EP 114: The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley with Shelley Wood, Bestselling Author & Editor-in-Chief of TCTMD
In this week’s Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes back Shelley Wood, best known for her work in the cardiology community as the editor-in-chief of TCTMD and Editorial Director of CRF. They discuss her work as a creative author and her second novel, The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley, set to be published by Harper Collins in Canada and Union Square Press in the US in August 2024.
Blending the intrigue of a medical thriller with a sweeping overview of the twentieth century, The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley tells the story of Kit McKinley, whose rare genetic condition causes her to age one year for every four. In this rich discussion, Ms Wood shares how her extensive experience as a medical writer and editor shaped her approach to crafting the novel. Dr Kalra and Ms Wood also explore one of the book’s central themes: eugenics, tracing its historical roots and examining its long shadow on medicine. Ms Wood, who balances a demanding full-time job with her creative writing, shares candid insights into her routine and the challenges of writing and publishing fiction.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about creativity, the human condition and balancing responsibilities.
To pre-order Shelley Wood new novel search for The Leap Year Gene/ The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley in your favourite independent bookshop or here.
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In this compelling episode of the Parallax Podcast, host Dr Ankur Kalra sits down with Dr Janarthanan Sathananthan, an interventional and structural cardiologist and the Chief Medical Officer of Interventional Cardiology at Boston Scientific. Dr Sathananthan recounts his life's journey, from being born in Sri Lanka during the civil war, and moving to Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Canada, and finally North America. He shares how his diverse upbringing profoundly shaped his career in cardiology.
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In this inspiring conversation, Dr Anavekar and Dr Kalra discuss the education of postgraduate medical students and reflect on Dr Anavekar’s role as a Program Director. Dr Anavekar shares his motivations and the moral framework he uses to approach his responsibility towards his students.
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In this stimulating and thought-provoking episode, Dr. Kalra and Dr. Anavekar delve into the topic of measuring success in medicine. Dr. Anavekar puts forward the argument that the ambiguous definition of academic achievement often results in damaging biases that have long-term repercussions on the medical field. As a program director, Dr. Anavekar believes that the number of published articles should not be the only or most crucial criterion for evaluating early-career faculty. He argues that it's important to also consider the "distance travelled" by candidates. Dr. Kalra raises pertinent questions about the practical implications of this approach, and Dr. Anavekar provides candid insights into his responsibilities.
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Dr Mahmoudi and Dr Täuber teamed up to explore bullying in academic settings. Together with Dr Kalra they discuss why bullies thrive in such environments and the ways institutions enable such behaviour. Dr Täuber offers solutions and a critical overview of institutional narratives, while Dr Mahmoudi highlights the long-term effects on academic work and medicine. They call for action against toxic behaviour and for stakeholders to eliminate incentives for universities to support perpetrators.
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In 2018, the loss of a friend to suicide compelled Dr Anavekar to embark on a profound journey of contemplative self-exploration. Now, he uses his experience to encourage and guide trainees to pose thought-provoking questions that challenge the status quo of the materialistic approach to medicine, ultimately leading to a more outcome-focused perspective.
What is the Global Cardiology University project? How does Dr Anavekar encourage trainees to re-examine their role in patient care? What is his advice to our listeners?
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What is the Global Cardiology University project? How does Dr Anavekar encourage trainees to re-examine their role in patient care? What is his advice to our listeners?
In the latest episode of Parallax, Dr. Ankur Kalra invites Dr Vijay Rao, the Governor of the Indiana Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, to share his experience and insights with the audience.
As Dr Kalra asks Dr Rao about the ways in which early career faculty members can get involved with the organization at a state level. Dr Rao shares his insider tips and highlights key events where individuals can further their participation.
How can you get involved with your local ACC chapter? How can you improve your leadership skills? What is Dr Rao’s advice for our listeners?
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As Dr Kalra asks Dr Rao about the ways in which early career faculty members can get involved with the organization at a state level. Dr Rao shares his insider tips and highlights key events where individuals can further their participation.
How can you get involved with your local ACC chapter? How can you improve your leadership skills? What is Dr Rao’s advice for our listeners?
Dr Vuyisich shares his personal journey with rheumatoid arthritis and how it led him to explore the intersection of nutrition and the gut microbiome function.
He explains how the complexity of nutrition and the compounds generated by the gut microbiome can impact our health. We learn more about three compounds produced by our gut microbiome that have a strong connection with heart disease.
Through this conversation, Dr Vuyisich invites us to reframe our approach to nutrition and prevention as a question of food education and data-driven science.
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He explains how the complexity of nutrition and the compounds generated by the gut microbiome can impact our health. We learn more about three compounds produced by our gut microbiome that have a strong connection with heart disease.
Through this conversation, Dr Vuyisich invites us to reframe our approach to nutrition and prevention as a question of food education and data-driven science.
In this week’s Parallax Dr Kalra welcomes back Dr Nijjer for their annual review of the most impactful and controversial cardiovascular trials of 2022.
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Neurocardiology refers to the intersection between the fields of neurology and cardiology. The mind and heart are deeply interconnected in terms of anatomy, physiology, and various pathologic states.
This episode features a vascular neurologist and an interventional cardiologist who will discuss the relationship between their two fields of medicine.
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This episode features a vascular neurologist and an interventional cardiologist who will discuss the relationship between their two fields of medicine.
Coming from generations of doctors, Dr Kittleson describes herself first and foremost a dedicated clinician. With her new book, Dr Kittleson offers her mentorship and shares her advice on how to make patient care fulfilling for both clinicians and patients.
In this rich and insightful discussion, Dr Kittleson talks about the origins of famous #kittlesonrules, a collection of tips for doctors shared on Twitter, and her thoughts on mentorship. We learn more about Mastering the Art of Patient Care. Dr Kalra and Dr Kittleson discuss strategies for managing difficult situations in patient care.
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In this rich and insightful discussion, Dr Kittleson talks about the origins of famous #kittlesonrules, a collection of tips for doctors shared on Twitter, and her thoughts on mentorship. We learn more about Mastering the Art of Patient Care. Dr Kalra and Dr Kittleson discuss strategies for managing difficult situations in patient care.
Dr Lawrence Huntoon, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, returns for a deep dive into the topic of the hospital peer review system.
What do you need to know about hospital investigations? What is the difference between OPPE and FPPE? How can you get educated on hospital bylaws and processes?
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Back by popular demand, Dr Ankur Kalra's guest is Dr Purvi Parwani, Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Disease Clinic and Assistant Professor at Loma Linda University Medical Center, US. In this ESC 2022 edition of Parallax, Ankur asks Purvi to review her highlights of the congress. Purvi details the study design and key findings of each trial and provides her insights after attending the event in Barcelona. Ankur and Purvi discuss how each trial will inform their practice.
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In this inspiring episode, Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Sohail Khan, Chief Operating Officer at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Karāchi.
Dr Khan talks about education in the US and his decision to move back to Pakistan. Ankur asks Sohail about his new professional home: NICVD, a free clinic providing primary heartcare for Pakistanis. They discuss some of the innovations Dr Khan works on to improve patient care that utilise simple but effective interventions. We learn more about free screening clinics and about Dr Khan’s work on the largest ever study in Pakistan on association of Lpa and CV disease in South Asians.
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Dr Khan talks about education in the US and his decision to move back to Pakistan. Ankur asks Sohail about his new professional home: NICVD, a free clinic providing primary heartcare for Pakistanis. They discuss some of the innovations Dr Khan works on to improve patient care that utilise simple but effective interventions. We learn more about free screening clinics and about Dr Khan’s work on the largest ever study in Pakistan on association of Lpa and CV disease in South Asians.
In this personal interview, Dr Itchhaporia recalls her early years and the influences and decisions that led her to medicine and cardiology. She talks about her connection to ACC and the importance of choosing a professional home where one can find their purpose under the mentorship of their community. Ankur asks Dr Itchhaporia about the most memorable moments of her presidency. They talk about South Asian identity and curbing CVD in this population.
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This nurturing episode focuses on questions that touch on what it is that we seek as human beings and how can we cultivate awareness and authenticity while practicing modern medicine. Ankur asks Kavitha about what it means to be spiritual as a cardiologist. Kavitha talks about the experiences made possible by mindfulness. They discuss the difference between conditioning and growth. Kavitha talks about burn out and how we could make changes by embracing medicine not only as a measurable science but as an art.
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In this refreshing and spiritual episode Carolyn reflects on her journey and the decisions and mentors that shaped her career as a heart failure specialist, trialist and as a public speaker. Ankur and Carolyn dive into the question whether being balanced is what we should be all aiming for. Ankur asks Carolyn about her work as a co-founder of Us2.ai, a start-up dedicated to the automation of the fight against heart disease by applying AI to echocardiography.
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