DON'T BLINK! -- www.radiorounds.org !

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Recap of Episode 302: Med School Rx

This past Sunday (January 10), the Radio Rounds crew welcomed special guest Dr. Walter Hartwig, Professor and Department Chair of Anatomy at Touro University in California. He is the author of the recently released book entitled Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring.

It was a great show, and the full free-to-download podcast is now available on our iTunes page!

Dr. Hartwig eloquently discussed his views regarding the meaning of being a physician, and he provides advice for both pre-medical students and medical students to get the most out of their journeys through the medical profession. Among the topics discussed: Dr. Hartwig's views on the difference between motivation and inspiration, his advice for pre-medical students applying to medical schools, and his thoughts regarding the continued dedication that doctors should naturally have-- to be "in [the patient's] moment" and "to be able to rise in the morning to be as excted about something that you've already mastered, as if it were the first time you're seeking to master it."

After speaking with Dr. Hartwig, we began our new weekly Residency segment, during which we hear from a residency program director from somewhere around the country. This time, we heard from Dr. Michael Leitman, Director of the General Surgery Residency Program at New York City's Beth Israel Medical Center. Dr. Leitman discussed how he compares medical students who are applying to his residency program, and he also shared his thoughts regarding residency interviews.

UP NEXT: In the past on Radio Rounds, we have featured special patient perspectives -- most notably in an iTunes-only free video download (entitled "The Patient Perspective") that features a moving interview with a second-year medical student diagnosed with breast cancer. On this Sunday's show (January 17 at 12 p.m. ET), we will feature an interview with 14-year old Brandon, a patient at the Haslinger Pediatric Palliative Care Center in Akron, Ohio. Brandon has a severe case of neurological cancer called neuroblastoma, and he (as well as his mother and physician) were gracious to join a group of medical students for a live bedside interview in his hospital room. This will be the first in a unique upcoming documentary series featuring the patients from the Haslinger Center, and we hope you're able to tune in!

The stories are stunning and emotional, and we want to thank Dr. Sarah Friebert and the staff at the Haslinger Center for their support and for their willingness to take us -- and all of you -- inside their walls so that we can share these powerful stories. Again, we'll air our interview with Brandon this Sunday, January 17 at 12 p.m. ET, and the episode will also feature the continuation of our Residency series -- as we will hear from another residency director from around the nation.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Meet the Hosts

Avash Kalra is a medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. He is a 2005 graduate of Cornell University, where he majored in Psychology. Before starting medical school, Avash worked for one year at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland, where he conducted research on lifespan extension. He then worked for one year as a clinical research coordinator in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Avash was born in England and lived there for 11 years. He spends his free time working as a staff writer for an NCAA hockey website. Over time, he has developed unhealthy obsessions with college hockey, poker, and the Dave Matthews Band. His favorite television shows include Lost, 24, Dexter, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He is now an avid reader... of medical textbooks. He frequently points out that he has "the perfect face for radio." And -- as you'll discover -- he likes puns.

Lakshman Swamy is a medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. He is a 2005 graduate of the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH, where he self-designed the Neuroscience major. Before joining medical school, Lakshman worked for two years in the Trapp lab at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation as a lab technician working with multiple sclerosis.

Lakshman is a young gentleman in the MD/MBA program at Wright State, and accordingly, his favorite character on Scrubs is Dr. Kelso. He has an eclectic taste in music, loves audiobooks -- especially mysteries -- and watches 24, M*A*S*H, and Battlestar Galactica. Yes, two of those shows have run their final season -- he is also constantly behind the times. He has NO idea what he wants to do with his life, but he is sure it will involve turning down the position of Surgeon General for bigger and better things.

Shamie Das is an MD/MBA dual degree student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. He graduated from Emory University in 2004 as a dual major in Biology and Sociology. He went on to earn his Masters Degree in Public Health in 2007 from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. As a graduate student, he also performed bench research in Molecular and Cell Biology at the Emory University School of Medicine. In his free time during college, Shamie volunteered as an EMT-Intermediate and went on to become certified as a Paramedic.

Shamie was born in England and soon after moved to the US. In his free time he enjoys photography, traveling and fine cuisine. A few of his life goals are to visit every continent and climb Everest. An avid extremist, Shamie enjoys leaping out of perfectly good airplanes, white water rafting and jumping headfirst into gorges. Recently engaged, he also spends countless hours on the phone with his fiancée. His favorite authors include Hemingway, Frost, and Crichton (and of course Robbins). Television is a thing of the past in his current life, but occasionally he still watches PBS and listens to NPR and (of course) Radio Rounds.