Was It All Bad? | Remembering the Good Parts of Medicine

Was It All Bad? | Remembering the Good Parts of Medicine

This week on Social Rounds, Tony and Frances Mei slow things down for a more reflective episode. After weeks of guests, chaos, travel, and controversy, they get back to basics — talking about Europe, ghosts in Rome, getting robbed in England, leaving the UK for Canada, and the question at the center of the episode: Was medicine really all bad? From funny patient encounters and late-night residency memories to heartbreaking moments with cancer patients and families, Tony and Frances Mei reflect on the humanity that still stayed with them long after leaving clinical medicine. This episode is about the moments that made the work meaningful — even inside a broken system. Topics include: * Traveling through Rome, Paris & Copenhagen * Why Frances Mei thinks the Colosseum should be haunted * Tony’s family home getting robbed in England * Leaving medicine without invalidating the good parts * Patient relationships that still matter years later * Love, grief, family, and dignity in healthcare * Why medicine can be meaningful and unsustainable at the same time Hosted by: Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

Doctors, Medfluencers & Career Suicide on the Internet

A fourth-year medical student goes viral for offensive videos targeting women’s health, and the internet exploded. In this episode of Social Rounds, Tony Chin-Quee, Dr. Ryan Montoya, and Dr. Janet McMordie unpack the controversy, the rise of medfluencers, professionalism in medicine, and whether physicians should be held to a higher standard online. The trio dives into the blurred line between personal branding and professional identity, the dangers of parasocial fame, physician social media culture, and how online behavior can impact trust, hiring, and patient care. Plus: a chaotic round of “Hire or Fire?” featuring doctors posting OR content, real estate side hustles, political rallies, and more. Topics include: * The medfluencer era * Social media professionalism in medicine * Women’s health and misogyny in healthcare * Parasocial relationships online * Physician identity beyond medicine * Should doctors be “cancelable”? * Privacy, branding, and internet permanence * Why some doctors leave medicine entirely Social Rounds is a podcast from the Hippocratic Collective [https://hippocratic-collective.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] exploring medicine, culture, internet chaos, and everything in between. Hosted by: Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat Ryan Montoya: @ryan_montoya_art Janet McMordie: @janetmcmordie Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

Big Map Conspiracies, Victorian Cholera, and Finding Work You Actually Love

This week on Social Rounds, Tony and Frances Mei are joined by fan-favorite “Cartographer Geoff” — historian, mapmaker, professional forager, jam-maker, and accidental proof that people can actually enjoy their jobs. What starts as a conversation about whether children should follow their parents into medicine spirals into a surprisingly deep discussion about maps as instruments of power, colonialism, propaganda, redlining, Victorian cholera outbreaks, and why the Mercator projection might have subtly rewired all our brains. Geoff also explains how he turned a PhD on colonial-era beeswax extraction into a dream career making historical maps for places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along the way: * Why almost no physicians want their kids to become doctors * The hidden emotional bargain of “settling” for prestigious careers * The terrifying influence of Big Map * The real story behind John Snow’s cholera map * Stardew Valley as an aspirational lifestyle blueprint * Why Frances Mei is emotionally destabilized by someone genuinely liking their work Also featuring: “Frances Frizzante Mei,” anxiety hobbits, sea monster maps, and the phrase “everything in the world is about maps except maps; maps are about power.” Hosted by: Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd Guest: Cartographer Geoff Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

CTE, Football Culture & The Science of Farts

What do the NFL, brain damage, and fart tracking have in common? More than you’d think. In this episode of Social Rounds, Frances Mei Hardin and Tony Chin-Quee are joined again by writer and comedian Joel Walkowski to break down two wildly different, but oddly connected, stories: the long-term consequences of head trauma in contact sports, and the surprisingly scientific world of human flatulence. From new research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) to the cultural machine behind football, this conversation dives into the cost of entertainment, masculinity, and systems that produce “broken bodies” for spectacle. Then, in a sharp left turn: wearable “fart sensors,” digestion data, and what it reveals about the human body—and relationships. This episode covers: * New research on brain injury in football and combat sports * The cultural and class dynamics behind the NFL * Why harmful systems persist despite known risks * What CTE actually does to the brain * The science behind flatulence (yes, really) * Relationship dynamics: how “comfortable” is too comfortable? It’s medicine, culture, and chaos—exactly as intended. Hosted by: Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd Guest: Joel Walkowski Connect with Joel: @joelwalkowski Find his book, Honolulu Blues, available for pre-order now: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Honolulu-Blues/Joel-Walkowski/9781637749043 Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

Burnout, Alcohol & Addiction in Medicine (The Truth No One Says)

What happens when burnout, trauma, and “just getting through the week” collide with alcohol culture in medicine? In this episode of Social Rounds, Frances Mei Hardin and Tony Chin-Quee sit down with writer, comedian, and sobriety facilitator Joel Walkowski to unpack a question most physicians never ask out loud: Do we all need an intervention? From “forgetting juice” in residency to the normalization of heavy drinking, this conversation dives into how environment shapes behavior—and how easy it is to rationalize habits that might be quietly costing more than they give. Joel shares a candid look at addiction, recovery, and the psychology behind behavior change, including why high-performing professionals are especially good at talking themselves out of a problem. This episode covers: * Why drinking is so normalized in medical training * The line between “recreational” and problematic use * How environment accelerates addiction patterns * The concept of a personal “cost-benefit analysis” * Why physicians struggle to recognize their own red flags * Actionable ways to reassess habits without blowing up your life If you’ve ever thought, “This is just what everyone does”—this one’s for you. Hosted by: Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd Guest: Joel Walkowski Connect with Joel: @joelwalkowski Find his book, Honolulu Blues, available for pre-order now: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Honolulu-Blues/Joel-Walkowski/9781637749043 Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective