Stanford Medcast: Expert Voices in Medicine and Healthcare

This Hot Topics Mini-Series episode includes a discussion with Dr. Lawrence Steinman, professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Pediatrics, and Genetics at Stanford Medical School. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. In people with MS, the body’s immune system attacks the insulating layer that surrounds nerve cells, often killing the cells. In this episode, Dr. Steinman unpacks the connection between the Epstein-Barr virus and MS and the implications for the development of new vaccines and anti-virals that have the potential to eradicate this disease.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 5/2/25
 

Today’s episode is focused on Nutrition Science. We are speaking with Dr. Christopher D. Gardner, who is the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, and the Director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. Dr. Gardner has recently shifted much of his energies to a second and more challenging question: What forces and factors can successfully motivate people to improve their food and beverage choice behaviors? To address this question, he has collaborated with scholars and researchers from across all seven of Stanford’s undergraduate and graduate schools. He is also currently collaborating with chefs and dining operators from Stanford’s Residential and Dining Enterprises, and the Culinary Institute of America, with an emphasis on elevating the unapologetic deliciousness of food. Today we will discuss common Nutrition Myths and talk about ways to encourage patients to eat healthier foods, to support their nutritional needs.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 4/18/25
 

In this episode, Dr. Sherry Wren focuses on humanitarian aid in low to middle resource countries. Dr. Wren is very involved in humanitarian surgery and global surgery. She works and manages educational partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa and is a faculty fellow of the Stanford Center for Innovation and Global Health. Dr. Wren became interested in humanitarian work in college and worked as a surgeon with Doctors Without Borders in Africa. Not only are infectious diseases of concern in low income countries, but so are non-communicable diseases. Death from non-communicable diseases have overtaken deaths from infectious diseases - 11% of the global burden of disease can be treated with surgery. Dr. Wren shares her experiences, lessons learned and projects impacting humanitarian care around the world.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 4/4/25
 

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we continue to share stories of women in medicine. In this episode, we hear from Leah Backhus, MD, MPH, FACS who works in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford and serves as the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Palo Alto and Co-Director of the Thoracic Surgery Clinical Research Program. Additionally, Dr. Backhus has grant funding through the Veterans Affairs Administration and NIH. This episode will include Dr. Backhus’ journey into medicine and how she became only 1 of 10 black women who are full professors in the US. The discussion will include unconscious bias, diversity, minorities in medicine and the importance of creating a circle of advocates and mentors.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 3/14/25
 

Our guest speaker for this episode about Women in Medicine is Odette Harris, MD, MPH, Professor of Neurosurgery, Stanford University and the Director of the Brain Injury Program for the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also the Deputy Chief of Staff, Rehabilitation at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. In this episode, Dr. Harris shares her story about how she emigrated from Jamaica with hopes and dreams and her mentors who fostered and supported those dreams, and who influenced her to become the person she is today. She talks about being the second black tenured neurosurgery professor at Stanford and the opportunities this position has afforded her. She speaks about the importance of balance, of doing things that nurture you and also surrounding yourself with those who are important to you, such as family and friends. Join us for an inspirational story in this episode!
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CME Eligibility End Date: 2/28/25
 

This new mini-series, The Afterword, will reflect on live activities that have already taken place. The purpose of this series is to answer questions learners may have about topics previously discussed and expand on key concepts. This episode is the Afterword from the January 2022 webinar, Building a Culture of Health Equity Monthly Lecture Series: Operationalizing Racial Justice. Key concepts for this episode's discussion include operationalizing racial justice, the relationship between health equity and inclusion initiatives within the clinician workforce, health equity for patients, drivers of health equity, promoting health equity through social factors and a renewed focus on health equity beyond COVID.
For more details and information on this topic, please see our recorded January 2022 session of Building a Culture of Health Equity Monthly Lecture Series: Operationalizing Racial Justice and Health Equity Webinar Series (Microlearning Module): Operationalizing Racial Justice.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 2/21/25
 

This episode will focus on how the pandemic has impacted the mental health of children, adolescents and young adults. Even before the pandemic began in 2020, there was a lack of mental health services for young people. Half of mental health conditions begin before the age of 14, and three quarters by the age of 24. Across the US, there is a lack of systems in place to identify youths at risk. This episode will address the lack of access, need for action as well as signs and symptoms of mental health issues in young people. The role of community partnerships, the Surgeon General’s call for action and tips to help clinicians, schools and parents support young people will also be discussed.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 2/14/25
 

This episode addresses the importance of integrating arts and humanities into the practice of medicine. Clinicians will learn about medical humanities and how it can benefit both the clinician and their patients. The discussion includes the various types of art therapies, including music, painting, writing, communications along with the impact of medical humanities and how it enriches communities. Ideas will be discussed on how to engage in medical humanities and the role of medical humanities in medical education.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 1/31/25

This episode is part of the Stanford Medicine Prostate Cancer CME Series: Treatment Across the Prostate Cancer Continuum. The goal of the Prostate Cancer Series is to enhance the learners understanding of complex treatment options, the latest diagnostics, current guidelines for testing, types of tests available as well as discussions on other conditions that may cause an elevated PSA. Geared towards primary care clinicians, an in-depth discussion of the various types of prostate cancer and treatment options are provided in this episode.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 1/17/25

This episode focuses on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). The guest speakers, Dr. Christina Buysse and Dr. Barbara Bentley, are involved in the California ACEs Aware Initiative, which is focused on promoting positive responses to stress for children, families, and care providers. Adverse Childhood Experiences includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as physical and emotional neglect, and some challenges at home caused by a member of the household who may be experiencing mental illness, substance abuse, partner abuse, etc. In the US alone, 60% of adults have reported four or more ACEs. For children, one in three have experienced one ACE and up to 14% have experienced two ACEs. This episode discusses the risk factors for ACEs, negative outcomes associated with ACE’s, current research, universal health screening, trauma treatment and prevention strategies.
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CME Eligibility End Date: 1/2/25