Clinician's Roundtable

Host: John J. Russell, MD Guest: William G. Callahan, DO The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled many to stay home, but for those venturing out, how can we encourage them to stay safe? Dr. Bill Callahan, a family physician at Abington Jefferson Health and outdoorsman, sits down with Dr. John Russell to discuss how to stay safe during this winter pandemic.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Saleemah McNeil, CLC, MS, MFT Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the global protests against racism have had far-reaching impacts on black communities. To vocalize the importance of mental health care, Dr. Matt Birnholz is joined by Saleemah McNeil, a psychotherapist and founder of Oshun Family Center, who shares what her center is doing to help.

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP To give us a better look into how counties and cities across the nation are reacting to the racial disparities in healthcare that were brought into the limelight by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Charles Turck reviews the declaration made by officials in Ohio’s most populated county that racism is a public health crisis.

Host: Paul Doghramji, MD Guest: Jonathan Stokes The World Health Organization recently listed antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest threats to global health, causing researchers to search for potential antibiotic candidates to combat this crisis. To find one such candidate, one research team turned to an unexpected source: artificial intelligence. Here to walk us through the team’s approach and findings is Johnathon Stokes, the lead author of the study that identified a powerful new antibiotic compound.

Host: Paul Doghramji, MD Guest: Maria Escolar, MD, MS Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a rare genetic disorder that when left untreated, can have severe and even fatal consequences. Here to review the available treatment options for these patients is Dr. Maria Escolar, the Director of the Program for the Study of Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Host: Paul Doghramji, MD Guest: Megan Arnot Menopause is an inevitable transition in every woman’s life, but what if engaging in a basic physiological need like sex could delay its onset? Researching this potential connection is Megan Arnot, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University College London. As the lead author of the study, she walks us through her findings and the range of factors they investigated, like the type of sexual activity and whether or not women lived with a partner.

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc Guest: Charles P. Gerba, MD The novel coronavirus outbreak that began in late 2019 may be the first global epidemic pronounced in the social media age, with myths and misinformation populating just as quickly and frequently as new cases. But is there any truth behind these claims? Here to shed light on this global health crisis is microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba.

Host: Paul Doghramji, MD Guest: Gregory S. Sawicki, MD, MPH Even though there currently isn’t a cure for cystic fibrosis, there may finally be hope on the horizon for the more than 70,000 people around the world who are living with this debilitating disease. Joining Dr. Paul Dogramji to talk about the emerging treatment options for cystic fibrosis is Dr. Gregory Sawicki, Director at the Cystic Fibrosis Center and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc Guest: Paul Orchard, MD Although it only affects about one in 18,000 people, the impacts of adrenoleukodystrophy cannot be underestimated. That’s why Dr. Paul Orchard joins Mario Nacinovich to talk about this rare—and fatal—genetic disease, why it’s often underdiagnosed and confused with other conditions, and how we can treat it once we’ve reached an accurate diagnosis.

Host: Paul Doghramji, MD Guest: David H. Peyton, Ph.D. The vaping epidemic is becoming more and more concerning, but could new research prompt people to quit? To find out, Dr. Paul Doghramji speaks with Dr. David Peyton about his recent study that challenges the claim that vaping devices take less of a toll on our health than tobacco smoking.

Host: Jenn Simmons, MD Guest: Susan Domchek, MD Tune in as Dr. Jen Simmons is joined by Dr. Susan Domcheck, who debunks the common misconception that men don’t have to worry about the BRCA mutation and dives into the explorations of the BFOR Study.

Host: Jenn Simmons, MD Guest: Susan Domchek, MD Anytime the topic of genetic testing comes up in the context of breast and ovarian cancers, one question that undoubtedly arises is: who exactly should be tested? That’s the FAQ Dr. Susan Domchek, Director of the McDonald Women’s Cancer Risk Evaluation Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, answers.

Host: Jenn Simmons, MD Guest: Dike Drummond, MD Half of all doctors report troubling symptoms like depression, exhaustion, dissatisfaction, and a sense of failure, and Dr. Dike Drummond was one of them. Experiencing burnout not once, but twice led him to dedicate his career to coaching physicians and healthcare organizations, which he dives into with Dr. Jen Simmons.

Host: Paul Doghramji, MD Guest: Tom Quinn, DO Dogs are known for their incredible sense of smell, and based on new research, they could be the key to developing over-the-counter tests capable of detecting lung cancer early on. And who better to break down the study’s findings than Dr. Tom Quinn, a Clinical Professor of Family and Occupational Medicine at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and a member of the team who worked on this intriguing study.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: John Bielinski, PA The rate of clinical burnout has increased throughout the years, but Dr. John Bielinski has the answers to help healthcare professionals liven up their careers and stay in a positive mindset.

Host: Dr. Andrew Wilner Guest: William Tarver, MD Guest: Tyson Brunstetter, PhD, MBA Since 2012, at least 27 astronauts have been diagnosed with spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, but where does this health threat land now? Joining Dr. Andrew Wilner to discuss this out-of-this-world health threat is Captain Tyson Brunsteller and Dr. William Tarver from NASA.

Host: Paul P. Doghramji, MD, FAAFP Guest: Alexander W. Pastuszak, MD, PhD While Peyronie’s disease isn’t the most comfortable topic to talk about with your male patients, avoiding it only fuels its under-recognition. So joining Dr. Paul Doghramji to discuss conversation-starter strategies—and what to do once you have that conversation and reach a diagnosis—is Dr. Alexander Pastuszak, a urologist at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City who specializes in the treatment of male infertility and sexual dysfunction.

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc Guest: Raj Mehra, PH.D. Seelos Therapeutics is leading the charge against central nervous system (CNS) disorders by advancing late-stage therapeutic candidates with proven mechanisms of action for patients with suicidality in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). And Mario Nacinovich welcomes Dr. Raj Mehra, Chairman, Founder, and CEO of Seelos Therapeutics, to hear all about it.

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc Guest: Kara Rood, MD A recent study following 346 pregnant patients found that 63 percent of the women were admitted into the hospital for uncertain diagnosis or delivery—all because preeclampsia has many of the same symptoms of other diseases. The good news, however, is that there’s a new test currently underway that could make the diagnosis and treatment of preeclampsia easier in order to prevent potentially dangerous outcomes for the mother and baby, as OB/GYN Dr. Kara Rood explains.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Oriana R. Aragón, Ph.D. While watching a late night show, assistant professor at the University of Clemson Dr. Oriana Aragon witnessed the strong—almost violent—reaction of actress Leslie Bibb toward a cute, little puppy. And we can’t blame Leslie; we've all experienced this overwhelming emotion of adorableness overload, but what does it actually mean? That’s what Dr. Aragon sought to find out. So are you curious about cute? Cuz we sure are!