20-Minute Health Talk

Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women in America, but many don’t realize that symptoms commonly associated with pregnancy, like shortness of breath, swollen hands and feet, could also be indicators of a serious underlying heart condition. Another startling fact: All women are at risk, according to Evelina Grayver, MD, director of Northwell Health’s Women’s Heart program for the Central region. In this episode, Sandra Lindsay revisits her conversation with Dr. Grayver from 2023, where the women's heart health expert explains what symptoms to look out for, when to seek help and the ins and outs of a new field of medicine specializing in the treatment of heart conditions during pregnancy — cardio-obstetrics.  Dr. Grayver helped establish Northwell's cardio-obstetrics program, which is helping expecting and new parents get ahead of or prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes related to heart disease.  Watch this and more episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.

You might think that living a full life past 100 is a stretch, but these centenarians say otherwise: They’re active, inspired and full of energy after 100-plus years and counting. They shared their New Year's resolutions in a commercial from Northwell Health, and now they’re revealing their thoughts on healthy aging. From diet and exercise to purpose, pets and stress, these centenarians share their wisdom on a life well lived. And joining us in the 20-Minute Health Talk studio with a professional perspective on healthy aging: Maria Carney, MD, FACP, chief of geriatric and palliative medicine at Northwell Health, and former health commissioner for Nassau County. Learn more about the inspirational ad campaign featuring a cast of Northwell patients and other New Yorkers who have reached the remarkable milestone of having lived 100 years or more. Podcast transcript Northwell is recognized as an "age-friendly" health system. Here's how age-friendly care can help you age well. Get more expert insights from leading experts in the field — Northwell Newsroom.  Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube.  For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit http://bit.ly/2Z7iHFL and explore our many opportunities.   Facebook –   / northwellhealth   Instagram -   / northwellhealth   X - https://www.x.com/northwellhealth LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin/northwellhealth

As 2023 comes to a close, we look back on five exciting medical advances coming from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research — the research arm of Northwell Health. In the last year alone, investigators published more than 3,000 papers in peer-reviewed journals. In this episode, we spotlight studies that made strides against cancer, knee pain, paralysis, postpartum depression and inflammatory bowel disease.  Read more about these five notable Northwell advances of 2023. Chapters:   00:46 – A pill for post-partum depression | Kristina Deligiannidis, MD 05:30 – Sea coral leads to an arthritis treatment | Kenneth Zaslav, MD 11:30 – Detecting cancer early with AI | Daniel King, MD 15:20 – After paralysis, a bridge back to movement and feeling | Chad Bouton 19:08 – A stimulating solution for IBD | Benjamin Sahn, MD Northwell Health is New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, 850 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Get the latest news and insights from our experts in the Northwell Newsroom: Press releases Insights Podcasts Publications Interested in a career at Northwell Health? Visit http://bit.ly/2Z7iHFL and explore our many opportunities.

Two years after surviving a high shooting that claimed the lives of four of her fellow students, Kylie Ossege, now 19, is still recovering from the physical and emotional trauma left by the bullet that shattered her clavicle and nearly left her paralyzed. On this episode, Sandra Lindsay, RN, speaks with Kylie about the November 30, 2021 attack, her fight to regain the ability to walk and her recent surgery to stabilize her spine. Led by John Caridi, MD, a spine surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital, the operation was necessary to not only straighten, but strengthen her spine, which was destabilized by the bullet's impact. Now a member of her college's chapter of March for our Lives, a nonprofit gun violence prevention group, Kylie is sharing her story in hopes of making a difference. Podcast transcript Learn more about March for our Lives. Learn more about Northwell Health's Center for Gun Violence Prevention. Learn more about the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital.

In recognition of World AIDS Day today, we encourage you to listen to this classic episode of the podcast from early 2022 exploring the injectable form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the first option to prevent HIV that does not involve taking a daily pill. At the time of this recording (June 28, 2022), the newly approved treatment had begun to hit the market. Our colleague David Reich-Hale sat down with a panel of experts specializing in HIV treatment and prevention at the local, state and federal levels. Listen in to learn about the benefits and what people at risk for HIV should know, the challenges of implementation among providers and more. Podcast transcript The panel includes:  David Rosenthal, DO, PhD, medical director for the Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV. Demetre Daskalakis, MD, director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Charles Gonzalez, MD, medical director for the New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute This was the second in a 2-part conversation with our panel of experts. More from the experts Dr. Rosenthal talks about strengthening HIV prevention with PrEP and expanding the four key strategies to end AIDS by 2030.

Exposure to the smoke from burn pits — the large open-air fires the military has used to dispose of waste — harmed veterans such as Juan Serrano, Patrick McCaffery and Robert Auletta, who work with Northwell Health's Military Liaison Services. Of the more than 10K U.S. veterans who have already been diagnosed with burn pit damage to their airways, the picture is grim and the reaction, most often, is shock. Conditions range from asthma and COPD, to sleep apnea, to a long list of cancers. On this episode, Juan Patrick and Robert talk about their experience and efforts in addressing burn pit exposure. They’re joined by Anthony Szema, MD, a pulmonologist and leading expert on burn pits; Dr. Szema is director of Northwell’s International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences. He has launched a clinical trial that monitors the health of veterans with burn pit exposure. (Many of the veterans on Juan’s team have already signed up.) Explaining his goals for the trial, Dr. Szema also provides an update on the PACT Act, new legislation he played a key role in getting passed; it expands VA benefits to care for veterans with burn pit exposure. To further assist veterans, Juan, Dr. Szema and staff at the Military Liaison Office are helping service members sign up for the PACT Act. To file a claim online or apply for VA healthcare, click here.

On this episode of 20-Minute Health Talk, we take another look at our August 2022 conversation with Anthony Szema, MD. At the time of this episode's recording, the pulmonologist was days removed from a visit to the White House to celebrate the passage of the PACT Act, new legislation that is now helping impacted veterans get treatment. As a leading expert in the health effects of burn pits, he played a key role in making that legislation a reality. Now, He is conducting a trial to collect data on the veterans of the greater NYC area. We'll do a deep dive into his trial and three of the veterans participating in it. That episode will be available tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 10.  Dr. Szema is director of Northwell Health’s International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences, as well as a published researcher and author.

While the flu shot has been around since 1945, 2023 marked the introduction of a new vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — the first ever — and the latest Covid-19 shot. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the two new vaccines, and the protection they offer comes just in the nick of time: Health officials say there is a strong likelihood of another "tripledemic" this winter. In addition to the vaccines for Covid, flu and RSV, there is a new protective treatment for RSV — a potentially life-saving option for those most at risk of complications. On this episode, family medicine doctor Eric Ascher, DO, explains your options for immunization and immune therapies this fall and winter. Chapters: 00:01 - Intro 01:28 - Vaccines for Covid, flu and RSV 02:01 - Another tripledemic? 03:08 - When to get vaccinated 04:29 - Can you get the Covid and flu vaccines at the same time? 05:29 - "Coadministration" of vaccines 06:28 - How effective is the new Covid-19 vaccine?  07:01 - Can you get Covid, flu and RSV vaccines at same time?  08:03 - Importance of staying up-to-date on vaccinations 08:29 - Current strains of Covid-19 and flu 09:31 - Monovalent Covid vaccine 10:20 - Monovalent Covid vaccine side effects 10:48 - Will Covid vaccine become an annual shot?  11:22 - Covid testing remains critical 12:41 - Start with an at-home Covid test 13:35 - Flu antiviral treatment (Tamiflu) 14:03 - Covid antiviral treatment (Paxlovid, molnupiravir, remdesivir) 14:44 - RSV vaccine and immune therapy, nirsevimab 15:08 - Supportive care for Covid, flu, RSV 15:39 - How else can I stay healthy this fall and winter?  More from the expert Eric Ascher, DO, answers the question: Can you sneeze in your sleep?  Dr. Ascher hosts the Hack Your Health video series from The Well, in which he answers more common health questions.

In recent months the FDA and CDC approved two new drugs that experts say will change how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is managed. This comes at a critical time, says Mundeep Kainth, DO, MPH, as hospitals prepare for the influx of RSV, flu and Covid cases this fall and winter. The convergence of those three respiratory viruses, termed a "tripledemic," overwhelmed hospitals nationally last winter. Dr. Kainth, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Cohen Children's Medical Center, says these two new protections, just like the flu shot and Covid-19 vaccines, are critical tools to help prevent serious illness and keep people out of the hospital. On this episode, she explains what everyone should know about the first-ever RSV vaccine, which is for pregnant mothers between 32 and 36 weeks, and those older than 60, as well as the new monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (brand name Beyfortus), which is for newborns.

On today’s episode, we revisit a conversation we had with two pioneers of the mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines, Katalin Karikó, PhD, and Drew Weissman, MD. The two were just awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking research in messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. When we spoke with Dr. Kariko and Weissman in June 2022, they had just received the Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine. The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research grants this honor to recognize promising careers in the fields of science and research. In this look back on that conversation, the history-making duo discusses what motivated them to endure their decades-long scientific struggles, plans to continue their mRNA research and what it means to be awarded the Ross Prize. Also on the show, we speak with Kevin Tracey, MD, president of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, about the importance of supporting young scientists, early-stage research and the culture of science. Katalin Kariko, PhD, adjunct professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a senior vice president at BioNTech Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine The award Drs. Kariko and Weissman received is one of six categories that are recognized each year. Since 1901, there have been 114 prizes in the Physiology or Medicine category awarded to 227 laureates.