Tag Archives: cats

The Power and Perils of Prestige in Med Ed

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Name recognition is great, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

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So Fancy!

Listener Morgan wrote in to ask what we thought about Ivy League schools with high name recognition, and whether it should be an important factor in her decision on a school to attend. MD/PhD student Aline Sandouk and M2s Greta Becker, Mariam Mansour, and Brandon Bacalzo discuss what they’ve learned about the value of big name schools and compare them to the education Morgan would get at the lesser-known schools.

We discuss the future of The Short Coat Podcast, namely our plans for livestreaming video of our recording sessions at The Short Coat Student Lounge. Join the SCP Lounge so you can be a part of the show, and we’d love to hear your ideas for such a venture.

And we visit the saddest place on the Internet to give the crew a chance to practice answering medical questions, including how riding the bus affects fertility and recent developments in the war on hydrogen peroxide.

We Want to Hear From You

How’d we do on this week’s show? Did we miss anything in our conversation? Did we anger you? Did we make you smile? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime  or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.  It’s always a pleasure to hear from you!

When The Cat’s Away, The Mice Found Risky Business Ventures

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Photo by Jokejacket

Executive Producer Jason has kindly let Dave go on vacation, so Aline Sandouk takes over the hot seat, with Irisa Mahaparn, Hillary O’Brien, Elizabeth Shirazi, and Jayden Bowen. Together they unravel the mysteries of the human body and med school.  For instance, why do med students feel guilty about having to take time off to deal with their bed bug infestations?  And what would having many  normal or two overly large testicles do to fertility?  Such brilliant questions!!!

This Week in Medical News

Does Amazon’s Jeff Bezos or Uber’s former CEO Travis Kalanick have toxoplasmosis?  Our lawyers say definitely not, but toxo does have a link with risky behaviors, and business people can win big by taking risks.   So, naturally, a new study looks at how likely students with toxo are to be business majors.    Also, the mental health consequences of sucking up to your boss, and one woman’s warning that her child’s Hot Cheetos habit led to her losing her gallbladder.

We Want to Hear From You

So, what’s up with you? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.  Do all three!

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Happy Glitches, Research Niches, and Doc Dash Pitches

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Photo by PetroleumJelliffe

This week we start with some feedback from listener Paulius, who has a suggestion for a future show on the unsung heroes of primary care.  Thank you!  Dave bats the idea around with John Pienta, Kylie Miller, Tarek Karam and Elizabeth Shirazi.  Meanwhile, as biomedical science grapples with a study-replication crisis perhaps caused by structural problems that discourage repetition in favor of novel findings and breakthroughs, we consider the advice of Ioannis Yannas, one of the inventors of artificial skin.  Are cat lovers really at risk for schizophrenia?  A large UK study says piffle, although cat-lover Kylie points out that there are some caveats.  And though Tarek and Kylie are well-behaved on the mic, their individual approaches to weather-related flight delays reveal some points of contention. Listeners, share your thoughts with us each week.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and ask us questions on Fridays at noon as we record the show while broadcasting on Facebook Live!

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Semester Wrap-up, Gramma’s baked, and Short Thoughts

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Mmm-hm, well, I can help but notice you’ve stopped petting me, so prepare for a good clawing. Photo by rainerstropek@yahoo.com

Dave and the crew–Mark Moubarek, Levi Endelman, Julie Gudenkauf, and Erin Pazaski–look back on things they experienced as the semester draws to a close.  As first years, Levi and Erin share their thoughts on entering medical school.  Mark is getting ready for his clerkships to begin.  And Julie has finished up her primary-care clerkships and is moving into exploring some of the more specialized areas of medicine.  We also discuss the not surprising fact that baby-boomers are more into cannabis than their children and grandchildren are.  A scientist has decided that he can find people who are overly susceptible to the placebo effect and screen them out so drug companies can save millions on clinical trials and drugs can get to patients faster.  Meanwhile, some other podcasters who couldn’t join us this week send in their Short Thoughts on American consumerism, a woman that was truly a pioneer in medicine, and cats.  Listeners, share your thoughts with us each week.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and see our Facebook page for a question to consider every Monday.

Continue reading Semester Wrap-up, Gramma’s baked, and Short Thoughts