The Podcast by KevinMD

Kevin Pho, MD
  • 4.8 (247)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED DAILY

Social media's leading physician voice, Kevin Pho, MD, shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. 15 minutes a day. 7 days a week. Welcome to The Podcast by KevinMD.

  1. 16H AGO

    One silly mistake can sabotage your medical career before it starts

    What if the biggest threat to your success in medical training has nothing to do with how much you study? Vance Lehman, professor of neuroradiology and chief of neuroradiology education at the Mayo Clinic, spent over two years researching why capable trainees stumble despite strong clinical knowledge. In this episode, based on his KevinMD article "The hidden curriculum: What medical school does not teach you," he explains how unspoken expectations, invisible social dynamics, and stealth influences shape evaluations and career trajectories far more than most trainees realize. You will learn why making a strong first impression on a new rotation triggers a powerful psychological feedback loop, how generational biases from attendings quietly distort trainee evaluations, and why years of excelling at test scores can actually leave you blind to the skills that matter most in clinical settings. Lehman also shares practical steps any medical student or resident can take tomorrow to stop leaving their reputation to chance. If you are in medical training or teach those who are, this episode reveals the forces you feel every day but have never had a name for. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    22 min

  2. 1D AGO

    You can't stent a capillary: Why aging starts in your smallest blood vessels

    What if the real driver of aging isn't your mitochondria or your telomeres but the tiny capillaries you never think about? Double board-certified emergency and internal medicine physician Kenneth Ro returns to the show to make a compelling case that microvascular decline is the overlooked upstream force behind nearly every disease of aging. In this episode, based on his KevinMD article "How the microvasculature drives the human aging process," he explains why your body shuts down capillaries you stop using through a process called capillary rarefaction, and how that quietly starves tissues of oxygen long before symptoms appear. You will hear how microvascular disease connects diabetic complications, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and even sepsis under one unifying framework. He also shares why exercise works at a level deeper than most clinicians discuss, what GLP-1 agonists may be doing to your pericytes, and why VO2 max and heart rate variability are your best windows into microvascular health. This episode will change how you think about what it truly means to age well. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    19 min

  3. 2D AGO

    Bolus or drip? What the DOSE trial actually showed about heart failure

    What if one of the most common escalation strategies for acute heart failure doesn't actually improve outcomes? Internal medicine physicians Benjamin P. Geisler, Jeffrey L. Greenwald, and Kathy May Tran, editors of 50 Studies Every Hospitalist Should Know, join the show to break down what the DOSE trial really tells us about managing diuretics on the wards. Based on their KevinMD article "Managing acute heart failure: evidence from the DOSE trial," they explain why continuous furosemide infusions showed no clinical advantage over intermittent boluses for decongestion, and what that means for your daily practice. You will hear how headline-driven medicine can mislead clinicians, why knowing who was excluded from a trial matters as much as the results, and how evidence-based medicine teaching is evolving in the age of AI. Whether you are a hospitalist, a trainee on the wards, or a primary care physician managing heart failure transitions, this episode will sharpen how you read and apply the studies that shape patient care. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    22 min

  4. 5D AGO

    No nurse is better than a bad nurse in your child's home

    What happens when the nurses sent to care for your medically fragile child have never even touched the equipment keeping him alive? Patient advocate Ashley Youngdale knows firsthand. As the mother of a son with Mobius syndrome who required a trach and ventilator, she became his primary nurse, trainer, and care coordinator when the pediatric home health care system fell short. In this episode, based on her KevinMD article "Pediatric home health care oversight: Why accountability is failing," Ashley reveals how the nursing shortage does more than leave shifts unfilled. It erodes the very accountability structures meant to protect vulnerable patients. You will hear why credentials do not guarantee competence, how blurred boundaries with home care nurses can put families at risk, and why parents must learn to enforce their own standards when oversight systems fail. If you care for a medically complex child or work in home health nursing, this conversation will change how you think about who is truly responsible for patient safety. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    25 min

  5. 6D AGO

    Your doctor saved your life but won't return your call

    What happens when a physician who spent decades treating patients suddenly finds himself on the other side of the exam table, unable to get a simple answer about his own aneurysm? Jeffrey Junig, a psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist, shares how a life-saving surgery and a casually dropped diagnosis exposed the growing disconnect between clinical excellence and patient experience. Based on his KevinMD article, "Why quality of life in health care is often overlooked," this conversation digs into what gets lost in 15-minute visits, why patients turn to the internet when doctors won't engage, and how even a physician with full access to medical literature struggled to advocate for his own care. You'll hear practical advice for patients who feel rushed or dismissed, honest reflection on polypharmacy and the limits of app-based communication, and a powerful case for why the doctor-patient relationship remains the most undervalued tool in medicine. If you've ever left a clinic feeling unheard, this episode will remind you that your questions deserve real answers. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    16 min

  6. MAY 6

    Patients don't need certainty, they need your reasoning out loud

    What if the biggest driver of unnecessary ER visits, malpractice claims, and patient anxiety isn't a missed diagnosis but a missed sentence? Alan P. Feren, a retired surgeon, independent physician, health care consultant, and patient advocate, returns to the show to break down why clinical reasoning that stays inside a doctor's head fails everyone involved. Based on his KevinMD article, "Clinical communication skills: the power of structured language," this conversation introduces his five disciplines of language, a practical framework that helps physicians translate their thinking into words patients can actually use. You'll learn why vague instructions like "return if symptoms worsen" leave patients guessing, how 30 to 40 percent of malpractice suits trace back to communication failures, and why naming what has been ruled out can matter just as much as naming the diagnosis. Feren also addresses treatment burden, the overlooked question of whether a patient can realistically follow the plan you just prescribed. None of this requires extra time or systemic overhaul, just a shift in how you structure what you already say. If you want one framework that improves patient satisfaction, reduces downstream costs, and restores meaning to the clinical encounter, press play. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    16 min

  7. MAY 5

    Your waiting room does what social media cannot

    What happens when patients from opposite ends of the political spectrum sit together in your waiting room and start talking like neighbors? Psychiatrist Farid Sabet-Sharghi explores why the medical office remains one of the last spaces where shared humanity overrides division. Based on his KevinMD article, "Physician neutrality: a beacon of ethics in a divided world", this conversation moves from the exam rooms of a polarized America to the prisons of Iran, where physicians and nurses risked torture and death to treat wounded protesters. Sabet-Sharghi shares the story of his father, a pediatrician arrested for his Bahai faith, who opened a clinic inside the very prison that held him. He draws a line from that radical moral courage to the quieter tests physicians face every day: speaking up when colleagues are mistreated, pushing back when systems reduce healers to "providers" and "prescribers," and refusing to let financial stratification erode the dignity of primary care. You'll hear why he now prefers "unbending moral integrity" over neutrality, how physician burnout connects to a lost sense of calling, and what younger doctors need to hear about why their work still matters. This is a conversation that will remind you why you entered medicine in the first place. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    22 min

  8. MAY 4

    I ate plain rice and chicken for six months because no one explained celiac

    What happens when a Division I athlete loses 40 pounds, can barely form sentences during practice, and keeps hearing from doctors that it might just be anxiety? Kamiah Gibson, a D1 women's volleyball player at Ohio State and psychology graduate student, shares how she had to diagnose herself after finding celiac disease information on TikTok, only to be told over the phone to "just eat gluten-free" days before a three-week road trip. Based on her KevinMD article, "Managing celiac disease: Overcoming the hidden social burden," this conversation reveals the gap between a celiac diagnosis and actually knowing how to live with one. Gibson describes training eight hours a day on a body that could not absorb nutrients, the isolation of being afraid to eat anywhere, and how a consumer gluten detection sensor gave her the confidence to travel and share meals with friends again. You'll hear why cross-contamination is the hidden danger that most newly diagnosed patients are never warned about, how the emotional toll of chronic illness redirected her career from pre-med to mental health therapy, and what advice she offers young adults navigating a diagnosis that reshapes every social interaction around food. If you or someone you know lives with celiac disease, this is the episode to share. Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol. VISIT SPONSOR → https://kevinmd.com/cholesterol Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

    17 min
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4.8
out of 5
247 Ratings

About

Social media's leading physician voice, Kevin Pho, MD, shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. 15 minutes a day. 7 days a week. Welcome to The Podcast by KevinMD.

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    All Content © KevinMD, LLC
  • Show Website
    The Podcast by KevinMD

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