Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Patricia Sulak, MD The American Heart Association instituted a Strategic Impact Goal to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular deaths and disabilities by 20% by 2020. Host Dr. Matt Birnholz chats with Dr. Patricia Sulak, Endowed Professor of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine about the 7 key health metrics to reduce cardiovascular deaths including blood pressure, physical activity, and healthy diet, among others.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Babies born before 37 weeks gestation face many challenges in their first weeks of life. For premature babies to thrive in the NICU, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all preterm babies weighing less than 1500 grams be fed human milk. However, this recommendation creates a dilemma for mothers who are unable to supply their own breast milk and must therefore turn to donation programs to feed their babies. Dr. Renee Allen chats with Scott Elster, CEO of Prolacta Bioscience, about the goals of breast milk donor programs to improve health outcomes for critically ill preemies, while also reducing NICU costs.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Ronald J. Wapner, MD Innovations in medical genetics are changing the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. With advancing knowledge of underlying genetic predispositions, doctors can provide more precisioned care plans for patients in women's health centers. Dr. Matt Birnholz talks with Dr. Ronald J Wapner, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Reproductive Genetics at Columbia University, about how the ever-changing field of medical genetics is revolutionizing OB/GYN treatment options and patient care.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Many physicians are daunted by the contract negotiation process for a new job. They often worry that employers will retract their offers if candidates try and negotiate for a more favorable contract. Dr. Renee Allen sits down with Arden Miller, JD, attorney with Cohen, Pollack, Merlin and Small P.C. in Atlanta, Georgia to talk about best practices for contract negotiation. They discuss guidelines physicians should employ while going through this process and ways to ensure an agreement is reached that is mutually beneficial to all involved.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Dr. Matt Birnholz sits down with Dr. Carl Schultz, Research Director at the Center for Disaster Medical Sciences at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Schultz is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the UC Irvine and recipient of the Disaster Medical Science Award at ACEP. He talks about the challenges of securing funding for disaster relief in the field and the integration of citizen volunteers in a disaster incident.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Meningitis is one of the most feared manifestations of infectious disease for the medical community. Yet in spite of this fact, there are very few educational or advocacy-based resources dedicated to increasing public and professional awareness for meningococcal disease and updated prevention methods. Dr. Matt Birnholz talks with Lynn Bozof, cofounder and President of the National Meningitis Association, an organization fully dedicated to meningitis education and prevention. They discuss her family’s tragic experience with the deadly disease, the preventive mission that originated from this loss, and ongoing efforts to educate clinicians and patients on the need for vaccinations and boosters.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Cannabis is gaining increased acceptance within the medical community for pain relief and other supportive care applications. But for oncology specialties, the use of cannabis may additionally extend into therapeutic purposes for patients. From the floors of the A4M Conference in Las Vegas, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Constance Finley, Founder and CEO of Constance Therapeutics, a California-based cannabis collective. The two discuss cannabis and cannabis oil applications for cancer patients, and their potential therapeutic effects.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD In the ongoing global campaign to prevent, treat, and cure HIV and AIDS, there have been countless therapeutic approaches targeting the HIV virus and everything it interacts with on the path to infection. But after decades of relentless infectivity claiming over 25 million lives, what if we could one day simply edit and delete the HIV virus right out of existence? Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss a novel research effort to leverage gene editing technology in the fight against HIV is Dr. Kamel Khalili, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Director of the Center for Neuro-virology, and Director of the Comprehensive Neuro-AIDS Center at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD There is a curious American sentiment toward exercise that celebrates the mantra of "no pain, no gain." When exercise isn't followed by soreness, or when a sufficient amount of sweat hasn't been produced, participants are often led to believe that their efforts have been wasted. But is this notion actually valid, and do clinicians benefit their patients in advocating for standard exercise programs by extension? Furthermore, are there any lessons to be learned from physical therapy as a baseline for exercise programming? From the floors of Omnia Education's Women's Health Annual Visit in New York, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Anne Koller, certified fitness professional and staff member of Aqua Studio, NY. Aqua is the first boutique studio specializing in the unique fitness pursuit of "aquacycling," a high intensity underwater cycling program. The two discuss trends in American exercise preferences at various ages, and how alternative experiences with fitness activities can help reset expectations as to how we define being "in shape."

Host: Patrice L Basanta-Henry, MD, MHSc, FACOG Guest: LaToya Stephens, MD Vaginal atrophy is a painful and emotionally distressing condition affecting many women, yet many suffer in silence. For those who find traditional treatment options to be ineffective, a vaginoplasty procedure already in use for cosmetic applications has been demonstrated to help counter the most severe symptoms. Join host Dr. Patrice Basanta Henry and Dr. Benita Stephens, Board Certified Ob-Gyn and founder of Ciao Bella Medical Center & Spa in Atlanta, GA, as they discuss the benefits and risks of "vaginal rejuvenation" procedures for symptomatic vaginal atrophy.