As we prepare to usher in 2025—with a new presidential administration and shifting congressional landscape—it’s the perfect time to revisit the politics of medicine, both in the workplace and on the national stage.

This Fixing Healthcare flashback features a December 2022 episode of Unfiltered, where cohosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr dive into this thorny topic with Zubin Damania, better known as ZDoggMD.

For Pearl, the relationship between medicine and politics wasn’t always so clear cut. He recalls his college decision to pursue healthcare, imagining it as a field free from the messiness of politics.

“Healthcare is about life and death,” Pearl reflects, laughing at his teenage naivety. “How could there be politics entwined inside that esteemed world?”

Of course, the reality proved far different, with politics and medicine deeply intertwined at every level—from hospital boardrooms to Capitol Hill.

In this lively discussion, ZDoggMD brings his characteristic humor and insight to the table as the trio explores how politics—whether institutional, cultural or governmental—shapes American healthcare. Together, they ponder whether logic and common sense have any chance of prevailing in a system so heavily influenced by competing interests.

To navigate the political landscape of medicine, press play and listen to this insightful episode.

* * *

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post FHC #160: Fixing Healthcare flashback with Zubin Damania appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.