Southern Medicine

Herpes zoster is a public health concern for the public, especially in subjects who are immunocompromised. The CDC–recommended recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) is an effective way to reduce the incidence of herpes zoster, but because of the increased immunogenicity of the vaccine adjuvant, there is a concern about flares of underlying autoimmune diseases in rheumatology patients. Join Drs. Syed Raza Saurav Acharya, and Gabrielle Howard, as they discuss the safety of RZV in this patient population, a topic they, and their coauthor Debendra Pattanaik, addressed in their February 2022 Southern Medical Journal article. In this podcast, they talk about why patients with rheumatic diseases are found to be at higher risk of herpes zoster and what led them to conduct their study. Additionally, they provide evidence of the safety of  RZV in subjects with rheumatologic diseases.

In this podcast, Drs. William Ventres and Erick Messias discuss adverse shared historical experiences and the influence historical trauma has on current health outcomes, a topic addressed in their article appearing in the November 2021 issue of the Southern Medical Journal.

Discrimination is often experienced among medical students in clinical settings, especially those who belong to ethnic or gender minority groups, and it can occur in the form of “microaggressions”. In this podcast, Ms. Allison Kumnick and Dr. Julia Belkowitz discuss a simulation-based approach to improve medical students’ resilience and communication, as well as educate faculty members on unintentional discriminatory practices. They also detail what led them to develop their project, the findings of which they and their coauthors present in their upcoming Southern Medical Journal article, “Developing Awareness and Allies: Simulating Difficult Conversations about Microaggressions for Faculty and Students”.

Food insecurity is a problem for people across the lifespan, and it has been exacerbated by COVID-19. Adults facing food insecurity often reduce the variety of their diet and tend to consume a few low-cost, energy-dense, and nutritionally poor foods to maintain caloric intake, and this puts them at an increased risk for a variety of adverse health outcomes, including diabetes, pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. In this podcast Jennifer Mandelbaum discusses identifying and addressing food insecurity in older adults, a topic she addresses in an upcoming editorial in the Southern Medical Journal.

Mentoring is important for both professional and personal development in medical education. In this podcast, Drs. Andrew Sephien, Danielle Gulick, and Ambuj Kumar discuss why mentoring is necessary, as well as provide insight into common qualities and barriers that medical students believe are associated with successful mentors and mentoring relationships. They also detail what led them to conduct a study focusing on mentoring, the findings of which appear in their Southern Medical Journal article, “Prevalence of, Qualities, and Barriers Associated with Mentoring Relationships from Medical Students’ Perspective: A Multi-Institutional Cross-Sectional Study” hat they coauthored with Drs. Leigh Hatch, Jordan Karsch, and Karim Hanna.

In this podcast, Dr. Lauris Kaldjian explains the need for ‘shared decision making’ between patients and physicians, why it is important and details steps physicians can take to make that happen. He also offers insight to help physicians avoid slipping into manipulation or coercion when faced with certain situations. 

In the conclusion of this multipart podcast series, Dr. Benjamin Broome, a nephrologist with Nephrology Associates in Birmingham, Alabama, is joined by Drs. Elizabeth Edwards and Donald DiPette, both of whom are on faculty in the department of internal medicine at the University of South Carolina in Columbia to discuss proteinuria. They will review causes and symptoms, as well as provide information related to the association between proteinuria and later progression of chronic kidney failure. In addition, they will detail treatment options, as well as offer healthcare providers insight into when a nephrology referral may be warranted. 

In part five of this multipart podcast series, Dr. Benjamin Broome, a nephrologist with Nephrology Associates in Birmingham, Alabama, is joined by Drs. Elizabeth Edwards and Donald DiPette, both of whom are on faculty in the department of internal medicine at the University of South Carolina in Columbia to discuss hyponatremia, which occurs when the sodium level in the blood is below normal. They will provide information on common causes of both acute and chronic hyponatremia, as well as their similarities and differences. In addition, they will review the management of, and treatment modalities for, hyponatremia.

Hypertension is a leading cause of kidney disease and in part four of this multipart podcast series, Dr. Benjamin Broome, a nephrologist with Nephrology Associates in Birmingham, Alabama, is joined by Dr. Donald DiPette, who serves on faculty in the department of internal medicine at the University of South Carolina in Columbia to discuss the clinical implications of hypertension as a significant cardiovascular risk factor. They will also review the clinical care implications of the recent hypertension management and treatment guidelines.

The occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is on the rise and during this podcast, Drs. Anuja Mehta, Shirin Hasan, Lisa Spector, and Christopher Morris detail what ASD is, as well as some of the myths and misconceptions of ASD. In addition, they will provide information regarding the transition of care from adolescence into adulthood, and offer insight into treatment for ASD, including occupational and speech language therapies, as well as applied behavioral analysis.