What if the moment women stop seeing their gynecologist is exactly when their cervical cancer risk matters most? Nenrot S. Gopep, a physician and public health researcher, joins the show to discuss her KevinMD article, "Menopause and the drop in cervical cancer screening [https://www.kevinmd.com/2025/04/menopause-and-the-drop-in-cervical-cancer-screening.html]." Her research found that postmenopausal women are 24 percent less likely to receive a Pap smear compared to premenopausal women, even after controlling for insurance, age, and socioeconomic status. You will hear why the persistent myth that cervical cancer is only a concern for sexually active women is keeping older patients from getting screened, and why HPV can lie dormant for years before developing into cancer. Gopep explains how the shift away from gynecologists after menopause places greater responsibility on primary care physicians to continue screening through age 65. She also discusses the expanded availability of the HPV vaccine, what Australia's elimination of cervical cancer teaches us about what is possible, and the specific questions patients should be asking their doctors about screening and vaccination. If you or someone you care about has put off cervical cancer screening after menopause, this episode could change that decision.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Why cervical cancer screening drops after menopause, and why that's dangerous

What happens to patients with disabilities when the government signals their lives don't matter, and what does that mean for the doctors fighting alongside them? Ashna Shome, a pediatrics resident with cerebral palsy, joins the show to discuss her KevinMD article, "The impact of policy cuts on ableism in health care [https://www.kevinmd.com/2025/04/the-impact-of-policy-cuts-on-ableism-in-health-care.html]." She explains how proposed Medicaid cuts, the rollback of physical access requirements for federal buildings, and harmful rhetoric around autism and vaccines are compounding to create a more hostile environment for the one in four U.S. adults living with disabilities. You will hear how anti-vax discourse tacitly suggests that developmental disabilities are worse than death, why she now relies almost exclusively on the American Academy of Pediatrics as a trusted source of health information, and how her own experience navigating medicine with cerebral palsy has shaped her advocacy. Shome also makes a compelling case for physician unionization as a tool for disability justice, arguing that the artificial barrier between doctor and patient must be dismantled. If you care about disability rights, health equity, or the future of physician advocacy, this conversation demands your attention.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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I have cerebral palsy and I'm a doctor. Here's what policy cuts mean for patients like me.

What happens when you ask clinicians to hit dozens of quality metrics but never explain why those metrics matter or how to manage them? Kenneth Botelho, founding program director of the Doctor of Medical Science program at the College of St. Scholastica, joins to discuss his KevinMD article, "Value-based care workforce: Bridging the gap in clinical education [https://www.kevinmd.com/2025/04/value-based-care-workforce-bridging-the-gap-in-medical-education.html]," and why medical education still trains you to treat one patient at a time in a world that demands population health thinking. He breaks down the disconnect between fee-for-service training and value-based care realities, from dashboard management and HCC coding to compensation tied to screening rates you were never taught to influence. You will hear why this knowledge gap fuels burnout and early career attrition, what PA and NP programs are starting to do about it, and how postgraduate training could give clinicians the framework they need to regain control over their day-to-day work. If you have ever felt graded on a system no one explained to you, this episode will change how you see your role in it.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Clinicians are failing at value-based care because no one taught them the system

What happens when your deepest religious convictions collide with a patient suffering from metastatic cancer and no miracle in sight? Medical student Jonah Rocheeld shares the raw tension between his Orthodox Jewish upbringing and the medical ethics he is learning in clinical training, based on his KevinMD article, "End-of-life care and religion: Reconciling Jewish law and medicine [https://www.kevinmd.com/2025/04/end-of-life-care-and-religion-reconciling-jewish-law-and-medicine.html]." He unpacks the distinction Jewish law draws between withholding and withdrawing care, why that boundary feels certain in a classroom but fractures at the bedside, and how a heated debate with a fellow Jewish medical student forced him to confront where faith ends and patient suffering begins. You will hear why he believes any mature faith must evolve from rules-based absolutism toward nuanced moral reasoning, and what advice he offers religious medical students struggling to separate personal identity from clinical duty in end-of-life care. If you have ever wrestled with where your own ethics stop and your obligations as a health care professional start, this conversation will stay with you.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Why I would never compromise on withdrawing care until I saw it firsthand

What happens when a patient can't afford the treatment you prescribe but is too embarrassed to say so? Health care executive Adam Cunningham joins the show to unpack the devastating ripple effects of medical debt, drawing on his KevinMD article, "The hidden toll of medical debt on patient health and survival [https://www.kevinmd.com/2025/the-hidden-toll-of-medical-debt-on-patient-health-and-survival.html]," and sharing how one friend lost her job, her insurance, and nearly her ability to function before finding affordable biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis overseas. You'll hear why 16 percent of U.S. suicides have a contributing factor of medical debt, how patients weigh financial ruin against ending their lives, and what makes China's tier one hospitals a surprisingly viable option for Americans priced out of care at home. Cunningham explains the accreditation systems that ensure quality abroad, the role patient advocates play in navigating costs, and the one question every physician should ask before assuming a patient will follow through on a treatment plan. If you've ever wondered whether medical tourism is legitimate or just risky, this episode offers a grounded, practical perspective you need to hear.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Why your patient isn't filling that prescription (and won't tell you)

What happens when medical students witness dehumanization during clinical rotations but feel too powerless to speak up? Kathleen Muldoon, a certified coach and professor in medical education, joins the show to unpack why moral courage is a skill you can practice right now, not something to defer until you hold a title. Based on her KevinMD article "Moral courage in medical training: the power of the powerless [https://www.kevinmd.com/2025/03/moral-courage-in-medical-training-the-power-of-the-powerless.html]," this conversation reveals how the hidden curriculum in medical training quietly normalizes harm through small, unreported moments. You will hear practical strategies for reclaiming power in clinical hierarchies, from stating your own name to recentering a patient in grand rounds with a single clarifying question. Muldoon explains why kicking moral concerns down the line fuels burnout and erodes professional identity formation, and how attendings can foster psychological safety by modeling vulnerability. If you are a medical student, resident, or physician who has ever felt the gap between what health care should be and what it is, this episode will remind you that middle power is still power.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Silence isn't neutrality: Why medical students can't wait to find their voice

Is the new oral Wegovy pill a breakthrough or a risk most patients never hear about? Shiv K. Goel, an internal medicine and functional medicine physician, joins the show to unpack his KevinMD article, "Oral Wegovy: the miracle and the mess of the new GLP-1 pill [https://www.kevinmd.com/2025/05/oral-wegovy-the-miracle-and-the-mess-of-the-new-glp-1-pill.html]," and why treating this drug casually could hurt you. He breaks down emerging data linking high-dose semaglutide to ischemic optic neuropathy, with reporting odds nearly five times higher for Wegovy than Ozempic, and explains why the obesity population faces unique hemodynamic risks. You will learn why he never prescribes a GLP-1 without prescribing a plan, including slow titration, protein and resistance training to protect lean mass, hormone optimization, and red flag education. Goel also addresses the rebound weight gain most patients face after stopping, the dangers of buying compounded GLP-1 medications from medical spas, and why losing just 10 pounds may not warrant these drugs at all. If you are considering oral Wegovy or already on a GLP-1, this episode could change how you approach weight loss medication.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Oral Wegovy sounds easy, but the reality is more complicated

Clinical director at Franklin Park Family Dental in Dorchester and Tremont Family Dentistry in Boston, Charan Teja Bobba, discusses his article "Treating methamphetamine-associated dental disease in safety-net clinics [https://kevinmd.com/2026/03/treating-methamphetamine-associated-dental-disease-in-safety-net-clinics.html]." Charan reflects on the profound human reality behind treating patients with severe addiction, noting that a ruined smile often represents a lifetime of being let down by the health care system. He explains the physical devastation of meth mouth, where acidity, dry mouth, and teeth grinding create a perfect storm of enamel erosion and decay. The conversation emphasizes why safety-net practices are vital for restoring not just oral health, but a person's identity and self-esteem. By prioritizing patience and trust over rushed clinical work, dentists can help vulnerable populations feel human again. Discover how providing full dental care to those in recovery is a fundamental step toward restoring true medical equity and wholeness.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Safety-net dentistry restores human dignity for patients recovering from severe addiction

Physician wellness coach Jessica Singh discusses the article "Physician burnout: Finding peace in a broken health care system [https://kevinmd.com/2026/02/physician-burnout-finding-peace-in-a-broken-health-care-system.html]." Jessica shares a powerful narrative of a grueling swing shift in a rural emergency department, managing critical patients and a mounting waiting room with minimal resources. She describes the intense pressure of a life-saving intubation and the spiritual strength she drew upon during the crisis. The conversation shifts to the toxic interpersonal dynamics often found in medical culture, as Jessica recounts a difficult "changing of the guard" with a hostile administrator. This experience led to a profound reckoning with her professional identity and the realization that her value as a human being extends far beyond hospital walls. Discover how perspective, faith, and the simple act of a deep breath can help clinicians navigate the "trance of servitude" and find peace amidst systemic failure.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer

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Finding peace and reclaiming humanity within a broken health care system

Physician and tax specialist Logan Foltz discusses the article "Physician tax strategies: Why your tax bill is so high and how to fix it [https://kevinmd.com/2026/02/physician-tax-strategies-why-your-tax-bill-is-so-high-and-how-to-fix-it.html]." Logan explains why the Internal Revenue Code patterns are often unfavorable to physicians, who typically rely on clinical labor and face high marginal tax rates with limited control over income timing. He breaks down the structural reasons for sticker shock after residency, including heavy payroll taxes and the inability to deduct unreimbursed work related expenses as an employed physician. The conversation explores how understanding the tax code as a problem to be solved can empower clinicians to leverage self employment, business entity structures, and geographic considerations to improve their annual tax liability. Logan also discusses the importance of diversifying income beyond labor alone and navigating a complex U.S. health care system that leaves doctors with little bandwidth for financial planning. Learn how to stop feeling trapped by your tax bill and start engaging with the system more deliberately to secure your financial future.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer

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RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

Why physicians pay more in taxes and how to reclaim your income

Social media's leading physician voice, Kevin Pho, MD, shares the stories of the
many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. 15
minutes a day. 7 days a week. Welcome to The Podcast by KevinMD.