Better Edge : A Northwestern Medicine podcast for physicians
315 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsBetter Edge is a podcast for physicians. It showcases current research and breakthroughs in care by Northwestern Medicine. Northwestern Medicine is an academic medical center located in Chicago, IL.
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Episodes
Urology Practice in the Post-COVID Era: Backlog Management, Shift to Same-Day Discharge, ...
November 10, 2021 08:00 - 19.5 MBAmy Krambeck MD discusses urology practice in the post-COVID era. She examines backlog management, shift to same-day discharge, efficiency improvement, health care expenditures, and more.
Urology Practice in the Post-COVID Era: Backlog Management, Shift to Same-Day Discharge, Efficiency Improvement, and More
November 10, 2021 06:00 - 19.5 MBAmy Krambeck MD discusses urology practice in the post-COVID era. She examines backlog management, shift to same-day discharge, efficiency improvement, health care expenditures, and more.
Trauma Informed Care
November 05, 2021 05:00 - 19.2 MBIn this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Traci A. Kurtzer, MD, medical director of Trauma-Informed Care and Education in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Medicine, discusses trauma-informed care and goals for the department in training and education. She describes the signs and techniques physicians should know to identify and approach a patient who has experienced trauma. Dr. Kurtzer has more than 25 years of clinical experience in menopause, sexual medicine a...
The Quadrilateral Plate in Acetabular Fracture Surgery: When and How Should It Be Addressed
November 05, 2021 05:00 - 16.5 MBIn this episode, Michael David Stover, MD, professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Northwestern Medicine, discusses his findings regarding fractures involving the quadrilateral plate (QP), recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Stover shares key takeaways from his study, including types of fractures that affect the QP, and what surgical approaches and fixation techniques should be considered when addressing them.
Functional Genomics for Precision Medicine in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Scleroderma
October 28, 2021 05:00 - 29.5 MBDeborah (Debbie) Winter PhD discusses functional genomics for precision medicine in rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. She describes recent studies in rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma using functional genomic approaches to study disease. She explains the various types of functional genomic data that may be obtained from patients and evaluates the quality of functional genomics data to determine its relevance to clinical decision-making.
New Biomarker Detects Aortic Valve Disease
October 13, 2021 05:00 - 7.83 MBMichael Markl, PhD, vice chair for research in the Department of Radiology and the Lester B. and Frances T. Knight Professor of Cardiac Imaging at Northwestern Medicine, discusses his research published in JACC Cardiovascular Imaging regarding the association of regional wall shear stress and progressive ascending aorta dilation in bicuspid aortic valve patients.
What Role Does Genetic Testing Play in Cardiovascular Care?
October 12, 2021 05:00 - 12 MBElizabeth M. McNally, MD, PhD, cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine and the Elizabeth J. Ward Professor and Director of the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University, discusses the important role that genetic testing plays in cardiovascular care. Dr. McNally shares who can benefit from genetic testing, and what makes the genetic testing process at Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute so unique.
Health Equity and the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET)
October 06, 2021 05:00 - 25.6 MBMelissa Simon MD, MPH discusses health equity and the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) at Northwestern Medicine. She shares the importance of this initiative and the service and impact of the Center on the community.
How to Avoid Neuro-ophthalmic Catastrophes: Safe not Sorry
August 24, 2021 05:00 - 20.8 MBNicholas J. Volpe, MD, and Shira S. Simon, MD, discuss the fascinating field of neuro-ophthalmology. They describe what patient characteristics and concerns should alert physicians to potential problems. In addition, they discuss the high-stakes diagnoses they have encountered while seeing inpatients for ophthalmology consultation and some common “pseudo” emergencies where a fairly compelling finding likely has a benign etiology.
PSMA-Targeted PET Imaging for Prostate Cancer
August 18, 2021 05:00 - 17.2 MBThe FDA recently approved PSMA PET imaging agent 18F-DCFPyL (Pylarify) for identifying suspected metastasis or recurrence of prostate cancer. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the first site in the Chicagoland market to perform prostate imaging using the this agent. What makes this approval so exciting, how will it change the field? How will it improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer patients? Edward Schaeffer MD, PhD, Ashley Ross MD, PhD and Hatice Savas MD discuss PET PSMA i...
Managing Treatment Related Cardiovascular Side Effects
August 04, 2021 05:00 - 12.7 MBNausheen Akhter MD discusses managing treatment related cardiovascular side effects. She examines why has this sub specialty grown in importance with the ever increasing cancer survivorship and development of novel cancer therapies that have acute & long-term cardiovascular effects. She shares the structure of Northwestern Medicine’s cardio-oncology clinic, the need to shift referrals upstream for “pre-chemo cardiac evaluation” in high risk patients & how cardiac imaging used in cancer therap...
Management of Diabetes During Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes
August 03, 2021 05:00 - 14 MBEmily Szmuilowicz MD discusses the management of diabetes during pregnancy and gestational diabetes. She shares new technologies, such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in monitoring GDM and the top recommendations for her colleagues on how to manage diabetes during pregnancy.
Proactivity and Partnership: How The Geriatrics Team Mitigated COVID-19's Impact On The Nursing Home
August 02, 2021 05:00 - 39.2 MBJune McKoy MD, MPH, JD, MBA discusses proactivity and partnership: how the geriatrics team mitigated COVID-19's impact on the nursing home. She shares the challenges for nursing staff and residents, the technologies and strategies in use in other areas of healthcare that are helping to improve care and outcomes at these nursing facilities and how she thinks learnings, such as the roll of adapting technologies, will continue to help improve the quality of nursing home care in the future.
Reconstruction for Brachial Plexus Injury
July 26, 2021 05:00 - 8.84 MBKevin N. Swong, MD, assistant professor of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern Medicine, discusses trauma to and reconstruction of the brachial plexus. He describes how patient outcomes have improved because of surgical innovations and his team’s multidisciplinary approach to the management of brachial plexus injuries.
Addressing the Mental Health Needs of COVID-19 Survivors
July 20, 2021 05:00 - 13.5 MBOn this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Eric B. Larson, PhD, ABPP-CN, discusses health concerns in people that have had COVID-19. Dr. Larson also shares the broader picture of mental health implications with the diagnosis of any disease, and offers the latest treatment options available for the mental health crisis we are now experiencing.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Considerations for Gay and Bisexual Men
July 09, 2021 05:00 - 26.9 MBChanna Amarasekera MD discusses prostate cancer treatment considerations for gay and bisexual men. He shares his published study assessing areas of sexual function predicted to be important after treatment and what other urologists need to know about when caring for gay and bisexual patients with prostate cancer.
Teaming up with Physical Therapy: What Sports Medicine Physicians Should Know
July 09, 2021 05:00 - 11 MBLucas Buchler, MD discusses teaming up with physical therapy and what sports medicine physicians should know. He talks about how it might seem that sports medicine and physical therapy are two competing entities, however, he shares how it’s beneficial for a patient when physical therapy and sports medicine work together in a more synergistic manner and how this collaboration improves quality of care and treatment selection.
Overactive Bladder Medications and Dementia
July 07, 2021 05:00 - 9.86 MBUrinary incontinence affects 20% to 65% of women depending on their age, parity and menopausal status. In this Better Edge podcast, Emi Bretschneider, MD, assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology with a specialization in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, discusses the link between dementia and medications used to treat overactive bladder.
Minimally Invasive Cranial and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery
July 06, 2021 05:00 - 10.2 MBStephen T. Magill, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern Medicine, discusses the evolving field of minimally invasive cranial and endoscopic skull base surgery. Outlining advances in the diagnosis and treatment of skull base tumors, he describes how minimally invasive approaches are helping patients with otherwise inoperable tumors. He talks about the importance of the multidisciplinary care model at Northwestern Medicine, as well as exciting developments curren...
Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy: Balancing Disease Control and Medication Exposure
June 30, 2021 05:00 - 22.9 MBKatherine L. Wisner, MD, director of the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders and a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Medicine, discusses the treatment of depression during pregnancy, balancing disease control and medication exposure.
Using Voice-Controlled Personal Assistants to Reduce Social Isolation
June 09, 2021 05:00 - 11.3 MBIn this Better Edge podcast, Katherine T. O’Brien, MD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at Northwestern Medicine, discusses research she recently presented at the 2021 American Geriatric Society Annual Scientific Meeting regarding the use of voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants by homebound older adults. Dr. O’Brien shares her findings on how technology can play a role in reducing social isolation, as well as the benefits ...
Importance of Spinal Stabilization in Spinal Cord Injured Patients
May 24, 2021 06:00 - 8.29 MBAruna Ganju MD discusses the importance of spinal stabilization in spinal cord injured patients. She shares the latest advances in the treatment of those with spinal column and cord injury and the trial investigating the role of intrathecal administration in those with subacute incomplete spinal cord injury. She tells us about her collaboration with Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and how the NM Spine Health Center improves outcomes and the way patients receive care.
The Latest Treatment Options for Spinal Column and Cord Injuries
May 24, 2021 05:00 - 8.29 MBAruna Ganju, MD, discusses the importance of spinal stabilization in patients with a spinal cord injury. She shares the latest advances in the treatment of those with spinal column and cord injury, and the trial investigating the role of intrathecal administration in those with subacute, incomplete spinal cord injury. She tells us about her collaboration with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and how the Northwestern Medicine Spine Health Center improves outcomes and the way patients receive care.
Clinical Update: Low Grade Glioma
May 24, 2021 05:00 - 8.33 MBJessica W. Templer, MD shares some of the unique clinical and research updates coming from Northwestern Medicine's Low Grade Glioma program.
Complex Congenital Anomalies and the CARE Clinic
May 21, 2021 05:00 - 21.3 MBMargaret G. Mueller, MD, assistant professor of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery at Northwestern Medicine, discusses complex congenital anomalies and the Northwestern Medicine Collaborative Advanced Reconstructive Evaluation (CARE) Clinic established to care for young women with complex congenital anomalies in partnership with pediatric surgery. Dr. Mueller, who leads the CARE Clinic, is an expert in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and has earned Focus Practic...
The Importance of Kidney Health for Heart Health
May 10, 2021 05:00 - 13.5 MBIn this Better Edge podcast, Rupal C. Mehta, MD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and a principal investigator in the Center for Translational Metabolism and Health at Northwestern Medicine, discusses the close link between kidney disease and heart disease and why patients with kidney disease are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. She also discusses her research on heart failure risk in patients with kidney disease and the multidiscipli...
New Treatment Insights for Patients with Severe COVID-19 Illness
April 17, 2021 05:00 - 22.5 MBIn this episode of the Better Edge podcast, James M. Walter, MD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care and medical director of the Lung Rescue Program at Northwestern Medicine, discusses how treatment recommendations for patients with severe forms of COVID-19 have evolved since the onset of the pandemic. He also shares several key treatment recommendations. Dr. Walter previously spoke on this topic in a March 2020 podcast: COVID-19 Key Learnings form t...
Lupus Nephritis and Comprehensive Care of Lupus Patients
April 16, 2021 05:00 - 14.2 MBDrs. Mary Mahieu & Shikha Wadhwani join us to discuss their multi-specialty approach to treating patients with Lupus Nephritis. They also share how they have evolved amid the global COVID pandemic, and what new trials and treatments are exciting in this area.
Exploring Treatment Options for Cervical Myelopathy
April 16, 2021 05:00 - 12.8 MBGeoffry Striscek, MD, neurosurgeon at Northwestern Medicine, discusses the unique considerations in treating Cervical Myelopathy.
Substance Use Disorder and COVID-19
April 15, 2021 05:00 - 11.8 MBDaniela B. Rakocevic, MD, MSc, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, discusses substance use disorder and the COVID-19 pandemic. She talks about the recent increase in substance use disorders, the use of telehealth in caring for patients, and what psychiatrists can do to help patients struggling during this unique time.
Collaborations and Controversies: Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS)
April 13, 2021 05:00 - 39.8 MBNorthwestern Medicine Ophthalmology's Angelo P. Tanna, MD, Jessica M. Kang, MD, and Brenda L. Bohnsack, MD, review minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) procedures and devices, discuss patient selection, and share ways to help improve surgery success.
Considerations in Radiation in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer
March 17, 2021 05:00 - 14.1 MBSean Sachdev, MD, discusses his unique focus on stereotactic radiotherapy of metastatic cancers. He offers insight into the role of imaging in diagnosis and ongoing treatment for prostate cancer treatment, and he shares information from a recent publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Aphasia
March 15, 2021 05:00 - 13 MBIn this episode of the Better Edge podcast, Mahesh Ramachandran, MD, and Shelly Armour, MS, CCC-SLP, discuss aphasia. They share how Marianjoy is unique in delivering Aphasia treatment for patients, including the life participation approach. They also explore how technology has impacted the treatment of Aphasia, and how Marianjoy is using this technology to support therapy for patients.
Updates in Endoscopic Interventions: A Look at POEM and ESD
March 09, 2021 06:00 - 11.6 MBAbdul Aziz Aadam, MD, offers new perspectives in two endoscopic treatments for gastroenterologic conditions: peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for esophageal disorders not responding to medical therapies, and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), an outpatient procedure to remove deep tumors from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. He shares how POEM was developed based on both the already established surgical principles of esophageal myotomy and the advanced techniques of ESD and how this rel...
Gynecology: Complex Vulvar and Vaginal Diseases
March 08, 2021 06:00 - 11.8 MBIn this Better Edge Podcast, Lauren Streicher, MD, medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Rajal C. Patel, MD, co-director of the Program for Vulvar and Vaginal Health at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, discuss complex vulvar and vaginal diseases and information useful for physicians to pass on to their patients about vulvar health. The...
Acute Kidney Injury and COVID-19
March 08, 2021 06:00 - 8.16 MBAnand Srivastava MD, MPH, discusses a recent study he co-authored, which explores AKI treated with renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Although AKI is an important sequela of COVID-19, data on AKI treated with RRT (AKI-RRT) in patients with COVID-19 are limited. This multi-center cohort study of 3099 critically ill adults with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units at 67 hospitals across the United States identified several patient-and hospital-level risk fa...
Considerations for the Management of Achalasia
February 24, 2021 06:00 - 9 MBThis segment explores personalized approaches to managing the treatment of achalasia. Dustin A.Carlson, MD, MS, shares insights on the importance of diagnostics to long-term management and care as he discusses his paper in The American Journal of Gastroenterology that identifies repeated diagnostics as an important step in diagnosis.
Germline Testing for Prostate Cancer: Challenges and Considerations
February 05, 2021 06:00 - 15.6 MBDr. Ashley Evan Ross, M.D., Ph.D and Brittany Szymaniak, PhD, CGC, an expert researcher in Cancer Genetics will participate in this podcast discussing Germline genetic testing and prostate cancer.
Quality of Life Considerations for Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer
February 04, 2021 06:00 - 9.8 MBAlicia Morgans MD, MPH discusses the most important factors that influence a patient’s quality of life when undergoing treatment for prostate or bladder cancer. She shares specific questionnaires and tools used to measure patient quality of life, strategies she recommends providers implement to optimize patient quality of life and how providers can incorporate these assessments into practice. She also tells us about her research on quality of life in patients with prostate cancer treated wit...
Bladder Sparing Treatments: The Genomic Approach
February 03, 2021 06:00 - 17.5 MBJoshua J. Meeks, MD, PhD, discusses his work exploring the complex genomic landscape of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). He talks about his recent review published in Nature Reviews Urology examining the concept of genomic heterogeneity as a predictor of treatment outcomes for MIBC. Ultimately, he hopes to use genomic information to develop novel systemic and intravesical therapies that would preserve the bladder and quality of life without shortening survival in MIBC patients.
Improving Quality of Physician Documentation in the IRF Setting
January 26, 2021 06:00 - 10.3 MBTargeted audits have found a high percentage of inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) did not comply with Medicare coverage and documentation requirements over the past several years. A recent report released from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) concluded an 80% error rate was found through a stratified random sample chart audit of 220 IRF claims. The estimated financial impact of this report was $5.7 billion for care to beneficiaries that was not reasonable and necessary. Mahesh ...
Lid Abscess Associated With Personal Protective Eyewear in COVID-19 Unit
January 25, 2021 06:00 - 8.89 MBPreeti Thyparampil, MD discusses lid abscess associated with personal protective eyewear in COVID-19 unit. She talks about her published work in the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology that described a case of a nurse working in a COVID-19 ward who was diagnosed with an eyelid abscess associated with protective goggles. She shares how her team has seen in increase in ocular injuries as a result of wearing masks and the advice she is offering patients or other health care providers working in CO...
Surgical Advances in Tubal Disease
January 22, 2021 06:00 - 17.5 MBMagdy Milad, MD, MS joins us today to discuss how surgical innovations have improved patient outcomes and safety for the treatment of tubal disease. He shares the how surgical treatments for tubal disease have evolved in recent years. He examines the role minimally invasive surgery has played in treating women with tubal disease, why is this an important treatment for women who desire future fertility and how robotic-assisted surgery has changed outcomes and recovery time for women with tubal...
COVID-19 Associated Glomerular Disease
January 22, 2021 06:00 - 10.6 MBIn this episode of the Better Edge Podcast, Aneesha Shetty, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, discusses finding from a recent case report published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. This study highlights an emerging COVID-19 related kidney disease that is characterized by podocytopathy and/or collapsing FSGS. In investigating this phenomenon among six patients with proteinuria collapsing FSGS and COVID-19 infection, i...
Precision Medicine Approaches to Lung Cancer
January 21, 2021 06:00 - 8.74 MBJyoti Patel, MD, is the medical director of thoracic oncology and assistant director for clinical research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. In this episode of the Better Edge Podcast, she discusses emerging treatments for lung cancer, including the introduction of seven new therapies approved by the FDA this year. She shares how treatment of lung cancer has evolved to become more personalized with both biologic and immunotherapy options and how ne...
Establishing a Multidisciplinary Clinic for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
January 20, 2021 06:00 - 15.8 MBEric M. Ruderman, MD, and Emily Louise Keimig, MD, discuss the benefits of establishing a multidisciplinary clinic for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis at Northwestern Medicine. They speak about the value of a combined clinic for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, the advantages of running the clinic this way and how this model improves quality of care and treatment selection.
COVID-19 and Diabetes Complications
January 20, 2021 06:00 - 37.6 MBAmisha Wallia, MD, is an assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology. In this episode of the Better Edge podcast, she discusses the complications that can arise for patients who have diabetes or pre-diabetes and test positive for COVID-19. She shares key treatment recommendations including those diagnosed with COVID-19 who need dexamethasone or corticosteroids; the role technology plays in the hospital setting; and how COVID-19 has shifted perspectives in research and cli...
Prostate Biopsy Techniques: Ways to Optimize Cancer Detection and Ensure Patient Safety
January 15, 2021 06:00 - 18.8 MBAbnormal results on screening tests may mean a patient has prostate cancer, but these tests alone can’t diagnose prostate cancer. A prostate biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD, shares the latest prostate biopsy techniques. He discusses transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy and the ways that Northwestern Medicine is working to optimize cancer detection and ensure patient safety.
Anti–Siglec-8 Antibody for Eosinophilic Gastritis and Duodenitis
January 13, 2021 06:00 - 10.7 MBIn this panel discussion, Dr. Ikuo Hirano and Dr. Nirmala Gonsalves join the show to share details about a recent study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine that examined the use of a novel anti–Siglec-8 antibody known as AK002 for Eosinophilic Gastritis and Duodenitis.
Sports Medicine During COVID-19
January 06, 2021 06:00 - 11.3 MBLucas Buchler MD, Dr. Buchler discusses sports medicine during COVID. He shares what he has learned about sports and it’s role for our youth, our communities and our states teams. He updates us on what if anything, we know about whether players affected by COVID-19 will endure any long-term effects on their health or game performance. He offers guidance on the return to sports participation and a phased approach to decrease risk of community spread along with a gradual increase in physical ...