Book Club

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, Author of "The Locum Life: A Physician's Guide to Locum Tenens" Guest: Ronald Pies, MD Does psychiatry want to become almost exclusively focused on biology and medication? We’ll hear Dr. Pies’ perspective on psychiatry as he speaks about his book, titled Psychiatry at the Crossroads: Can Psychiatry Find the Path to a Truly Humanistic Science? Tune in with Dr. Andrew Wilner and Dr. Ronald Pies, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at State University of New York Upstate Medical University and a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Paul Craddock, PhD Beginning in the mid-16th century up until present day, medicine has evolved tremendously. How did transplant surgery play an important role in doing so? Dive into the teachings with Dr. Paul Craddock, author of the book titled, Spare Parts: The Story of Medicine Through the History of Transplant Surgery, as he joins Dr. John Russell to dissect the surprising history of modern medicine.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Heidi Skolnik, MS, CDN, FACSM For older adults, losing weight can be an almost impossible task…which then begs the question: have we been giving the wrong advice? And can stopping age-related weight gain and muscle loss be done in six simple steps? To find out, Dr. John Russell speaks with nutritionist and exercise physiologist Ms. Heidi Skolnik, co-author of The Whole Body Reset.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Leana S. Wen, MD, MSc From immigrant child to public health leader, emergency physician and medical expert Dr. Leana Wen sits down with Dr. John Russell to share her journey. Together, they’ll discuss the personal experiences that have framed her career.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Paul Farmer, MD, PhD Dr. John Russell meets with Dr. Paul Farmer, the Chair of Global Health at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Partners in Health, to review past pandemics and outbreaks while discussing things we can do as a community to lower the risk of these events.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Adam Hill, MD Dr. John Russell is joined by pediatric oncologist Dr. Adam Hill, author of “Long Walk Out of the Woods,” to discuss depression among healthcare professionals and address trauma faced in the medical field.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Rose George Dr. John Russell is joined by Rose George, the author of the book “Nine Pints," to take an in-depth look into everything we know about blood.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Christopher Haines, MD, MA The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the field of medicine. To better understand the science behind this virus while putting this pandemic into historical perspective, Dr. Christopher Haines shares his experiences caring for patients during the pandemic and describes what drove him to write his book: COVID-19 Essays from the Front: The First Six Months.

Host: Princy Mathew Guest: J.W. Freiberg JD, PhD Did you know that 47 percent of adults in American are affected by loneliness? And now that the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this health threat, Princy Mathew sits down with Dr. J.W. Freiberg to discuss his book Surrounded by Others and Yet So Alone and how we can help our patients who suffer from chronic loneliness.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Elaine Birchall Although hoarding was only recently added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, understanding what exactly this disorder it and how it impacts approximately 21 million Americans is essential. So to help shed light on this often-overlooked disorder, Dr. Maurice Pickard is joined by Elaine Birchall, co-author of Conquering the Clutter: Strategies to Identify, Management, and Overcome Hoarding.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CDN Fad diets are extremely popular and widely used when it comes to losing weight, yet there’s often no scientific evidence to support them. That’s why Christy Harrison, author of Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through INTUITIVE EATING, is here to dive into diet culture, fads, and intuitive eating.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Dov Fox Reproductive negligence occurs in three major areas: deprived pregnancy or parenthood, imposed pregnancy, and confounded efforts. Joining Dr. Maurice Pickard to explain each of those areas—and why there’s such a controversy surrounding them—is Dov Fox, a Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law where he directs the Center for Health Law Policy and Bioethics.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Katherine Eban Joining Dr. Maurice Pickard is award-winning journalist and author of Bottles of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom Katherine Eban, who investigates the health concerns that are beginning to surface on a global scale due to the rise in generic drug use.

Guest: Mary Beth Pfeiffer With cases being reported in every state and across 80 countries, Lyme disease has become one of the fastest growing vector-borne illnesses in the world. But have you ever wondered how this global health threat came to be? That’s what journalist Mary Beth Pfeiffer investigates in her book, Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change, and with the ReachMD team.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN To get a detailed picture of physicians’ personal experiences with locum tenens work, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with a very special guest: Dr. Andrew Wilner. Not only is he the author of The Locum Life: A Physician’s Guide to Locum Tenens, but he’s also one of ReachMD’s esteemed hosts!

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN Hysteria is nothing new, but looking at how the spread of misinformation affects this disorder is a new concept. Providing an update to a blog he wrote back in 2012 entitled An Explanation for Mass Hysteria that was also featured in his book Bullets and Brains, Dr. Andrew Wilner dives into the contemporary problem of mass hysteria.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN As a follow-up to the Microgravity: A New Risk Factor for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension essay he wrote back in 2012, Dr. Andrew Wilner investigates whether there have been any updates on the 27 astronauts who had significant microgravity exposure.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN Even with quick thinking and timely action, the chances of a neurosurgeon being able to do more than taking out the bullet, administering antibiotics, and stopping the bleeding isn’t likely, and surviving a bullet to the brain can unfortunately be just the beginning of a patient’s struggles. Focusing on the title story of his book Bullets and Brains, Dr. Andrew Wilner discusses the serious aftermath congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords experienced while recovering from a headshot.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN Up until 2011, there was no FDA-approved antivenom for scorpion stings—until a very concerned pediatrician created one that came with seemingly miraculous results. Dr. Andrew Wilner breaks down this overlooked health threat and the development of its antivenom, which he explores in his book of essays called Bullets and Brains.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Haider Warraich, MD Dr. Haider Warraich, author of The New York Times article “Dr. Google is a Liar,” speaks with Dr. Maurice Pickard on the growing pandemic of fake medical news and its startling repercussions for healthcare providers and their patients.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Victoria Sweet, MD After her father was admitted to the hospital with a wrong diagnosis and consequently received the wrong treatment, Dr. Victoria Sweet found that no doctor would speak with her face to face. This eye-opening experience left her with the following question: What has gone missing from medicine? This became the motivation for her book, Slow Medicine: The Way to Healing. Dr. Sweet joins Dr. John Russell to divulge on the logic, love, and beauty of slowing down in healthcare.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Compelled to share her personal experience, Dr. Mimi Secor, author of Debut a New You: Transforming Your Life at Any Age, speaks with Dr. Matt Birnholz about her journey from busy and stressed to happy and healthy.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Kate Moore During World War I, hundreds of young women—some as young as eleven—flocked to the clock factories, thrilled at the chance to land wartime work as radium-dial painters. Blended with historical and scientific significance, their personal stories are unveiled in Kate Moore's The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. Moore spares us no shelter from understanding the pain in which they were living and the fight they inevitably began.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Bob Baker, MD Dr. Maurice Pickard connects with Dr. Bob Baker, author of The Performance of Medicine: Techniques from the Stage to Optimize the Patient’s Experience and Restore the Joy of Practicing Medicine, who shares his strategies and techniques that you should be implementing in your practice to boost the doctor-patient relationship.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Sam Quinones Weaving together two classic tales of capitalism and the unintended collision laying waste to communities across the country, Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland, introduces an unforgettable cast of characters, including pharma pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, and parents, to share what he believes is at the root of the opiate addiction epidemic.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Aaron Carroll, MD Over the years, the world of food has taken drastic swings, such as the demonization of butter in the '70s and today’s obsession with gluten-free foods to cut out carbs. Dr. Aaron Carroll, author of The Bad Food Bible: How and Why to Eat Sinfully, dives into the myths surrounding nutrition and why common sense might just be the answer to eating healthy.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Allison Pataki Five months pregnant, on a flight headed for Hawaii, Allison Pataki's life took a sudden turn when she witnessed her husband, Dave Levy, lose consciousness. After an emergency landing and evaluation, Levy was found to have had suffered a rare stroke. When he woke the next day, he had amnesia, leaving the young couple holding onto hope for recovery. True to form, Pataki began to write letters to her husband—letters that became the foundation for Beauty in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Beth Macy Beth Macy’s Dopesick is a heartbreaking trajectory that illustrates how America’s twenty-plus year struggle with opioid addiction has persisted for this long and has become so firmly entrenched in practically every corner of our country—from desolate cities to once idyllic farm towns. Tune in as Beth Macy joins Dr. Maurice Pickard to illuminate the persistent and often conflicting gaps in the treatment and criminal-justice landscapes while shining a hopeful light on the heroes battling the worst drug epidemic in American history.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Career burnout is unfortunately all too common in the healthcare industry, with over half of physicians suffering from at least one symptom of burnout. Not only that, but the rates of depression and suicide in this industry are significantly higher than others. To discuss this very real threat to health care providers, Dr. Jennifer Caudle is joined by Dr. Shawn Jones, ENT physician and author of Finding Heart in the Art: A Surgeon's Renaissance Approach to Healing Modern Medical Burnout, who recants his own personal journey in overcoming career burnout.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Bob Mitchell Quite suddenly, Bob Mitchell became very sick. He would endure three near-fatal episodes of ventricular tachycardia due to a heart muscle comprised of 54% scar tissue, as well as heart surgeries, two harrowing months of waiting on the transplant list for a new heart on life-supporting IV drips (during which time a malignant tumor was detected in his kidney), partial nephrectomy surgery to remove the cancer, another month of waiting, a 12-hour heart and kidney transplant surgery, and 100 days on life support in four different hospitals. Host Dr. Maurice Pickard talks with novelist Bob Mitchell, author of Time for a Heart-to-Heart: Reflections on Life in the Face of Death about his inspiring story of the triumph of hope in the face of the direst of circumstances.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Carl Hart, MD Carl Hart, who grew up in one of Miami’s toughest neighborhoods, escaped a life of crime and drugs and avoided becoming one of the crack addicts he now helps treat as the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. His landmark, controversial research is redefining our understanding of addiction and demonstrates how personal experience and scientific study can inform and validate each other for a deeper understanding of human behavior and addiction. Host Dr. Maurice Pickard talks with Dr. Hart, author of the book High Price, about the relationship between drugs and pleasure, choice, and motivation, both in the brain and in society. They explore how his research sheds new light on common ideas about race, poverty, and drugs, and explain why current policies are failing.

Host: John Russell, MD As a young critical care physician, Dr. Rana Awdish was transfigured from a doctor into a critically ill patient in an instant. This transposition, coincidentally timed at the end of her medical training, instantly laid bare the vast chasm between the conventional practice of medicine and the stark reality of the prostrate patient. Host Dr. John Russell chats with Dr. Rana Awdish about this transformation and how she came to understand the fatal flaws in her profession, from her own past actions as a physician to the perils of navigating her own illness. She presents a new paradigm and rationale for embracing the emotional bond between doctor and patient and outlines the redemptive possibilities of dismantling the barriers to connection in all relationships. Dr. Awdish is the author of In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Host: John Russell, MD Revolutionary advances in medical knowledge have caused doctors to become so focused on their narrow fields of expertise that they often overlook the simplest fact of all: their patients are suffering. Dr. John Russell welcomes Dr. Thomas Lee, Chief Medical Officer at Press Ganey and author of An Epidemic of Empathy in Healthcare: How to Deliver Compassionate, Connected Patient Care That Creates a Competitive Advantage. Their discussion focuses on the growing divide between world-class medical treatment and compassionate care, and why the two are not mutually exclusive.

Host: John Russell, MD Do pets help prevent allergies? Does the 5-second rule actually exist? And is dirt really good for a child’s immune system? Host Dr. John Russell talks with Jack Gilbert, Ph.D., Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago and Director of the Microbiome Institute. Dr. Gilbert is author of the book Dirt is Good, answering questions about the potential benefits of exposure to germs and bacteria. He and Dr. Russell sift through common misconceptions about microbiomes to better understand their actual risks and benefits for the body's immune system, explaining its role in disease and health.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Bonnie Rochman With the ever-expanding array of prenatal and postnatal tests, from carrier screening to genome sequencing, parents’ access to this previously unknown information is altering perceptions of disability, redefining the question of what sort of life is worth living, and who draws the line. Is this technology a triumph of modern medicine or a Pandora’s box of possibilities? Host Dr. Maurice Pickard chats with Bonnie Rochman, author of the book The Gene Machine: How Genetic Technologies are Changing the Way We Have Kids - and the Kids We Have, about the new frontier of gene technology and how it is transforming medicine, bioethics, health care, and the factors that shape a family.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Robert Pearl, MD Most patients wrongly assume the “best” care is dependent mainly on the newest medications, the most complex treatments, and the smartest doctors. But according to physician and author Dr. Robert Pearl, Americans tend to look for healthcare solutions in the wrong places. Host Maurice Pickard chats with Dr. Pearl, author of Mistreated: Why We Think We’re Getting Good Health Care—And Why We’re Usually Wrong, about the subconscious misperceptions that have become so commonplace in medicine today. Dr. Pearl explains how modifying the structure, technology, financing, and leadership of American healthcare could radically improve quality outcomes.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Guest: Signe Whitson What is passive-aggressive behavior, and what can (or should) people do when confronted with it? Host Brian McDonough sits down with Signe Whitson, author of the book The Angry Smile: The New Psychological Study of Passive-Aggressive Behavior at Home, at School, in Marriage & Close Relationships, in the Workplace and Online. Ms. Whitson is an educator on bullying, crisis intervention, and child and adolescent emotional and behavioral health. She offers real-world examples and empowering, practical strategies for individuals confronted with passive aggressiveness.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Danielle Ofri, MD Despite modern medicine’s infatuation with high-tech gadgetry, the single most powerful diagnostic tool is the doctor-patient conversation, which can uncover the lion’s share of illnesses. However, what patients say and what doctors hear are often two vastly different things. Host Dr. Maurice Pickard chats with Dr. Danielle Ofri, Associate Professor of Medicine at NYU and author of What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear. The two discuss ways in which refocusing conversations between doctors and their patients can lead to better health outcomes.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN Guest: Michael Weisberg, MD What happens when you are admitted to the hospital as a patient, and the physician assigned to be your doctor has never seen you before and knows absolutely nothing about you? Says Dr. Michael Weisberg, gastroenterologist and author of The Hospitalist, situations like these are increasingly common in modern medicine and can have disastrous consequences for patients. Dr. Weisberg joins host Dr. Andrew Wilner to talk about his novel, which underscores how doctors are now at heightened risk of being thwarted by the modern health care system.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Annette Hanson, MD Is forced treatment helpful or harmful? Battle lines have been drawn over involuntary treatment for psychiatric patients. Psychiatrist Dr. Annette Hanson offers a thought-provoking and engaging account of the controversy surrounding involuntary psychiatric care in the United States. She brings the issue to life with first-hand accounts from patients, clinicians, advocates, and opponents. Committed takes on the difficult question of psychiatry's role in preventing violence, suicide, and mass murder. Hosted by Dr. Maurice Pickard.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Elijah Nealy, PhD These days, it is practically impossible not to hear about some aspect of transgender life, and kids are coming out as trans at younger and younger ages. But what resources are available to parents, teachers, and mental health professionals who need to support these children? Host Dr. Maurice Pickard chats with Elijah C. Nealy, therapist and former deputy executive director of New York City’s LGBT Community Center. Mr. Nealy is the author of Transgender Children and Youth: Cultivating Pride and Joy with Families in Transition, which provides insights about the physical, social, and emotional aspects of transition and the best practices to support trans kids.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Peter Dawson, MD In the male-dominated world of medicine, she dared to step forward and fight for fairness—graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School with honors in the year 1900. But for physician Dorothy Reed Mendenhall, MD, the battle for equality was just beginning. In the name of improving the standards of care for women and infants, she faced the scorn of prejudiced doctors in an establishment marked by its unwillingness to change. Still, through the Gilded Age, two World Wars, and beyond, she kept up her fight—in the process, discovering new breakthroughs and saving lives, all while outperforming many of her male peers. Dorothy in a Man’s World is an inside look at the life and career of Dr. Mendenhall, documented by physician and pathologist Dr. Peter Dawson. This biographical tribute to one of medicine’s great female pioneers showcases the struggles women faced to make a name for themselves in the world of health care—in addition to the drastic improvements which have been made in the specific area of care for women and their infants. Dr. Dawson sits down with host Dr. Maurice Pickard as they explore Dr. Mendenhall's extraordinary life.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH The central problem with health care, according to physician and author Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, is that too much of it has too little value. Host Dr. John Russell chats with Dr. Welch about his book Less Medicine, More Health: 7 Assumptions that Drive Too Much Medical Care and the issues of the American healthcare system today. They talk about how the American public has been sold the idea that seeking medical care is one of the most important steps to maintaining wellness. Dr. Welch argues that more medical care is not, in fact, well correlated with good health; by contrast, the opposite may be true.

Host: John Russell, MD Infectious disease has the terrifying power to disrupt everyday life on a global scale, overwhelming public and private resources and bringing trade and transportation to a grinding halt. Host Dr. John Russell sits down with Dr. Osterholm to talk about the book Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs. They talk about how we could wake up to a reality in which many antibiotics no longer cure, bioterror is a certainty, and the threat of a disastrous influenza pandemic looms ever larger. Only by understanding the challenges we face can we prevent the unthinkable from becoming the inevitable.

Host: John Russell, MD After sitting at the feet of Martin Luther King at the University of Michigan in 1963, Larry Brilliant was swept up into the civil rights movement, marching and protesting across America and Europe. As a radical young doctor he followed the hippie trail from London over the Khyber Pass with his wife Girija, Wavy Gravy and the Hog Farm commune to India. There, he found himself in a Himalayan ashram wondering whether he had stumbled into a cult. Instead, one of India’s greatest spiritual teachers, Neem Karoli Baba, opened Larry’s heart and told him his destiny was to work for the World Health Organization to help eradicate killer smallpox. He would never have believed he would become a key player in eliminating a 10,000-year-old disease that killed more than half a billion people in the 20th century alone. Host Dr. John Russell sits down with Dr. Larry Brilliant to discuss his book, Sometimes Brilliant and talk about his amazing journey from Detroit to counter-culture San Francisco to an ashram in India and beyond.

Host: John Russell, MD Host Dr. Russell sits down with Dr. Steven Hatch, an infectious disease specialist and author of the book, Inferno: a Doctor's Ebola Story, about his experience in Liberia during the heart of the Ebola crisis. Dr. Steven Hatch first came to Liberia in November 2013, to work at a hospital in Monrovia. Six months later, several of the physicians Dr. Hatch had mentored and served with were dead or barely clinging to life, and Ebola had become a world health emergency. Hundreds of victims perished each week; whole families were destroyed in a matter of days; so many died so quickly that the culturally taboo practice of cremation had to be instituted to dispose of the bodies. With little help from the international community and a population ravaged by disease and fear, the war-torn African nation was simply unprepared to deal with the catastrophe. A physician’s memoir about the ravages of a terrible disease and the small hospital that fought to contain it, Inferno is also an explanation of the science and biology of Ebola: how it is transmitted and spreads with such ferocity. And as Dr. Hatch notes, while Ebola is temporarily under control, it will inevitably re-emerge―as will …

Host: John Russell, MD Three out of four people addicted to heroin probably started on a prescription opioid, according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the United States alone, 16,000 people die each year as a result of prescription opioid overdose. But perhaps the most frightening aspect of the prescription drug epidemic is that it’s built on well-meaning doctors treating patients with real problems. Host Dr. John Russell chats with Dr. Anna Lembke, Chief of Addiction Medicine and an Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lembke is the author of Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop, exploring how the prescription drug epidemic is a symptom of a faltering health care system, the solution for which lies in rethinking how health care is delivered.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Dr. Maurice Pickards talks with Dr. Edward Shaw about his book Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade: The 5 Love Languages and the Alzheimer's Journey. Dr. Shaw shares how love can lift a corner of dementia’s dark curtain to cultivate an emotional connection amid memory loss. The book provides focused help for those feeling overwhelmed by the relational toll of Alzheimer’s.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Damon Tweedy, MD How do black doctors grapple with race, bias, and the unique health problems for black Americans? Host Dr. Maurice Pickard chats with Dr. Damon Tweedy, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Duke University Medical Center and author of the book Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflection on Race and Medicine, which examines the complex ways in which black doctors and patients must both navigate the difficult and often contradictory terrain of race and medicine.

Host: John Russell, MD What if Americans put aside their differences and worked together to fix America's broken healthcare system? What changes need to be made in order to make health care both accessible and affordable without compromising excellent quality of care standards for patients? These and other crucial questions form premise behind the book We CAN Fix Healthcare: The Future is NOW. Host Dr. John Russell sits down with Dr. Stephen Klasko, President and CEO of Jefferson University and Jefferson Health and author of We CAN Fix Healthcare: The Future is NOW.