Primary Care Today

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Gail L. Torkildsen, staff ophthalmologist at Andover Eye Associates and one of the leading Dry Eye Principal Investigators in the world. Dr. Torkildsen has served as P.I. on over 20 client-sponsored Dry Eye studies since 2002. In this discussion she takes listeners on a tour of common eye problems faced in primary care, and how clinicians can better prepare themselves to address issues such as Meibobian gland disorders, blepharitis, dry eyes, and conjunctivitis with greater confidence.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Tina Thethi, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the section of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Tulane University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Thethi provides the inside scoop on diabetes topics of particular interest to endocrinologists in practice today, from pre-diabetes management to continuous glucose monitoring to novel drug research and development.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP A clinical pearl in the arena of eye care is that serious eye problems tend to manifest serious symptoms and signs, which makes vision loss one of the key findings in a diagnostic workup. Yet vision testing is commonly neglected in primary care practice even when patients present with eye-related complaints. What are the most important steps a clinician can take when assessing eye problems, and where does the primary care practitioner fit into the ophthalmologic care continuum? Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Sumitra Khandelwal, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, to examine the top issues in eye care for generalists and ophthalmic specialists.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP From patient consultation services to remote physician visits, telemedicine is rapidly gaining a foothold in clincial practice. But what are the potential gains vs pitfalls for integrating these technologies at the primary care level? Dr. Mark Seraly, practicing dermatologist and founder of DermatologistOnCall.com, joins Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss clinical, operational, and financial trends in telemedicine today.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Atul Grover, MD, PhD, Chief Public Policy Officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to discuss the looming physician shortage in the US and what needs to be done now to positively impact that shortage ten years down the road.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Donovan Green, personal trainer and author of No Excuses Fitness, to Primary Care Today. Mr. Green talks about practical, brass tacks strategies for getting in shape, starting with the basic primer to just get people moving regardless of fitness level.

Case-based simulator software is fast becoming the hottest and most innovative form of medical education in clinical training programs today. Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to update listeners on the origins, rapid evolution, and future horizons of medical simulation is Douglas Seifert, Founder and CEO of Syandus Inc. Syandus is a leading provider of intelligent simulation learning technologies, and its health education programs offer doctors a "learn by doing" gaming approach to improving clinical decision-making skills.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP As an unforgivingly cold, frigid winter in America has led to the explosive release of tree pollens over a short period this spring, seasonal allergies have returned with a vengeance. Says, Dr Mitchell Gaynor, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, this could make for one of the worst allergy seasons of all time. How can primary care providers ready themselves on the frontlines of this mass allergy assault? Dr. Brian McDonough and Dr. Gaynor discuss strategies to keep clinicians on top of this emerging threat, including new understandings of eco-genetic mechanisms of allergic disease.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects an estimated one out of ten people in the US, yet the causes for this disease are multivariate and often unknown from case to case, creating a reputation in practice as a "waste basket diagnosis." Dr. Michael Stierstorfer, Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and founder of East Penn Dermatology, has been a pioneer in helping clinicians better understand one potential cause of IBS. His own experience as IBS patient led to the remarkable discovery of an allergic contact enteritits underscoring his disease, which has led to new diagnostic and treatment algorithms for IBS patients nationwide. Dr. Stierstorfer joins Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss this unexpected path toward discovery and subsequent career specialization.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Many of us use online search engines as our primary source for referenced information, but is it a truly reliable source for health information? And which medical organizations are at the forefront for leveraging these information portals to maximum effects for both patients and health professionals? Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss the recent technological advancements, institutional partnerships, and revenue streams underlying search engine-optimized health information is Chris Seper, vice president of healthcare for Breaking Media and founder of MedCityNews.com.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss the state of mental health services in the US, as well as current to emerging care resources for children with developmental disabilities such as autism, is Robert Kreider, JD. Mr. Kreider is President and CEO of Devereux, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit providers of behavioral healthcare in the country.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP A new therapy in the form of a vibrating pill-size capsule may help alleviate chronic idiopathic constipation without significant side effects. Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss this innovative treatment method is Dr. Anish Sheth, practicing gastroenterologist at Princeton Medical Group in Princeton, NJ. And, to our listeners, please note that Dr. Sheth was not involved in the clinical trials of the investigational treatment mentioned in this interview.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. McDonough welcomes Dr. Donald Frei, neuroradiologist and Director of Neurointerventional Surgery at Radiology Imaging Associates in Denver, CO. Dr. Frei is working towards establishing state-of-the-art diagnosis and management strategies in treating patients with acute stroke. His procedural specialties include acute catheter directed stroke intervention, angioplasty/stent revascularization of cerebrovascular stenosis and minimally invasive treatment of cerebral aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Marla Heller, MS, RD is the author of the best-selling books, The DASH Diet Action Plan, The DASH Diet Weight Loss Solution, The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook, and more recently The DASH Diet: Younger You. In her discussion with host Dr. Brian McDonough, she proposes a nutritional guidance plan intended to halt and even reverse many of the effects of aging by improving blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and helping readers reach a healthy weight.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Nearly 55% of infants in the United States sleep on unsafe bedding, despite warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to use firm flat surfaces covered with fitted sheets. Parents are being presented with several more comfortable, "baby friendly" appearing alternatives, as well as having their infants children sleep with them in their own beds, both of which create risks of SIDS and roll-over suffocations, respectively. Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss safety standards and health priorities for infant sleep habits is Dr. Shalini Paruthi, Assistant Professor in the Divisions of Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Medicine, and Director of the Pediatric Sleep Research Center at St. Louis University School of Medicine.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Stress has long been associated with cardiovascular risk, but few studies have connected stress with worsened recovery rates after heart attacks. Moreover, the recently published discovery that women with mental stress may suffer worse outcomes recovering from heart attacks than men under similar conditions raises more questions than answers. What are the possible mechanisms by which this gender disparity in outcomes may occur, and how can clinicians help mitigate this risk? Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Nieca Goldberg, cardiologist and director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP The controversy over vaccinations and whether or not to regulate their administration has reached a boiling point in the United States with the recent measles outbreak originating in Disneyland, and prominent politicians like Senator Rand Paul and Governor Chris Christie have weighed in to support the anti-vaccine community's appeal for individual choice. What are the ethical, sociological, and political ramifications of these developments in the national vaccination debate, and how should the medical community respond? Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss the vaccination controversy is Dr. Arthur Caplan, Professor and founding Director of the Division of Medical Ethics in NYU Langone Medical Center’s Department of Population Health.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP On average, more than 90% of adults spend more than two hours each day using a digital device, and for 60% of the population, that daily use pattern extends beyond five hours. Regardless of the reasons why, all that time can take a toll on the eyes and lead to digital eye strain. Speaking on the health implications of digital eye strain is Dr. Dora Adamopolous, optometrist in practice in Alexandia, VA.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP A recent study in the British Medical Journal examined health recommendations from popular TV medical talk show hosts, discovering that approximately half of those recommendation have either no evidence or are contradicted by the best available evidence. Furthermore, potential conflicts of interest are rarely addressed. What ethical, legal, and clinical impacts do such health claims and recommendations have on patients and the medical community at large? Joining Dr. Brian McDonough is Dr. Joe Perrone, Chief Science Officer for The Center for Accountability in Science, an organization dedicated to uncovering the science behind news stories.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Mental illnesses are commonly encountered in primary care practice. Yet their sufferers are often relegated to mischaracterized roles of "problem patients" due to the impacts of their diseases on thoughts and behaviors. How can clinicians improve their approach to patients will mental health issues, and can this approach be duplicated at community-wide levels? Speaking on this important initiative is Dr. Marilyn B. Benoit, Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical and Professional Affairs at Devereux, one of the nation's premier nonprofit behavioral healthcare organizations. Dr. Benoit is a nationally-known and highly-respected child and adolescent psychiatrist with a wide-ranging career both as a practicing physician and a health care administrator in public, private and academic settings.