Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Kirstin Leitner, MD Current screening tools for postpartum depression may have limitations, but a new texting service as part of the Healing at Home program may help clinicians detect postpartum depression earlier. Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. Kirstin Leitner to take a look at this program and i…

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Elise Chong, MD Patients with follicular lymphoma who relapse or don’t respond to treatment don’t have many therapeutic options, but a recently FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy may help change that. Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. Elise Chong from Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center to explore th…

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Kathryn Gallagher, MS, RN, BSN Guest: Kate Newcomb-DeSanto, MSN, RN, MSW What does Penn Medicine’s newly-opened patient room facility have to offer? Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Penn Medicine Clinical Advisors Kathy Gallagher and Kate Newcomb-DeSanto to discuss the new pavilion and how it's revoluti…

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Drew Weissman, MD, PhD Dr. Drew Weissman, Professor of Medicine at Penn Medicine joins Dr. Turck to discuss his new COVID-19 vaccine technology and how RNA and mRNA are being used to provoke an immune response in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Kathleen E. O'Neill, MD, MTR Guest: Nawar Abdul Latif, MD, MPH, MSCE Patients with uterine factor infertility, or UFI, only had two options if they wanted to achieve parenthood: using a gestational carrier or adoption. Until now. Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to talk about the opportunities of uterine transplants and …

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCP, FAAN, FANA Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss the latest research furthering our understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis is Dr. Amit Bar-Or, Chief of the Multiple Sclerosis Division and Director for the Center of Neuroinflammation and Neurotherapeutics at Penn Medicine. Could the…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Anjali Owens, MD Without any targeted therapies available for inherited cardiomyopathy, how can we treat our patients coping with its debilitating symptoms? Here to share her diagnostic and management strategies along with key data from a recent study is Dr. Anjali Owens, Medical Director at the Center for Inherited…

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Howard C. Herrmann, MD Twelve years after performing the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Penn Medicine continues to gain momentum in the transformation of cardiovascular transcatheter therapies. Dr. Howard Herrmann recounts the evolution in alternative technologies to improve patient safety and outcomes …

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Suhail K. Kanchwala, MD Improving his patients’ post-surgical experience was Dr. Suhail Kanchwala's goal when he sought to develop a new method for autologous breast reconstruction. The result of his search has brought a new technique to the field, along with an array of benefits for patients, including reduction of…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Jean Bennett, MD, PhD Guest: Albert Maguire, MD Power couple Drs. Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire discuss how their new therapy for the RPE65 gene, which causes retinal blindness, was recently approved by the FDA to become the first gene therapy treatment for a genetic disease in the United States and the first worl…

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Comron Saifi, MD Spinal deformity places strain on the vertebrae and supporting muscles, tendons, ligaments, and tissues supporting the spinal column. The treatment and management of this condition becomes centrally important to maintain patient quality of life through functional mobility and activity levels. Host, D…

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Ronald DeMatteo, MD, FACS A Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is a rare sarcoma that begins in the digestive tract or stomach, with an incident rate in the United States of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 cases per year. Since these tumors behave differently from other gastrointestinal cancers, they require a special…

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Robert Vonderheide, MD For years, the foundations of cancer treatment, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy were utilized with the objective of weakening cancer. But over the past several years, immunotherapy – therapies that enlist and strengthen the power of a patient’s immune system to attack tumors - has e…

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Grace Wang, MD, FACS Unclogging patient arteries is a key step to preventing stroke in patients with arterial disease. Whether it be preventing the operative stage, or surgery itself, advances in treatment at Penn Medicine are seeking to lessen the effects of arterial disease. Host Dr. Barry Mennen welcomes Dr. Grace…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Major Kenneth Lee, IV, MD, PhD Though a relatively rare disease, pancreatic cancer remains at the forefront of clinical discussion due to its highly aggressive nature. Dr. Major Kenneth Lee, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Penn Medicine, estimates that pancreatic cancer will become the number 2 cause of cancer dea…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Vincent Lo Re, MD, MSCE In 2014, the CDC estimated a total of 2,194 cases of acute hepatitis across 40 states and estimates that 2.7-3.9 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C. Of every 100 persons affected by the disease, 75 to 85 will go on to develop chronic infection, 60 to 70 will go on to…

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Patrick J. Connolly, MD Back and neck pain is extremely common, with 80-90% of people experiencing some pain within their lifetime. About 90% of cases resolve within six weeks, but for those patients whose pain persists, questions arise as to who should be referred next for further consultation. While patients often s…

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Robert H. Debbs, DO Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss counseling methods for patients who are trying to conceive is Dr. Robert Debbs, Director of the Pennsylvania Hospital Maternal Fetal Medicine Network in New Jersey and Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine. Dr. Debbs will discuss pre-c…

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Ari Brooks, MD Guest: Brian Englander, MD Host Dr. Matt Birnholz is joined by Dr. Ari Brooks, Director of Endocrine and Oncology Surgery and Director of the Integrated Breast Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, and Dr. Brian Englander, Clinical Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiology at Pennsylvania …

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Taine Pechet, MD Dr. Taine Pechet, chief of surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and associate professor of clinical surgery at Penn Medicine joins host Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss his thoughts on who should be regularly screen for lung cancer and the various diagnostic techniques from his perspective as a tho…

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH Host Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Paris D. Butler, who will be discussing breast reduction surgery for women who suffer from chronic back pain and breast cancer patients undergoing reconstructive surgery following a diagnosis. Dr. Butler will go into detail about the pros and cons of taking …

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Jean Bennett, MD, PhD There are 39 million people worldwide who are in total blindness and another 246 million with very low vision. The most frequent forms of visual impairment are caused by problems that can be corrected. Dr. Shira Johnson welcomes Dr. Jean Bennett, Professor of Ophthalmology and Cell and Developmen…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Michael Mullen, MD Every second counts for stroke patients. During a stroke, two-million brain cells die every minute, making the urgent administration of therapies and treatment vital to ensure a positive outcome. Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle is joined by Dr. Michael Mullen, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Penn Med…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Joseph Berger, MD, FACP, FAAN, FANA Multiple sclerosis is a notoriously difficult disease to diagnose early on. With no singular confirmatory tests yet available, physicians often become reluctant to identify MS in their patients, leading to years of diagnostic and treatment uncertainty. But new innovations are help…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Kathryn Davis, MD, MTR Guest: Timothy Lucas, MD, PhD According to the epilepsy foundation, epilepsy is the 4th most common neurological problem in the U.S. – only migraine, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease occur more frequently. The average incidence of epilepsy each year in the U. S is estimated at 150,000, or 48 for…

Host: Shira Johnson, MD For the first time, Penn Medicine surgeons were able to complete a bilateral hand transplant on a child. The surgical team successfully transplanted donor hands and forearms onto 8-year-old Zion Harvey who, several years earlier, had undergone amputation of his hands and feet and a kidney transplant following a serious infec…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: K. Akaya Smith, MD Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH): Who is at greatest risk for developing it? What do practitioners need to know about diagnosing, treatment and the overall prognosis? Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Akaya Smith, Medical Director for Pulmonary Hypertension Program and Assistant Professor…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Francis Marchlinski, MD Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Francis E. Marchlinski, Richard T. and Angela Clark President's Distinguished Professor and Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Marchlinski will review the epidemiology of PVCs, the kinds of problems that PV…

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Deepak Sudheendra, MD, FSIR, RPVI Host Dr. Barry Mennen joins Dr. Deepak Sudheendra, Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology & Surgery at the Hospital of the University Of Pennsylvania Perelman School Of Medicine. Dr. Sudheendra will explain the difference between acute, subacute, and chronic deep vein thrombos…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Timothy W.I. Clark, MD Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Timothy Clark, Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology and the Director of Interventional Radiology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Clark will review the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the U.S., the central risk factors, and …

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Yuli Kim, MD Advancements in cardiac surgery and medical care for pediatric patients over the past decades have produced a sizeable population of adults living with congenital heart disease. These adults and their unique health care needs expose an emerging gap in expertise for the cardiology community, where traini…

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE Penn Medicine’s Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence (TCE), known as the 2-PREVENT TCE is led by Drs. Lewis Chodosh and Angela DeMichele. 2-PREVENT TCE aims to address one of the greatest challenges in breast cancer treatment: the high rate of relapse and late treatment effects …

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Nimesh Desai, MD Complex aortic diseases, feared by clinicians and the general public alike, are often labeled "silent killers" due to their unnerving pattern for developing insideously prior to presenting as acute crises. Even more concerning, the symptoms of aortic diseases are typically vague and difficult to dia…

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Joseph M. Serletti MD Reconstructive microsurgery, where specialized operating microscopes and precision instrumentation are utilized to perform intricate operations in very small fields, is a rapidly evolving specialty. Dr. Joseph Serletti, Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Pe…

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Sunil Singhal, MD The clinical ramifications for adding special fluorescent features to tumors at various stages of malignancy and penetration are enormous. But how do surgical, oncologic, and radiological specialists create these glowing tumors, what impacts do such markers have on clinical care, and which patient po…

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Maarouf Hoteit, MD Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the top ten causes of cancer death in the United States, and is the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer death in men. What's more, incidence rates are on the rise. For these reasons, understanding the nuances of early liver cancer detection, and treating under…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: G. Russell Huffman, MD, MPH Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. G. Russell Huffman, Associate Professor and Director of the Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Huffman provides an overview of the various types of elbow injuries, treatment options for athletes at all levels, and spe…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: James L. Carey, MD, MPH What happens when articular cartilage is damaged? And what are the differences between focal cartilage defects and arthritis? Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss current mechanistic understandings of articular cartilage is Dr. James Carey, Director of the Penn Center for Cartilage Repair a…

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Guest: Samir Mehta, MD Patients of all ages can be affected by a traumatic injury. These injuries can be complex to treat and may involve multiple parts of the body. And, in traumatic situations, decisions need to be made quickly. Host Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Samir Mehta, Assistant Professor in the Depar…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Christian A. Bermudez, MD Christian A. Bermudez, MD is the Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation and ECMO, Director of Thoracic Transplantation, and Associate Professor of Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bermudez discusses current technologies used in lung transplantation, includin…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Scott O. Trerotola, MD, FACR, FSIR Is there a way to predict complex removal of inferior vena cava filters, and if so, what is the success rate? Dr. Scott Trerotola adresses these and other questions in details. Dr. Trerotola is Stanley Baum Professor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Chief of Vascu…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Gary M. Freedman, MD Proton therapy is currently used to treat brain, spinal and prostate cancers, as well as many other tumors. Another potentially significant application is the treatment of breast cancer. Dr. Gary Freedman, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvani…

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Pavan Atluri, MD What are the latest advances in minimally invasive & robotic operations? And, which patients are candidates for robotic procedures? Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Pavan Atluri, Assistant Professor of Surgery; Director of the Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Assist Progra…

Host: Frank Russomano There are far too many diseases that do not have proven means of prevention or effective treatments. As such, health care providers must gain better insights into the biology of these diseases to make a difference for the millions of patients who suffer from them. Precision medicine is an emerging approach for treatment and pr…

Host: Lee Freedman, MD When a patient's facial structures are severely impacted by trauma or disease, the physical and psychological tolls are devastating. What are some of the latest advances in facial reconstruction? Joining Dr. Lee Freedman are Dr. Steven Cannady, Assistant Professor of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, and Dr…

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Given the multitude of concerns a male patient with cancer must deal with, sexual dysfunction and infertility are two such concerns that often gets bypassed by clinicians addressing more "priority" issues. What kinds of challenges do these patients deal with, and how can physicians better assess and manage them? Joining Dr. F…

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Osteosarcoma is a relatively rare but feared disease. What exactly is an osteosarcoma and how should it be worked up and treated? Host Dr. Lee Freedman discusses this diagnosis with Dr. Kristy Weber, Abramson Family Professor in Sarcoma Care Excellence and Professor, Vice-Chair of Faculty Affairs, Department of Orthopaedic Su…

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Oropharyngeal cancer is part of a growing proportion of head and neck malignancies. This has also been associated with the increase in infection of the oropharynx by oncogenic strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). And, transoral robotic surgery, or TORS, has allowed for minimally invasive surgery for HPV-related and non-…

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery is the highly specialized care for all aspects of cerebrovascular disease. What are the most common diseases treated by a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon? What are the latest treatment options and advances in this field? Host Dr. Lee Freedman welcomes Dr. Michelle Smith, Assistant Professor of Neuros…

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Patients with ulcerative colitis often need to take multiple medications to achieve and sustain remission. But there is a pionering surgical approach, the laparoscopic J-pouch procedure, that can not only cure patients from this disease, but also eliminate risk of future colorectal cancer. Dr. Najia Mahmoud, Chief of the Divi…