The Podcast by KevinMD

"For twenty years, I defended doctors when they were sued, and now I coach female leaders from all industries on how to advocate for themselves and their potential with the tools of a trial lawyer. I know that when doctors are exhausted, distracted and powerless they're more likely to be sued. They're also more likely to burnout, less likely to enhance the patient experience, and more likely to have complications. And I know there is another way." Heather Hansen is a communications consultant and attorney. She can be reached at Heather Hansen Presents. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "When telemedicine leads to burnout." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/10/when-telemedicine-leads-to-burnout.html)

Welcome to this special episode of The Podcast by KevinMD, where I interview two infectious disease physicians on the COVID Omicron variant. They share their unique perspective on this threat answer the following questions: How do these early days of the Omicron variant contrast with past variants? What do they think about the travel restrictions? How has the media covered Omicron? What are the best-case and worst-case scenarios? And about Omicron keeps them up at night? Nahid Bhadelia is an infectious disease physician and founding director, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research (CEID). She can be reached on Twitter @BhadeliaMD. Paul Sax is an infectious disease physician and contributing editor, NEJM Journal Watch Infectious Diseases. He can be reached on Twitter @PaulSaxMD.

"While individual doctors have obligations to both the individual and public health, their first concern is their patients. And these decisions have to acknowledge fears and respect the stance. Providers must balance reassurance with acknowledgment, care, data, and the intent to 'do no harm.' It is undeniable that the COVID vaccination has saved countless lives and will be crucial to come out of this crisis. In particular, the OAZv has many advantages for global use. But the success of a vaccination program should not expend of public trust or we may jeopardize the future of global public health." Mallika Sekhar is a hematologist-oncologist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Fear of vaccines grows with the need for medical ethics." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/04/fear-of-vaccines-grows-with-the-need-for-medical-ethics.html)

"The variant keeps me up at night a little bit because it has 32 mutations in the spike protein, in contrast to the Delta mutation. But it's not just the mutations. In terms of biological plausibility, it's plausible that it could be more evasive against immunity. Not just vaccines, but potentially reinfection. What really worries me is seeing the signals line up in the wrong way. It first started in Botswana, but it's surging not just in one part of South Africa, but across six different provinces in South Africa, all at once." Eric Feigl-Ding is an epidemiologist and health economist. He can be reached on Twitter @DrEricDing. He shares his story and discusses the new COVID Omicron variant.

"Cultivating compassion for ourselves and others is a practice in which we release judgment, anger and heal our emotional wounds. We can then move forward to a version of a better world where we have evolved to a new beginning. Change is always happening, and that is our constant. What we focus on while it happens is what will determine how much we will suffer or thrive as we go through it. So, as we emerge through this time, whether as a health care worker, a parent, a newlywed or whatever your role is, let us stay present in what we have gained and be hopeful of the world that we will create tomorrow. Let us focus not on what seems to be an obvious loss or grieving process but one in which we can find introspection, wisdom, strength, and a new set of purpose. It is in this that we can evolve personally and as a collective. It is not easy. There is a lot of discomfort in shedding our old self and grieving our collective loss. Yet if we do this with compassion, we can find comfort knowing hope is waiting for us on the other side." Diana Londoño is a urologist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Grieving our collective loss with compassion." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/11/grieving-our-collective-loss-with-compassion.html)

"Mr. Rodgers, I'm glad you're feeling well. This isn't altogether unsurprising given your younger age and elite physical fitness (though cases in young unvaccinated people can and have become severe) and I hope you continue to feel well as you quarantine. The medical and scientific community works on data, lots and lots of data. The process of running clinical trials and publishing data is rigorously vetted and peer-reviewed. We do not have good data that supports the use of ivermectin. In fact, a couple of preprint studies have been removed from the internet due to inaccuracy and flaws in their data. Furthermore, I fear you are missing — and propagating — a very important point. We don't just get vaccinated for ourselves, but for the greater good. As I've said, I'm glad you're feeling well. As an unvaccinated young, healthy person you pose a greater risk of spreading the virus to the portion of the very young, very old, and immunocompromised population who do not share in your level of fitness than if you were fully vaccinated, especially with the travel required of you and going maskless. Some of these people make up your fan base. As someone who has been part of a team for his whole life, I wish you would see these individuals as part of your larger "team." We have to all be in this together to achieve our goals of herd immunity just as you have had to work together with your teammates to win games and titles. I wish Mr. Rodgers a speedy recovery and hope he uses this time to reevaluate some of his recent statements and their possible repercussions. I'll be watching and cheering on Jordan Love and the rest of the team." Allison Neitzel is a physician and public health student. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "To Aaron Rodgers, from a physician and Packers fan." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/11/to-aaron-rodgers-from-a-physician-and-packers-fan.html)

"The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health care systems and patients' personal economic capacity, leading to approximately six million adults losing their dental insurance. Additionally, the World Health Organization and the American Dental Association recommended dentists to limit their practices to emergency and urgent dental care. In the list of these diagnoses requiring emergency care, jaw pain (temporomandibular disorder (TMD) that includes several clinical problems involving the temporomandibular joint and group of muscles that help with chewing and other associated structures), was not included. This is not acceptable." Soumya Padala is a craniofacial orthodontist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Delta surge warning: Ignoring jaw pain comes at too high a price." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/08/delta-surge-warning-ignoring-jaw-pain-comes-at-too-high-a-price.html)

"Thanks for gathering today in this anonymous detached space. Since it's unlikely that we'll ever publicly convene in a circle on metal folding chairs, I'm reaching out through this letter. You can peruse this in private and perhaps see a piece of yourself here. As a non-practicing physician who speaks openly about my decades of suicidal ideations, I know there's a thirst for connection on this topic. Colleagues pull me aside to whisper that they, too, have felt "that way." See this letter as my way of firing a flare into the dark cavernous topic of physician suicide in order to faintly shed light and, above all, signal that you are not alone." Eliza Shin is an actor and former radiologist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "To my fellow physicians who are struggling with suicidal ideation." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/09/to-my-fellow-physicians-who-are-struggling-with-suicidal-ideation.html)

"I left my primary care practice earlier this year to focus on life coaching. Why did I leave? Because I wanted to do more and make a bigger impact. I remember how eager I was to complete medical training as I approached the light at the end of the tunnel. I thought I could finally relax and enjoy life as an attending after all the delayed gratification from becoming a doctor. All I ever wanted was to help people feel better and live a life of ease myself. However, I was disappointed and frustrated by our broken health care system and how care coordination could impact patient outcomes negatively. Working as a PCP in the pandemic didn't make it any easier. I saw so many patients suffer and felt helpless that I couldn't do more. I wanted to offer healing on a deeper level by examining the root cause in order to change things for good and care for the person as a whole. But I was feeling stuck. I was afraid to leave my stable job. Medicine was all I knew. What else could I do?" Cindy Tsai is an internal medicine physician and can be reached on Twitter @cindytsaimd. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Should you stay or leave medicine?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/09/should-you-stay-or-leave-medicine.html)

"Economics taught me that I didn't have to culture cells in a dish to do interesting and life-changing work. I built a habit of being inquisitive and intellectually curious about the world around me because I learned in undergrad that our human, flawed world contains elegant experiments, puzzling oddities, and fertile ground for inquiry. That profound change in mindset is the most important lesson I could have learned from my undergraduate major, and I'll always be a grateful ex-economist." Dan Donoho is a pediatric neurosurgeon and can be reached on Twitter @ddonoho. He shares his story and discusses the KevinMD article, "An ode to econ: the best major for a would-be MD." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/03/an-ode-to-econ-the-best-major-for-a-would-be-md.html)