The Host Response: A FirstcallID Podcast

How do we decide who the "great" physicians really are? In this reflective episode of The Host Response , Dr. Paul Bunce explores how reputation changes with perspective. From keynote speakers and internationally recognized experts to the quiet clinicians who keep healthcare systems functioning, visibility and excellence are not always the same thing. Drawing on experiences from Infectio...

In this installment, co-host Brooke Fraser returns as we discuss educational resources that have shaped our learning, including This Podcast Will Kill You, Febrile's infographic library, and a particularly memorable recent episode of Breakpoints. From the literature, we review a multi-centre study examining ophthalmologic screening in candidemia and discuss the recent randomized trial of vanco...

When a patient develops an infection without an obvious source, someone will eventually suggest a familiar explanation: translocation . In this episode of The Host Response, we explore the biology behind bacterial translocation, why the concept is often invoked in Infectious Diseases, and how a plausible mechanism can sometimes become a substitute for finding the real source. Using cases of E. col...

Discharge from hospital is often treated as a conclusion, but in practice, it frequently marks the start of a less clearly defined phase of care. In this episode of The Host Response , we explore the concept of “holding the bag” in infectious diseases and internal medicine: what happens when responsibility for follow-up is not clearly assigned after discharge. We discuss common real-world scenario...

In this fourth instalment of Bundles, Dr. Paul Bunce is joined again by Dr. Brooke Fraser to cover a mix of Infectious Diseases insights, useful resources, and ideas from beyond medicine that shape how we think and practice. In this episode: 🧠 Teaching tools The Gorgas Course - Case of the Week - A practical, case-based tropical medicine resource from the Gorgas Course A visual, diagnostic reason...

In this episode of The Host Response, Dr. Paul Bunce explores a deceptively simple problem in infectious diseases: the clinical story you’re given isn’t always the story you need. From “CSF was clear” to “ALL of the hardware is out,” small assumptions, missing details, and imprecise language can quietly shape major management decisions. In a field where treatment depends heavily on context, verify...

When should you say everything you’re thinking...and when should you hold back? In this episode of The Host Response, Dr. Paul Bunce explores a subtle but important aspect of clinical reasoning in infectious diseases: timing. Consultants often carry multiple working diagnoses, contingencies, and “next steps” in mind, but not all of these need to be voiced immediately. Knowing what to share, when t...

How do you choose the “right” antibiotic once cultures are finalized? In this episode of The Host Response , Dr. Paul Bunce walks through one of the most deceptively complex steps in infectious diseases: selecting definitive (or “destination”) antibiotic therapy. While it may feel like the easy part of the case, this decision involves balancing multiple competing factors and not just picking the n...

In this episode of The Host Response, Dr Paul Bunce reflectson the lasting influence of Mark Crislip, known to many as the Puswhisperer, and his infectious diseases podcasts Persiflager’s Infectious Diseases Puscast and Gobbet o’ Pus. From 2007 to 2021, the Puscast offered a biweekly review ofthe infectious diseases literature, combining sharp critical appraisal with practical clinical insight. Fo...

In this episode of The Host Response, Dr. Paul Bunce explores a deceptively simple but powerful skill in medicine: using the insights of your colleagues when facing challenging cases. Drawing on a real life blastomycosis case and strategies for spotting blind spots in your own reasoning, Paul shows how mentally asking “WWJD?” what would your experienced peers do can guide decisions, clarify uncert...

In infectious diseases, reading the radiology report is not enough. In this episode, Dr. Paul Bunce explains why looking at imaging yourself is a core part of a thoughtful ID consultation. From abscesses that sound impressive on paper but are not actually drainable, to pleural effusions, pneumonias, postoperative collections, and liver abscesses, this episode explores how reviewing the images chan...

Dr. Paul Bunce and Dr. Brooke Fraser (newly minted Adult IDspecialist), bring you the third episode in our “Bundles” series with fourquick-hitting topics blending infectious diseases and beyond. Resources & Highlights: Sunnybrook Antimicrobial Stewardship AppA practical, user-friendly tool for antibiotic guidance, dosing, and special situations like pregnancy. Online TST/IGRA Interpreter (TSTi...

Why do some patients worsen after starting the right antibiotics? In this episode, Dr. Paul Bunce breaks down the post antibiotic inflammatory crash, why it happens, how to recognize it, and how to manage deterioration without reflexively broadening therapy. A must listen for trainees facing the unnerving moment when treatment appears to make things worse.

In this episode of The Host Response , infectious diseases physician Paul Bunce reflects on how clinical judgment, priorities, and perspective evolve over time in practice. Drawing on advice he shared early in his career (and revisiting it a decade later) this episode contrasts three tips for new ID doctors then with three updated lessons now , highlighting what has changed and what has stayed the...

In this episode of The Host Response , Infectious Diseases specialist Paul Bunce flips the usual conversation about “favourite ID consults” on its head. Instead of rare pathogens and diagnostic fireworks, this episode focuses on the consults many ID clinicians quietly dread and why they may be some of the most meaningful work we do. Topics include: Recurrent urinary tract infections and lower urin...

The Bundle 2.0 is here. In this episode of The Host Response , Dr. Paul Bunce and returning guest Dr. Brooke Fraser take another rapid-fire tour through what’s catching their attention across infectious diseases and adjacent domains: teaching tools worth knowing, papers that may shift practice, ideas from outside ID that still matter, and the small-but-important clinical pearls that surface in eve...

This episode explores the infectious diseases approach to rashes, skin lesions, and cutaneous manifestations of systemic illness. We review key diagnostic clues, high-yield dermatologic findings in infectious diseases, and life-threatening rash presentations clinicians must recognize early. Topics include erythema nodosum, Sweet syndrome, nodular lymphangitis, pyoderma gangrenosum, disseminated vi...

In this episode of The Host Response , Dr. Paul Bunce (Infectious Diseases specialist and clinician teacher) reflects on his complicated relationship with academic writing. From a fellowship project that refused to die to his mother’s psychic prediction that he’d one day be “published,” this episode explores what makes a medical paper worth writing. He shares his personal criteria for taking on a...

In this episode of The Host Response: A FirstCallID Podcast , Dr. Paul Bunce explores a familiar phenomenon in medicine...when someone wields a freshly learned fact like long-held expertise. We unpack why “the vulgar display of recently acquired knowledge” happens, how it affects team dynamics and learning culture, and what it says about our relationship with uncertainty and expertise. With humor...

This episode kicks off a new recurring series we’re calling Bundles — a grab bag of ID-adjacent topics we’re reading, noticing, and trying to make sense of. And for the first time, I’m not hosting alone. Joining me is Dr. Brooke Fraser, a general internist and newly minted infectious diseases physician. Together we tackle four prompts: Educational tool: How ChatGPT can help organize and synthesize...

Sometimes the best next step in infectious diseases isn’t to add more antibiotics — it’s to stop, reset, and start fresh. In this episode, Dr. Paul Bunce reflects on the value of a “mulligan,” borrowed from golf but applied to patient care: the strategic do-over. Through real-world cases, we explore when pressing reset can clarify confusing clinical stories, improve stewardship, and spare patients...

🎙️ The Host Response — Episode 10: Out of Step Ever had your careful, evidence-based plan shot down by your attending with little more than a shrug and a “let’s do the opposite”? You’re not alone. In this episode, Dr. Paul Bunce unpacks the uneasy moments when trainees and attendings seem just a little out of sync — not wrong, just misaligned. He reflects on the subtle signals that shape trust, th...

The Host Response — Episode 9: Blame It on the Drugs 💊 Every drug has side effects—but which ones actually matter at the bedside? In this episode, Paul Bunce (infectious diseases and internal medicine specialist) shares his teaching framework for approaching medications: Anything can cause anything (clinical humility matters). The most common side effect (what your patient will ask about). The mo...

In this short bonus episode, Paul Bunce, an Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine specialist, reflects on bias and transparency in medical education. Where do our perspectives come from? How do personal values, training, and outside influences shape the way we practice and teach medicine? Paul shares his own lenses — from minimalism in practice and antimicrobial stewardship to distancing from...

🎙️ The Host Response — Episode: This Email Could Have Been an Alphanumeric Page Welcome to The Host Response , the FirstCallID podcast hosted by Dr. Paul Bunce, adult Infectious Diseases specialist and Internal Medicine physician. In this episode, we dive into a surprisingly powerful but often overlooked tool in infectious diseases consultations: the humble email. Whether you’re advocating for you...