Using Improv and Motivational Interviewing for Productive Vaccine Dialogue - An Interview with John Cullen & Holly Russell

Using Improv and Motivational Interviewing for Productive Vaccine Dialogue - An Interview with John Cullen & Holly Russell

We engage with John and Holly in a conversation at the intersection of science, medicine, motivation, and improv. Drawing from backgrounds that span cardiovascular pharmacology, family medicine, addiction care, and behavioral science, our guests explore how improvisational techniques can be powerful tools for addressing vaccine hesitancy and fostering meaningful behavior change. By unpacking the science of motivation, identity, and relatedness, discuss practical resources for navigating harmful or questionable behaviors, we examine how these ideas can help individuals better manage their own health. Show Notes 03:13 – [To John] How did you go from having a PhD in cardiovascular pharmacology to theater and improv techniques? 04:48 – [To Holly] What brought you here from family medicine into addiction, motivation, improv and vaccines? 06:01 – What is vaccine hesitancy? 11:06 – How did improv come up as a solution to combat vaccine hesitancy? 25:00 – What is the science of motivation? 28:35 – How does relatedness interact with the concept of identity? 33:47 – Are there resources for anybody with people in their lives perusing questionable or dangerous behaviors? 40:16 – How can people use these ideas to improve their self-management of health? 46:28 – What do you see as the cure for medical bullshit? Mentioned Links and Resources Self Determination Theory Website: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/ [https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/] Programs and initiatives from the Center for Community Health & Prevention: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/community-health/programs-initiatives [https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/community-health/programs-initiatives]

Open Notes, Brain Cancer, & Patient Advocacy - An Interview with Liz Salmi

We sit down with Liz Salmi, Communications & Patient Initiatives Director at OpenNotes and a pioneering patient-researcher living with a low-grade malignant brain tumor. Liz brings a rare and powerful perspective shaped by nearly two decades navigating healthcare as both a patient and a leader in patient engagement, transparency, and advocacy. We explore the promise and pitfalls of open clinical notes, how patients and families can better interpret and use the electronic medical record, and what it truly means to be empowered in modern healthcare. Liz shares her personal journey with brain cancer, her work advancing quality of life research for people with malignant brain tumors, and her insights into end-of-life care, hospice, and the values that matter most when facing serious illness. Show Notes 04:15 – History of Liz’ brain tumor 10:20 – How can patients and families mitigate the risks of interpreting open notes? 15:58 – How can people be empowered to be better advocates for themselves using the electronic medical record? 23:09 – Working for a labor union and dedicating life to healthcare advocacy 28:03 – What’s your experience dealing with a life-threatening brain tumor and how did it affect you as a person? 32:09 – Discussing what’s most important to people in hospice, and teachings from “The Five Invitations” by Frank Ostaseski 37:24 – Where do you see medical bullshit and how would you define it? 39:05 – What do you see as the cure for medical bullshit? Mentioned Links and Resources Learn about OpenNotes: https://www.opennotes.org/ [https://www.opennotes.org/] "The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully" by Frank Ostaseski: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Invitations-Discovering-Death-Living/dp/1250074657 [https://www.amazon.com/Five-Invitations-Discovering-Death-Living/dp/1250074657]

What is Science? An Interview with Alberto Espay

In this episode, we engage in a captivating conversation with Dr. Alberto Espay, a distinguished professor and chair of the James and Joan Gardner Center for Parkinson's Disease at the University of Cincinnati. With over 300 research studies and the author of "Brain Fables: The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them," Dr. Espay not only stands as an accomplished scientist but also as a thought-provoking iconoclast challenging conventional views. Together, we dive into the core question: What is science? Join us as Alberto shares his expertise on neurodegenerative illnesses and imparts valuable insights into the essence of science, offering our listeners a profound understanding of the scientific process and its transformative impact on our relentless pursuit of knowledge. 3:04 – What is clinical research? 12:21 – What advice do you have for people who are living with an illness who see these news stories to kind of separate the wheat from the chaff? 15:54 – Discussing the concepts of diseases, syndromes, and cures 21:08 – Alzheimer’s disease and the “amyloid rabbit hole” 27:13 – Discussing the approval of an ineffective Alzheimer’s drug and failing to falsify the amyloid hypothesis 33:50 – How can we or should we trust science? 40:44 – How do you handle conversations with people you see in clinic who are bringing up different ideas such as trying stem cells? 42:48 – Vaccines and trusting companies who are in charge of the research and with access to peer reviewed content 42:48 – What do you see as the cure for bullshit? What would be your prescription for it? Or how can we improve the symptoms of bullshit? Dr. Alberto Espay is Professor and Endowed Chair of the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Center for Parkinson’s Disease at the University of Cincinnati. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed research articles and 10 books, including Common Movement Disorders Pitfalls, which received the Highly Commended BMA Medical Book Award in 2013, and Brain Fables, the Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them, coauthored with Parkinson patient and advocate Benjamin Stecher, selected by the Association of American Publishers for the PROSE Award honoring the best scholarly work in Neuroscience published in 2020. He has served as Chair of the Movement Disorders Section of the American Academy of Neurology, Associate Editor of the Movement Disorders journal, and on the Executive Committee of the Parkinson Study Group. Among other honors, he has received the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Health Care Hero award, the Spanish Society of Neurology’s Cotzias award, and honorary membership in the Mexican Academy of Neurology. His 2022 TEDx presentation, “Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s: The Solution in Sight,” was selected from more than 12,000 global entries for two 2023 Telly Awards, which honor excellence in video and television across all screens. He currently serves as President of the Pan-American Section of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society and directs the first biomarker study of aging (CCBPstudy.com), designed to match people with neurodegenerative disorders to available therapies from which they are most biologically suitable to benefit, regardless of clinical diagnoses. You can find Alberto Espay’s book, “Brain Fables: The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them,” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Fables-Neurodegenerative-Diseases-Blueprint-ebook/dp/B088T85GMF [https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Fables-Neurodegenerative-Diseases-Blueprint-ebook/dp/B088T85GMF] TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7oAoajBlHc [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7oAoajBlHc] His recommendations for other “books on rethinking brain aging and neurodegeneration” in Shepherd: https://shepherd.com/best-books/ret

Sabbatical from Hell: An Interview with Yvonne Rogalski

In this episode we sit down with Yvonne Rogalski, a speech and language pathology professor, researcher, and survivor of a prolonged battle with chronic pain. Yvonne shares her journey through the healthcare system, highlighting the challenges and frustrations she faced while seeking a hysterectomy for her endometriosis. Yvonne's candid account exposes the struggles she faced and the ultimate decision to undergo a private hysterectomy. We dive into the complexities of navigating chronic pain, the discrimination faced by pain patients, and the need for a more compassionate and understanding approach within the healthcare system. 2:38 – When did you first become a “patient”? 4:58 – Can you talk to your experience with seeing various people and did you feel listened to and trusted? 5:30 – Dynamics of living with pain… What was it like to be a “pain patient”? 13:59 – Story of asking for pain medications during family trip in Athens, Georgia 20:32 – Getting off hormones and discovering Hormone Replacement Therapy 25:00 – Can you tell us about a visit that you had with the doctor where the doctor wanted to talk to your husband Ted about web design? 26:24 – Discussion of power dynamics in the healthcare system between the patient and the doctor 29:00 – Was there any follow-up on the surgeon who made the mistake? 33:00 - If we had a time machine and we could send you back to help Yvonne in 2012, how are things were different? How would you be able to be an advocate for yourself? 38:33 – Are you comfortable with being an assertive and proactive patient? 41:49 – Why did you not get treatment in Canada? 46:21 – How would you define medical bullshit? Yvonne Rogalski, formerly an associate professor at Ithaca College in the department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, contributed significantly to the academic landscape. In her role, she instructed courses encompassing cognitive communication disorders, aphasia, motor speech disorders, and neuroanatomy. Her research pursuits were diverse, focusing on discourse analysis and treatment, alongside exploring memory and cognition within typical aging and populations with acquired communication disorders. Yvonne has left academia in 2022 and is in the process of writing a collection of creative nonfiction about her medical mishap. She also has a YouTube channel! Still Life: Comedy, Tragedy, Clipart https://youtube.com/@still.life.clipart?si=Xd3fmsgIzUUmMFXU [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/youtube.com/@still.life.clipart?si=Xd3fmsgIzUUmMFXU__;!!MkQhnT5yHH0MPvOc00c!WgSwjC-qBWbM-83LeCh0fsJ6zrKzUEqdkuq3mljW-DlPPhsbaeEmXmQOFn-EYWDRq-ovzTeqginaRqO5Q6TsYg6QGg$]

Living and Dying with Dignity: An Interview with Timothy Quill

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Timothy Quill, a pioneer in the field of palliative care and a driving force behind the death with dignity movement in the United States. In this episode, we delve into the profound concept of death with dignity, Dr. Quill's personal journey into the world of palliative care, and explore ways you, as our valued listeners, can incorporate these transformative ideas into your own healthcare experiences. 2:00 - Over the course of your career, has medical bullshit gotten any better? 4:02 - What are some tricks and traps that you see people get caught in the system? 5:30 - What do you do when a patient's belief system collides with your medical guidance? 6:47 - Thoughts on miracle cures 9:10 - The power and dangers of medical technology 11:23 - What prompted you to explore palliative care? 16:40 - How have you seen the medical system either support or interfere with people having a good death? How can patients advocate for themselves? 18:46 - What exactly is hospice and when is the right time to consider it? 25:34 - Story of Timothy's patient Diane 34:16 - The ethics behind assisted death 40:33 - "Palliative options of last resort" 45:00 - Advocacy for the death with dignity movement 47:10 - What does a family member do when they find themselves in the role of a decision-maker for a loved in the hospital? 52:50 - The biopsychosocial spiritual model and  discussion of spiritualism 56:30 - What in your thoughts is a prescription for reducing bullshit in the medical system? Dr. Timothy Quill: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/23067752-timothy-edward-quill