Game Changers in Medicine

This episode marks the end of season one of Game Changers in Medicine, and we felt there was no better way to wrap up the show than interviewing a modern-day game changer. In this episode, you’ll hear directly from Dr. David Albert, inventor of AliveCor’s KardiaMobile, the personal EKG. Small enough to fit in a pocket, this game-changing medical device pairs with any smartphone to capture a medical-grade EKG in 30 seconds. Now, patients can monitor their heart health as often as necessary and directly transmit the results to their doctor. This device is just the beginning of medical technologies that increasingly give patients power over their own healthcare. Hear Game Changers in Medicine host and medical futurist Dr. Rubin Pillay and Dr. Albert discuss the twists and turns of the development of KardiaMobile, and hear Dr. Albert’s predictions about where we’re likely to see game-changing medical technologies of the future. Show Notes Watch the single-take, unscripted video that started it all - LINK Support the Show.

Last month's episode focused on the incredible twists and turns that resulted in Dr. Frederick Banting’s discovery of insulin in the early 1920s. Today, we’ll hear more from our expert panelists. Dr. Jay Skyler of the Diabetes Research Institute shares anecdotes from the early days of his medical career running a summer camp for children with diabetes and updates us on the search for a cure for diabetes. Toby Smithson, a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist, shares more of her deeply personal story of living with Type 1 diabetes from the age of eight. We’ll also hear from Dr. H. Franklin Bunn. He is the co-discoverer of the hemoglobin A1C measurement—a breakthrough that was instrumental in developing the test now routinely used to diagnose diabetes, prediabetes, and to monitor blood sugar. We hope you enjoy this episode. Support the Show.

Currently, more than 460 million people have some form diabetes. However, what was once a life-threatening disease is now a manageable condition thanks to the discovery of insulin. In today’s episode you’ll meet the young Canadian surgeon, Dr. Frederick Banting, and learn how the three sentences he scribbled in the middle of the night changed the course of medical history: “Diabetes. Ligate pancreatic ducts of dog. Keep dogs alive till acini degenerate leaving islets. Try to isolate the internal secretion of these and relieve glycosuria.” What do these words mean, exactly, and how was it that Banting and his unlikely team of collaborators managed not only to discover life-saving insulin, but to do it in record time? Listen to find out. Support the Show.

Photographs. Sometimes they capture a moment. Sometimes they tell a story. And sometimes, a photograph can change the world. This month, join us as we revisit the discovery of the x-ray and how it would change patient care forever. How do x-rays work? And how did the world react when we could finally see inside our bodies? Listen to find out. Shownotes: Thank you to Kathy Joseph of the YouTube series, Kathy Loves Physics and History. Watch her show now. LINK For graphics associated with this episode please visit www.gamechangersinmedicine.com. Support the Show.

In the 1930s, an unknown disease was killing cattle across the Midwest. One Wisconsin farmer traveled 200 miles through a blizzard to the University of Wisconsin, desperate to find a solution. To emphasize the dire nature of the situation, that farmer brought the evidence with him, loading up his truck with bales of spoiled hay, a milk can of uncoagulated blood, and a dead cow. Quite by chance, he crossed paths with a sympathetic scientist and medical history was made. Learn how that chance meeting set off a series of medical discoveries that resulted in a one-time rat poison saving President Eisenhower’s life and becoming one of the world’s most widely prescribed drugs. This is the story of warfarin. Warning: This episode contains the description of an attempted suicide and may not be suitable for all audiences. If you or someone you know needs help call 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionhotline.com. Support the Show.

In our recent episode on the discovery of the smallpox vaccine, we were fortunate to hear from several noted doctors and virologists. They shared their expertise on how vaccines work and offered predictions for when we might have a vaccine for COVID-19. They were very generous with their time. So generous, in fact, that we couldn’t contain all of their big ideas in that one episode. Thus is born this bonus episode. It is a privilege to share more of their expert commentary on the coronavirus and the search for a COVID-19 vaccine. Support the Show.

You may have heard the story of Edward Jenner, the milkmaids, and the discovery of the smallpox vaccine. But is that story really true? In today’s episode, Dr. Pillay pulls back the curtain to reveal some little-known serendipity behind the discovery of the world’s first vaccine. As scientists strive to find a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, does that long-ago medical breakthrough have lessons to teach us even today? Listen to find out. This week’s esteemed guests include Dr. Arthur Boylston, Dr. Paul Goepfert, Dr. Alice Phillips, Dr. Michael Saag, and Dr. Paula Traktman. Shownotes: To access the Smallpox Eradication Oral History Project at Emory University, click here. To listen to Mary Guinan’s full oral history click here. Support the Show.

Babies were dying of a strange bleeding disorder and doctors couldn’t figure out why. In our premiere episode, “Vitamin K: This vitamin you’ve never heard of may have saved your life,” we learn how Henrik Dam, a biochemist studying cholesterol in baby chicks, unexpectedly stumbles upon the answer. It turns out that vitamin K is key to blood clotting, and lack of it can cause uncontrolled bleeding—in chicks and humans alike. This discovery occurs in Denmark, but it doesn’t take long for Boston hematologist William C. Moloney to put this key finding to good use—traveling all around New England in his rickety blue Dodge testing preoperative patients for this key deficiency. To access this week's transcripts click here. Shownotes: Listen to Dr. Moloney's full oral history, courtesy the of Oral History Archives at Columbia University - LINK Read the transcripts of Dr. Moloney's oral history - LINK Support the Show.

Game Changers in Medicine is a groundbreaking medical history podcast about the serendipitous events, chance encounters, and unlikely heroes and heroines behind some of the world’s most significant medical discoveries. Through oral histories, memoirs, and other first-person accounts, we get to know the scientists whose curiosity, innovation, and dogged determination contributed to game-changing medical discoveries that almost didn’t happen—and which continue to define patient care today. Game Changers in Medicine is hosted by Rubin Pillay, MD, PhD. Sean Moloney serves as the executive producer. Rolando Nieves is the show runner. Subscribe now and don't miss our first episode on July 8, 2020. Support the Show.