
Medicine and the Machine
Join Medscape editor-in-chief Eric Topol, MD, and master storyteller and clinician Abraham Verghese, MD, as they interview experts on the hottest topics in healthcare ranging from COVID-19 to social determinants of health to bringing humanity back to medicine.
Latest episodes

Nov 28, 2023 • 31min
Wisdom From a Scottish GP: The Lost Art of Convalescence
The final Medicine and the Machine podcast guest, physician and author Gavin Francis, shares his approach to keeping his occupation rewarding and satisfying. This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Gavin Francis, MBChB (Hons), BSc (Hons), Department of Primary Care, Edinburgh University; General Practitioner, Department of Primary Care, Community Clinic, Edinburgh Free For All. https://www.gavinfrancis.com/books/free-for-all-why-the-nhs-is-worth-saving/ Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence. https://www.gavinfrancis.com/books/recovery/ Adventures in Human Being. https://www.gavinfrancis.com/books/adventures-in-human-being/ You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net

Oct 31, 2023 • 37min
His Rare Disease's Cure Was Sitting on the Pharmacy Shelf
He's alive thanks to a repurposed drug. Now his dream is to find cures for millions of people from among drugs we already have. This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine; Director, Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Chasing My Cure. https://chasingmycure.com/ His Doctors Were Stumped. Then He Took Over. - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/04/business/his-doctors-were-stumped-then-he-took-over.html Every Cure. https://everycure.org/ You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net

8 snips
Oct 2, 2023 • 28min
Physicians: Shape Your AI Future or Someone Else Will
Dr Eric Topol and Dr Adam Rodman discuss the present and future of AI in medicine, exploring the applications of GPT and other language models in clinical reasoning, the importance of physician engagement in shaping AI technology, utilizing AI for patient diagnosis, navigating AI integration in medical education and practice, and advancing AI in medicine through chatbot conversations. The podcast highlights the role of AI in enhancing patient care, reducing diagnostic errors, and alleviating clinician burnout.

Sep 7, 2023 • 40min
Left-Digit Bias and Other Random Acts of Medicine
A new book reveals how chance can change the course of a person's health, life, and death. This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Abraham Verghese, MD, Physician, author, and educator; Professor and Vice Chair, Theory & Practice of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese, MD; https://www.abrahamverghese.org/books/ Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhD, Joseph P. Newhouse Professor, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts Random Acts of Medicine. Anupam B. Jena and Christopher Worsham. Penguin Random House. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/708150/random-acts-of-medicine-by-anupam-b-jena-md-phd-and-christopher-worsham-md/ You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net

Aug 15, 2023 • 35min
How the Modern ICU Was Galvanized By a Polio Epidemic
The medical and dental students who kept polio patients alive by hand-ventilating them around the clock are among the cast of characters in this incredible story. This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Hannah Wunsch, MD, MSc, Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Toronto; Staff Physician, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada The Autumn Ghost, Hannah Wunsch, MD; https://greystonebooks.com/products/the-autumn-ghost Why we can thank a polio emergency for the birth of intensive care; Nature 618, 234-235 (2023), Eric Topol; https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01830-3 You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net

Jul 25, 2023 • 39min
Bob Wachter's Viral Tweet and Thoughts on AI in Medicine
The gig was up, but when he finally got COVID, it was pretty far down on his ER problem list. This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Abraham Verghese, MD, Physician, author, and educator; Professor and Vice Chair, Theory & Practice of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese, MD; https://www.abrahamverghese.org/books/ Robert M. Wachter, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco https://twitter.com/Bob_Wachter You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net

20 snips
Jun 27, 2023 • 38min
AI Comes to Medicine: This Time, It's Serious
The podcast discusses the evolution and impact of artificial intelligence in medicine, from early neural networks to transformer models. It explores the development of GPT-4, a powerful language model, and the concept of superhuman performance in AI. The podcast also explores the wide range of AI applications in healthcare, raising questions about accuracy, reliability, regulation, and biases.

Jun 7, 2023 • 43min
Tragedy, Hope, and a Medical Mystery: 'The Covenant of Water'
Dr Eric Topol and Dr Robert Harrington interview Dr Abraham Verghese about his fiction writing methods and Oprah's enthusiasm for his latest novel. This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Abraham Verghese, MD, Physician, author, and educator; Professor and Vice Chair, Theory & Practice of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese, MD; https://www.abrahamverghese.org/books/ Robert A. Harrington, MD, Arthur L. Bloomfield Professor; Chair, Department of Medicine, Stanford University; Chair, Department of Medicine, Stanford Medical Center, Stanford, California Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net

May 1, 2023 • 28min
There's No Place Like Home for Hospital Care
Dr Helen Ouyang on why she writes so much about the hospital-at-home movement: It's the future, one way or another. This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Abraham Verghese, MD, Physician, author, and educator; Professor and Vice Chair, Theory & Practice of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California Helen Ouyang, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons; Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY Your Next Hospital Bed Might Be at Home, The New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/magazine/hospital-at-home.html Hashtag Prescription, Harper's Magazine. https://harpers.org/archive/2016/06/hashtag-prescription/ Acute Hospital Care at Home Individual Waiver Only (not a blanket waiver), CMS.gov. https://qualitynet.cms.gov/acute-hospital-care-at-home You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net

Mar 15, 2023 • 36min
Rogue Faculty and Academic Freedom in the Age of Misinformation
Should our nation's academic institutions rein in faculty who amplify conspiracy theories and spread potentially harmful falsehoods? This podcast is intended for US healthcare professionals only. To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/features/public/machine Eric J. Topol, MD, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Professor of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Abraham Verghese, MD, Physician, author, and educator; Professor and Vice Chair, Theory & Practice of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California Robert A. Harrington, MD, Arthur L. Bloomfield Professor; Chair, Department of Medicine, Stanford University; Chair, Department of Medicine, Stanford Medical Center, Stanford, California You may also like: Discussions on topics at the core of cardiology and the practice of medicine with Dr Robert A. Harrington and guests on The Bob Harrington Show https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington Medscape's Chief Cardiology Correspondent Dr John M. Mandrola's This Week In Cardiology https://www.medscape.com/twic For questions or feedback, please email: news@medscape.net
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