Tag Archives: Mark Moubarek

They have questions, we have…more questions.

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Photo by CamEvans

Dave, John Pienta, Mark Moubarek, Matt Maves, and Levi Endelman are aware that the world is full of questions.  Nowhere is that more true than on the saddest place on the Internet, Yahoo! Answers. There folks ask the kinds of things that a primary care physician might have to answer.  Is removing a layer of skin with a razor a good way to get rid of acne scars?  What could be the cause of blisters on one’s lips after kissing one’s dog?  How much milk should one use in one’s bath?  There are no stupid questions.

But first, since Matt has returned from a year in Des Moines doing clerkships there, we discuss what that’s been like and the benefits of doing some clerkships outside a more academic setting.  We also discuss the psychiatric disorder pica and the kinds of things people swallow on purpose (or by accident).  Also we talk about drug maker Mylan’s difficulties with, well, everyone after we collectively realized they’re gouging patients who need epinephrine auto-injectors to keep themselves alive.  Meanwhile, a company is offering a supplement that its CEO, a pioneering MIT aging researcher, and it’s Nobel-prize festooned board of scientific advisors say might just be a way to extend the human health span.

Continue reading They have questions, we have…more questions.

The Ultimate Taboo: Medicine and Suicide

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Just hours before a new crop of medical students are to be welcomed into the world of medicine, Kaci McCleary, John Pienta, Aline Sandouk, Mark Moubarek, and Lisa Wehr confront one of the most uncomfortable topics in medical education: resident and student suicide.  Among doctors, suicide rates are much higher than among the general population.  The long hours, high pressure (from both one’s internal monologue and from outside sources) to succeed, fear of public humiliation regarding one’s shortcomings, isolation, inadequate supervision, the stigma against mental illness, the career penalties faced by those who admit to unwellness, and more, all contribute to the problem.  Institutions also have a difficult time addressing incidents of physician suicide effectively, as they try to walk a tightrope strung between respect for the privacy of the deceased, the needs of colleague survivors to talk about it, the desire to avoid adverse publicity.  Meanwhile, the work does not stop. The only breaks are a moment of silence, a visit with a grief counselor, or an “open forum” to discuss one’s feelings.

Fortunately, the culture may be changing to allow for more discussion, prevention, transparency. Institutions like the University of Iowa and Harvard University are adding counseling capacity, student groups to support struggling peers, and a greater openness to acknowledging without shaming the fact of mental illness among physicians.

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The opinions expressed in this feed and podcast are not those of the University of Iowa or the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine; nor do they reflect the views of anyone other than the people who expressed them.  If you have feedback on anything you hear on the show, positive or not, let us know.

What penniless med students should know about money with Joe Saul-Sehy

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Guest quote rightDo you, dear students, have tons of money? No? Weird. Luckily, Joe Saul-Sehy of the Stacking Benjamins podcast joins us on the show this week.  Joe was a financial advisor for many years, he was known as the Money Man on WXYZ-TV in Detroit, and he’s a financial contributor in a bunch of places around the print and web news media. He and his wife Cheryl, a pediatrician, have gone through all the stages that pre-meds and med students go through. So we asked him to join us to talk about the strategies they employed to claw their way back from med school debt, educating yourself about how money works, having fun with  managing your money, and why it’s particularly important for doctors to understand money.  Joe’s got plenty of information, resources and ‘fintech’ apps to recommend for succeeding in this area that many people (never mind med students) have not adequately explored.

Continue reading What penniless med students should know about money with Joe Saul-Sehy

A Career in Health Policy: Dr. Lauren Hughes

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Lauren Hughes, MD, MPH, MSc, FAAFP
Lauren Hughes, MD, MPH, MSc,, FAAFP

Dr. Lauren Hughes is a graduate of the Carver College of Medicine who, in addition to her work as a family physician, has made a career in public policy. During medical school, she also got her Masters in Public Health at George Washington University in Washington, DC. After graduating from med school in 2009, she delayed her residency to serve as national president of the American Medical Student Association, and then completed her residency at the University of Washington.  Today Dr. Hughes is Deputy Secretary of Health Innovation at the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health.  Mark Moubarek, Corbin Weaver, Rob Humble and newcomer Morgan Bobb spoke with her about her career in public health and policy. Continue reading A Career in Health Policy: Dr. Lauren Hughes

There Will Be No Problems: Confidence and Reassurance

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On a recent show, Dave opined that shaving one’s armpit hair might cut down on deodorant failure, and a listener called into vindicate him, much to Mark Moubarek’s shame.  Another listener, PharmD and author Tony (he’s written a book you might want to try if you’re looking for “a relaxed approach” to memorizing pharmacology), wants to know how a medical student gets to the point where they can be confident enough to say to a patient, “There will be no problems.” Mark, Amy Young, John Pienta, and newcomer Julie Gudenkauf weigh in on the acquisition of confidence and the art of reassurance.

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When Balloon Animals Attack

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Photo by Cory Christensen

In his former life, co-host Mark Moubarek was a children’s entertainer. So in a stroke of genius, Dave decides to have him make balloon animals for Aline Sandouk, Marc Toral, and Rob Humble. On an audio podcast.  But it’s okay because it’s summer! Or, read another way, Dave had nothing prepared for the show, and so we’re free styling.  Not a plan in the world.  We talk about eating bugs, the television programs we were allowed to watch as children, Dave’s impending trip to the Podcast Movement conference, and how he’d love to some day do a presentation on what podcasting can do for medicine. Also, Aline’s had a physical transformation after she took Step 1, and we observe the phenomenon of scientists with out of control eyebrows.

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The opinions expressed in this feed and podcast are not those of the University of Iowa or the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine; nor do they reflect the views of anyone other than the people who expressed them.  If you have feedback on anything you hear on the show, positive or not, let us know.

Searching for Cures from Old-Timey Remedies, Dopamine Headphones, and Cuban Vaccines

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These new headphones are FANTASTIIIIICCC! Photo by gurms

Corbin Weaver visits the local grocery store to hear a presentation on pelvic floor disorders, part of the store’s health outreach efforts, and marvels at the fact that A) many people seem to have a very foggy notion of anogenital functions, and B) that some also seem to have no inhibitions about bringing up embarrassing bodily foibles in a room full of strangers.  Also, Dave points out that sometimes medical research reaches into the past to ‘discover’ ancient remedies that actually work. So Corbin, Mark Moubarek, Alex Volkmar, and new host Erin Renfrew sample and evaluate some folk- and old-timey prescriptions to see if they have any merit, aside from causing very bad breath and wet, salty feet.   Continue reading Searching for Cures from Old-Timey Remedies, Dopamine Headphones, and Cuban Vaccines

Power Poses, Mesh Body Suits, and the Return of Dr. Love

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Feel the power! (photo by Corey Christensen)
Feel the power! (photo by Corey Christensen)

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s well known TED talk discusses the utility of ‘power poses,’ and medical students are always looking for ways to feel more powerful.  So Dave challenges Ellie Ginn, Tony Rosenberg, Marc Toral, and Mark Moubarek to give them a try.  Zika remains a force for making people crazy, and Brazil has banned the use of a larvicide incorrectly linked with  Monsanto as a result of a report from a group of Argentinian physicians who advocate for the ban of insecticides.  Tony suggests a better option: mosquito-mesh body suits.  In fact, he’s full of ideas, including replacing the traditional family-medicine feces chart, used to help patients discuss their poop with their doctors, with plastinated specimens; and he’s considering launching a company that offers fecal transplants from specimens provided by celebrities and sports figures.

Continue reading Power Poses, Mesh Body Suits, and the Return of Dr. Love