HuMed with David Spiro, MD

David Spiro
  • 4.3 (13)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

HuMed goes beyond diagnoses and procedures to explore the profound human experiences of medical professionals. Join Dr. Spiro as he engages in deep, candid conversations with fellow doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers. They share the often-unseen realities of their work in the demanding hospital environment – the challenging cases, the emotional toll, and the ethical dilemmas they navigate daily.

  1. 2d ago

    He Taught Me to Be a Doctor, He was Not a Doctor

    In this deeply moving episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro speaks with Dr. Julia Bruckner, a pediatric emergency physician, writer, and Director of Faculty Well-Being at the University of Colorado. Dr. Bruckner shares how her father — a minister, humanist, advocate, and witness to suffering — taught her lessons about healing that medicine alone often cannot teach. Together, they explore what it means to give devastating news, sit with suffering, care for families in crisis, support physicians after trauma, and bring humanity back into medicine. This conversation moves through grief, cancer, hospice, physician wellness, pediatric emergency medicine, and the quiet power of presence. At its heart is a simple message from Dr. Bruckner’s father: because the world will die without it, go with love. Topics include: humanizing medicine, physician wellness, giving bad news, hospice, grief, narrative medicine, pediatric emergency care, burnout, compassion, and love as a form of healing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 1m

  2. Jun 16

    From Patient To Daughter

    What happens when a patient changes your life forever? In this unforgettable episode of HuMed, pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ron Turker shares the remarkable story of a one-month-old infant who arrived in the emergency department with multiple fractures and severe injuries—and ultimately became his daughter.   Dr. Turker reflects on child abuse, foster care, adoption, trauma, attachment, fatherhood, and the profound lessons he learned raising a child whose life began with extraordinary adversity. He also discusses physician empathy, judgment, chronic pain, healthcare reform, physician burnout, mental health, social media, community, and why human connection remains at the heart of healing.   This is a conversation about medicine, family, resilience, second chances, and the patient who changed everything. Topics Discussed • Child abuse and child advocacy • Foster care and adoption • Parenting and attachment • Pediatric orthopedic surgery • Chronic pain in children • Physician burnout and moral injury • Mental health and social media • Healthcare reform • Human connection and healing • The human side of medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    58 min

  3. Jun 10

    The 10-Year-Old Organ Donor a Transplant Surgeon Will Never Forget

    What happens after a family says “yes” to organ donation? In this powerful episode of HuMed, transplant surgeon Dr. Charles Strom shares the story of a young organ donor whose life—and legacy—left a lasting impact on him during his first week of transplant fellowship. Dr. Strom takes us inside a world most people never see: the moment of honor before organ recovery, the emotional family statements read in the operating room, the realities of brain death and cardiac death donation, and the profound responsibility of helping one donor save multiple lives. We discuss: The donor story Dr. Strom will never forget How one organ donor can save up to eight lives Common misconceptions about organ donation The ethics and realities of transplantation Why some healthcare professionals still misunderstand the donation process The emotional impact of caring for donor families Balancing medicine, family, and personal sacrifice New innovations that are dramatically increasing organ utilization One of the most moving moments comes when Dr. Strom realizes the donor being honored was the same age as his own son. This conversation is about grief, hope, generosity, and the extraordinary gift of life.  Join The HuMed Weekly Newsletter:https://humed.kit.com/newsletter  Subscribe for more conversations exploring the human side of medicine. #HuMed #OrganDonation #TransplantSurgery #Medicine #HealthcareStories Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  4. Jun 3

    Am I Missing Anything?

    Dr. Jay Pershad — PEM physician, professor at George Washington, and faculty at Children's National — joins Dr. David Spiro for an unflinching conversation about the moments that define a career in pediatric emergency medicine. Jay shares a story that still haunts him: a teenage girl brought in after a suspected overdose, a resuscitation that ends in death, and a family that spoke only Spanish — connected to him through a video interpreter that kept disconnecting. What followed was one of the most human, painful moments in his 30+ year career. They also talk about: Teaching learners how to deliver bad news at the bedside Family presence during resuscitation — and why the data changed everything What keeps seasoned physicians showing up at 6am after three decades Aging in emergency medicine, night shifts, and knowing when to step back. Why "family first" isn't just a slogan — it's the thing that outlasts the career HUMED is the podcast where healthcare professionals share the stories they never forget — the emotional, moral, and human realities of medicine. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min

  5. May 27

    Healthy Mama Doc Almost Lost Her Own Son

    What happens when a high-risk OB can't diagnose her own son? Dr. Sarah Pachtman-Shetty is a double board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist — a doctor trained to manage the most critical pregnancies imaginable. But when her two-year-old son Orion spiked a fever on a Caribbean vacation and his O2 sat dropped into the 70s, all that training couldn't stop her from feeling like a helpless mom. In this raw and unforgettable episode of HuMed, Sarah shares the terrifying night she called 911 on a St. Martin island, fought for a chest X-ray in a foreign ER at 2am, and watched a jack-of-all-trades surgeon prepare to place a chest tube in her toddler — with no pediatric ventilator in sight. This is the human side of medicine no one talks about.  Dr. Sarah Pachtman-Shetty | Maternal-Fetal Medicine | @HealthyMamaDoc   Virtual consultations: Uma Health In this episode: The vacation that became a medical nightmare Why even expert physicians miss signs in their own children Practicing medicine in maternity care deserts How a near-tragedy reordered her entire life  Subscribe for more stories from the human side of medicine   Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts #HuMed #MaternalFetalMedicine #HighRiskPregnancy #PhysicianLife #DoctorStories #MomLife #MedicalPodcast #WomensHealth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    43 min

  6. May 19

    Time Is Finite: Dr. Jenna Taglienti on the Physician's Illusion of Control and Shift in Priorities

    In this episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro is joined by Dr. Jenna Taglienti, a psychiatrist, residency program director, and assistant professor at the Zucker School of Medicine. Dr. Taglienti's recent JAMA essay, Time Is Finite, sparked widespread reflection across the medical field. Dr. Taglienti shares her deeply personal story of receiving an unexpected lung cancer diagnosis as a lifelong nonsmoker, which forced her to take a medical leave and step back from her roles. The experience provided time to reflect on the immense mental load she was carrying, and the true cost of continually postponing life. She discusses the profound realization that "institutions are designed to endure beyond individuals. On the other hand, families are not". This is a crucial conversation for any physician wrestling with the balance between a demanding career and their irreplaceable role at home. We discuss: The "invisible load" of mental energy physicians spend trying to control things that are out of their hands.3 The high divorce rate among doctors and how constant accessibility to work can distract from relationships.3 How the priority of medicine is ingrained from the first day of medical school, and the struggle to shift that focus when relationships and children arrive.3 The importance of being "present" with family and recognizing that small moments with children add up.3 Modeling self-care and good boundaries for residents, demonstrating that it's okay to prioritize health and return stronger.3 The therapeutic value of vulnerable writing, such as essays submitted to JAMA's A Piece of My Mind. Subscribe to HuMed with David Spiro, MD for more conversations about the human side of medicine. #PhysicianBurnout #WorkLifeBalance #TimeIsFinite #PhysicianWellness #Psychiatry #ResidencyLife #JAMA #HuMed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min

  7. May 12

    His Labs Were Normal. But He Was Crashing.

    What happens when your labs are “normal” — but you know something is wrong? In this episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro sits down with Dr. Stephen Sanders, a board-certified family physician and men’s health expert, to talk about the moment his own health collapsed in his late 30s. On paper, everything looked good: career, family, success. But inside, he was struggling with brain fog, fatigue, low energy, weight gain, erectile dysfunction, poor sleep, and the frightening feeling that his best days might already be behind him. Dr. Sanders shares how one photo during a bike ride in Colorado became the turning point — and how he rebuilt his health through sleep, nutrition, training, hormone optimization, community, and a completely different approach to men’s health. We discuss: • Why “normal labs” don’t always mean optimal health• Testosterone, free testosterone, and hormone optimization• Sleep, wearables, HRV, and recovery• Intermittent fasting and whole-food nutrition• Ultra-processed foods and metabolic health• GLP-1 medications, muscle loss, and protein• Creatine, sauna, cold plunge, and longevity tools• Male loneliness, stress, vulnerability, and community• Why medicine treats disease well — but often fails at creating health This is a conversation about men’s health, longevity, burnout, behavior change, and what it takes to feel alive again. Subscribe to HuMed with David Spiro, MD for more conversations about the human side of medicine. #MensHealth #Testosterone #Longevity #HuMed #HealthOptimization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr

  8. May 5

    The Prevention Mindset That Could Save Millions

    Dr. David Spiro speaks with physician-scientist and clinical trialist Dr. Barry Davis, author of The Preventioneers, about one of the most important questions in medicine and public health: Why do we so often know how to prevent harm—but fail to act until crisis arrives? Dr. Davis shares the powerful story of Ignaz Semmelweis, the physician who discovered that handwashing could dramatically reduce childbirth deaths long before germ theory was accepted. He also discusses the resistance faced by prevention pioneers across history—from fire prevention and auto safety to hypertension, smoking, ultra-processed foods, and climate change. This conversation explores the gap between knowledge and action, the resistance to changing systems, and why prevention requires more than individual willpower. It requires leadership, culture change, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Topics include:Semmelweis and the history of handwashingWhy prevention is often resistedHypertension and cardiovascular preventionSeat belts, auto safety, and public healthUltra-processed foods and the modern prevention crisisWhy healthcare often treats disease instead of preventing itHow physicians can become change agents Please subscribe for more conversations about the emotional, moral, and human realities of medicine. #Prevention #PublicHealth #Medicine #CardiovascularHealth #HuMed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    54 min
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4.3
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

HuMed goes beyond diagnoses and procedures to explore the profound human experiences of medical professionals. Join Dr. Spiro as he engages in deep, candid conversations with fellow doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers. They share the often-unseen realities of their work in the demanding hospital environment – the challenging cases, the emotional toll, and the ethical dilemmas they navigate daily.

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