Episode: Dr. Jay Spector
This episode of the Movement Meets Medicine Podcast features the founder and host Ella Mo, an aspiring medical professional, intertwining her passion for dance, medicine, science, language, and community service, and Dr. Jay Spector, sports medical podiatrist, who founded Atlanta Sports Podiatry, specializing in treating athletic injuries: surgery and sports medicine. Dr. Spector, as a marathon runner and racehorse trainer, has been practicing podiatric medicine in the greater Atlanta area for over 30 years since 1994, combining his athletic experience with his chosen profession.
In this episode, Ella and Dr. Spector discuss the leading causes of podiatric athletic injuries in both beginner and intense trainers, keys to accommodate different athletes, and new advancements in this field.
Reflection
What I Wanted to Understand:
- What are some common injuries he sees in athletes, and how do regenerative medicine techniques help in their recovery?
- How does he tailor treatment plans to accommodate different types of athletes, from recreational athletes to professional competitors?
- For Dr. Spector, as a running coach, how does his work in the medical field contribute to how he coaches and trains his athletes?
What I Learned:
- It’s never too late to change your career to follow your passion. There’s always another career that can combine your interests. Dr. Spector started in economics and diverted to podiatry to intertwine what he loves: helping people and analyzing gait on horses.
- Many current practices of treating people with bone pain include taking Advil or putting patients in boots. These solutions don’t inherently treat them; however, futuristic technologies such as shockwave therapy are meant to stimulate the body’s natural healing process by improving blood flow to the injured area.
- Strength training is one of the best things for long athletic careers. Toe yoga strengthens the intrinsic foot muscles. However, strengthening glutes, core, hamstrings, and quad muscles lead to lower likelihoods of injuring one’s Achilles tendon or plantar fascia.
Questions I’m Still Exploring:
- Did becoming a podiatric doctor change Dr. Spector’s personal approach to running?
- Many people prioritize a stable career rather than following their passion. How did he overcome his worries of starting a new career path after earning B.A. in Economics?
- What are the main benefits of regenerative therapies compared to traditional treatments in podiatric care?
Episode: Dr. Charles Li
This episode of the Movement Meets Medicine Podcast features the founder and host Ella Mo, an aspiring medical professional, intertwining her passion for dance, medicine, science, language, and community service, and Dr. Charles Li, Regional Hospital Administrator for Georgia Regional Hospital Atlanta.
In this episode, Ella and Dr. Li discuss the key factors to a successful medical career, the relation between direct interaction with patients and management, and impact of AI on the medical field.
Reflection
What I Wanted to Understand:
- What is the biggest difference between managing hospitals and directly interacting with patients?
- For students like me interested in medicine, what is the best approach to immerse ourselves in the field?
- How has the role of AI impacted the hospitals he manages and medical careers in general?
What I Learned:
- The biggest difference between a hospital administrator and direct patient care physician lies in being able to see many more patients.
- Dr. Li’s experience in psychology allows him to understand how to connect as a team with very diversified backgrounds and personalities.
- It is important to lead interest in the medical field with passion to make a difference in people’s lives rather than social status or money. Students interested in the medical field get more involved in various community activities in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. to truly see if this field is your passion.
Questions I’m Still Exploring:
- What are the key characteristics doctors should have when hoping to manage hospitals in the future?
- Does a pursued major play a big role in earning a hospital management position? If so, what are the most common majors of his colleagues, and why do they contribute to a better leader?
- Dr. Li has extensive experience in new technologies and AI’s role in medicine. What is the best way for patients to use AI to aid their understanding of diagnosis, and what are some precautions they must keep in mind when asking ChatGPT medical questions?
Episode: Dr. Ben Pearl
This episode of the Movement Meets Medicine Podcast features the founder and host Ella Mo, an aspiring medical professional, intertwining her passion for dance, medicine, science, language, and community service, and Dr. Ben Pearl, sports medical podiatrist, who founded Arlington Foot and Ankle, specializing in podiatric care.
In this episode, Ella and Dr. Pearl discuss the key factors to prevent injuries, the advancements in recent and upcoming years in the medical field, and the numerous variables considered in individualized patient care.
Reflection
What I Wanted to Understand:
- In his experience, do the diverse athletes in different sports he treats have similar podiatric problems and how does he tailor each patient’s care?
- What is the best way for people to prevent podiatric injuries and promote proper foot and ankle health?
- What is the biggest difference in athletes with chronic injuries and those with acute injuries?
What I Learned:
- The interdisciplinary approach is important for young athletes to avoid sport burnout. In some sports like dance, dancers are pushed and pushed into their one sport by either parents or athletes themselves to reach the highest status. Participating in multiple sports that target different muscles also helps with athletes’ main sport to help with balance and endurance.
- For young athletes, it is advantageous to start on the more conservative side of practice due to growth plates and healing.
- Identifying potential problems early and having good connections with medical providers who are able to help athletes are the keys to avoiding injury.
Questions I’m Still Exploring:
- What is the best way for aspiring medical professionals and current doctors to immerse ourselves in medical organizations like the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine he leads?
- What are the most universally beneficial sports that athletes should cross train with to prevent injuries?
- How can athletes, especially with women’s hormones changing as you mentioned, continue their preparations for races and competitions when minor injuries arise while recovering?
Episode: Dr. Claire Bai
This episode of the Movement Meets Medicine Podcast features the founder and host Ella Mo, an aspiring medical professional, intertwining her passion for dance, medicine, science, language, and community service, and Dr. Claire Bai, Long-Term Critical Care Clinical Pharmacist at the Emory University Hospital, holding extensive experience in the clinical pharmacy field and patient care.
In this episode, Ella and Dr. Bai discuss her unique path from a Biochemistry PhD to becoming a PharmD, keys to accommodating patients with different health conditions, and new advancements in this field.
Reflection
What I Wanted to Understand:
- How has her background in biochemistry influenced her approach to medication management and patient care at the Emory University Hospital?
- What emerging trends or technologies in biochemistry and pharmacology she believes will revolutionize critical care practice in the next decade?
- How important is medication adherence in injury recovery, and what challenges do patients face?
What I Learned:
- Her background in biochemistry helped her understand pharmacology to a deeper degree, naturally comprehending beyond the medicinal guidelines to the mechanisms of every drug. Her ability to anticipate drug interactions and adverse effects provides her with better skills in treatment decisions: deciding specific medication and their amounts.
- Communication skills are key in streamlining patient care. Every day, Dr. Bai works closely with physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, dieticians, and other healthcare professionals. Additionally, she, along with her fellow pharmacists, interact with patients daily, monitoring their rapidly changing health in Emory University Hospital’s Critical Care Division.
- Every patient, despite having the same diagnosis, may require very different treatments. Doctors must consider age, weight, allergies, infection history, medication usage, resistance to past drugs, medical conditions, nutrition, and many more.
Questions I’m Still Exploring:
- What did Dr. Bai consider when pursuing a biochemistry PhD instead of Pharmacology, her passion? Later, what drove her to follow her dream and ultimately earn another doctoral degree in Pharmacology?
- What is the level of communication between critical care clinical pharmacists like her and doctors? How do they collaborate in prescribing medications when decisions must be made quickly?
- What is the best way to approach patients and explain their conditions and medication in simple terms?
Episode: Dr. Michael Donato
This episode of the Movement Meets Medicine Podcast features the founder and host Ella Mo, an aspiring medical professional, intertwining her passion for dance, medicine, science, language, and community service, and Dr. Michael Donato, sports medical podiatrist, who co-owns Rappahannock Foot & Ankle Specialists, specializing in podiatric care.
In this episode, Ella and Dr. Donato discuss the importance for doctors to relate to their patients and comprehensively evaluate their medical history and problems, the key characteristics doctors adopt to succeed, and the passion required to pursue medicine.
Reflection
What I Wanted to Understand:
- What inspired him to pursue podiatry specifically after earning a B.A. in Economics at Princeton University?
- What is a typical day working in and managing his podiatric office?
- If he could give every young aspiring health professional one piece of advice, what would it be?
What I Learned:
- The most important characteristic for aspiring medical professionals is staying curious. It’s important to remember, despite knowing concrete material, there is still so much to learn from experience. Ask questions and go into experiences wanting to learn more.
- Listen. Doctors shouldn’t rush to interrupt patients when they’re saying what brought them in. Even if the diagnosis is obvious, one extra statement may change the entire treatment plan.
- Despite being a podiatric doctor focused on foot and ankle injuries, it is important to make comprehensive diagnoses. Reviewing the patient’s entire medical history and considering the roots of the issue, like tight hips causing Achilles tendonitis, are just a couple of steps doctors can take to give the best care to their patients.
- Don’t automatically judge patients. It’s inherent for humans to judge; however, the majority of people are nice. The reason someone is paranoid or mad may be they are nervous to see a doctor. When the doctor matches the energy of the patient, like when the patient is nervous and the doctor calms them, the patients are able to open up and show their natural side.
- Be relatable. When a doctor says to an athlete “you should just quit your sport,” the athlete will find another way to continue. Especially in sports medicine, doctors must understand humans are naturally competitive and won’t take quitting as an option. The doctor, instead, should give multiple options with pros and cons for the athlete to make their own educated decision on what works best with their goals.
Questions I’m Still Exploring:
- For doctors outside of the realm of sports medicine, how can they relate to the patients and understand how the patient is feeling to best guide them to fit their needs?
- How do you approach telling patients if they must take time off to rest or if there was a complication in a procedure knowing the patient’s reaction may be upsetting?
- What are tips to maintain the same one on one connection and not hurrying to diagnosis to hear the full picture in the hospital with limited time for each patient as a private practice?
What My Episodes Viewers Says
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.