Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Paul Davenport, PhD Coughing is usually thought of as a brainstem reflex event with little information coming from higher brain centers. Yet we all can cough voluntarily. What is known today about the biology of the urge to cough? Host Dr. Leslie Lundt welcomes expert Dr. Paul Davenport to discuss the stages of what takes cough from motivation to action and how this may be relevant clinically.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Sherman Elias, MD It's not uncommon for pregnant women to have to search multiple floors and multiple buildings for medical care service, unless they are admitted to the new Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago where railings, couches and a plasma screen TV line a 124-foot triage walking track to alleviate potential labor pains. And that's just the first floor. Dr. Sherman Elias, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the latest amenities in medical care at women's hospitals.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Sherman Elias, MD Medical care for women is not just about delivering babies, but providing medical care at one location for all stages of their lives. Dr. Sherman Elias of Northwestern University's obstetrics and gynecology department tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the move by U.S. hospitals to care for women at each and every stage of their lives.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Larry Boress, MPA From paying employees to participate in wellness programs to charging them extra premiums if they smoke, employers are taking unique approaches to wellness and disease management. Larry Boress, president of the Midwest Business Group on Health, a national business coalition, tells host Bruce Japsen about employers' efforts to entice patients to pursue wellness and primary care.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Larry Boress, MPA After years of raising co-payments and deductibles for prescription drugs, some employers are taking an unorthodox approach to lowering health-care costs. Now get this, they are paying for drugs and consultations that go along with them. Larry Boress, president of the Midwest Business Group on Health, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about this unique approach to controlling prescription spending.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Douglas Losordo, MD A treatment that uses adult stem cells to rebuild failing hearts - once believed to be impossible - is making progress helping patients rebound from severe coronary artery disease, a leading killer of people around the world. Dr. Douglas Losordo, head of the program in cardiovascular regenerative medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the latest advancement in stem cells to rebuild heart tissue.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Douglas Losordo, MD A journal Nature report that scientists cloned an embryo of a monkey and harvested its stem cells have grabbed headlines, but just how much progress are we really making in stem cell treatments? Dr. Douglas Losordo, head of the program in Cardiovascular Medicine at Northwestern University tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about progress in stem cell treatments.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: David Kertzer, PhD We all know that sometimes the answers to today’s problems can be found in the past. Our guest today will take us to 19th century Italy where we will have a glimpse into a dark page of social and medical history. At one time, up to 10% of European men had syphilis – its victims were rumored to include Beethoven, Van Gogh, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde, Flaubert. But the syphilis epidemic had another side that hasn’t gotten much attention. Dr. David Kertzer of Brown University has written a detailed account of how one Italian woman contracted syphilis from an infant. He joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss his latest book, “Amalia’s Tale”.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Andrew Schwartz Did you know that employed physicians who are moonlighting independently on the side may be in the best postion to minimize taxes? Join host Dr. Larry Kaskel to learn more about moonlighting income and tax strategies from our guest CPA Andrew Schwartz, Founder of the MD Taxes Network.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Andrew Schwartz Join host Dr. Larry Kaskel and our guest CPA Andrew Schwartz from the MD Taxes network to discuss tax strategies for a medical practice.