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

Nearly 1 million individuals in the U.S. have multiple sclerosis. Most acquire the disease between the ages of 20 and 50. It’s often difficult to establish a diagnosis as the symptoms can be vague and often vary significantly from one individual to another. The disease can be very frightening, often debilitating, and progressive; up until recently, we’ve had very little to offer patients in the way of treatment. However, in the past few years there have been numerous advances in treatment options which have given hope to the many patients with MS. We’ll be discussing multiple sclerosis in this podcast. Our guest is Eoin Flanagan, M.B., B.Ch., a neurologist from the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until February 1, 2026

The practice of medicine is often stressful and at times, even frustrating. Sometimes the stress and frustration can get out of hand and lead us to feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. This has been described as burnout. There’s good evidence to suggest that well over half of all physicians practicing in the U.S. have exhibited some symptoms of burnout at some time during their career. Healthcare professional burnout not only has negative consequences for the clinician, but also for patients, as patient care can often suffer. What are the symptoms of burnout, can we prevent them and how can we manage those who are experiencing professional burnout? We’ll discuss these questions and more with Colin P. West, M.D., Ph.D., an internist in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until February 1, 2026

The liver is the second most commonly transplanted organ; nearly 10,000 patients received a liver transplant in 2021. The major factor, which has limited the transplants performed, has been the availability of the donated organs and some patients have waited several years before an acceptable organ becomes available. Transplants can be performed for a variety of end-stage liver diseases, usually giving patients years of additional life. Who’s a candidate for a liver transplant and what criteria for selection are required? Our topic for this podcast is “Liver Transplant Selection Criteria” and we’ll discuss this topic with our guest, Michael D. Leise, M.D., from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until February 1, 2026

Millions of Americans suffer from seasonal allergies causing a variety of symptoms which often force them to stay indoors and limit their activities. Allergic rhinitis carries a significant economic burden accounting for an estimated 2 million lost school days, and 6 million lost workdays per year. Fortunately, there are numerous treatment options available. The topic for today’s podcast is seasonal allergies and our guest is Mansi J. Kanuga, M.D., an allergist at the Mayo Clinic. We’ll discuss how to use the patient’s history to determine the patient’s allergies, when allergy tests are indicated and management of seasonal allergies.

Available until February 1, 2026

Testosterone has a variety of health benefits. It helps maintain bone density, muscle mass, red blood cell production and sexual function. Testosterone levels in men tend to peak between age 30 to 40 then gradually decline and it’s not unusual to find low testosterone levels in men over the age of 50. It’s also known that in men with hypogonadism, testosterone supplementation can improve libido, bone density and muscle mass. Should we be checking testosterone levels in our middle-age male patients? How do we determine who should receive testosterone supplementation and finally what are the risks of supplementation? In this podcast, these are all questions I’ll be asking our guest, Dr. Nahid Punjani, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “Testosterone Supplementation in Men”.

Available until February 1, 2026

As primary care providers, evaluating patients with a virus is a common part of our practice. This ranges from colds, a painful shingles outbreak, COVID-19, RSV bronchiolitis, influenza, and many more. Oftentimes, after a detailed physical exam, we tell our patients the cause of their symptoms are due to a virus and that their symptoms should improve in a couple days to weeks. However, we know that sometimes the symptoms of a viral infection can be a harbinger of more severe disease. In today’s talk, we will be discussing a virus. Acute infection with this virus can present with fever, fatigue, myalgias, arthralgias, lymphadenopathy, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, weight loss, and rash. This constellation of symptoms, especially when they persist for a prolonged duration of time can be representative of an acute HIV infection. Tune in to this episode to learn more about the pathophysiology of HIV, how a patient can contract HIV, the tests to perform when an acute HIV infection is suspected, how to prevent an HIV infection, and also to learn a bit more about anal Pap smears.