Searching for Medicine’s Soul

In this episode, Aaron is joined by investigative journalist Charles Piller, who writes for Science and covers public health, biological warfare, and infectious disease outbreaks, among other topics. His most recent book, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's is a bombshell story about fraud within the field of Alzheimer’s research.

In this episode, Aaron is joined by Dr. Carl Elliott, author and philosophy professor at the University of Minnesota. They discuss how medical education can corrupt character, Dr. Elliott’s experience as a whistleblower, and his latest book, The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No, which explores the history of medical experimentation.

On this episode, Aaron is joined by Charlotte Bismuth, author of Killer in a White Coat: The True Story of New York's Deadliest Pill Pusher and the Team That Brought Him to Justice. Bismuth discusses the profit motive behind the opioid crisis and her decision to prosecute Dr. Stan Li, whose criminal medical practice in New York led to 16 overdoses from prescription drugs.

On this episode, Aaron is joined by Dasha Kiper, author of Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain and a clinical trainer at Renewal Memory Partners. Aaron and Dasha discuss the impact dementia has on caregivers. Through cultural pressures, family dynamics, and a lack of support, caregivers have become what Dasha calls “invisible victims.”

Episode description: On this episode, Aaron is joined by Dr. Marc-David Munk, author of Urgent Calls from Distant Places: An Emergency Doctor’s Notes about Life and Death on the Frontiers of East Africa. Dr. Munk discusses his travels to the Middle East and Africa, Christianity’s role as a trusted institution in places where government has failed, and how to bring the focus back to patients in the American healthcare system.

On this episode, Aaron is joined by Doron Gothelf, a professor of child psychiatry at Tel Aviv University and an integral member of the medical team involved in treating Israeli children hostages who have been released. Aaron and Doron discuss childhood trauma, how traumatic events affect the young, and Doron’s work with the victims of Hamas’ violence.

On this episode, Aaron is joined by Lewis Grossman, professor of law at American University and author of the book Choose Your Medicine, to discuss the history of drug regulation and medical freedom.

On this episode, Aaron talks with Dr. James O’Connell, author of Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor.  Dr. O'Connell discusses his work providing medical care for the homeless in Boston, his experience working as a doctor for the homeless during the AIDS crisis, and the perverse incentives of the medical profession.

In this episode, Aaron is joined by psychiatrist and novelist Samuel Shem, who wrote the satirical novel House of God. Aaron and Samuel discuss Samuel’s latest and final novel in the House of God series, Our Hospital. The book serves as a reflection of the truth of medicine during COVID in which hospitals are driven by profit over humanity.

In this episode, Aaron is joined by Drs. Christopher Worsham and Anupam B. Jena, professors at Harvard Medical School and authors of Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health. The three discuss natural experiments and the biases and outside forces that impact doctors and health policy.