From Oakland to Iowa City to Silicon Valley: Founding a Tech Startup in Med School

From inner-city Oakland, Cali to medical school; that's an unlikely journey. Unlikely because inner city poor kids don't even hear about opportunities, never mind have access to them. UI med student Terrence Wong was one of those kids, but he eventually found an advantage that most such children don't have: a mentor. Today he's not just a medical student, but he's a startup founder.

The Twin Epidemics: Our Changing Understanding of Diabetes and Obesity

A portrait of Dr. Dale Abel and Dr. Miguel LopezThe understanding of the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes is changing. The "calories in, calories out" model of obesity is giving way, faster and faster, to a more nuanced view. The brain, molecular medicine, hormonal differences, and genetics are all coming into play as we consider this new paradigm. Drs.

Post-acceptance anxiety, Match stats, and backup plans.

Listener Oscar's having the pre-med/post-acceptance jitters; luckily Aline, Marc, Dylan, and Lisa are on hand to offer some advice on this all-too-common case of impostor syndrome. Plus, now that Match Week has concluded, we discuss what the Match 2016 stats reveal, and ask ourselves what options exist for those who don't match.

Abolishing Step 2, Self-Electrocution to Treat Boredom, and More Answers to Internet Questions

Are board exams a waste of resources? Is electrocution an antidote to boredom? This week we discuss the petition, created by medical students at Harvard, to zap the USMLE Step 2 exam, and opine on whether it (and other such exams) actually accomplish anything. Next, according to one study, people are happier self-administering electrical shocks than they are being alone with their thoughts. And we once again visit Yahoo! Answers Health to practice patient education.

Searching for Cures from Old-Timey Remedies, Dopamine Headphones, and Cuban Vaccines

Corbin Weaver visits the local grocery store to hear a presentation on pelvic floor disorders, part of the store’s health outreach efforts, and marvels at the fact that A) many people seem to have a very foggy notion of anogenital functions, and B) that some also seem to have no inhibitions about bringing up embarrassing bodily foibles in a room full of strangers.

Power Poses, Mesh Body Suits, and the Return of Dr. Love

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s well known TED talk discusses the utility of ‘power poses,’ and medical students are always looking for ways to feel more powerful.  So Dave challenges Ellie Ginn, Tony Rosenberg, Marc Toral, and Mark Moubarek to give them a try.  Zika remains a force for making people crazy, and Brazil has banned the use of a larvicide incorrectly linked with  Monsanto as a result of a report from a group of Argentinian physicians who advocate for the ban of insecticides.  Tony suggests a better option: mosquito-mesh body suits.

Here’s Lemons In Your Eyes

Dave helps Mark Moubarek, Amy Young, Rob Humble, and Corbin Weaver to practice their clinical skills by  answering random people’s “health” questions from the saddest place on the Internet. But first we discuss the AMA’s policy to support the ban on direct to consumer advertising of drugs and implantable devices, and how such advertising makes the doctor-patient relationship complicated. Will drug companies retaliate by advocating for bans on advertising doctors and hospitals to patients.