From the ED to The Pitt: Dr. Mel Herbert on Medicine, Storytelling, and the Power of Hollywood

In this EMRACast episode, hosts Lauren Rosenfeld and D’Monte Farley sit down with Dr. Mel Herbert, emergency physician, educator, and writer/medical consultant for The Pitt, the hit TV drama inspired by life in the emergency department.

The emergency department offers critical access to health care in our broken system. An important skillset of the modern emergency medicine physician is a set of low-risk, low-time commitment, high-benefit interventions for the management of chronic diseases. In this episode, we discuss the diagnosis and management of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, asthma, alcohol use disorder, and tobacco use disorder from the emergency department.

Career-switching into medicine as a second profession might not be typical, but it’s not out of reach - just ask Dr. Rob Lowe, an aerospace engineer for 6+ years before trading in his flight simulator for a stethoscope. Dr. Lowe joins the show to detail his previous experiences, discuss commonalities between engineering and emergency medicine, and ultimately inspire any career-changers to keep pushing forward. 

In this episode of “Bridging Health and Humanity,” hosted by Dr. Natalie Hernandez, the focus is on the effects of current immigration policies and enforcement tactics on the health of vulnerable communities. The discussion features Dr. Rose Diaz and Dr. Sarah Lopez, both advocates for immigrant health, who share their insights on changes in immigration policy, including the revocation of “sensitive location” protections and adjustments to the public charge rule. They delve into the broader impact of these policies on patient trust and public health, including delayed care and increased health care costs. The segment also explores how health care teams can support immigrant communities through advocacy, education, and understanding legal protections. The episode concludes with hopeful reflections and practical advice for medical professionals committed to supporting these marginalized populations.  

July is the most exciting time of the year in the hospital - especially in the Emergency Department, when all of the new interns show up! Get 12 pieces of advice for interns reporting for their first shifts, courtesy of EMRA*Cast host Blythe Fiscella, MD, and guests Andrew Toron, MD (chief resident), Brielle Grote, DO, and Emerson Trimble, DO.  

It was the tweet heard far and wide: When the NRA claimed doctors "should stay in their lane," physicians took aim at firearm safety as a matter of public health, policy, advocacy, and patient care. EMRA*Cast host Lauren Rosenfeld, MD, dives into this issue with author and policy guru Cedric Dark, MD, MPH, FACEP.

When it comes to the airway, roc rocks and succ sucks, right? You’ve heard it more than once. But EMRA*Cast host Peter Lorenz, MD, presents a nuanced argument in defense of succinylcholine, with guests Mike Perza, PharmD, and Patricia Simmer, MD.

In this episode of EMRA*Cast's “Vacation Gone Deadly: Toxins in Paradise,” hosts Maiya Smith, MD, and Lauren Rosenfeld, MD, speak with Kenneth Katz, MD, a toxicologist and practicing EM physician at Lehigh Valley Health, about toxins you might encounter while traveling, inspired by Season Three of The White Lotus. 

Mental health concerns drive a large number of emergency department visits in the United States. When a patient presents with an acute crisis, it’s important for emergency medicine and psychiatry to work as a seamless team. Drs. D’Monte Farley and Caylon Pettis talk about how to ensure an effective psychiatry consult in the ED.

In this episode of EMRA*Cast's "Bridging Health and Humanity" series, host Natalie Hernandez, MD, MPH, speaks with Aslam Akhtar, MD, PhD, a fourth-year EM resident at Harbor UCLA, about his experience volunteering on a medical mission trip to Northern Gaza.