

The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast
The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast
The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast brings you expert interviews, clinical pearls, and practice-changing knowledge — plus the occasional bad joke. Trusted by 100,000+ health professionals every month, we cover the full spectrum of internal medicine to keep you learning and laughing. No boring lectures here, just high-value content and a healthy dose of humor. Fantastic for Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Primary Care, and Hospital Medicine.
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Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 2, 2020 • 54min
#197 Pulmonary Nodules and Lung Cancer Screening with Denitza Blagev MD
Join us as we demystify the world of pulmonary nodules & lung cancer screening. During this episode, Dr. Denitza Blagev (@mybetterdoctor) makes her triumphant return to The Curbsiders to help us tackle this topic. She is currently the Medical Director for Quality/Specialty-Based Care at Intermountain Healthcare and a Pulmonary & Critical Care physician. We learn to take command of the recommendations for lung cancer screening, disambiguate the terms used by pulmonologists and radiologists, and appreciate some of the nuances of lung cancer screening all with the hope of making YOU a better primary care physician!
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
Credits
Written and Produced by: Cyrus Askin MD & Leah Witt, MD Infographic: Leah Witt, MD Cover Art: Dr. Kate Grant MBChB DipGUMed CME/MOC: Cyrus Askin, MD Hosts: Cyrus Askin MD; Leah Witt, Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Editors: Matthew Watto MD, FACP (written materials); Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com (audio)
Guest: Denitza Blagev, MD
Sponsor
ACP’s Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program, MKSAP 18. MKSAP provides the latest and most comprehensive educational content needed by internists today. It’s THE internal medicine go-to resource for continuous learning and Board preparation. Visit http://www.acponline.org/mksapcurbsiders to place your order!
Time Stamps
00:00 Sponsor -ACP’s MKSAP 18 http://www.acponline.org/mksapcurbsiders
00:15 Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
02:15 Guest one-liner;

Feb 24, 2020 • 48min
#196 LIVE! Refugee Health with Tanuja Devaraj MD
Develop your approach to refugee health in the primary care setting. We discuss important considerations for primary care of the refugee patient with Dr. Tanuja Devaraj (Penn State), an internist with expertise in migration health. We review barriers to primary care, how to take a migration history, and common health concerns that occur in this patient population. We also discuss strategies for screening for trauma and mental health issues, which are common among patients who have gone through migration.
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
Credits
Producer: Paul Williams MD, FACP Writer: Tanuja Devaraj MD and Paul Williams MD, FACP Infographic: Emi Okamoto MD Cover Art: Paul Williams MD, FACP Hosts: Stuart Brigham MD; Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Editor: Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com (audio), Emi Okamoto MD (written)
Guest: Tanuja Devaraj MD
Sponsor
ACP’s Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program, MKSAP 18. MKSAP provides the latest and most comprehensive educational content needed by internists today. It’s THE internal medicine go-to resource for continuous learning and Board preparation. Visit http://www.acponline.org/mksapcurbsiders to place your order!
Time Stamps
00:00 Sponsor -ACP’s MKSAP 18 http://www.acponline.org/mksapcurbsiders
00:15 Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
02:08 Guest one-liner, book recommendations, career advice
07:12 Picks of the Week*:

5 snips
Feb 17, 2020 • 60min
#195 TWDFNR 3: Potassium, Oxygen, and antipsychotics
Discover common practices that persist in the hospital wards despite no proven benefit! We review how potassium replacement goals should not drive you bananas, extra oxygen should not give you comfort, and how you should maybe calm down with antipsychotics for delirium. Join returning guests: high-value care specialist Dr. Lenny Feldman (@DocLennyF, Johns Hopkins) and tweetorialist Dr. Tony Breu (@tony_breu, Harvard) as they walk us through round 3 of “Things We Do for No ReasonTM.
SHM members can claim CME-MOC credit at https://www.shmlearningportal.org/curbsiders (CME goes live at 0900 ET on the episode’s release date). Note: The planners and faculty for this activity have no relevant relationships or conflicts to disclose.
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
Credits
Written and Produced by: Burton H. Shen MD, Justin Berk, MD MPH MBA Infographic: Cover Art: Hosts: Justin Berk MD MPH MBA; Stuart Brigham MD; Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FaCP
Editor: Matthew Watto MD, FACP (written materials); Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com (audio)
Guest: Lenny Feldman MD, Tony Breu MD
Sponsors
The Society of Hospital Medicine
Hospital Medicine 2020 (HM20) is the Society of Hospital Medicine’s Annual Conference April 15th through the 18th in sunny San Diego. Don’t miss the largest hospital medicine meeting. Register now at https://shmannualconference.org/ and use the code CURBSIDERS to receive a $50 discount.
Primary Care Internal Medicine of Ithaca

10 snips
Feb 10, 2020 • 54min
#194 Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder with Dr. Marlene Martin MD
Dismantle alcohol use disorder with some evidence based tools for your toolbelt! We cover everything from ways to screen patients for risky drinking, to all the different treatment options with our guest expert Dr. Marlene Martin, @MarleneMartinMD, Director of the Addiction Care Team and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the UCSF. We learn how to initiate medications such as naltrexone and acamprosate for the treatment of alcohol use disorder, how to define treatment success, if psychosocial interventions such as Alcoholics Anonymous are effective, and what’s the deal with baclofen and gabapentin? After listening to this episode, listeners will feel ready to start prescribing medications such naltrexone to treat alcohol use disorder. Your patients need you!
ACP members can claim CME-MOC credit at https://www.acponline.org/curbsiders (CME goes live at 0900 ET on the episode’s release date).
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
Credits
Written and Produced by: Carolyn Chan, MD Cover Art and Infographic: Carolyn Chan, MD Hosts: Carolyn Chan, MD; Stuart Brigham MD; Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Editor: Matthew Watto MD, FACP (written materials); Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com (audio)
Guest: Marlene Martin, MD
Sponsor
ACP’s Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program, MKSAP 18. MKSAP provides the latest and most comprehensive educational content needed by internists today. It’s THE internal medicine go-to resource for continuous learning and Board preparation. Visit http://www.acponline.org/mksapcurbsiders to place your order!
Time Stamps
00:00 Sponsor -ACP’s MKSAP 18

Feb 3, 2020 • 57min
#193 LIVE! The Struggling learner with Dr. Melissa McNeil
Join us as we discuss how to approach “The Struggling Learner” with Dr. Melissa McNeil (@missydoc0128), Professor Medicine and Associate Chief of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), recorded LIVE in Pittsburgh, PA! In this episode, we discuss how to approach the struggling learner, highlighting the 5-Step process discussed in a recent article co-written by Dr. McNeil (Merriam 2019). This episode is not intended to give educators a roadmap for how to develop and implement a corrective action plan, but was put together to provide a common toolset on how to approach a struggling learner. As such, the topics discussed can be applied to all kinds of learners that struggle, not just in medicine. However, the techniques discussed involve a common framework routinely taught in medical education (assessment, diagnosis, and referral) and, therefore, is communicated using this shared language.
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Schwag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
Credits
Written and Produced by: Stuart Brigham MD Infographic: Matthew Watto MD, FACP Cover Art: Stuart Brigham MD Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP; Stuart Brigham, MD
Editor: Stuart Brigham MD (written materials); Clair Morgan at Nodderly.com
Guest: Melissa McNeil MD, MACP Special thanks to Dr. William Kelly, FACP, FCCP
Sponsor
ACP’s Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program, MKSAP 18. MKSAP provides the latest and most comprehensive educational content needed by internists today. It’s THE internal medicine go-to resource for continuous learning and Board preparation. Visit http://www.acponline.org/mksapcurbsiders to place your order!

10 snips
Jan 27, 2020 • 1h 12min
#192 Dialysis for the Internist with Joel Topf MD
Kidney Boy Returns! Compare the types of dialysis, learn how nephrologists approach medication management in ESRD, and avoid the most common mistakes non-nephrologists make in patients on dialysis! Kashlak Chief of Nephrology Dr. Joel Topf, @kidney_boy, walks us through what you need to know to take care of a patient on dialysis and gives us an idea of how nephrologists think through mineral bone disease (calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D), anemia, iron repletion, and hypertension. We answer all your questions about co-managing patients on dialysis!
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
Credits
Producer: Hannah R. Abrams Written and produced by: Hannah R. Abrams Cover Art and Infographic by: Hannah R. Abrams Hosts: Hannah R. Abrams, Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Editor: Matthew Watto MD, FACP (written materials), Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com (audio)
Guest: Joel Topf MD
Sponsor
ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting 2020 April 23-25th in Los Angeles, CA at the LA Convention Center. Early bird rates are available through January 31, 2020. Don’t forget to use the code: IMCURB20
Time Stamps
00:00 Sponsor -ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2020
00:15 Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
01:45 Guest one-liner, Picks of the Week*: KidneyCon, CATS (film)
06:00 Sponsor -ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2020
06:50 Case of Anne Yuric; Assessing risk of progression to dialysis; Candidacy for dialysis and renal

21 snips
Jan 20, 2020 • 1h 12min
#191 Lipids Update with Erin Michos MD
Lipids Update! Get up close and personal with ASCVD prevention and lipid management guidelines, including changes in the 2018 update, with our discussion with Dr. Erin Michos @erinmichos, preventive cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital! We review the background on the ASCVD risk calculator, basics of primary and secondary prevention, statins benefits and misconceptions, appropriate follow up, cool things to look out for in the future, the deal with medications like aspirin and icosapent ethyl, among many other things! If that wasn’t enough, Dr. Michos also goes over great ways to counsel patients on healthy living and when that darn statin is giving you the “muscle aches”!
ACP members can claim CME-MOC credit at https://www.acponline.org/curbsiders (CME goes live at 0900 ET on the episode’s release date).
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
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Credits
Producers: Christopher Chiu MD FACP FAAP; Jasneet Devgun DO; Justin Berk MD MPH MBA; Beth Garbitelli Writers: Jasneet Devgun DO; Justin Berk MD MPH MBA Infographic: Beth “Garbs” Garbitelli Cover Art: Kate Grant MBChB DipGUMed Hosts: Christopher Chiu MD FACP FAAP; Matthew Watto MD FACP; Paul Williams MD FACP Editors: Emi Okamoto MD (written materials); Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com (audio) Guest: Erin Michos MD MHS
Sponsor
ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting 2020 April 23-25th in Los Angeles, CA at the LA Convention Center. Early bird rates are available through January 31, 2020. Don’t forget to use the code: IMCURB20
Time Stamps
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:52 Getting to know Dr. Erin Michos
00:O6:50 Picks of the Week*: Sparking Joy- concept for Marie Kondo (book and

19 snips
Jan 13, 2020 • 1h 17min
REBOOT #137 Hyperkalemia Master Class with Joel Topf MD
A nephrologist shares valuable insights on managing hyperkalemia, including common causes, using insulin safely, and the role of loop diuretics and fluids. They also discuss the effectiveness of fludrocortisone and answer questions about high potassium diets.

Jan 6, 2020 • 1h 17min
REBOOT #129 Depression and Physician Suicide with Elisabeth Poorman MD
Beth Garbitelli and Nora Taranto MD add a new intro and share their own insights on this Curbsiders classic!
Physician suicide is a problem. There, we said it. We all have that story; Many of us have experienced the symptoms of depression or suicidal ideation ourselves, or have the colleague, mentor, friend, teacher, sibling, parent, or significant other who has experienced these signs and symptoms. Some of us (probably more than you’d think) have lost someone meaningful to suicide. And yet, we don’t talk about suicide and mental health in medicine, or at least, not enough. So, today, we at the Curbsiders are trying to change that.
The problem of depression and suicide is a particularly real one in medicine, a profession that is, by its very nature traumatic and emotionally draining (both in terms of work demands and also the sick and dying patients we treat). In this episode, we talk with expert Dr. Elisabeth Poorman about the natural history of depression in residency and beyond. We share some of our own personal stories, and discuss how we can support one another and reach out for help, how to take care of our mental health in an emotionally demanding career, how to deal with licensing questions and worry about stigma, and what systemic changes may be coming (read: we think need to be coming) down the line.
N.b. This is a sensitive topic. If this is triggering for anyone listening, the national suicide hotline number 1-800-273-8255. Moreover, if anyone needs or wants guidance on available resources, Dr. Elisabeth Poorman has made herself available via email at doctorpoorman@gmail.com, or you may reach out to any of us on Twitter. We are happy to talk and see that you get the support you need.
New episodes return January 20, 2020!
Show Notes | Subscribe | Spotify | Schwag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com
Sponsor
ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting 2020 April 23-25th in Los Angeles, CA at the LA Convention Center. Early bird rates are available through January 31, 2020. Don’t forget to use the code: IMCURB20
Credits
Written and produced by: Nora Taranto MD, Shreya Trivedi MD Hosts: Stuart Brigham MD, Shreya Trivedi MD, Matthew Watto MD Edited by: Matthew Watto MD
Guest: Elisabeth Po

6 snips
Dec 30, 2019 • 1h 5min
#190 Recap Extravaganza 2019
Dive into a recap brimming with insightful medical pearls from 2019! Discover the complexities of managing hyperkalemia and the importance of compassionate care in opiate use disorder treatment. Explore the challenges of multi-morbidity in patient care and the management of acute cirrhotic complications. Hear memorable moments and humorous reflections from hosts and faculty that illuminate their camaraderie. Plus, reflect on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and the significance of fostering connections in healthcare. A delightful mix of education and laughs awaits!


