Available until February 1, 2026

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also known as COVID-19, is a novel virus with a rapidly changing genotype. It’s responsible for over a million deaths so far. One of every 300 Americans have died as a result of the virus and infection with COVID-19, and it has been responsible for a reduction in life expectancy in the U.S. for both 2021 and 2022. There are 4 widely available, approved vaccines in the United States, yet an inadequate number of individuals have been immunized and very few are still wearing protective masks. The consequences of this include continued excess morbidity and mortality as well as the development of a variety of new variants of the virus. Our guest for this podcast is Greg A. Poland, M.D., an internist, and the director of vaccine research at the Mayo Clinic. He’s also the lead author of an article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in December 2022. The article is entitled “Year 3 of COVID-19: Harsh Truths, Brutal Realities and Glimmers of Hope”. We’ll be discussing some of the key points from this article.

Available until February 1, 2026

Determining the source of GI blood loss can be a challenging dilemma. On occasion, we have clues regarding where we should start looking, but in some cases, no such clues exist. It’s best to use a stepwise approach to determining the source and in most cases, this will give us the answer we need. When a cause is found, most tend to be from an upper GI source rather than the colon. Whereas an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy will determine the source in the majority, in some cases, more aggressive techniques are required. In this podcast, we’ll be discussing GI blood loss, and which approach we should use to determine the source. Our guest is Andrew C. Storm, M.D., a gastroenterologist from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until February 1, 2026

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death to individuals in the U.S. Many feel that our typical American diet with its high saturated fat content is a major contributor to this. There’s good evidence that shows plant-based diets are cost-effective in lowering the risk factors for cardiovascular disease including obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. They may also lower the number of medications an individual needs to take to manage their chronic diseases. So, are there any disadvantages to a plant-based diet? Are all plant-based diets healthy and what are the nutritional challenges for a patient on a plant-based diet? We’ll discuss these questions in this podcast on “Plant-Based Diets”. Our guest is Lisa Lammert, a registered dietician and nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until April 19, 2024 - Online CME Course

Regenerative medicine, an evolving field aimed at restoring form and function, is transforming standard-of-care practices across medical and surgical specialties. The traditional perspective of “fighting disease” is shifting to the increasingly actionable paradigm of “restoring health,” revealing a new and unmet skill set imperative for the developing healthcare practitioners.

Available until February 1, 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused innumerable health complications. One complication which hasn’t received a lot of attention has been the effect seen on mental health. Since the pandemic, the incidence of mental illness has increased dramatically, both in patients who have been infected as well as those suffering the social consequences of the pandemic. This has led to mental health disorders representing a major cause of disability. What can we learn from a historical perspective as a result of previous pandemics? How does the COVID-19 virus produce the variety of neuropsychiatric disorders commonly seen? And most importantly, how can we help our patients with their mental health disorders associated with the pandemic? This podcast will review “Psychiatric Issues Stemming From COVID-19” with our guest, Teresa A. Rummans, M.D., a psychiatrist from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until July 7, 2024 - Online CME Course

Available until February 1, 2026

As clinicians, we’re used to obtaining health information from our patients through a medical history, performing a physical exam and ordering a variety of lab tests or imaging studies. We then formulate a differential diagnosis and eventually a diagnosis to explain the patient’s health problem. But what happens when a diagnosis isn’t obvious or we’re uncertain what may be causing the patient’s problems. What if a patient asks us a question and we don’t know the answer? How do we express our uncertainty to our patients and how do our patients react to our uncertainty? In this podcast, we’ll discuss diagnostic uncertainty and how to approach our patients when we can’t find a specific diagnosis to explain their symptoms. Our guests include Liz A. Gilman, M.D., and Chris R. Stephenson, M.D., M.H.P.E., both from the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic.