me is Jeremy Pan from COMP who is also a third-year medical student. How are you doing Jeremy? Jeremy:  I’m doing great Mehr. Thanks for the kind intro; we had a fun time this morning doing street m...

Arreaza: Welcome back tothe Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast! My name is Dr. Hector Arreaza, I am a family physician and faculty member in the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program. Today I am joined by two excellent medical students who will introduce themselves now, welcome, guys! Mehr: Thank you for the introduction! My name is Mehr Boparai, third year medical student at WesternU COMP-NW. Jeremy:...

ARREAZA: Today we will expand on other treatments for insomnia in adults. MOIRA:  Yes, we spent some time explaining the assessment of insomnia and the first-line treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). We also mentioned sleep hygiene. You can listen to episode 220 if you want to learn more about that. Medication should be considered a secondary option. The American College o...

Episode 220: Approach of Insomnia in Adults     ARREAZA: Today we are going to talk about how to approach sleep issues in adults — from the initial assessment all the way through treatment. And I think what is going to surprise a lot of our listeners is the changes in management in recent years, especially what is recommended as first-line therapy. So, let's jump right in. MOIRA:  Sleep is one of...

Shivam: My name is Shivam Patel and I’m currently a 3rd year medical student from Western university and today we will be discussing Chronic Pain After Cancer with an emphasis on Improving functionality in cancer survivors and how it overlaps with musculoskeletal dysfunction. We will also talk about the management of pain in outpatient settings as well as the role acute rehab units can play in rec...

Episode 218: Statin Therapy Fundamentals What are statins? Zohal: Statins are medications that lower cholesterol by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which prevents cholesterol synthesis in the liver. By doing so, statins decrease low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).  Why should we lower LDL? Zohal: There are four main lipoproteins that transport fats in blood, including chylomicron...

Episode 217: Testicular Cancer Dr. Arreaza: Welcome to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. Today we are discussing testicular cancer, a topic that may not appear frequently in primary care but is extremely important to recognize early. We are joined by Brandon Noorvash and Dr. Ebenezer Dadzie. Please introduce yourselves. Brandon: Thank you, Dr. Arreaza. My name is Brandon Noorvash. I am a third-year medical...

Episode 216: Fibromyalgia Overview Reitta Wyllie and Tejasvi Ayaggari (medical students) discuss with Dr. Arreaza the presentation, diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia, a commonly unrecognized disease that may impact patient’s quality of life if left untreated.   Written by Reitta Nash, MSIV, American University of the Caribbean. Additional commentary provided by Dr. Tejasvi Ayyagari.  Edits...

Episode 215: Meth-associated HFrEF.   Abishak and Zat (medical students) explain the cardiotoxic effect of methamphetamine and the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Dr. Arreaza adds insight into the reversibility of meth-associated HFrEF.   Written by Abishak Govindarajan, MSIV and Zat Akbar Shaw. American University of the Caribbean. Edits and commen...

Episode 214: Valley Fever Complications. Dr. Arreaza: 
Welcome back to the podcast. I’m Dr. Arreaza, and today we’re talking about a topic that’s very relevant here in the Central Valley but often not well known in the rest of the country, it is called ValleyFever, or coccidioidomycosis. For more info about the Valley Fever diagnosis and initial treatment, please go to our previous podcast on the...

Episode 213: HIV PrEP Review H. Nicole Magaña, medical student, reviews the history of PrEP and outlines the currently FDA-approved medications used for HIV prevention. Dr. Arreaza provides additional perspective on long-acting injectable options, including how quickly they begin to protect patients after initiation.   Written by Nicole Magana, MSIV, American University of the Caribbean. Comments...

Episode 212: Managing HFpEF Hyo Mun and Jordan Redden (medical students) explain how to manage HFpEF with medications and touch some basics about nonpharmacologic treatments. Dr. Arreaza asks insightful questions to guide the discussion.  Written by Hyo Mun, MSIV, American University of the Caribbean; and Jordan Redden, MSIV, Ross University School of Medicine. Comments by Hector Arreaza, MD. You...

Episode 211: Understanding HFpEF.   Hyo Mun and Jordan Redden (medical students) explain the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and how it differentiates from HFrEF. Dr. Arreaza asks insightful questions and summarizes some key elements of HFpEF.  Written by Hyo Mun, MS4, American University of the Caribbean; and Jordan Redden, MS4, Ross University School of...

Episode 210: Heat Stroke Basics Written by Jacob Dunn, MS4, American University of the Caribbean. Edits and comments by Hector Arreaza, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California, a UCLA-affiliated program sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare H...

Episode 209: Do not Do  Stephanie Granat (medical student) explains three screenings that are USPSTF Grade D (Do not do): Prostate cancer, genital herpes, and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Arreaza shares some insight about testing patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and genital lesions.  Written by Stephanie Granat, MSIV, Ross University School of Medicine. Edits and comments by Hector Arreaza, MD...

Episode 208: Cough Basics (Pidjin English) Written by Ebenezer Dadzie You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California, a UCLA-affiliated program sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. This podcast was created for educational purposes only. Visit you...

Episode 207: Understanding Hypertension and Diabetes (Pidjin English) Written by Michael Ozoemena, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California, a UCLA-affiliated program sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. This podcast was created for edu...

Episode 206: Street Medicine and Harm Reduction.   Mohammed Wase (medical student) and Dr. Singh describe what it is like to provide health care on the streets. They share their personal experiences working in a street medicine team. They describe the practice of harm reduction and emphasize the importance of respecting autonomy and being adaptable in street medicine.  Written by Mohamed Wase, MSI...

Episode 205: Atopic Dermatitis  Kara Willbanks (medical student) explains the definition, pathophysiology , and treatment of eczema. Dr. Arreaza adds some input about bleach baths and topical steroids.  Written by Kara Willbanks, MSIV, American University of the Caribbean. Comments and edits by Hector Arreaza, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought...

Episode 204: Adult Pneumococcal Vaccines in 2025.   Luz Perez (MSIV) presents all the available pneumococcal vaccines for adults. Dr. Arreaza guides the discussion about what to do with adults who have previously received pneumococcal vaccines.  Written by Luz Perez, MSIV, Ross University School of Medicine. Comments by Hector Arreaza, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly...

Episode 203: Microinduction and harm reduction in OUD.   Nathan Bui and Sanjay Reddy describe how to manage opioid use disorder (OUD) by using microinduction and harm reduction, strategies that are reshaping the way we treat opioid use disorder.  Written by Sanjay Reddy, OMSIV and Nathan Bui, OMSIV. Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. You are list...

Episode 202: BPA Overview Written by Cameron Carlisle, MSIV, Ross University School of Medicine. Comments by Hector Arreaza, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California, a UCLA-affiliated program sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. This p...