The Parallax Podcast
Join Ankur Kalra, MD as he shows you a different side to cardiovascular care, management and science in his fortnightly podcast series called Parallax.
Published every second Monday, listen to Ankur’s conversations with legendary cardiologists, critical reviews of key congresses and late-breaking trials, and concise summaries of the best literature in cardiology.
We want to make this podcast about you, and for you! Please email us critical thoughts, comments and questions for Ankur at podcast@radcliffe-group.com.
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Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest this week is Dr Garima Sharma, Director of CardioObstetrics and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University as well as an investigator of the “Global Prevalence and Impact of Hostility, Discrimination, and Harassment in the Cardiology Workplace”.
The American College of Cardiology surveyed cardiologists across the globe to have a more detailed understanding on the impact of hostility, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace. Of almost 6000 cardiologists who took part in the survey 44% reported hostile work environment.
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The American College of Cardiology surveyed cardiologists across the globe to have a more detailed understanding on the impact of hostility, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace. Of almost 6000 cardiologists who took part in the survey 44% reported hostile work environment.
"A failure to finish is a failure to start"
In this week's latest podcast episode, host, Ankur Kalra, MD, meets guest Prof Madhav Swaminathan (Duke University Health System, NC, US) to discuss how he has orchestrated a major humanitarian effort, in association with Duke University Health and The American Society of Echocardiography, to supply ventilation equipment and PPE to hospitals and NGOs during the current COVID-19 crisis in New Delhi, India.
Hear them discuss the challenges and learnings associated with the supply chain, inventory, logistics and cost to deliver this humanitarian effort; which most recently resulted in $140,000 of life-changing equipment being delivered to four key hospitals in New Delhi. A most inspirational episode.
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In this week's latest podcast episode, host, Ankur Kalra, MD, meets guest Prof Madhav Swaminathan (Duke University Health System, NC, US) to discuss how he has orchestrated a major humanitarian effort, in association with Duke University Health and The American Society of Echocardiography, to supply ventilation equipment and PPE to hospitals and NGOs during the current COVID-19 crisis in New Delhi, India.
Hear them discuss the challenges and learnings associated with the supply chain, inventory, logistics and cost to deliver this humanitarian effort; which most recently resulted in $140,000 of life-changing equipment being delivered to four key hospitals in New Delhi. A most inspirational episode.
Over the past two years, Parallax listeners have gotten to know Dr Ankur Kalra through his conversations with our guests. In this episode, we turned the tables and invited CardioNerds co-founder Dr Amit Goyal to reintroduce Dr Ankur Kalra interventional cardiologist, researcher, writer, and the host of this podcast.
In this candid and spiritual conversation Amit and Ankur take a journey through former episodes of Parallax and Ankur’s writings to explore what it takes to strive for a deeper knowledge of ourselves; or, as Ankur puts it, dharma, the inherent order of reality.
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In this candid and spiritual conversation Amit and Ankur take a journey through former episodes of Parallax and Ankur’s writings to explore what it takes to strive for a deeper knowledge of ourselves; or, as Ankur puts it, dharma, the inherent order of reality.
According to Dr Eric Adler, at the core of all impactful research is a powerful narrative that makes us reflect on the human condition. In 2006, when the ground-breaking discovery was made that specialized cells can be turned into stem cells, Dr Eric Adler was thinking about how he could create a synergy between his passion for clinical work and his determination to ask compelling questions in research.
Parallax’s guest this week is Dr Eric David Adler, Medical director of heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support at UC San Diego Health.
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Parallax’s guest this week is Dr Eric David Adler, Medical director of heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support at UC San Diego Health.
Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Alin Gragossian, a critical care fellow, heart transplant recipient and advocate. In this episode, Alin talks about her journey as a patient, the psychological aspects of her recovery and her advocacy work. Ankur asks Alin about the mindset behind her sense of purpose and her dedication to help raise awareness of organ donation and young heart failure patients.
How did Dr Gragossian receive her diagnosis? How does she feel about her new reality? What drives her? What is her message to our listeners?
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How did Dr Gragossian receive her diagnosis? How does she feel about her new reality? What drives her? What is her message to our listeners?
How can we use our power and privilege to serve? How did his experiences shape Dr Kelli to become an ambassador for his community? What is his message to our listeners?
Just after 9/11, Heval, the 18-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee found a job as a dishwasher. At this point, he was the sole provider of his family. The pressure that comes from being poor did not leave him for many years. Today, he is firm believer in giving back to underserved communities by spreading awareness within the medical community. As he says, well-meaning people of privilege are sometimes afraid to act. What we need is more people to bridge the gap and find ways to help each other.
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Just after 9/11, Heval, the 18-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee found a job as a dishwasher. At this point, he was the sole provider of his family. The pressure that comes from being poor did not leave him for many years. Today, he is firm believer in giving back to underserved communities by spreading awareness within the medical community. As he says, well-meaning people of privilege are sometimes afraid to act. What we need is more people to bridge the gap and find ways to help each other.
Dr Sodhi remembers the first time she stepped into a Cath lab and found her passion. Years later she was preparing to do a complex TAVR procedure with her colleagues when suddenly they all recognised the significance of four women coming together in the lab. The photo of the four of them was shared widely on social media. For Dr Sodhi it became a symbol of what great mentorship can achieve, and for many others it is a beacon of hope.
What drives Dr Nishtha Sodhi? What were the formative moments of Dr Sodhi’s career? What are the new frontiers of cardiology?
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What drives Dr Nishtha Sodhi? What were the formative moments of Dr Sodhi’s career? What are the new frontiers of cardiology?
In one of her many posts on Instagram, we can see Dr Hafiza Khan holding a table summarising her reactogenicity after her second COVID shot. In the frame next to her is her son listing his own reactions. In this episode, Ankur asks Hafiza to talk about Instagram and reaching millennial and gen Z audiences, as well as the importance of developing and maintaining trust between different communities at a time of information overload.
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Mallory was not prepared when she underwent her first heart surgery in seventh grade: She was hoping to regain her stamina, instead she experienced what she describes as a loss of self. Mallory was born with a rare heart disease called a Ebstein’s anomaly.
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How does Dr Mehra think about building opportunities? What were his formative experiences? How does he think about the role of mentorship in medicine? What is Dr Mehra’s message to our listeners?Dr Mehra does not frame his experiences as failures or successes; he looks at all events with one question in mind: What can I learn from this?
In this week’s episode Ankur’s guest is Dr Mandeep R Mehra, Medical Director of Brigham Heart and Vascular Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
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In this week’s episode Ankur’s guest is Dr Mandeep R Mehra, Medical Director of Brigham Heart and Vascular Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
In this unique episode Dr Kalra and Dr Cherwek discuss highly innovative solutions in ophthalmology that could be implemented in cardiovascular medicine.
They talk about AI assisted consultation, learning pathways incorporating simulators for early career practitioners and the Flying Eye Hospital. Dr Cherwek shares his experiences about working with local teams globally and the work that goes into setting up trials across the world.
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They talk about AI assisted consultation, learning pathways incorporating simulators for early career practitioners and the Flying Eye Hospital. Dr Cherwek shares his experiences about working with local teams globally and the work that goes into setting up trials across the world.
In a 1-minute video, wearing scrubs, Dr Siyab, Md voices his concerns over the decision to end mask mandate on certain US airlines. “The people that are so intensely against these mask mandates, they are not the ones who are taking buses or trains to get to work and get back home every day because they are part of the privileged class.” Dr Siyab’s mission is to be a voice of reason and appeal to those who are hesitant or against getting vaccines. His plight goes out to his 405.3K followers on TikTok every day.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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