The Leap Year Gene with Shelley Wood, Bestselling Author & Editor-in-Chief of TCTmd
EP 114: The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley with Shelley Wood, Bestselling Author & Editor-in-Chief of TCTMD

Average (ratings)
No ratings
 
  Your rating

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.


Read MoreRead Less
Also listen on
Share
Also listen on
Up Next
 EP 115: Navigating Cultures and Cardiology: Dr Janarthanan Sathananthan's Global Journey
EP115 • Jul 01, 2024 • 48m 15s
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.
Read More
All Episodes
Ep 82: Hospital Peer Review Process: What You Need to Know as a Physician
EP82 • Dec 19, 2022 • 55m 32s
In this week’s Parallax Dr Kalra’s guests are the team that fought for justice in Dr Kaki’s case: Dr Lawrence R. Huntoon, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and Deborah Gordon, employment attorney.
Read More
Ep 81: @Medlife Crisis and Authenticity with YouTuber & Interventionalist, Dr Rohin Francis
EP81 • Dec 05, 2022 • 44m 41s
Rohin believes that authenticity is one of the keys of his videos’ success. When asked about his journey to medicine he summarises: “I was being rebellious and ended up doing the most cliché job for an Indian possible.” He turns the table and asks Ankur what he think is behind the stereotype of the Indian cardiologist.
Rohin shares an advice that he received at the beginning of his career: “If you can deal with an average day, the exciting day will take care of itself.”
Ankur asks Rohin about Medlife Crisis and the work that goes into producing a show followed by 500K people. Rohin reiterates his passion for research and science communication. Ankur and Rohin discuss what it means to be yourself on social media and what is Rohin’s advice to our early-career listeners.
Read More
EP 80: AHA’s Scientific Sessions: Science, Innovation and Community With Dr Manesh Patel
EP80 • Nov 21, 2022 • 39m 43s
Year on year, the organisers of the Scientific Sessions aim to give platform to cardiovascular science at its best: innovative, impactful, and collaborative.
In this information-packed episode, Dr Patel takes us behind the scenes and talks about the work that goes into the curation of the programme and the considerations that shape the event. Dr Kalra asks Dr Patel about his highlights over the years and the movement and changes that he observed as vice chair and chair of the event. Dr Patel elaborates on the key late-breaking science trials in 2022. Dr Kalra and Dr Patel discuss the grading system of the award applications and share some useful information with our listeners.
Read More
Guest Episode: Exploring Art & Advancement Within Medicine
EP79 • Oct 31, 2022 • 33m
This week's Parallax is hosting a guest episode recorded for Internal Medicine & Beyond. Tune in to this new podcast from Dr Varun Aitharaju.

Exploring Art & Advancement Within Medicine - A Conversation with an Interventional Cardiologist.
Read More
EP 78: Your Guide to Lipoprotein(a) with Dr. Salim S Virani
EP78 • Oct 10, 2022 • 46m 28s
This week’s Parallax episode is focusing on the latest science and questions surrounding one of the conundrums of cardiovascular science: Lipoprotein(a).
Dr. Ankur Kalra invites Dr Salim S Virani to help simplify the concept of Lp(a) with answering key questions about its measurement and its place in practice and prevention.
Read More
ESC 22 in Review With Dr P Parwani: 5 Trials That Will Change Your Practice
EP77 • Sep 26, 2022 • 1h 7m 31s
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.
Read More
EP 76: Mission, Pakistan & Facing Heart Disease in an Underserved Community
EP76 • Sep 05, 2022 • 45m 52s
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.
Read More
EP 75: Leadership, Innovation & Professional Home with Dr Dipti Itchhaporia, ACC Immediate-Past President
EP75 • Aug 15, 2022 • 46m 20s
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.
Read More
EP 74: Modern Medicine & Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita with Dr Kavitha Chinnaiyan
EP74 • Jul 18, 2022 • 47m 59s
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.
Read More
EP 73: Passion, Faith & Entrepreneurship with Prof Carolyn Lam, Clinician Scientist
EP73 • Jul 04, 2022 • 47m 56s
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.
Read More
EP 67: Guidelines, Inequality and Moving the Needle with Dr Devesh Rai and Dr Martha Gulati
EP67 • Apr 11, 2022 • 46m 9s
Why are we talking about inclusion, diversity, and equity? Recent years have seen many studies on the inequalities in representation of women in cardiology and yet the needle has not been moved as much as we hoped for. What does the data on the authorship of the guidelines tell us and what can be done to balance the scale?
Dr Ankur Kalra’s guests this week are Dr Martha Gulati, internationally recognized cardiologist specializing in Women and Heart Disease, Heart Disease Prevention and Dr Devesh Rai, first year cardiology fellow at Rochester General Hospital.
Read More
EP 66: Goal Setting, Tenure Track & Positive Mindset with Dr Nadia Sutton
EP66 • Mar 28, 2022 • 49m 53s
In this engaging and constructive episode, Nadia recalls her journey to medicine and reflects on the life decisions she had to make along the way: What is the career path that will get us closer to our mission? When is the right time to start family planning? How can we develop resilience in face of rejection? Nadia recalls the conversations with her colleagues and mentors as she progressed in her career. She talks about the practical aspects of tenure track and grant application. Ankur and Nadia discuss the importance of goal setting and exercising a positive mindset.
Read More
EP 65: Industry Pathway ,“Who” Luck, and Thinking Big with Dr Shon Chakrabarti
EP65 • Mar 14, 2022 • 41m 44s
In this rich and candid episode, Dr Chakrabarti recalls the early stages of his career and the non-linear route that led to his transition from an interventional cardiologist to working on devices that focus on improving the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This journey was paved by self-reflection, hunger for tangible results, and connections with mentors who dared to dream big and wished the same for their mentees.
Read More
EP 64: Patient Advocate, CHD Care and the Mission of Team Uncle Joe with Joe Valente
EP64 • Feb 28, 2022 • 30m 41s
Parallax host Dr Ankur Kalra invites Joe Valente, a Board-Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) and Co-Founder of Team Uncle Joe, to talk about his mission and practical considerations involving CHD care both from a patient and a healthcare provider perspective. In this informative and practical episode, Joe shares details about the process of getting certified as a BCPA and about the work that goes into setting up a non-profit organization. We learn more about how he and his team can support patients with CHD and what he considers to be the pillar of good patient-doctor communication.
Read More
EP 63: Innovation, Research, and the Concept of Hemorrhagic MI with Dr Rohan Dharmakumar
EP63 • Feb 14, 2022 • 41m 7s
In this week’s Parallax podcast, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Rohan Dharmakumar, Executive Director of the Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center at IU School of Medicine, to talk about his research on hemorrhagic myocardial infarction (MI).
Read More