Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Sharon Treat, Ms. More and more states, and even the federal government, are moving to ban drug industry gift-giving practices. So how is this legislation working, and what does it mean for physicians and their patients? Sharon Anglin Treat, executive director of the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices, tells host Bruce Japsen about states moving to ban or curtail gifts from drug makers to physicians and how the effort is working in states like Vermont, Minnesota and Massachusetts.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Stan Roberts Federal law mandates that commercial truck drivers pass a medical exam in order to stay behind the wheel. Physician assistants have been authorized by the Department of Transportation to conduct these exams since 1992. But stricter certification recommendations proposed by an advisory board to the government may change the role of the PA in this process. Stan Roberts, a commercial driver medical examiner for the past 17 years, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to sort out the issues related to medical certification and US truck drivers every year.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Chip Phillips Retail health clinics, looking to expand their services, are going beyond care of routine maladies to physicals, injections of specialized drugs and management of chronic conditions. Chip Phillips, president of Minute Clinic, a subsidiary of CVS Caremark Corp., tells host Bruce Japsen about what physicians and their patients should expect from this new push by retailers.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Robin Hunter Buskey, PA-C Physician assistants are often a vital part of the team delivering medical care to prison inmates. Robin Hunter Buskey, the 2009 PA of the Year and a senior clinical PA at the Butner Federal Corrections Complex in Butner, North Carolina, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discuss how working in a federal prison differs from a community health system.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: George Collins, PA-C The opportunities for physician assistants in their practices are evolving. In practices all around the country PAs are not only seeing patients they are helping to run the offices and manage employees. PA George Collins chief physician assistant and PA director for Orthocarolina in Charlotte, North Carolina, joins host, Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discuss his leadership role and the unique business model at the large orthopedic group where he works.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Ken Aldrich Expanded guidelines for stem cell research have favored federal financing for embryonic stem cell development. But some researchers in the field are looking beyond embryonic stem cells. Ken Aldrich, chief executive officer and co-founder of International Stem Cell Corporation, tells host Bruce Japsen about pluripotent stem cell research, not yet eligible for federal funding.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Michelle Mack, PA-C You've seen forensic investigators on TV detective shows like Law and Order and CSI but what is the job really like? Physician Assistant Michelle Mack, Director of Forensic Investigation at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in the District of Columbia, talks with host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell about how she puts together the puzzle surrounding a death investigation. The two also discuss how her PA training plays an integral role in her job and how she deals with the emotional side of a very difficult job.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Arthur Holden, MBA Two years after it was formed, the International Serious Adverse Event Consortium, working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is making progress understanding why certain people are predisposed to dangerous drug interactions. Arthur Holdren, founder of the consortium, tells host Bruce Japsen about the discovery of a genetic link between liver injury and some people who received a popular antibiotic.

Host: Cathleen Margolin, PhD Guest: Yasser Aman, PhD, MPH In 1992, after the verdict was handed down in the Rodney King trial, there were six days of rioting in south Los Angeles. Thousands were injured, more than 50 people were killed, and the city saw approximately one billion dollars in property damage. One of the few bright spots during this dark time was the formation of a new health care clinic in south Los Angeles, founded by Muslim medical students to serve a community in need. Almost two decades later, the University Muslim Medical Association (UMMA) clinic continues to serve their community, demonstrating the generosity of the Muslim faith. Host Dr. Cathleen Margolin learns more about the UMMA clinic from CEO and president, Dr. Yasser Aman.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Jeffrey Klausner, MD, MPH Detection and treatment of HIV in the United States has improved dramatically since the peak of the epidemic here in the 1980s, but there is far more work to be done. HIV transmission is one area of heightened concern, particularly those cases spread by newly infected persons who remain undiagnosed. Though tests are available to diagnose HIV in the acute phase, many experts believe we must improve these tests to really make headway in reducing the incidence of HIV in the United States. Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a deputy health officer and director of the STD Prevention and Control Services Section at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, joins host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill to lay out the path toward progress in detecting acute cases of HIV infection. Newer, more effective tests are available, but must be adopted around the United States, and as Dr. Klausner looks ahead, a point-of-care rapid exam, though still in development, could eventually change the paradigm for early-stage HIV detection.