Pediatric cardiac surgery has an incredible history, and an incredible future ahead too.Joining to share his experiences training, educating and delivering results as a heart surgeon is Dr Sameh Said from Westchester Medical Center.Dr Said uncovers his journey from Egypt to the US, drawn by a fascination with the practice - a dedication to pursuing a career that saves lives.Revealing the still relatively recent history of the field - Dr Said goes on to share how he approaches his practice, the importance of the whole surgical team and some words of advice for aspiring students.Engrossed with the ‘beauty’ of his career, Dr Said is perfectly placed to share the global legacy of heart healthcare.

We need to create frameworks for culturally-competent care.Joining me today to share a discussion on the need to improve diversity awareness in our American healthcare system is Medical Student Simal Ali.Currently in her third year at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Simal is passionate about educating - using her experiences as a Muslim doctor to deliver lectures and share the tenets of her faith with the world.She reveals practical steps that we can all implement to develop more mindful care that listens to our patients’ religious beliefs and ensures trust.This episode is all about reconnecting with our fundamental lesson from medical school: patient-centered care!You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd(This episode will also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd).

Our host, Dr. Fethke, dedicates this episode to a remarkable college classmate and friend at a time when she needs everyone’s support. This person is none other than Maria Ressa, the recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, recognized for her tireless efforts over the past three decades to champion Freedom of the Press in the face of overwhelming obstacles. In the words of the Nobel Committee, Maria Ressa received the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Russia’s Dmitry Muratov for "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."In order to do justice to Ressa’s cause, Dr. Fethke has invited a very special and highly knowledgeable guest, Professor Kathy Kiely. She is the Lee Hills Chair in Free Press Studies at the Missouri School of Journalism. She has worked more than four decades as a reporter and editor for regional and national newspapers as well as online and multimedia publications. She has been recognized for her passionate support of  transparency, free speech and education. After a long career covering politics in Washington, Kiely moved into the classroom full-time because, she says, universities are the laboratories that will discover the formula for making fact-based journalism viable again. Kiely has covered regional and national politics for a number of news outlets, including USA TODAY, the New York Daily News, the Houston Post, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Press. She served as an editor for WAMU, Bill Moyers, the Sunlight Foundation, Bloomberg Politics and helped coordinate the National Journal's campaign coverage with CBS News. She also served on the Congressional Standing Committee of Correspondents and on the boards of the National Press Club Journalism Institute and the Daily Princetonian. She holds a master's degree from American University and a bachelor's degree from Princeton University. She is the inaugural Press Freedom Fellow for the National Press Club‘s nonprofit Journalism Institute.Prof. Kiely is a well recognized advocate of Journalistic Freedom who believes that Maria Ressa’s voice is at an extremely high risk of being silenced by those in power in the Philippines who are threatened by the integrity and truth of her work. Kiely has commented that the Nobel Peace Prize given to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov is a warning that across the globe, “forces of darkness and intolerance are on the march… Journalists are the canaries in the mine shaft.In this episode, Prof. Kiely teaches us why Freedom of Speech and Health are intrinsically linked. Dr. Fethke and Prof. Kiely review the rationale behind the U.S. Consititution’s 1st Amendment protecting free speech and a free press. She then clearly reviews the evolution of digital and social media, with its pros and cons. She defines the concepts of Misinformation and Disinformation, clarifying why the latter is so dangerous to us all. She explains that the Nobel Committee has specifically recognized Maria Ressa because she has led the way for us all to understand the impact of Disinformation and is actively working on solutions to regain the integrity of facts and bring the truth back to journalism. Kiely stresses that the battles that Maria Ressa and her journalist team at Rappler are fighting in the Philippines are critically relevant to the Global pursuit of democracy. As Kiely reminds us, “My father fought in WW2 to defend and help establish a free Philippines. We must never forget that Maria Ressa’s defense of Freedom of the Press is a part of our fathers’ legacies. To do so would be a dishonor to their cause and memory.”LINKS:House: https://www.house.gov/Senate: https://www.senate.gov/Post office (where you can look up ZIP+4 to get House member's name: https://www.usps.com/

This episode is dedicated to Dr. Fethke’s father, Walter P. Fethke, in remembrance of the honorable struggle he underwent along with his loving family in the last years and days of his remarkable life.In Episode 30 of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, our host, Dr. Fethke, once again reaches across artificial boundaries to a colleague in the legal profession. His guest, Louis Pierro is an esteemed lawyer based in New York State with over 40 years experience in the field of Elder Law.  After attending college at Lehigh University and obtaining his law degree at Albany Law School, Mr. Pierro went on to become one of the pioneers in the field of Elder Law.  He shares his own personal motivations for shifting his focus from the court rooms to working with people to help make their lives better. With his colleagues, he founded Pierro, Connnor & Strauss, a law firm dedicated to estate planning and elder law. Over the years his team has extended their services beyond the New York Capital region to now encompass New York City, Florida, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Along the way he has joined policymakers and other stakeholders in addressing the issues of aging that have overwhelmed our nation and that we all will inevitably face. This has included his founding the Elder Counsel, a national membership organization of Elder Law and Special Needs law firms that supports the efforts of over 1400 firms amongst all 50 states.He also founded ApolloCare, LLC, a business venture that combines home-based Elder Care (EverHome Care Advisors) with high technology centered in peoples’ homes (VivaLynx). During this episode, beginning with the mission set by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, Mr. Pierro takes us through the history of America’s struggle to provide humane and high quality care services for our senior citizens. He takes us through the many forms that this journey has assumed including a clear explanation of nursing home, assisted living and home-based care models. He pulls no punches in identifying the past and current hurdles that have hindered America’s progress and left us with an overwhelmingly complex and often daunting  system to deal with the ever increasing issues facing a growing population of elderly.Despite the challenges, we are so fortunate that Mr. Pierro and his colleagues continue to fight the good fight and take an offensive approach to addressing Aging in America. Through regular education, advocacy and creative business models, they have clearly begun to break through the dark clouds and let some much needed light into this vital issue that involves us all. He stresses that the task at hand is too complex and important for any one profession to deal with. Any effective effort must be a team approach with the patient truly at the center and caretakers, including, but not exclusively involving, the physicians. He adds, “Hopefully, one household at a time, we will build a consensus that will change and improve the way we care for each other as we get older.”We look forward to your feedback and comments regarding this and any other episodes of The Pursuit of Health Podcast.  We look forward to inviting back guests such as Mr. Pierro to keep up with his progress. We can be reached at drfethkemd on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as our website at drfethkemd.com.Resources:Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC - www.pierrolaw.comEverCare - Everhomecareadvisors.comVivaLynx - Vivalynx.com

On this episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast we return to the issue of healthcare economics with our guest, Ms. Andrea Zalusky. She brings over a decade of experience in the field of healthcare administration, with a particular focus as of late on the transition from a “Fee-for-Service” (FFS) to a “Value-based care” (VBC) approach to the financing of medical care. She explains that, like doctors, she has engaged in this work because she wanted to help as many people as possible become and stay healthy. With a Masters Degree in Public Health from Columbia after studying Global and Health Policy at Johns Hopkins University, Ms. Zalusky has worked in the northeast from New York to New Jersey to establish a consistent approach to healthcare. Through her work she remains intent on improving the health and well-being of the populations that live in these areas.Ms. Zalusky is  currently leading value-based care operations for Optum Care in the New York and New Jersey region, focused on supporting physicians, hospitals, and post-acute care facilities be successful in these programs.  Prior to Optum, she worked at CareMount Health Solutions where she managed operational programs focused on reducing readmissions in partnership with major hospital systems. Prior to these operations focused roles, she also had time with both Evolent Health and other consulting firms, where she  gained experience with population health program implementation and Value-based care models all across the US - working with physician groups, hospitals and Accountable Care Organizations to help them be successful in this new model of care.  Ms. Zalusky takes our audience through some of the details behind the concepts of Population Health and Value-based payment systems in a way that is enlightening and reassuring. She explains some of the hurdles and successes along the way and shares her ultimate goal of finding a balance that allows for the achievement of 4 crucial elements to a well functioning healthcare system in the U.S.. Along the way she emphasizes the sentiment that  “Our system is indeed broken and the people deserve better.” Ms. Zalusky explains that this venture towards Value-based payments has been in the works for years. It has required persistence, legislation and time to finally get off the ground. Though she is honest that we have a long way to go, she contends that there is no turning back to a Fee-for-Service system. She reassures us that the key to a successful transition from FFS to VBC over the next several years is to work in partnership with clinicians so that they can best implement their evidence-based knowledge to the betterment of everyone.We look forward to your feedback on this and any prior episodes. Dr. Fethke and the POH team can be reached on Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd and our website at drfethkemd.com

On today's episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke is joined by a pediatrician leader and educator who has practiced for over half a century, Dr. Gilbert Simon. Dr. Simon started his pediatric career at Columbia University’s Babies & Children’s Hospital during the same era as many of Dr. Fethke’s most esteemed mentors. After years of working in the metropolitan northeast in a prestigious academic center, Dr. Simon made a life-changing career move to the west coast where he ultimately founded and served as the Medical Director and CEO of the Sacramento Family Medical Clinics. It was here that all his experience, including his military service in the 1960’s working for a branch of the U.S. Center for Disease Control, came in handy.He ultimately ran the clinics for low income families in Sacramento California with virtually 100% Medicaid fixed resources which “lasted 26 years longer than anyone believed I could,” by identifying and decreasing wasteful healthcare expenses. In 2019 Dr Simon gathered all of his experience and lessons learned while running the California clinic and serving as a subcommittee member of California Medical Association’s Medi-Cal to write an amazing and must read book - RIPPED OFF! Overtested and Overcharged, the American Healthcare Mess.During our discussion with Dr. Simon from his California home office, he shared some of the highlights from his book, including the overuse of Unnecessary Services, Inflated Prices, Fraud, Excess Administrative Costs, and the Lack of Coordination and Fragmentation. Along the way he provides some very clear and practical examples of each of these problems that combined have created the “Mess” that U.S. Healthcare finds itself in today.As with many of the wonderful clinician leaders and visionary guests on our podcast, Dr. Simon provides solutions to the myriad problems he has identified and so clearly revealed in his book for lay people, policymakers and healthcare professionals alike. Most importantly, he can back up his vision and recommendations by years of his own success facing many of these issues in his pioneering career. Dr. Simon gives us a sense of sober hope that our healthcare system can be salvaged and benefit from the exceptional work of those who have come before us and will follow in the future. We would all do well to heed his advice before it is too late. As always, we at The Pursuit of Health Podcast look forward to our audience response to this and any of our episodes. We can be reached at drfeethkemd on Facebook and Instagram and our website-drfethkemd.com.Book References:RIPPED OFF! Overtested, Overtreated and Overcharged, the American Healthcare Mess. Paper Raven Books. March 3 2020.www.gilbertsimonmd.com

On this intensely thought-proving episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast our host, Dr. Eric Fethke, is joined by two pioneers and community advocates - Shirley Raman and Bongani Ngomane - from the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Shirley Raman has been a social worker, leader and community advocate for almost 4 decades. She has dedicated her life to helping to uplift others, and in turn, her beloved nation. She has carried out a labor of love through the era of Apartheid, HIV/AIDS pandemic and now in addressing Gender Violence. Her tireless and inspiring efforts have brought her to a collaboration with our second guest on this episode - Mr. Ngomane. He has been viewed as a visionary in the field for his focus on the role of men in Domestic and Gender Violence. Our discussion leaves no doubt that this characterization is well-deserved.Our guests begin by introducing us to some of the issues in Gender Violence that are both unique to South Africa as well as those that are shared by other countries, including our own. They explain their individual and combined contributions to this work over the years. Our audience is brought into the many complex issues they face in addressing such a difficult problem, including socio-cultural, gender role, and economic factors. As a nation reborn out of Apartheid, they are facing a many challenges, but their efforts are farsighted and their focus on future generations is inspiring.Several eye-opening paradigm shifts are brought to the forefront of this conversation including the concept of “Peace Education” and Mens forums. We invite you to be a part of what should prove to be a series of ongoing sessions with our guests as we follow their work over the coming years.We look forward to your ideas and contributions regarding this current and prior episodes as well as for future topics. We can be reached at drfethkemd in Facebook and Instagram, and on our website at drfethkemd.com.Resources: https://ecarefoundation.com/ https://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/gender-based-violence-in-south-africa https://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/positive-parenting-in-south-africa#Supportingfamiliesiskeytodevelopmentandviolenceprevention https://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/toxic-masculinity-and-violence-in-south-africa#Towardsaframeworkofpositivemasculinity https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/sa-has-a-serious-gender-violence-problem-and-alcohol-is-the-main-culprit-20201113 https://www.thehotline.org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7195322/

On this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast Dr. Fethke is joined by a remarkable frontline colleague from the medical field of Obstetrics, Dr. Daniel Perkes. Dr. Perkes takes us through two decades of change and turmoil during which he remarkably remained focused on maintaining strong professional relationships with his patients. He emphasizes that such alliances with his patients were the backbone to his career that allowed him to navigate through all the shifts in healthcare from a private practice to corporate medicine. He shares some pearls of wisdom with us on how he was able to sustain such a remarkable following from his patients through his entire over two decades of practicing. Despite many of the initial challenges, Dr Perkes gives us some hope that larger medical practices can still maintain a patient focus if their leadership ensures open communications with their frontline physicians and seeks regular patient feedback. In a timely manner, Dr. Perkes addresses his concerns regarding the potential effects of legislative changes should Roe v. Wade be overturned. In a field already experiencing significant strains and cutbacks in access throughout many parts of the country, he worries that the situation will only get worse for women unless people advocate for women’s rights and their ability to seek medical advice from the doctors that they trust. He stresses that he is not a “Pro Choice” or a “Pro Life” physician, but rather has always been a “Pro Patient” doctor. This has allowed him to tailor his medical care to the specifics of each patient, rather than taking a blanket one-size-fits-all approach. Dr. Perkes finishes this valuable discussion with advice and hope for future obstetricians. Though it has not always been easy, he emphasizes, “Knowing the challenges facing young obstetricians today, I would still  do it all over again”. We look forward to your feedback on this and any of our episodes on The Pursuit of Health Podcast. We can be reached at drfethkemd in Facebook and Instagram, and our website- drfethkemd.com.

In this our fourth Take A Step Back episode we take the opportunity to look back over and comment upon Episodes 14 thru 16.  Our host, Dr. Fethke, is joined by two guests - a third year medical student, Leizer Steppa, and an experienced practicing primary care internist, Dr. Tracy Williams. Together they reflect on the lessons gleaned from these three episodes including;Ep 14 (Parts 1&2)  International Medicine and Earthquake relief in Haiti - Dr. Ronald IsraelskiInfrastructure - Resiliency and Sustainability as a goal Know the people you serve and focus on their needs, not your perceptions of their needsEp 15 (Parts 1-3)  Building a Healthcare System in South Africa: Lessons from the HIV and Covid-19 Pandemics - Sagie PillayHealthcare is a fundamental and critical factor in forming a new nationHIV experience highlighted inequities in healthcareCovid-19 - should have learned from past experiences and need to understand why we did notPolitics can support of interfere with national healthcare Ep 16 (Parts 1&2)  The Experience of a Black Physician in the U.S. - Dr. Tyree WinterStructural Racism in US creates inequities in racial distribution of physiciansPeople do better when their physician is someone they can identify withOutreach to under represented races is necessary and effective in improving the number and distribution of non-white physiciansWhen we all do better - everyone wins.This hour-long review of our prior guests foray into International Healthcare and The Racial Inequities of Healthcare at home and abroad proved to be very insightful and expanded upon these very important issues. The vantage point of combining students and practicing physicians once again has bourne fruit for our journey into several of the very relevant factors that are limiting our Global Healthcare Teams from being as effective as possible when delivering care to people. The Take-A-Step-Back format continues to move us along our journey of empowerment through knowledge and enhances our engagement in open discussion.  In the end, if we truly care about the quality of the healthcare we deliver, it boils down to some basic principles -  we must learn from our past and from each other.  In our next few episodes, the Pursuit of Health podcast will be returning to South Africa, addressing the healthcare impact of the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade with our obstetric and neonatal colleagues, and investigating the role of Universal Healthcare in addressing areas of waste in our healthcare system.Our team at The Pursuit of Health Podcast can be reached for your feedback and suggestions for future topics of interest through Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd on our website at drfethkemd.com.

On this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast we return to our Case Studies From the Heart format. Our host, Dr, Eric Fethke, begins by sharing the stories of two patients - one lost tragically and the other who survived against the odds.  Using these stories as a backdrop, he dives into the often frustrating issue of Health and Healthcare Disparities in the United States. This topic has been a common theme and concern of many of our podcast guests, and we thought that it deserved attention in its own right. Dr. Fethke addresses the many facets of these disparities including their manifestations, causes, consequences and ultimately some possible solutions. Dr. Fethke stresses that “In a nation with such an abundance of material and human resources we should be able to address Healthcare Disparities much more effectively than we have done so far. It all comes down to whether our Values as a people allow us to Care Enough to do so.”We hope this discussion provides a moment to reflect on this aspect of American healthcare, made so more urgent by the Covid-19 pandemic. Moving forward on the podcast we will continue to address this and many more important topics with our guests and audience.  Together we can narrow the chasm of Healthcare Disparities and create a much healthier nation.We look forward to your input on this and any other of our podcast episodes and invite your suggestions for future topics of concern. We can be reached on facebook and Instagram at drfethkemd and on our website at drfethkemd.com.

On this episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast we continue our investigation into the topic of Physician Burnout with Dr. Laura Vater.  Dr. Vater has gained a much deserved recognition for her approach to this issue by focusing on Humanism in Medicine. She received her Bachelor of Science and minor in Poverty Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. She then went on to complement her skill set with a master of Public Health degree at the University of Pittsburgh where she focused on Behavioral and Community Health.  She returned to Indiana to complete her residency in Internal medicine and this Spring will complete a rigorous fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.She is the recipient of many accolades including being selected as 1 of every 1000 residents to be a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Though early in her career, she has already penned several research and narrative essay publications, is a regularly invited public speaker, and has a growing online platform addressing Humanism in Healthcare. She is also the creator of a very useful tool - the SMILE scale -  providers can use to help prioritize their own health.During our discussion, Dr Vater shares the origin of her decision to become a physician and oncologist. This very personal story revolved around her mother as a role model who entered medical school later in adulthood when Dr Vater was already a teenager. Her interest in medicine was further heightened by the experience of a close family friend who lived through the challenges of cancer. Ultimately, confronting her mother’s sudden life threatening illness during Dr. Vater’s first year of medical school led her in the direction of Humanism in Medicine.Dr. Vater reveals the current challenges in healthcare that take the Humanity out of Medicine and how she has been working diligently to reconnect with her true self and her patients and maintain the joy in her work through Humanism. She explains that Humanism stresses the importance of physicians establishing a connection with patients and caring for physicians as humans too.Dr. Vater opens the door for our listeners into the concept of Compassion Fatigue and the associated  risk of clinicians losing empathy in training and practice. She believes that it is important for everyone involved in healthcare to continue talking about Compassion Fatigue in order to get it out in the open - thus restoring our vital human interconnections and preventing physician burnout. Dr. Vater and Dr. Fethke share their love of teaching medicine to enthusiastic students as a way to find rejuvenation and remind us all why we entered medicine in the first place.  In so doing, they also warn about the risks of mentors modeling bad behaviors that lead the students towards being hardened and less empathetic.Our guest and host find that they also both share a passion for writing about their experiences as physicians and the stories of those that have taught them the most about being a doctor - their patients.  They hope that this comes through not only in their  narrative publications, but in the medical records of their patients. These are human beings and we are honored and humbled to be invited into their lives and tell their stories. The discussion with Dr. Vater finished with her introduction and explanation of the SMILE scale she established. Listen closely as she takes us through this simple yet powerful tool to help maintain Humanism in Healthcare.Dr. Eric Fethke and the team at The Pursuit of Health Podcast look forward to your comments on this and any of our prior episodes.  We can be reached on Facebook and Instagram at drfethkemd and our website at drfethkemd.com.

The Pursuit of Health Podcast takes a bold look at the mounting stresses that have negatively impacted the careers and lives of too many medical professionals. We have invited a remarkable guest, Dr. Simon Maltais, to help us understand the root causes, profound impact and solutions to this growing problem. Dr. Maltais is a high-powered cardiothoracic surgeon whose successful career has hit all the right marks along the way. A French Canadian who has trained and worked in some of the most reputable medical institutions in Canada and the United States, he has pioneered innovations in mechanical assist devices for the heart and made tremendous contributions to advance the field of heart failure and heart transplantation. He is recognized internationally for his over 160 peer reviewed articles, medical book chapters, editorials and contributions to several esteemed medical journals. As an academic teacher, researcher and lead physician through such prestigious institutions as Vanderbilt University, The Montreal Heart Institute and the Mayo Clinic, he has undoubtedly climbed the ladder to success.Despite his numerous achievements, Dr. Maltais boldly and openly shares with us that he came to a point in his professional and personal life where things just started to fall apart. Though no one particular problem stood out, he describes a time when he recognized that he was experiencing what he refers to as “multifaceted failures”. In a bravely honest discussion, he takes us through this turning point in his life when he concluded that he was in a crisis and that things desperately needed to change.Dr. Maltais goes on to describe how he took this very personal experience and began to analyze it closely so that he could make sense of his situation. As with all great and compassionate clinician pioneers, he began to look outward to see if other colleagues were experiencing the same issues. He explains how he implemented his strong research and diagnostic skills to tackle this problem and then proceed to reach out to others. This new work resulted in his groundbreaking recognition of a condition that he defines as “Healthcare Disease”. This ongoing journey has recently taken the form of a wonderful new book by Dr. Maltais and colleagues -  Healthcare Anonymous: Put Yourself First to Avoid Anxiety, Addiction & Burnout - to be publicly released in early April 2022.In this powerfully refreshing and healing discussion, Dr. Maltais reflects on how his venture into Healthcare Disease has revitalized his physician career. He now works with a supportive and innovative medical team at the Hospital Corporation of America Healthcare based in California. Here he and his colleagues are making positive contributions to the way that healthcare is delivered in one of our nation’s largest providers of medical services. Dr. Maltais suggests that “Outside-the-box thinking is the best way for us to address problems such as healthcare disease and improve our healthcare system.” He is also the Co-founder and CEO of Breakthrough Points: a program dedicated to improving the balance, performance, and effectiveness of physicians and other professionals working in high-intensity environments. As always, Dr. Eric Fethke and the team at The Pursuit Health Podcast look forward to the comments and contributions of our audience. We can be reached on Facebook and Instagram at drfethkemd  and on our website at drfethkemd.com.

On this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast we dive further into the realm of public health by pausing to learn about the invaluable role of the Physician Assistant.  We are fortunate to have a frontline clinician, educator and pioneer, Joseph M. Daleo, as our guest to take us through this topic. Major Daleo is an active member of the US Army Reserve and holds a Doctorate Degree of Physician Assistant Studies from Touro University. He wears many honorable hats including an Assistant Professorship and the Directorship of Clinical Operations at NY Touro College’s Physician Assistant Program.  He is a Clinical Instructor for SUNY Stony Brook’s Family Medicine and Nurse Practitioner Program as well as the Supervising Physician Assistant for the American Family Care’s Covid-19 Mitigation and Vaccination Program.  Major Daleo begins our discussion by taking us through his often bumpy personal journey to pursue a health career as a practicing Physician Assistant and educator. In so doing, he emphasizes that Physician Assistants are a vital and unique profession within the US healthcare system. He explains the honorable history of the Physician Assistant profession in the US and marvels at the exponential growth of this field both domestically and globally over the past few decades. Our guest sheds some very important light on the misconceptions about the Physician Assistant model, stressing that this model supports a complementary, not adversarial, interaction of healthcare professionals on behalf of the patient. He provides us with a sobering reminder of the serious gaps and failures of our current system and provides much needed recommendations to make healthcare partnerships stronger to address the disparities of acute and chronic disease.  He sees physician assistants as one of the critical  “force multipliers” of a potentially robust approach to healthcare reform.  We finish our fascinating discussion with Major Daleo wisely advising us all to continue to adopt the pioneer spirit that made our health system exceptional in the first place.  He urges us to remain open-minded so that we may learn and apply new preventative and treatment modalities to the benefit of our patients, clinicians and society.  Dr. Fethke and the team at The Pursuit of Health Podcast  look forward to our audience’s feedback. We can be reached @drfethkemd on Facebook and Instagram, and our upcoming website - drfethkemd.com.  References:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236248847_Origins_of_the_physician_assistant_movement_in_the_United_Stateshttps://pahx.org/timeline/https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-care/why-physician-assistants-and-nurse-practitioners-need-supervision-say-physician-groupshttps://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/01/stop-the-war-on-pas-and-nps.htmlhttps://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/physician-assistants-and-their-role-primary-care/2012-05https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htmhttps://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/pa-vs-md

Public Health has become a term used repeatedly during the Covid-19 pandemic. On this episode, the Pursuit of Health Podcast is fortunate to have one of New York’s leading public health experts and educators to help us understand and appreciate the importance of a strong public health system. Megan Deichler is the Executive Director of the Catskill Hudson Area Health Education Center (CHAHEC). Ms. Deichler brings extensive global and domestic experience in population health research and strategic charity programs to her current position.  Ms. Deichler explains that her focus on community health education is built upon a 50 year legacy of the federally-created Area Health Education Centers (AHECs). She shares her personal career decision to return to New York and serve our nation’s greatest number of people living in any state who are federally-designated as Medically Underserved.   Ms. Deichler and Dr. Fethke help explain the meaning  and proud history of the US Public Health system. Our guest expands the scope of public health to include housing, food and the environment. She explains that her team at CHAHEC introduces and supports the role of public health to future and current health professionals at all levels of education and operation.   She emphasizes the importance of an inter-professional Team Approach to achieve optimal healthcare for everyone. She remains optimistic about the future as long as healthcare workers and professionals continue to advocate for a strong and equitable American Public Health system, beginning with early education. Our discussion finishes with plans for possible future educational collaborations with our wonderful guest. Keep in touch and we’ll keep you posted.  The Pursuit of Health Podcast welcomes your feedback and suggestions. We can be reached @drfethkemd on Facebook and Instagram, as well as our website at drfethkemd.com.References:https://www.uwdor.org/megan-deichler https://chahec.org/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0277953683900953 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/183103 https://iranjournals.nlai.ir/handle/123456789/784141 Visit CHAHEC.org to learn more!

During this episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast we pick up on our topic of Infertility as a Health Concern with a remarkably accomplished guest physician, Dr. Chrissy Guidry. After years of medical and surgical training in Louisiana, Ohio and California, she is now the Medical Director of the Emergency General Surgery & Advanced Trauma Life Support Service at Tulane Medical Center and the Associate Program Director of General Surgery at Tulane University. As an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Tulane School of Medicine she serves as a mentor and advocate for many young student physicians. Amongst her many accomplishments and innumerable services on professional committees, she has recently added a focus on addressing Female Infertility Amongst Physicians. She explains that she has been carrying out this effort in collaboration with the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) who has recently made a concerted effort to bring this issue out to the public and the medical profession. This began with an AMWA-sponsored Physician Fertility Summit at which Dr. Guidry was amongst the many guest physician leaders and speakers shedding light on this little discussed topic. During our visit with Dr. Guidry, she bravely shared with our audience her own personal issues regarding infertility so that others may know that they are not alone. She explains that Female Infertility amongst physicians is 3-4 times higher than the general population and that much research is needed to understand both the causes of this medical condition and how to best prevent and treat it. Dr. Guidry reveals many of the obstacles, biases and misconceptions regarding infertility and family planning amongst physicians. She stressed that this is an issue that can seriously affect women physicians and their families. She advocates for early awareness of this issue amongst those she mentors and her colleagues. Together, Dr. Fethke and Dr, Guidry agree that physicians wishing to have children are more well-rounded and healthy people when they are able to do so, thus improving their professional and personal lives. Through organizations like AMWA and RESOLVE, Dr Guidry is optimistic that the issue of Physician Infertility is now out in the open. She strongly believes that physicians have a unique platform to address this issue for themselves and the public at large in order to improve awareness and access to infertility-related medical care. She looks forward to a day when physicians can study and practice in environments that are supportive and proactive for all physicians who are in need of evaluating their fertility as a significant component of their physical and psychosocial health. Dr. Guidry poinantly finishes our fascinating and emotional discussion by emphasizing, “ It is time for this discussion to be out in the open so people know they are not alone.” Finally, Dr. Guidry wants everyone to be aware of the upcoming AMWA and RESOLVE sponsored three seminars occurring in February through April 2022 entitled Moving the Fertility Conversation Forward. We at the Pursuit of Health Podcast can be reached for audience feedback on this episode as well as past and future episodes. We can be reached at drfethkemd on Facebook and Instagram, as well as our website at drfethkemd.com. Refernces: 1. Marshall AL, Arora VM, Salles A. Acad Med, 2020;95(5):679. 2. Stentz NC et al. J Womens Health. 2016;25:1059.J Womens Health (Larchmt)2016 Oct;25(10):1059-1065. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2015.5638. 3. Chandra A et al. www.cdc.gov/nchs/ data/series/sr_23/sr23_025.pdf. 4. Kemkes-Grottenthaler A. J Biosoc Sci. 2003;35:213 5. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/13/health/women-doctors-infertility.html 6. JAMA Surg 2021 Oct 1;156(10):905-915. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3301.

As we start 2022 we are honored to begin the second year of the Pursuit of Health Podcast with a very special guest - Dr.Tolu Bakare. She is an American Board Certified urologist with a special focus on Male Infertility. Currently she is an Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern where she cares for patients, teaches students and does clinical research. She is a graduate of the medical school at Penn State College of Medicine, after which she completed her General Surgery and Urology training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and finally a Fellowship in Male Infertility at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. It is also notable that she is a woman of color in a male-dominated field of medicine who is intent on improving the diversity of physicians entering Reproductive Urology. She believes we need to open up her field to other female physicians of color in order to establish a more balanced representation of the community of patients she serves.  Dr. Bakare begins the discussion with an introduction to the field of Male Infertility also referred to as Reproductive Urology. She outlines the statistics regarding the prevalence of Male Infertility which are strikingly similar to that of Female Infertility. Most importantly, she emphasizes that Male Fertility needs to be viewed by professionals and lay people alike as a legitimate disease worthy of the American health care system’s full attention.   Dr. Bakare reviews the numerous social and medical misconceptions around Infertility in general and Male Fertility specifically.  This includes the inappropriate, harmful and overused application of testosterone treatments. She stresses that the best way to address Male Infertility is to approach it as a Family or Couple’s problem, not the fault of the individual man. Dr. Bakare wants everyone to know that “When we treat Male Infertility appropriately as a serious illness, we also are treating men’s overall health”.  Dr. Bakare finishes our eye-opening discussion with her efforts to ensure that state-of-the-art training and medical care becomes the standard for all physicians treating Male Infertility. She reinforces the need to expand  the number of female and colored physicians in her field.  Only in this way does she believe that both high quality and equitable access to such quality care can be assured for everyone regardless of gender or race. Ever the optimist, Dr. Bakare sees a bright future for those treating people with Male Infertility.   We at the Pursuit of Health Podcast wish Everyone a Happy New Year.  We look forward to a full line up of exciting guests with very provocative and stimulating discussions.  We can be reached through Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd and soon on our website at drfethkemd.com.References:Fainberg J, Kashanian JA. Recent advances in understanding and managing male infertility. F1000Res. 2019;8:F1000 Faculty Rev-670. Published 2019 May 16. doi:10.12688/f1000research.17076.1Roozbeh N, Amirian A, Abdi F, Haghdoost S. A Systematic Review on Use of Medicinal Plants for Male Infertility Treatment. J Family Reprod Health. 2021 Jun;15(2):74-81. doi: 10.18502/jfrh.v15i2.6447. PMID: 34721595; PMCID: PMC8520662.Krausz C, Riera-Escamilla A. Genetics of male infertility. Nat Rev Urol. 2018 Jun;15(6):369-384. doi: 10.1038/s41585-018-0003-3. PMID: 29622783.

On Episode 18 Part 2 we present the final episode of our first year at The Pursuit of Health Podcast, while looking forward to much more content as we begin 2022.  We continue our important discussion on Domestic Violence with our guest, MacKenzie Bachar, the Advocacy & Education Director of Fearless! in New York's Hudson Valley. Ms. Bachar works on the frontlines with survivors of Domestic Violence in all its forms and in collaboration with other community agencies such as the YWCA, legal professionals, and local law enforcement. She also focuses a significant portion of her efforts on educating our youth about the dynamics of Domestic Violence in schools, homes and the community at large.  Ms. Bachar opens our minds and hearts to the dynamics of Power and Empowerment in the context of Domestic Violence. She thoroughly reviews the terminology and elements of Domestic Violence, encompassing its emotional, spiritual and physical impacts. The discussion takes an honest look at the disproportionate impact on women and marginalized members of society, including some astonishing statistics regarding murder and Domestic Violence. As an educator and advocate, Ms. Bachar gives us a look into the future. She addresses the deep rooted, systemic causes of Domestic Violence, and highlights the need for public advocacy at all levels of society. She stresses that a focus on prevention is the only true means of eradicating Domestic Violence once and for all. The discussion takes a more optimistic turn as Ms. Bachar explains that there have been both negative and positive impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the work in Domestic Violence, including improved access to services through technology.  This immensely powerful session finishes by noting the issue of the Criminalized Survivors of Domestic Violence. This includes a fortunate and well-timed announcement for our audience who are invited to attend the recorded virtual Fearless Hudson Valley 2021 Gala where the honorees include Kim Dadou Brown, a Criminalized Survivor and Advocate whose work has culminated in the 2019 passage of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act in New York State.  We enter the New Year and embark on our second year of The Pursuit of Health Podcast  optimistic and energized because of our wonderful audience, guests and a growing production team. We extend a heartfelt Thank You for your support and wish you all well this holiday season.  Upcoming topics will include the experiences of other countries with Gender Violence, the role of other Allied Medical Professionals, the impact of Infertility Medicine, and much more.  Our team at The Pursuit of Health Podcast can be reached through Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd and soon on our website at drfethkemd.comResources: Fearless, Hudson Valley280 Broadway, Newburgh, NYfearlessHV.orgfacebook.com/fearlesshv24-7 Hotline: (845) 562-5340References:https://ncadv.org/STATISTICShttps://www.thehotline.org/identify-abuse/why-do-people-abuse/https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/what-is-domestic-abusehttps://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/ncadv_new_york_fact_sheet_2020.pdfhttps://www.ywca.org/wp-content/uploads/WWV-GBV-Fact-Sheet-Final.pdfhttps://www.nysfocus.com

On Episode 18 Part 1 we proudly and humbly present the final episode of the first year of The Pursuit of Health Podcast as we take a bold step into the emotionally packed subject of Domestic Violence. Our special guest is MacKenzie Bachar, the Advocacy & Education Director of Fearless!, Hudson Valley, New York. Ms. Bachar works on the frontlines with victims and survivors of Domestic Violence in all its forms and in collaboration with other community agencies such as the YWCA, police, and legal professionals. She also focuses a significant portion of her efforts on educating our youth about the dynamics of Domestic Violence in schools, homes and the community at large.  Ms. Bachar shares her own professional journey from academia into the world of education and direct client services for individuals and families affected by gender, sexual and domestic violence. She opens up to the deep cultural roots of these problems that must be addressed. She gives us a wonderful insight to the evolution of Fearless! and the supportive legislation that has promoted and recognized the incredibly valuable and important work that her team and other professionals around the country carry out against all odds. She affirms that Education and Advocacy go hand-in-hand in the fight against this horrible affliction in our communities.  Our guest provides us some much needed details about the scope and impact of Domestic Violence. She makes a very cogent argument that Domestic Violence negatively affects everyone in our society. She explains the emotional and psychological dynamics of Domestic Violence from the vantage point of both the perpetrator and the targeted person. Along the way she teaches us about the difference between Power used as a weapon to control someone and Empowerment as a means of prevention and survival.   Ms. Bachar finishes Part 1 of our discussion by encouraging us all to become “Active Bystanders” when confronted with problems as pervasive and dangerous as Domestic Violence. She encourages us all to learn as much as possible about our own biases in this regard and to create forums for open and honest discussions within our homes and communities - with a special emphasis on Youth Education. She advises us to Start Early and Talk Early.  Next time, in Part 2 of Episode 18, we finish our first year of the podcast by continuing our discussion with Ms. Bachar. She talks about the future of her team’s efforts to combat Domestic Violence and their renewed focus to approach this problem from the vantage point of a broad analysis of its ongoing cultural origins.  Our team at The Pursuit of Health Podcast can be reached through Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd and soon on our website at drfethkemd.com.Referenceshttps://ncadv.org/STATISTICShttps://www.thehotline.org/identify-abuse/why-do-people-abuse/https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/what-is-domestic-abusehttps://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/ncadv_new_york_fact_sheet_2020.pdfhttps://www.ywca.org/wp-content/uploads/WWV-GBV-Fact-Sheet-Final.pdf

For our 28th broadcast and episode 17 of the Pursuit of Health Podcast, your host, Dr. Eric Fethke, introduces a new format   - Case Studies from the Heart - where he takes the role of both host and commentator. In this format we ask our audience to share in the medical tradition of telling patient stories to learn and teach about illness.  Dr. Fethke invites us to use these Case Studies to go beyond just the details and look at the big picture of peoples’ health conditions, including the broader implications for the complex U.S. health system.  For our first Case Studies from the Heart episode, we have decided to look at the topic on everyone’s mind - the Covid-19 pandemic. Now almost two years since Covid-19 appeared, and with the new delta and omicron variants in our midst, Dr. Fethke approaches this situation from a unique point of view. In searching for some of the root causes of our nation’s Covid-19 experience , he dares to take an introspective look back at the role physicians themselves may have played in the mishandling of the pandemic.   Dr. Fethke does not claim to have all the answers or understand all the complex factors at play with the U.S. response to Covid-19. Instead he seeks to stimulate a vigorous and constructive dialogue so that together we may find solutions that will hopefully prevent repeat tragedies with future pandemics or natural disasters.  We can be reached through Facebook and Instagram @drfethkemd and soon on our website at drfethkemd.com

For Part 2 of Episode 16 on the Pursuit of Health Podcast, we now continue the engaging conversation with physician mentor, leader and pioneer - Dr. Tyree Winters. Dr. Winters now serves as the Residency Program and Medical Student Clerkship Director, General Pediatric Residency, as well as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead Physician (Dept. of Pediatrics) at Goryeb Hospital of the Atlantic Health System. Amongst his myriad activities, he is also known for his energetic and engaging work as Dr. Tye the Hip Op Doc to tackle obesity and improve cardiovascular fitness for his followers. He is a cofounder of the ongoing Tour for Diversity in Medicine.  Dr. Winters explains that his consistent calling to provide healthcare in underserved areas. He gives a clear account of the problems he sees - magnified by te Covid-19 pandemic - including the multifactorial causes of the Widening Health Disparities aggravated by lack of physician availability in communities of color. He shares his optimism for the future emboldened by communities of color stepping up to make change and have their voices heard - especially through the all important right to vote.  He emphasizes that the pandemic has further heightened the often overlooked reality that we are all interdependent and must care for each other. As he has done in writing and through countless educational talks, he offers our audience some very poignant advice on How to Battle Racism in Healthcare.  Dr. Winters and Dr. Fethke reflect on the role of the Affordable Care Act as an imperfect start to achieving healthcare equity, though much remains to be done in this regard.  They both agree that physicians need to return to the table to bring back the Art of Medicine which has sadly been overwhelmed by the Business of Medicine.  Dr. Winters provides an honest reflection on the Innate Biases we all have as human beings tackling issues including racism in healthcare. He shares an insight into the complexity of thought within the  U.S. Black Community which he believes has been well depicted by Eugene Robinson’s book - Disintegration.  We round out our amazing session with Dr. Winter’s account of his collaboration with other physician leaders to create the still active Tour for Diversity in Medicine started in 2012.   You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd. (This episode will also be available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd.)