Guest Speakers
Meet the guests of our podcast!
Advice from experienced medical professionals.
Neurology
Dr. Prasuna Velur MD
Hospitalist Physician, TX
"Staying consistent is crucial. The medical field is a long path and getting into medicine as a physician takes several years. Being consistent and working day in and out is the secret of success."
Rheumatology
Dr. Subramanian Nallasivan
MD, MRCP, CCT
Private Practice & Medical College Consultant , India
"Enjoy your journey. Medicine is one of the few fields where you meet all kinds of people. You see people getting worse and sicker, but also people getting better and healthier. It is a job where you get rewarded the most."
Transplant Surgey
Dr. Joel T. Adler, MD, MPH
Assistant professor,
Department of Perioperative Care, Transplant Surgery, UT Austin
"We need you. Its so important for someone looking to medicine to think of themself broadly and to bring their whole person to the field. I think its important for someone to be broadly trained and to have broad experiences and to bring all of that into their practicing.
Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Adil Ahmed, MD, BS
Assistant Professor,
Orthopedic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Tx
"If you have an interest in medicine you really should appraise and have an honest introspection with yourself about why you're interested in medicine."
You can learn more about his journey through medicine and tips at Dr. Ahmed's website;
https://www.medschooldeclassified.com/ (MedSchool Declassified)
Pediatric Epileptology
Dr. Dave Clarke, MD
Professor, Department of
Program Director,
Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship,
Dell Medical School, TX
1) If you are going into Pediatric Epilepsy rather than Adult Epilepsy, you have to have relatively quick effectiveness and the trust of children.
2) When we see a problem or a diagnosis, quite often we can do something about it.
3) If you have an analogous mind, pediatric epilepsy is the way to go.
Emergency Medicine
Dr. Brian Clyne, MD, MHL
Vice Chair of Education
Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI
"I think if someone has even the vaguest inkling in a career in medicine then they can start to build a strong foundation in math and science. There's a well-worn path to success in the academic realm and it starts with a strong foundation."
Plastic & Face Transplant Surgery
Dr. Samir Mardini, MD
Chair of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota
Founder and Director
Face Transplant Program
Director of the Craniofacial Clinic
"Remember that you are in this field to help other people. If you are passionate about helping people and that is your main goal, then you are gonna do whatever you can to achieve that."
Buy "Face In the Mirror" here
Abdominal Transplant Surgery
Dr. Marc L. Melcher, MD
Chief of the Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery
Stanford University
"Make sure its what you want to do, be willing to rally investigate and look for opportunities to shadow doctor. Keep your mind open to all possible opportunities. Medicine is so broad and has so many different aspects."
Radiology
Dr. Pulak Goswami PhD, MD
UPENN Resident, PA
"The best tip I can give is finding your mission statement. Its important to have a vision of who you want to be and what you want to accomplish though your medical journey."
Neuro-Oncology
Dr. Vinay K. Puduvalli MD
Professor and Chair - MD Anderson
Department of Neuro-Oncology
Houston, TX
"We are in the cusp of transformation as AI, nano, and quantum computing enter the field. People in younger generations should be thoroughly excited and invested to experience the changes from here on forth. What we are doing now will soon be unrecognizable in the future."
Ophthalmology
Dr. Carlos A. Gonzales, MD
Ophthalmologist (Retired),
Houston, TX.
"It really is desire. Its a long road looking at it from your point of view. You have to enjoy the process and be committed to learning everything. You have to know yourself throughout it.
Colorectal Surgery
Dr. Steven Schechter, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Clinical Professor of Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI
"Life is a journey, you have to follow your passion. You must be in charge of the direction you go in. Sure, when you look at the road its long, but as famous people have said, 'Its not the destination, its about the journey'.
Oncology
Dr. Rick Bold, MD, MBA
Consultant, Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery,
Department of Surgery
Deputy Director-Arizona, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
"Your path, your journey, is yours. The path that seems typical, that straight path probably doesn't lead to the best doctor. Don't think too far about the ultimate goal. Enjoy the journey because the journey will create robustness and complexity in you as a person."
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Julia Cron, MD, FACOG
Obstetrician and Gynecologist
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University
"Go for it, if this is what you want to do, you should do it. I think getting exposure to as many people as you can is great. You will meet people with differing opinions, but you don't have to listen to all of them."
Infectious Disease
Dr. Daniel Minter
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases Specialist at the UCSF School of Medicine
"Whatever preconceived notion of what kind of doctor you want to be will 100% change when you get there. You meet so many different people and experiences, so I think keeping an open mind is just so important.
Psychiatry
Dr. Karthi Namasivyam MD
Private Practice Psychiatrist, TN
"Joining the medical field requires absolute commitment. You must be committed to working hard. But, if you have an inquisitive mind and love learning, the medical field is for you."
Urology
Dr. Avudaiappan Ponnambalavanan MS, MCh, Director & Medical College Professor, India
"Start reading from day 1. It's important to keep reading throughout your entire career. It helps you learn new things, stay updated with the latest medical advancements, and improve your skills. As a doctor, learning is key to providing the best care for your patients."
Neurosurgery
Dr. Akash J. Patel, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine,
Houston, TX.
"Know what you're getting into. Do it if you love it. If you love it, it doesn't feel like work"
Anesthesiology
Dr. Sona S. Arora, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Emory University School of Medicine
Associate Program Director for the residency program at Grady Memorial Hospital, GA
"A lot of hospitals have shadowing programs; you should find one near you with a physician that is willing to sponsor you. And things I would really look out for is; do you really like the work that they are doing? Are the people working in this specialty similar to you?
Emergency Medicine
Dr. Alexander Sheng, MD
Program Director
Emergency Medicine Residency,
Associate Professor
Emergency Medicine, The Warren Alpert School of Brown University, RI
"I think it's important to do an exploratory rotation early to get into emergency medicine. Many programs do not require emergency medicine rotations, but I believe that it is really important, since many departments interact with EM."
Dermatology, Immunology, Neurology
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Dr. Brian S. Kim, MD, MTR, FAAD
Vice Chair of Research and Site Chair, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Director Of the Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation
Lead of the Allen Discovery Center for Neuroimmune Interactions
"When you are young, just focus on learning as much as you can, learning in a fashion, or in a manner that you like. Don't do things for other people. The more you lean into something that excited you, thats the juice."
Liver Transplant
Surgery
Dr. Hiroshi Sogawa
"Getting into medical school is indeed a challenging journey, but I encourage everyone to cultivate curiosity and maintain an open mind along the way Medicine encompasses more than just scientific knowledge; it's driven by a genuine curiosity that fuels scientific."
Surgical Director
Yale's School of Medicine Liver Transplant Program
Family Medicine
Dr. Siva Ambalam DO, MPH
Primary care physician, VA
"You need to come into the field with the right motivation. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to care for patients and let their healthcare outcomes be the reason that you gravitate towards medicine."
Bariatric Surgery
Dr. Venkat Kanthimathinathan,MD
Bariatric surgery and weight loss specialist, FL.
"Medicine is a very noble profession. This is one situation where you truly change someone's life. You help someone's pain and you have to feel their emotions to see that. This profession definitely needs a lot of compassion, dedication, and passion."
Allergy
Dr. Ekta Perera, MD
Assistant Professor,
Allergy & Immunology,
McGovern Medical School, Houston Tx
"Stay curious; Ask your patients questions, look into literature, research things when you see something unique or new. Every patient is different and not every person will follow the textbook presentation of a case."
Cardiology
Dr. Linda R. Peterson, MD
Professor of Medicine and Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine
Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Barnes‑Jewish Hospital, MI
"Persistence wins. If you are in academics, you will get many rejections, but in the end persistence wins. Get more help, improve your grants, keep going, keep thinking outside the box of how you can keep your career growing. Just do it."
Urogynecology
Dr. Tirsit S. Asfaw, MD, FACOG
Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Clinical Urology,
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University
"Its a very long road and not an easy one. It's okay, it will end, everything will end. If you want to work a job where you leave a lasting impact, medicine is for you. And there's tons of jobs in medicine that you can do. "
Gynecologic Oncology
Dr. Melissa Frey, MD
"Medicine is a fantastic career, if you love it go for it. Its a lot of work, but it is absolutly worth it. It is also great to find a good mentor, but you can also be a good mentee. The better mentee you are, the better mentors you will get."
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Director of the Genetics and Personalized Cancer Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Cardiothoracic Oncology
Dr. Douglas Liou, MD
Clinical Associate Professor Cardiothoracic Surgery
Stanford University School of Medicine
"You got to make sure you like it. Something about the medical or biological sciences has to excite you. Medicine is definitely one of the hardest areas to get into, it has such a rigorous journey, so make sure its what you want to do."
