Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Scott Hensley Blogs are increasingly becoming a way Americans get information whether it be gossip about Brittany Spears or insights about their favorite Major League Baseball team. But what about blogs for medical care? Scott Hensley, the editor of the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about how the Journal started one of the newspaper industry's first health blogs, how it has been going, and what its future holds for doctors and other medical professionals.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Scott Hensley Blogs are still a new phenomenon in the world of information, but they are a fast-growing species for medical information. Scott Hensley, editor of the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog, offers his take on this new venue for information in an insightful conversation with host Bruce Japsen. How will blogs gain a foothold in the world of medicine, and how will this impact both patients and medical professionals?

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Irvin Yalom, MD Dr. Irvin Yalom, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Stanford University and the author of several highly acclaimed booksspeaks about how striving for direct engagement with others opens us to the many possibilities of life enrichment. Compassionate connections combined with wisdom of great thinkers allow us to overcome the terror of death that is the theme of his new book Staring at the Sun. Join host Dr. Maurie Pickard.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Irvin Yalom, MD Can addressing death directly through open dialogue inform us about the way we live? Dr. Irvin Yalom, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and author of several highly acclaimed books,discusses his newest book, Staring at the Sun, which deals with how thoughts of our own mortality can interfere with life's fulfillments. First, we must become aware that this anxiety exists for both patients and physicians. Then, we can begin to use the power of ideas such as transiency to avoid accumulating regrets. Dr. Maurie Pickard hosts.

Host: Gary Kohn, MD Guest: Jan Stepanek, MD As a specialist in aerospace physiology and altitude-related clinical conditions, Dr. Jan Stepanek, medical director of the Aerospace Medical Program, assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, and aviation medical examiner (AME) discusses medical qualifications for pilots in the U.S. and the interaction between pilots, AMEs, and the FAA. Your host, Dr. Gary Kohn discusses with Dr. Stepanek the difference between a routine physical and an AME, FAA mandated exam, and medication precautions for pilots considered outside the realm of the normal patient.

Host: Gary Kohn, MD Guest: Jan Stepanek, MD Medical standards for pilots focus on eliminating the sudden incapacitation endangering passengers. Looking ahead, as more passengers seek orbit, and sub-orbit, what is the medical criteria used for clearance? Dr. Jan Stepanek, Medical Director of the Aerospace Medical Program, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, discusses the self-regulated industry, detailed informed consent, preparation for, and the environment of flight with your host, Dr. Gary Kohn.

Host: Gary Kohn, MD Guest: Charles Enke, MD What's around the bend for radiation targeting systems? Dr. Charles Enke, professor and chair of radiation oncology at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, speaks with host Dr. Gary Kohn about the potential of electromagnetic targeting and tracking as used in the GPS-like Calypso-guided technology. Detecting prostate motion in real-time, eliminating inter-observer variation, and providing the benefit of more precise radiation targeting are, as Dr. Enke mentions, just a few of the benefits with this new technology.

Host: Gary Kohn, MD Guest: Charles Enke, MD Keeping closer tabs on the intrafractional movement of the prostate during radiation therapy will continue to play an increasingly significant role in improving our overall success when treating prostate cancer. So says Dr. Charles Enke, professor and chair of radiation oncology at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. He details the latest in prostate imaging with host Dr. Gary Kohn. How are we enhancing our command of real-time monitoring modalities?

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD Guest: Mitchel Berger, MD Join Dr. Mitchel Berger, the Kathleen M. Plant Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California San Francisco and host Dr. Bill Rutenberg for a discussion of novel targeted therapies for the treatment of malignant brain tumors. Can immunoliposomes hone in like smart bombs attacking tumors not previously reachable?

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD Guest: Mitchel Berger, MD Dr. Mitchel Berger, the Kathleen M. Plant Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California San Francisco joins host Dr. Bill Rutenberg for a discussion of new developments in language mapping leading to more successful resection of malignant gliomas. Surprising findings include locating language neurons outside of Broca's area.