The Cure

Just when you think this pandemic is over, it rears it's ugly head again. Host Jessica Swain, System Director of Infection Prevention for Dartmouth Health, talks to Dr. Michael Calderwood about where we are now with COVID-19. Dr. Calderwood is the Chief Quality Officer and an Infectious Diseases physician at Dartmouth Health and he shares his insights on studies shared at the recently concluded So...

As we transition into our new normal of living with COVID-19. We envision a state where diagnostic tests and oral medications are readily available for the community with an overall goal of increasing access to life-saving treatments that need to be given quickly to be effective.  Dr. Rebecca Wang, infectious diseases physician and medical co-director of the comprehensive antimicrobial progra...

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to increase, driven by the Omicron variant making it more important for individuals to keep up-to-date with the most recent public health recommendations. However, keeping up with the ever changing guidelines is not only challenging for some but also confusing and frustrating given the many nuances that come with the changes.  In this epis...

The omicron variant is now the predominantly circulating variant of concern in the United States. It is more transmissible and may have the ability of immune escape. Time will tell if it leads to a more severe disease, but regardless of disease severity, we need to remain vigilant and get the vaccine, get boosted, wear our masks, and wash our hands. These are all additive layers of protection to p...

In this episode, We talk to Dr. Susanne Tanski, section chief and vice chair of pediatrics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock about the recently approved Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years old. She talks to us about the safety and efficay of the vaccines, how to weigh the risks and benefits, and what this means for our kids growth and development.  The information shared in...

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be one of the greatest challenges of modern medicine. Experts continue to do research on drugs that can help save lives of infected people and perhaps even prevent them from getting sick in the first place. In today's episode, we will be talking about updates on the treatment options for COVID-19. Host Jessica Swain, senior infection preventionist at Dartmouth-Hi...

C. difficile is a germ that causes severe diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. It's estimated to cause almost half a million infections in the United States each year and about one in six patients who get a C difficile infection will get it again in the subsequent two to eight weeks.  In this episode, senior infection preventionist, Caitlin Adams Barker talks to Cameron Griffin who is an i...

Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or other significant sources of stress.  In this episode, Dr. Marshall Ward, Dr. Mahathi Komaragiri, Dr. Amogh Karnik, and Dr. Rima Mercado talk to psychologists Dr. Sivan Rotenberg, Dr. Mary Jankowski, and Dr. Eve Zukowski about building resilience through reframing your though...

In this episode, We talk to Dr. Lauren Gilstrap who is a heart failure and transplant cardiologist. Dr. Gilstrap walks us through cardiovascular risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 disease, acute and chronic cardiovascular complications of COVID-19, and the benefits of the vaccine for patients with heart disease.  Marshall Ward, MD is a staff hospitalist  and Associate Section C...

In this episode, Amogh and Marshall chat with Dr. Ellen Eisenberg, Interim Section Chief of General Internal Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at Geisel, and Dr. Jeffrey Parsonnet, attending Infectious Disease physician and Professor of Medicine at Geisel. They discuss the post-acute complications of COVID, and how DH-H is working to provide a new avenue for patients with long term symp...

In this episode, Jose and Amogh speak with Caitlin Adams Barker, senior infection prevention nurse at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. They discuss Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health's current standards for personal protective equipment and guidance in the event of a healthcare worker exposure to COVID-19. They also discuss when isolation precautions may be relaxed for patients who test positive for CO...

In this episode, Amogh, Jose, and Rima chat with Dr. Richard Zuckerman. Dr. Zuckerman is an Infectious Disease specialist and the director of the Transplant and Immunocompromised Hosts Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. They review the data on tocilizumab, sarilumab, and other novel treatments that are being studied to treat COVID-19 infection.  Rima Mercado, MD is a staff hospitalist and the Me...

In this episode, Amogh, Jose, and Marshall chat with Dr. Antonia Altomare, DO, MPH, an infectious disease specialist and hospital epidemiologist at DHMC. They reflect on lessons learned in the past year, discuss herd immunity and outlook as we continue to vaccinate our communities, and contemplate whether masking may be here longer than we initially thought. Jose Mercado, MD is a staff hospitalist...

Mahathi, Amogh, Marshall, and Jose sit down with John Dick, MD, a staff hospitalist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and is the interim Associate Dean for Medical Education at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (among many other things). They discuss the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical education system as a whole, the role of students in the pandemic, and how medical educ...

In this episode, Rima, Marshall, and Amogh chat with Dr. Gary Schwartz, a medical oncologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Schwartz sheds some light on the safety and efficacy of the available COVID-19 vaccines as it relates to patients with cancer on chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation therapy.  Rima Mercad...

In this episode, Amogh, Jose, Marshall, and Rima talk with Dr. Sally Kraft, the Vice President of Population Health at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. They talk about D-H's experience thus far vaccinating frontline healthcare workers, and what the ongoing rollout of vaccines to the public will look like in the coming weeks.   Amogh Karnik, MD is a Chief Medical Resident at Dartmouth-Hitchcoc...

In this episode, Amogh, Marshall, and Rima check in with Dr. Deborah Ornstein, the director of the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. They discuss why COVID-19 seems to be associated with increased risk of blood clots and strategies for preventing clots in patients.  Amogh Karnik, MD is a chief medical resident at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Marshall Ward, MD is...

In this episode, Amogh, Mahathi, Jose, and Beth chat with Graham Atkins, MD, a Pulmonary/Critical Care specialist at DHMC. Dr. Atkins discusses how COVID-19 infection impacts the lungs and talks about the different types of therapies and approaches that can be used for patients with hypoxemia.  Here's the article by Raoof et al. that Dr. Atkins referenced during the discussion.   Amogh K...

In this mini-episode, Marshall Ward, Mahathi Komaragiri, and Rima Mercado chat with Erin Reigh, an Allergy/Immunology specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock to get her perspectives on the vaccine and the risk of allergic reactions as we see our initial wave of vaccine distributed around the country.  Questions? Drop us a line at thecure@hitchcock.org!

As we inch closer to multiple vaccines for COVID-19, Jose Mercado MD, Mahathi Komaragiri MD, and Amogh Karnik MD speak with Dr. Michael Calderwood, Infectious Disease physician and Associate Chief Quality Officer at DHMC about vaccine safety and efficacy, logistics around distribution, and the ongoing need for precautions in the coming months.  Questions? Drop us a line at thecure@hitchcock.o...

In this episode, Amogh Karnik, MD, Mahathi Komaragiri, MD, and Jose Mercado, MD confer with David de Gijsel, MD,  an Infectious Disease specialist at DHMC. We discuss the utility of remdesivir, the data behind using steroids, and new treatments on the horizon for treatment of both inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19.  For more information about DH-H's recommendations for diagnostics...

Hi there! The Cure is a podcast based out of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, and we're hoping to use this medium to provide updates about COVID-19.  We have a team of a few internists, will be joined by various guests from all over the DH-H system. Jose Mercado, MD is a Hospitalist at DH-H and the Associate Hospital Epidemiologist at DHMC.   Mahathi Komaragiri, MD and Marshall Ward, MD are b...