Run the List

Dr. Walker Redd, a Gastroenterology fellow at the University of North Carolina and co-founder of the Run the List podcast, discusses his approach to dysphagia with host Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of RTL. Together, they discuss the meaning of dysphagia, its causes, and ways to manage it.

Dr. Staci Leisman, Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, joins us to discuss renal replacement therapies. With host Dr. Emily Gutowski, she works through several cases that highlight the different types of RRT, advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as clinical pearls to consider when treating patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD).

Dr. Samira Farouk discusses her approach to interpreting urine studies. Together with host Dr. Emily Gutowski, she teaches listeners about the plethora of information that can be obtained from this simple lab test. This episode covers a review of the basics, as well as important caveats to keep in mind.

Dr. Alexis "AC" Gomez, a second year fellow at the combined MGH, Brigham and Women's, and Boston Children's nephrology program, discusses acid-base disorders with Dr. Joyce Zhou, a RTL host. She defines acid-base disorders, shares common etiologies, and offers a 5-step approach to characterizing these abnormalities.

Dr. Alexis "AC" Gomez, a second year fellow in the combined MGH, Brigham and Women's, and Boston Children's nephrology fellowship, continues a discussion of sodium disorders with a conversation about hypernatremia with Dr. Joyce Zhou, a RTL host and internal medicine resident. She shares her approach to high sodium disorders and pearls on diagnostics and management of this disorder.

Dr. Alexis "AC" Gomez, a second year fellow at the combined MGH, Brigham and Women's, and Boston Children's nephrology program, discusses her approach to hyponatremia with host Dr. Joyce Zhou. She shares the pathophysiology behind her diagnostic framework for hyponatremia and her systematic approach, and discusses pearls such as how to use ddAVP clamps in treating this disorder.

Dr. Samira Farouk, transplant nephrologist at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, continues our nephrology series with a discussion of hypokalemia. She and Dr. Emily Gutowski, RTL host, cover the potential causes of low potassium and important concepts to keep in mind while treating this electrolyte disturbance.

Dr. Rahul Maheshwari, second year nephrology fellow at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, discusses hyperkalemia with Dr. Emily Gutowski, a RTL host and internal medicine resident. They cover the potential causes of elevated potassium, how to think about acuity, and treatment guidelines to correct this electrolyte disturbance.

Dr. Rahul Maheshwari, second year nephrology fellow at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, discusses acute kidney injury with Dr. Emily Gutowski, a RTL host and internal medicine resident. Together, they discuss the presentation, differential diagnosis, and treatment considerations of AKI.

Dr. Raymond Chung, a Gastroenterologist and Transplant Hematologist who is the Director of the Hepatology and Liver Center at MGH and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, discusses acute liver failure with Dr. Joyce Zhou, a RTL host and internal medicine resident. In the episode, he defines acute liver failure (ALF) and discusses pathophysiology, etiologies of ALF, complications by system, and tenets of management. He also discusses new treatments for liver failure in the developmental pipeline.

Dr. Raymond Chung, a Gastroenterologist and Transplant Hematologist who is the Director of the Hepatology and Liver Center at MGH and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, joins host of RTL and internal medicine resident, Dr. Joyce Zhou, to discuss an approach to decompensated cirrhosis. In the episode, the two cover underlying pathophysiology, complications, and management of patients with cirrhosis from oral medications through transplant consideration. Their discussion touches on ascites, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, SBP diagnosis, TIPS use, hepato-renal syndrome, and more. The episode closes with Dr. Chung’s big picture pearls for thinking about and caring for cirrhotic patients.

Dr. Sasha-Deutsch Link, a Gastroenterology and Hepatology fellow at the University of North Carolina (UNC), joins host her co-fellow Dr. Walker Redd, co-founder and host of RTL, to discuss Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease. Through a case discussion of a patient with acute alcohol-associated hepatitis, they review patient-centered terminology, the relevant diagnostic workup, and how to think both acute and chronic alcohol-associated liver disease. They also cover important principles of management, including supportive care, nutrition, pyschosocial support, pharmacotherapy for alcohol cessation, and consideration of early liver transplant, as well as the importance of longitudinal follow-up.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Run the List podcast and host Blake Smith discuss how to approach a patient presenting with acute right-upper quadrant (RUQ) pain. Together, they discuss the various causes of RUQ pain, in addition to how to approach a set of liver function tests (LFTs), differentiating hepatocellular injury from a cholestatic pattern. They then discuss how various forms of imaging (RUQUS, CT) can guide diagnosis and management, leading to a discussion about the use of ERCP and cholecystectomy in such cases. Lastly, the episode closes with a diagnosis and three clinical pearls about RUQ pain and abnormal LFTs.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Run the List podcast and Dr. Walker Redd, a Gastroenterology fellow at the University of North Carolina and co-founder of RTL, discuss Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Building on the prior episode covering an approach to diarrhea, they first discuss diagnosing IBD and distinguishing between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Through a case discussion of a patient with UC, they provide an overview the initial management options for lower risk patients with mild to moderate UC and then review how to manage an acute, severe UC flare.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Run the List podcast and host Blake Smith discuss how to approach a patient presenting with diarrhea. In this episode, Navin discusses his framework for thinking through these cases, from patient history to chronicity and quality. Through a case discussion, they review the definition of diarrhea, the broad types of diarrhea (watery, fatty, and inflammatory), and how to further workup these cases using colonoscopy and biopsy. The episode closes with a diagnosis and three clinical pearls, setting the stage for RTL's next episode dedicated to IBD management.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Run the List podcast and Dr. Walker Redd, a Gastroenterology fellow at the University of North Carolina and co-founder of RTL, discuss biliary tract stone disease. In this episode, Navin and Walker share how they approach common presentations of gallstone pathology. Through a case discussion, they review the terminology used to distinguish the different conditions, initial management steps, further workup including appropriate imaging studies, and the role of the Advanced Endoscopy and general surgery teams.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Run the List podcast and Dr. Walker Redd, a Gastroenterology fellow at the University of North Carolina and co-founder of RTL, discuss lower GI bleeding. In this episode, Navin and Walker share how they approach lower GI bleeding. Through a case discussion, they review strategies for localizing the source of bleeding, initial management steps, the approach to endoscopic evaluation, and how to effectively communicate with the GI consult team.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Run the List podcast, and Dr. Walker Redd, a Gastroenterology fellow at the University of North Carolina and co-founder of RTL, discuss variceal upper GI bleeding to build upon the principles discussed in the non-variceal UGIB episode. In this episode, Navin and Walker use a case discussion to emphasize the importance of recognizing which patients are at risk for variceal bleeding, what distinguishes variceal GI bleeding from other sources of GIB, initial steps in management, and additional considerations to keep in mind when caring for these patients.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending Gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Run the List podcast continues Season 2 of RTL’s partnership with McGraw Hill Medical by discussing upper GI bleeding with Dr. Walker Redd, a Gastroenterology fellow at the University of North Carolina and co-founder of RTL. In this episode, Navin and Walker share how they approach non-variceal upper GI bleeding. Through a case discussion of this common presentation, they review how to localize the potential source, frame the differential diagnosis, initially manage these patients, how to effectively communicate with the GI consult team, and the role of endoscopy.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of Run the List podcast kicks off Season 2 of RTL’s partnership with McGraw Hill Medical by chatting with RTL host Blake Smith about pancreatitis. In this episode, Navin brings new content, new pearls, and new tips for trainees (especially for newly-minted interns!) as they approach a case of acute pancreatitis. Together, they walk through the criteria for diagnosing acute pancreatitis: from clinical signs to laboratory and radiographic findings. Navin discusses risk stratification, early management - including aggressive fluid resuscitation and pain control - and etiologies of acute pancreatitis. Lastly, the episode closes with Navin’s pearls about the pillars of pancreatitis management and when to call a consult.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of Run the List podcast talks with RTL host Blake Smith in a two-part series focused on Med Ed. This second episode caters to later trainees - residents, fellows, and new attendings/faculty - as they seek out opportunities in Med Ed. Navin offers some pearls for listeners - to diversify your educational portfolio, strive to be scholarly, take on formal learning opportunities, and seek out opportunities to become a more effective teacher with avenues for feedback and evaluation. The episode closes with a focus on digital medical education and the role of #MedTwitter and podcasting in teaching.

Dr. Navin Kumar, an attending gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, medical educator at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of Run the List podcast talks with RTL host Blake Smith in a two-part series focused on Med Ed. This first episode caters to early trainees and Navin takes listeners through his journey with medical education from his early days as a medical student. The episode walks through Navin's many pearls on becoming involved in Med Ed, including: 1) start early & often, 2) say yes, and 3) practice your skills (informally & formally). Stay tuned for part 2, which will focus on later trainees!

Dr. Daniela Lamas, an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an attending physician in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital chats with Blake Smith (host) about a career in Pulm/CCM. They talk together about the field of Pulm/CCM at large - from outpatient pulmonary clinic (COPD, asthma) to the ICU - in addition to sub-specializing in specific genetic diseases (CF), lung transplants, or interstitial lung diseases. They also talk about what it's been like to be an intensivist during the pandemic as a clinician at the bedside, navigating difficult conversations with families in new formats. They discuss Dr. Lamas’

love of writing  as an outlet for patient care in the hospital, and how she serves as a guest contributor to prominent publications, is a writer on the medical TV show “The Resident”, and author of a newly-published book.

Dr. Morgan Soffler, a Pulmonologist and ICU intensivist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, continue a discussion of a patient with hypoxia in the setting of acute respiratory distress (from Ep. 73) with RTL host, Dr. Navin Kumar. Together, they talk through ARDS definition, etiology, pathophysiology, and ventilatory support.

Dr. Morgan Soffler, a Pulmonologist and ICU intensivist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, discusses a case of a patient with hypoxia in the setting of acute respiratory distress with RTL host, Dr. Navin Kumar. Dr. Soffler begins with a broad differential and provides a framework of timing, tempo, and medical history, along with labs and imaging, to sift through the myriad causes of hypoxia. Together, they walk through different forms of respiratory support and when to escalate this support for patients on the wards.

Dr. Brady, an ICU intensivist and the director of the critical care medicine clerkship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), discusses vasopressors and inotropes with RTL host, Dr. Navin Kumar. Together, they use the previous episode's (Ep. 71: Approach to Shock) case of an elderly patient with suspected distributive shock secondary to urosepsis as a framework to approach pressor requirements. Dr. Brady walks through establishing access, how to choose a pressor based on adrenergic physiology, and emphasizes when to take a diagnostic timeout in the ICU.

Dr. Brady, an ICU intensivist and the director of critical care medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), explains how to categorize the four major types of shock with RTL host, Dr. Navin Kumar. Together, they discuss a case of an elderly patient with suspected urosepsis and walk through how to reconcile a patient’s history, physical exam, and lab findings along with the ongoing clinical picture. They touch on key decision points for patients in the ICU and end with some clinical pearls on shock management.

Dr. Walker, a Pulmonologist and Critical Care specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, explains how she diagnoses and manages COPD. They help breakdown a number of topics, including PFTs, severity classification, principles of outpatient and inpatient management, and how to talk about prognosis with your patients.

Dr. Jefferson, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the division of Allergy & Immunology and bioethicist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, discusses the care of both pediatric and adult patients with asthma with host Dr. Walker Redd. Together, they define asthma and cover its triggers, diagnosis, and stepwise therapy plans. They also discuss how upstream factors - from environmental exposures to housing issues - can both exacerbate and affect access to appropriate care for patients with asthma.

In this episode, host Joyce Zhou speaks with Dr. Jeremy Richards, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at the Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center (BIDMC) and a medical educator who teaches the introduction to cardiopulmonary physiology course at Harvard Medical School. He grounds his framework for this common presenting concern in physiology and uses a case to discuss his take on diagnostic approaches.

Dr. Sigal Yawetz, an infectious disease attending physician and medical educator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital chats with Blake Smith (host) about a career in infectious diseases. They talk together about the field of ID at large, in addition to sub-specializing, with a focus on the HIV patient population. Dr. Yawetz also comments on what it has been like living through two viruses that have shaped the globe - HIV and COVID - all through the lens of being an ID physician. The episode closes with Dr. Yawetz's pearls on how to think about choosing a medical specialty and why ID is a wonderful choice for students interested in continually thinking about all fields of medicine.

Dr. Michelle Cespedes, an infectious disease attending physician at Mount Sinai Hospital, is interviewed by host Emily Gutowski about the diagnosis of patients with HIV. They talk about both the acute presentation as well as the management of a patient with uncontrolled HIV.

Dr. Mikyung Lee, an infectious disease attending physician and program director for the ID fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital, discusses hospital-acquired infections, including ventilator-acquired pneumonias and catheter-associated UTIs.

Dr. Sal Cilmi, an infectious disease attending physician and IM program director at Mount Sinai Hospital, discusses cellulitis and common culprits of soft tissue infections.

Dr. Mary Montgomery, an Infectious Diseases specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, teaches host Walker Redd how she diagnoses and manages pneumonia. They discuss IDSA guidelines, classification, diagnostic studies, empiric antibiotics, complications, pathophysiology, and more.

Dr. Solomon, an Infectious Diseases specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, discusses his approach to fever with host, Walker Redd. In discussing Dr. Solomon's framework for clinical reasoning in infectious diseases and applying it to a case of fever of unclear etiology, they ask: Who is the host? What are the notable exposures? What is the syndrome? What doesn't fit?

Dr. Andy Lawton, a palliative care physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital shares with host, Joyce Zhou, the REMAP framework for having effective goals of care conversations with patients with serious illness. Dr. Lawton offers sample language on key components of goals of care conversations such as how to discuss prognoses, respond to emotions, and ask about values. He also reflects on how to best strike a balance between paternalism and patient autonomy during serious illness conversations.

Dr. Schwartz, a geriatrician at the VA Boston, gives an overview of Geriatric Medicine in this discussion with host, Walker Redd. They discuss how a systematic approach called the "5Ms of Geriatrics" - which includes mind, mobility, medications, multi-complexity, and matters most - can help us take better care of our older patients.

Dr. Eli Miloslavsky, a rheumatologist and medical educator at Massachusetts General Hospital, chats with Blake Smith (host) about a career in rheumatology. They talk about subspecialties within rheumatology, in addition to the changing landscape of the field. The episode closes with Dr. Miloslavksy's pearls on how to think about choosing a medical specialty - rheumatology or other - and how to keep perspective when making the decision.

Dr. Andrew Coyle, primary care physician formerly at Mount Sinai Hospital and current Program Director of the IM residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, gives an overview of a common issue in outpatient medicine: acute back pain. In this conversation with host, Emily Gutowski, Dr. Coyle discusses the broad differential diagnosis of back pain, red flags to look out for, and therapeutic options for patients.

Dr. Eli Miloslavsky, a rheumatologist and medical educator at Massachusetts General Hospital, shares an approach to joint pain with Joyce Zhou (host).

Dr. Eli Miloslavsky, a rheumatologist and medical educator at Massachusetts General Hospital, shares an approach to rheumatologic diseases with Joyce Zhou (host).

In this short segment, the RTL podcast team - Dr. Emily Gutowski, Dr. Navin Kumar, Dr. Joyce Zhou, Dr. Walker Redd, and Blake Smith - discuss their recent partnership with AccessMedicine / McGraw Hill Medical and how this ties into their exciting plans for the coming year. The team thanks the devoted RTL listenership and mentions ways for continued engagement via handouts and the RTL Twitter page.

Stay tuned for our first Rheumatology series episode next week!

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Motta-Calderon chats with Dr. Anuj Dalal, an academic hospitalist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Dr. Lindsey Wu, teaching hospitalist at the Durham VA Medical Center. The discussion begins with a case of a patient presenting with atypical chest pain at the time of admission. Dr. Wu shares her degree of certainty about the case, and she teaches us about the causes and consequences of not addressing diagnostic uncertainty in the hospital setting. We later learn about the patient's hospital course and find out that the patient experienced a delayed diagnosis. Dr. Dalal walks through the concept of diagnostic error and its relevance for patient safety. The conversation closes with ways to address diagnostic uncertainty and how to create a culture of diagnostic safety among trainees, in addition to some tips to become better diagnosticians.

In this episode, Emily Gutowski (host) interviews Dr. William Bernstein, a neurologist, financial theorist, and author. They speak about the importance of learning to manage finances early on in one’s medical career, as well as some of the hurdles faced specifically by young trainees. Lastly, Dr. Bernstein provides suggestions for individuals looking to start investing.

Linked resources:

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Motta-Calderon (host) talks with Raquel Sofía Sandoval (invited student), a fourth-year MD/MPP student at Harvard, and Dr. Pilar Ortega (discussant), author, researcher, and expert on health communication, multilingualism, and equity. First, they shed light on the differences between race and ethnicity and defined identifiers like “Latinx” and “Latine” that some of our patients use to self-identify. They then focused in explaining some cultural themes and barriers that Latinx patients experience when accessing the healthcare system. The episode closes with some recommendations for listeners on best practices to establish linguistically and culturally competent care when taking care of Latinx patients.

In this episode, Jordan Petersen (audio editor, host) speaks with Dr. Valerie Stone, the Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Lash Nolen, a 2nd year Harvard medical student and the first black woman to serve as student council president at HMS. Together, they discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in the classroom, on the wards, and within medical institutions at large. They take a historical approach to their discussion and provide perspective on ways to prioritize diversity and inclusion in order to engender belonging for both patients and trainees going forward.

In “Addressing Implicit Bias and Microaggressions,” Jordan Petersen (audio editor, host) speaks with two leaders in diversity, equity, and inclusion: Titi Afolabi, a 4th year Harvard medical student, and Dr. Sherri-Ann Burnett-Bowie, the Director of Multicultural Affairs and an endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. They explore their definitions for implicit bias and microaggressions, the contexts in which they emerge in medicine, and their own perspectives experiencing and witnessing the harms of them in the hospital and in medical school. They also discuss frameworks for acknowledging and reducing implicit bias and microaggressions and end with key takeaways for listeners.

In this episode of Run the List, Blake Smith (host) talks with Dr. David Steensma, a hematologist/oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, about his career path, the changing landscape of the field, and how to immerse oneself in new disease indications within an already-established division of medicine. They talk about Dr. Steensma’s impressive writing career, scientific and clinical research, and his budding interest in clonal hematopoiesis. The episode closes with a retrospective discussion of hematology/oncology, how the field has changed over time, and a look to the future.