Healthy Discussions
30 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago -Healthy Discussions brings you topical deep dives with expert guests, on healthcare, politics, society and religion.
Hosted by Dr Zack Hassan, a medical registrar (hospital physician) who has debated at the illustrious Cambridge Union, each conversation blends science with argument in a way that goes far beyond traditional media. The aim is to educate, debate, and make it fun. But most importantly, to demonstrate that freedom of speech and debate can be a tool for finding the strongest reasons to change our minds, not just a tool for polarisation.
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Episodes
22 | We need Health Creators, not just the NHS | Lord Nigel Crisp
June 29, 2024 04:32 - 1 hour - 56 MBLord Nigel Crisp is the expert when it comes to our health service: because he was Chief Executive of NHS England and Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health simultaneously, during Tony Blair's government. A graduate in philosophy from Cambridge, he released his book "Health Is Made At Home: Hospitals are for Repairs." This insightful book calls for a rethink of healthcare, and highlights the local organisations that mean people won't need expensive healthcare in future. In this ...
21 | Will AI Really Transform Healthcare? | Professor Andrew Elder
June 21, 2024 23:06 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBProfessor Andrew Elder is a doctor, first and foremost. He is a Consultant in Medicine of the Elderly at NHS Fife, and President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He was previously Medical Director of the world-standard membership exam, MRCP, and is a Visiting Professor at Stanford University. In this episode, we discuss if Medical AI can live up to the hype, what humans still do better, the ideal division of labour between AI and humans, the problem of black boxes, how educ...
20 | Should Britain welcome Homegrown Islam? | Dr Sohaib Saeed
June 15, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour - 65 MBShaykh Sohaib Saeed is an Islamic scholar raised in Glasgow Scotland. He has studied at Edinburgh University, SOAS and Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar University. He is a traditional Islamic scholar who founded the Ibn Ashur Centre, is Head of Research for the Bayyinah Institute, an organisation teaching Arabic and Qu'ranic studies with global reach. We get into the complexities of being a Western Muslim, how Islam has adapted to different cultures, the difference between shaykhs and imams, di...
19 | How do we fix the NHS Workforce? | Dr Billy Palmer
June 08, 2024 00:40 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBThe NHS is the biggest issue of the 2024 General Election. But is the campaign discussing the real issues? Britain can't fix the NHS without fixing the NHS workforce, and Dr Billy Palmer is the expert. In this episode, we delve into the NHS workforce plan, the history of NHS staffing decisions, how to improve recruitment and retention, the problem of transition costs, and how to tackle spiralling agency staff costs. We also ask what pragmatic options a new government could take. Stay tuned ...
18 | How Health Policy Increases Doctors' Impact | Dr Devina Maru
January 31, 2023 07:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBCan healthcare workers make more of an impact away from the front-line? How can they get involved? And what's the story of one GP trying to make a difference? Dr Devina Maru is a GP Registrar and a previous National Medical Directors' Clinical Fellow. She is working on several national projects involving the Department of Health and social care and NHS England, including the Big GP Consultation which aims to discuss the future direction of general practice. She is also an NHS Clinical Entre...
17 | Quality Improvers: How do we Prevent Medical Error? | Dr Sarah Keir
January 23, 2023 07:09 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBHow often do Doctors make mistakes? What's the proper way to respond to them? How can we reduce error in the busy, chaotic environment of healthcare? And how do we tell whether our systems are improving or not? Dr Sarah Keir is a Consultant Stroke Physician at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is also the Quality Improvement Lead of the Department of Medicine of the Elderly. Over her career, her publications have been cited over 1000 times, on topics related to stroke...
16 | How Modernity Impacts Humans Biology | Guen Bradbury
January 17, 2023 07:00 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBGuen Bradbury an Innovation Consultant for Inovia, using science to answer the questions businesses have about environment and biology. She teaches veterinary medicine at Jesus College Cambridge. She also runs a vet tele-consultancy and is the author of the textbook "Behavioural Problems in Rabbits" We talked about her overarching interest is in how modern, articificial environments shape our development and Physiology and the science behind her work
15 | Queer Holiness: Reconciling Faith and Homosexuality in the Church | The Revd Dr Charlie Bell
January 10, 2023 07:34 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBWhy is the Church's attitude to homosexuality so outdated? Do the arguments against gay marriage seem logical? How are gay priests living in the Church today? And can understanding human biology help us reconcile sexuality and faith? The Revd Dr Charlie Bell is a Cambridge-trained psychiatrist and priest in the Church of England. He is also openly gay, a rarity in Church circles. As an academic he teaches biochemistry to undergraduates while pursuing his research interest in biological mark...
14 | Why we need to develop healthcare leaders | Dr Johann Malawana
January 03, 2023 07:13 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBJohann Malawana is a legend amongst doctors. He was the chair of the BMA during the Junior Doctors' Strike in 2016, and was the face of the campaign. He is the founder of Medics.Academy and the Healthcare Leadership Academy, which help doctors develop leadership skills. Johann and Zack discuss why doctors aren't able to develop leadership skills in their current role, how best to make a difference, and what exactly makes a good leader in healthcare.
How would more critical thinking promote a healthy democracy? | Prof. Mickey Huff & Dr Nolan Higdon | 13
April 20, 2022 21:46 - 57 minutes - 53 MBHow much of a problem is fake news for Western democracy? Can people learn to think critically to promote open debate? Can the left respond to Jordan Peterson's critiques of critical theory and critical race theory? And are there liberal thinkers who actually support free speech? In this amazing conversation, Zack speaks to Mickey and Nolan about their new book, "Let's Agree to Disagree: A Critical Thinking Guide to Communication, Conflict Management and Critical Media Literacy." Prof....
12 | Cameron Wyllie | What is stopping us closing the attainment gap in our education system?
February 02, 2022 07:00 - 56 minutes - 129 MBMr Cameron Wyllie is an authority on education. He has been an English teacher, International Schools Debating coach, and Principal (Head) of Scotland's highest achieving private school of this decade, George Heriot's School. Mr Cameron Wyllie is an authority on education. He has been an English teacher, International Schools Debating coach, and Principal (Head) of Scotland's highest achieving private school of this decade, George Heriot's School. In this conversation, Zack talks to one ...
11 | Amatey Doku | Wokeness in Britain: How do we resolve the culture wars?
January 19, 2022 09:00 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBAmatey Doku is a management consultant for the Nous Group. Born in London and of Ghanian heritage, he spent 2 years involved in the National Union of Students, as Vice-President then Deputy President, and before that he led the Cambridge Union Students' Union (CUSU) and the Jesus College Students' Union (JCSU). During his time as JCSU President, Amatey campaigned for the College to repatriate the Okukor, a Benin Bronze statue. It had held pride of place in the main hall of Jesus College, Ca...
10 | Dr Haidar Al-Hakim | Growing up Mixed Race & Medical
January 03, 2022 20:19 - 1 hour - 187 MBDr Haidar Al-Hakim is an ophthalmologist, psychotherapist and host of "The Surgical Spirit" Podcast, which explores the borderlands between medicine, wellbeing and psychology. In this jointly hosted podcast conversation, Haidar and I talk about our experiences growing up caught between two cultures, Islamic and Western, the guilt of privilege, the phenomenon of physician burnout and its relationship to purpose, whether evidence based medicine is politically driven, and the limits and stre...
Growing up Mixed Race & Medical - Dr Haidar Al-Hakim - Healthy Discussions #10
January 03, 2022 20:19 - 1 hour - 187 MBDr Haidar Al-Hakim is an ophthalmologist, psychotherapist and host of "The Surgical Spirit" Podcast, which explores the borderlands between medicine, wellbeing and psychology. In this jointly hosted podcast conversation, Haidar and I talk about our experiences growing up caught between two cultures, Islamic and Western, the guilt of privilege, the phenomenon of physician burnout and its relationship to purpose, whether evidence based medicine is politically driven, and the limits and stre...
Will Blockchain improve Healthcare Data? | Dr Abdullah Albeyatti | Healthy Discussions #9
November 12, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 164 MBDr Abdullah Albeyatti is CEO of Medicalchain, a company tackling a big problem in healthcare. They want your electronic healthcare record to follow you around the health system and be under your control. Currently, healthcare data doesn't easily communicate between hospitals, creating all kinds of havoc. In this podcast, Abdullah and Zack discuss the use of blockchain technology for health records, the attitude of NHS decision makers towards innovation, whether EHRs should be monetised an...
9 | Dr Abdullah Albeyatti | Will Blockchain improve Healthcare Data?
November 12, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 164 MBDr Abdullah Albeyatti is CEO of Medicalchain, a company tackling a big problem in healthcare. They want your electronic healthcare record to follow you around the health system and be under your control. Currently, healthcare data doesn't easily communicate between hospitals, creating all kinds of havoc. In this podcast, Abdullah and Zack discuss the use of blockchain technology for health records, the attitude of NHS decision makers towards innovation, whether EHRs should be monetised an...
8 | Dr Clare Fernandes | Speaking with the BBC Doctor In Chief
November 03, 2021 15:03 - 50 minutes - 115 MBWould you want to be the top doctor at the BBC? Ask Dr Clare Fernandes. She is a specialist in Occupational Health who advises the Beeb on everything from its Covid-19 policy to mental health of journalists coming back from warzones. Crossposted from HLA Live, Zack talked to Clare about her career path, the lessons in leadership she has learned, and how the BBC has coped with Coronavirus. // About the host Dr Zack Hassan is a trainee in Internal Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. He gradu...
Speaking with the BBC Doctor In Chief | Dr Clare Fernandes | Healthy Discussions #8
November 03, 2021 15:03 - 50 minutes - 115 MBWould you want to be the top doctor at the BBC? Ask Dr Clare Fernandes. She is a specialist in Occupational Health who advises the Beeb on everything from its Covid-19 policy to mental health of journalists coming back from warzones. Crossposted from HLA Live, Zack talked to Clare about her career path, the lessons in leadership she has learned, and how the BBC has coped with Coronavirus. // About the host Dr Zack Hassan is a trainee in Internal Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland. He gradu...
7 | Dr Fawz Kazzazi | AI in healthcare - How do we balance innovation, ethics, and patient safety?
June 26, 2021 14:37 - 45 minutes - 104 MBCan we make Artifical Intelligence in Healthcare ethically? How do we ensure AI is safe for patients? And how good are the contingency plans for the AI that is already being used in the NHS? Dr Fawz Kazzazi suggests more guidance is needed. Fawz is a Core Surgical Trainee in London, and studying for a Masters in Law and Medical Ethics at Edinburgh University. He studied Medicine at Cambridge University and has published a classification of medical in the Journal of Future Health. Fawz and...
AI in healthcare - How do we balance innovation, ethics, and patient safety? | Dr Fawz Kazzazi | Healthy Discussions #7
June 26, 2021 14:37 - 45 minutes - 104 MBCan we make Artifical Intelligence in Healthcare ethically? How do we ensure AI is safe for patients? And how good are the contingency plans for the AI that is already being used in the NHS? Dr Fawz Kazzazi suggests more guidance is needed. Fawz is a Core Surgical Trainee in London, and studying for a Masters in Law and Medical Ethics at Edinburgh University. He studied Medicine at Cambridge University and has published a classification of medical in the Journal of Future Health. Fawz and...
How is government influenced on Obesity Policy? | Dolly Theis | Healthy Discussions #6
June 09, 2021 15:54 - 43 minutes - 98.5 MBDolly Theis is not your usual public health policy academic. She stood as a Conservative Party candidate in the 2017 general election, winning 10,000 votes in Vauxhall. As a One-Nation Tory, Dolly has also campaigned on environmental and food issues. She has also been involved with initiatives like 50:50 Parliament (for gender balance in Westminster) and the veteran's charity Forward Assist. She is undertaking a PhD at Cambridge University’s MRC Epidemiology Unit, researching how policy ma...
6 | Dolly Theis | How is government influenced on Obesity Policy?
June 09, 2021 15:54 - 43 minutes - 98.5 MBDolly Theis is not your usual public health policy academic. She stood as a Conservative Party candidate in the 2017 general election, winning 10,000 votes in Vauxhall. As a One-Nation Tory, Dolly has also campaigned on environmental and food issues. She has also been involved with initiatives like 50:50 Parliament (for gender balance in Westminster) and the veteran's charity Forward Assist. She is undertaking a PhD at Cambridge University’s MRC Epidemiology Unit, researching how policy ma...
5 | Mental Health, Prison & Childhood | Dr Lade Smith CBE
May 16, 2021 13:21 - 42 minutes - 97.4 MBDr Lade Smith CBE is Director of Forensic Services at South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust and 2019's Psychiatrist of the Year. Her background as an intensive care forensic psychiatrist has given her insight into the stories of family psychological trauma that are prevalent amongst the UK's violent offenders. She is also an advocate for race equality and has published research examining racial disaprities in the use of detention orders under the Mental Health Act. Zack and Lade discuss...
4 | The Power of Consultants | Professor Partha Kar OBE
April 18, 2021 11:28 - 57 minutes - 130 MBProfessor Partha Kar OBE is a Consultant Endocrinologist in Portsmouth, the National Specialty Advisor to NHS England for Diabetes and Obesity, and the National Associate Clinical Director for Diabetes. He is well recognised by the Type 1 Diabetes community for projects such as TAD talks (Talking about Diabetes), improving access to non-invasive Libre sensors, and his social media presence. He has also co-founded other initiatives such as the Super Six model for diabetes care, Language Matte...
Episode #3 - Dr Carey Lunan
April 02, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 150 MBCarey Lunan is a GP in Craigmillar, Edinburgh and Chair of the DeepEnd Group, made up of the 100 GP practices in Scotland's most deprived areas. She has also been chair of the Royal College of GPs in Scotland, leading on reports to government and policy, and representing the profession in mainstream media. She has a long-standing interest in health inequality and is a familiary contributor to public discourse concerning health issues in Scotland. In this conversation, Carey and Zack discuss...
3 | Health Inequalities & Covid-19 | Dr Carey Lunan
April 02, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 150 MBCarey Lunan is a GP in Craigmillar, Edinburgh and Chair of the DeepEnd Group, made up of the 100 GP practices in Scotland's most deprived areas. She has also been chair of the Royal College of GPs in Scotland, leading on reports to government and policy, and representing the profession in mainstream media. She has a long-standing interest in health inequality and is a familiary contributor to public discourse concerning health issues in Scotland. In this conversation, Carey and Zack discuss...
Episode #2 - Richie Cartwright
February 07, 2021 16:41 - 41 minutes - 95.8 MBRichie Cartwright is Co-founder at Fella, a global community-driven digital health platform to guide men through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Binge Eating. He founded and sold the company Flow X, which worked with the UK government on improving traffic flow using artificial intelligence. An avid entrepreneur and economics graduate from Cambridge, he is determined to share his own story of struggling with binge eating to help the millions of other people who have it too, both men and wom...
2 | Binge Eating & Digital Health | Richie Cartwright
February 07, 2021 16:41 - 41 minutes - 95.8 MBRichie Cartwright is Co-founder at Fella, a global community-driven digital health platform to guide men through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Binge Eating. He founded and sold the company Flow X, which worked with the UK government on improving traffic flow using artificial intelligence. An avid entrepreneur and economics graduate from Cambridge, he is determined to share his own story of struggling with binge eating to help the millions of other people who have it too, both men and wom...
Episode #1 - Dr Philippa Whitford MP
December 03, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBBorn in Belfast, Dr Philippa Whitford studied medicine in the West of Scotland before specialising in breast surgery. She has been a Consultant Breast Surgeon for 19 years, and is now the MP for Central Ayrshire and the Westminster spokesperson on Health and Europe for the Scottish National Party. Over her career she has studied Breast Cancer Immunology for her MD dissertation, worked as a medical volunteer in Palestine, Ayrshire in 2015 and sat on the Health Select committee. In this inspi...
1 | Doctors in Politics | Dr Philippa Whitford MP
December 03, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBBorn in Belfast, Dr Philippa Whitford studied medicine in the West of Scotland before specialising in breast surgery. She has been a Consultant Breast Surgeon for 19 years, and is now the MP for Central Ayrshire and the Westminster spokesperson on Health and Europe for the Scottish National Party. Over her career she has studied Breast Cancer Immunology for her MD dissertation, worked as a medical volunteer in Palestine, reformed the Breast Cancer service in Ayrshire and sat on the Health Se...