Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: Masha Gessen Blood Matters: From Inherited Illness to Designer Babies is the work of Moscow-based author and journalist, Masha Gessen. Ms. Gessen discusses her book, based in part upon her experience as a carrier of the BRCA gene, with host Dr. Michael Greenberg.

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: Daniel Hall, MD, MDiv, MHSc "It's not a coincidence the medicine man, the priest, and the shaman are so often the same person in so many different cultures", says Dr. Daniel Hall, assistant surgery professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and ordained Episcopal priest. Join in the conversation as Dr. Hall speaks with host Dr. Michael Greenberg about his dual calling of practicing medicine and the priesthood.

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD Guest: Andrew Vickers, PhD Can you predict a man’s risk of prostate cancer 25 years in the future? The data from this study indicates that PSA levels before age 50 is an indicator of future prostate cancer. Find out more about the prospective study conducted by a team of researchers from Memorial Sloane Kettering. Epidemiologist Andrew Vickers talks with host Dr. Bill Rutenberg about what the GP can take from this study What does a slightly elevated, but not high PSA indicate about the chance of prostate cancer in the future?

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD Guest: Andrew Vickers, PhD We all know that practice makes perfect, but how much practice is necessary to be considered beyond the learning curve? In this segment, Dr. Andrew Vickers shares his research in which his team evaluated the surgical outcomes for radical prostectomies based on chemical recurrence. What do the outcomes of this study indicate about the training and experience level of surgeons? Join us to find out.

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: Susan Wicklund, MD Enduring death threats and other abuse, carrying a concealed weapon, and wearing a bulletproof vest were as much a part of a normal day for Dr. Susan Wicklund as sipping a cup of coffee or talking on a cell phone. Dr. Michael Greenberg hosts this can’t-miss discussion, no matter your views, exploring Dr. Wicklund’s poignant career as an abortion doctor. How has her family been affected by her career choices? What advice does she have for her fellow medical professionals?

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Guest: Dana King, MD The cardiovascular benefits of moderate alcohol consumption have been studied with positive results in the alcohol consuming population. But what about non-drinkers? Should we be recommending a drink or two a day to our patients currently abstaining from alcohol? Dr. Dana King, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, speaks with your host, Dr. Lee Freedman, regarding the surprising results of a study published in the American Journal of Medicine exploring the benefits of initiating alcohol consumption in middle age.

Host: Susan Dolan, RN, JD Guest: Harlon Wilson, MS Guest: Jack Ditslear, MD Harlon Wilson is the President and CEO of Medical Animatics. Dr. Jack Ditslear is a bariatric surgeon. During this segment hear Mr. Wilson and Dr. Ditslear discuss how physicians are using new animated informed consent technology for bariatric surgery.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Vikram Patel, PhD Dr. Vikram Patel, professor of international mental health and the Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, discusses a community model in developing countries that empowers patients with mental illness to use collaborative psychosocial intervention. In India, where there are 3,000 psychiatrists for 1 billion people, technicians can be trained to diagnose and treat depression and anxiety with cost-effective results. Hosted by Dr. Maurice Pickard.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Vikram Patel, PhD People with mental illness face enormous physical and social adversities on a daily basis. In developing countries, this issue becomes all the more prominent due to poor access to effective treatment. Because mental illness often begins to manifest earlier in life, efforts are ongoing across the globe to better integrate mental health with child and adolescent care. Dr. Vikram Patel, professor of international mental health and the Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, speaks to the importance of addressing mental illness in developing countries.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Mark Merchant, PhD Surely the first question you’re asking yourself is, how does one extract blood from an alligator? Mark Merchant, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at McNeese State University, is one researcher brave enough to tackle this arduous task. Exactly why would Dr. Merchant go this far to get ahold of alligator serum? The answer, indeed, lies in its potentially unique medicinal value. Host Dr. Shira Johnson finds out what features of alligator serum may make it a strong candidate for future use in the clinical setting. The answer may surprise you.