The Present Illness

Alyssa Burgart & Arghavan Salles
  • 5.0 (25)
  • Medicine

Society’s running a fever, and two sharp-witted physicians are on the case. Surgeon-scientist Arghavan Salles dives into social media’s wildest trends, while anesthesiologist-bioethicist Alyssa Burgart follows news and legal cases for their ethical twists. Together, they examine the cultural, political, and public health symptoms of our time with scalpel-sharp analysis, unflinching questions, and enough humor to keep us all going.

  1. 2d ago

    Measles and Misconduct

    Measles ramps up in Pennsylvania; RFK Jr. interferes with public health reporting; Dan Arielly’s fraud expands - he’s never faced scrutiny like Jason Arday faced; Lindsay Clancy trial drags on; Fake NFL player arrested Daejon Love charged by DOJOne hour of Daejon Love videosA parody by KevOnStageA parody by CamoA parody by Been DatA parody by Anthony Adams, a former NFL playerA parody by comedian Michael Blackson Measles Pennsylvania Department of Health data and guidanceRFK Jr asks for measles deaths not to be countedCDC Measles Data (Aug 30, 2026 excludes deaths in Penn)The Measles-Stricken Mother Who Lost Her Newborn Son Misconduct Data Colada has multiple posts dissecting Ariely’s research. Parts 138 and 139 are the ones on procrastination we discussed in detail in this episode. Part 98 is about the study on honesty.Ariely’s friendship with EpsteinArghavan has videos about all of these scandals (and the allegations against Francesca Gino) on her Work/Med Culture playlist on Tik Tok Other News: Gloria Steinem obituaryLawsuit against xAI/Grok7th Circuit Court decision on AI-generated CSAMLatest on Lindsay Clancy trial deliberations 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Duck Tales a cappellaHealing Together with Introspective SpacesThe Joint Medical ProgramText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    Measles and Misconduct

  2. Aug 28

    Farewell Dolly plus AOC's Eggs

    We mourn Dolly Parton. We discuss Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s egg freezing and what it means for reproductive justice in America. Plus, the baby born from the California-Texas surrogacy case. Dolly Parton’s Imagination LibraryDonate to support Imagination LibraryTop Movies with Dolly Parton AOC Egg Freezing One of AOC’s blogs on egg freezingArghavan’s essay on egg freezingFetal Personhood lawsArghavan’s substack essay with links to data on egg freezingArghavan’s research on parental leave during residencyArghavan’s research on the costs of family buildingArghavan’s research on barriers to family buildingSystematic review on outcomes with frozen eggsAlyssa’s essay series on The Retrievals podcast More Topics Background on the legal issues when a surrogate refused to have an abortionHypoplastic Left Heart SyndromeNorwood ProcedureWNBA update: Enes Kanter Freedom thrown out of gameCanada/US trade warUS threatens more sanctions against Iran 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Broadway à la Justin BieberPurple Skeletons99 Flock BalloonsText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    Farewell Dolly plus AOC's Eggs

  3. Aug 21

    How Racism (Not Plagiarism) Killed Dr. Jason Arday

    The flagrant racism in the recent death of Cambridge scholar, Dr. Jason Arday; Also, how new technology hasn’t stopped attempts at medical knowledge gatekeeping Note: Alex Vindman raised $16 million compared to the $1 million raised by Angie Nixon. Nixon won. Chocolate with viagra recalledSourdough bread recalledBlueberries recalled (brand is GreenWise)Granola recalledClear Eyes eye drops recalledList of recalled foods Jason Arday Peter Thiel-backed network targeted Jason ArdayFact check on Arday’s storyNathan Cofnas under investigationNathan Cofnas says vigil for Jason Arday is about himKate Manne: Gossipy Academics Helped Kill Jason Arday. Or, the anatomy of a pile-onHistory of lynching in the US22 Black people found “dead under unusual or suspicious hanging circumstances across the country” since March 2025GoFundMe for Jason ArdaySign a letter demanding an investigation of the handling of Jason Arday Open Evidence Doctors are quietly using this AI toolOpen Evidence is the preferred LLM of countless physicians Other News Lindsay Clancy trialUSS Lincoln deployment endsWho is Natalie Harp? 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Video of a young woman doing kung fuSterling PointText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    How Racism (Not Plagiarism) Killed Dr. Jason Arday

  4. Aug 14

    We'd like to jump to a new timeline, please

    We cover the latest on Trump’s vaccine executive order and catch you up on some major abortion stories. AOC’s public egg-freezing shouldn’t feel radical. But in today’s US, it does. Executive Order on Vaccines Presidential executive order on vaccinesArghavan’s post that includes videos from the press conferenceFact check of the press conferenceFDA head’s lies about Covid vaccines and kidsPregnancy Surveillance and Criminalization Pregnancy Justice new report on Pregnancy CriminalizationErika Schwartz on “abortion surveillance”Todd Blanche wants to make abortion illegal in every statePolice use Flock cameras to stalk woman for abortionAshley Brown denied healthcare after fetal demiseAdditional stories to know about: Dr. Fauci’s texts and the lie about the miscarriage rate for those vaccinated while pregnantFormer NBA players declare for WNBA draftConditions on the USS LincolnHarvard antisemitism lawsuit dismissed💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Daddy and son bicycle rideRemoving the toddler seat from the dad’s bikeReview of Untamed HeartRevisiting 1999’s Dogma, how Harvey Weinstein kept it hard to watchDogma 25th Anniversary previewText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    We'd like to jump to a new timeline, please

  5. Aug 7

    Fauci's Diary and RFK Jr's Misinformation Meltdown

    Fauci’s diary entries, Rand Paul loses it when Fauci uses his Fifth Amendment right, RFK Jr melts down when Dana Bash asks him about measles; McConnell Watch Update The Clown Car of Public Health is at it again! Fact Check: The index measles case in the Chihuahua, Mexico outbreak was a child from Mexico who visited Gaines County Texas and brought measles back to his community, infecting his class (not a Gaines County resident who traveled to Mexico) Fauci Takes the Fifth: Rand Paul’s “unhinged obsession” with FauciRand Paul wants Fauci in jailDr. Fauci’s lawyer removed from hearingRFK Jr’s Revisionist History: RFK Jr.’s Falsehood-Filled CNN InterviewGish Gallop debate for terrible argumentsVH1 Pop Up VideosArghavan’s video about her time in NYC (check out the comments)Arghavan’s video diaries from her time in NYC in the spring of 2020More Medical News: Moderna’s mRNA Flu vaccineMitch McConnell Watch updateMore than 50 relatives of military members deported1.5 million egg cartons recalled due to salmonellaSalmonella on jalapeno peppers at Chipotle and QdobaPopular Information: Taxpayers spend about $2 billion on Medicaid benefits for Amazon and Walmart💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Cosplaying earth (@heyitatay on IG)Earth calls SpaceXEarth asks moon if moon landing was realRoast Chicken with a Side of DramaText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    Fauci's Diary and RFK Jr's Misinformation Meltdown

  6. Jul 31

    The Future of Consent with Dr. Zed Zha

    Physician and consent-advocate, Dr. Zed Zha, joins the pod to share her new book: Consented: A Doctor's Call to End Medical Violence and Reclaim Patient Autonomy Zed Zha's Consented Get your copy of ConsentedDr. Zha’s newsletter Ask The PatientMy Mother was a Thief - Essay about Dr. Zha’s mom 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Dr. Zha loves her dog Moshi MoshiNarrating dogs in the poolBTS for narrating animals underwater“Sometimes there’s a dog”Stress Advice from a GooseText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    The Future of Consent with Dr. Zed Zha

  7. Jul 24

    (Mis)Adventures in Public Health

    Too much public health news for two doctors to narrow it down. An update on cyclosporiasis, measles, raw milk, and Ebola, all with a side of Todd Blanche forgetting he’s not supposed to still be the president’s lawyer and Pete Hegseth’s begging for war-machine money while children go hungry. Fact check: Taylor Farms may not be the only brand with the code TF Tate brothers arrestedWho wore it better?Arghavan’s Tate brothers round-up A Smorgasbord of Public Health Problems Number of cases of cyclosporiasisFDA and Taylor FarmsArghavan’s summary with Taylor Farms and FDA statementsWhere is Taylor Farms produce sold?Other places we have seen linked to Taylor Farm on social media (likely not a complete list): TargetWalmartTrader Joe’sWegman’sH E BCostcoKrogerSam’s ClubSyscoAldiWhole FoodsAmazonMark McAfee’s Raw Milk quotesFormer DoJ employees oppose Todd BlancheBlanche says he’s Trump’s lawyerSummary of Blanche confirmation hearingHegseth on Iran warArghavan’s summary of Hegseth’s requests, including Ossoff’s questioningMeasles: Cases reach 35 year high; CDC numbers 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Helping dogs get adopted: madmax_fluffyroadAlyssa’s sunflower ASMRText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    (Mis)Adventures in Public Health

  8. Jul 17

    So Much Poop, So Little Healthcare Access

    Explosive diarrhea? The Clown Car of the Apocalypse is at it again. ICE keeps killing people. Millions give up their health insurance because it’s too expensive.  Update on potential cyclosporiasis sourcePublic health cuts impacting outbreakArghavan’s IG post about cyclosporiasisMitch McConnell essay by Moira Donegan ICE's Extrajudicial Killings ICE kills Lorenzo Salgado AraujoICE kills Joan Sebastian GuerreroSusan Collins and ICEJoin Ice by Jesse Welles (lyrics) ACA Enrollment HHS Report on ACA Exchange EnrollmentKFF 2026 ACA Market Enrollment analysis Extras An overview of what happened to Nolan WellsArghavan’s IG post about Nolan WellsHearing for CDC director nominee Erica SchwartzHegseth’s plans to test the military’s testosterone levelsComments on OMB proposed grant regulationsSTAT analysis of OMB comments 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Margot’s got money troubles: show, bookCheck out Mynyabiz from Dr. BlacqueerText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    So Much Poop, So Little Healthcare Access
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5
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Society’s running a fever, and two sharp-witted physicians are on the case. Surgeon-scientist Arghavan Salles dives into social media’s wildest trends, while anesthesiologist-bioethicist Alyssa Burgart follows news and legal cases for their ethical twists. Together, they examine the cultural, political, and public health symptoms of our time with scalpel-sharp analysis, unflinching questions, and enough humor to keep us all going.

Information

  • Creator
    Alyssa Burgart & Arghavan Salles
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Present Illness
  • Show Website
    The Present Illness

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