Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Stuart Gitlow, MD, MPH, MBA Guest: Howard Wetsman, MD What are the facts and stereotypes of addiction? New Orleans based psychiatrist and author of QAA: Questions and Answers on Addiction, Dr. Howard Wetsman discusses addiction in general, including the labels and treatments, with host Dr. Stuart Gitlow.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD Guest: Peter Baquie, MD The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing introduced unique health risks and preparation needs for athletic teams from participating nations. Dr. Mary Leuchars is joined by guest Dr. Peter Baquie, Medical Director for the 2008 Australian Olympic Team. They will discuss unique measures undertaken by the Australian medical personnel to protect the health of elite athletes in Beijing. Learn about infectious disease risks and vaccination priorities, food-borne illness precautions, and climate exposure considerations enhancing team safety.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD Guest: Peter Baquie, MD Dr. Mary Leuchars is joined by guest Dr. Peter Baquie, Medical Director for the 2008 Australian Olympic Team. They will discuss unique measures being undertaken by the Australian medical personnel to protect the health of elite athletes abroad. What are some of the challenges inherent in overseeing the "medical home" of a traveling team, or in tending to the diverse spectra of health problems among athletes from every sport discipline? Learn more from this interesting discussion.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD Guest: Ken Fitch, MD Dr. Mary Leuchars is joined by guest Dr. Ken Fitch, past-Chairperson of the Australian Olympic Committee's Medical Commission and current member of the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee. The topic is asthma in elite athletes, and Dr. Fitch shares insights on how the Australian Olympic team's physicians assess, treat, and prepare their top competitors to perform in Beijing's hot climate conditions.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD Guest: Ken Fitch, MD Host Dr. Mary Leuchars speaks with Dr. Ken Fitch, past-Chairperson of the Australian Olympic Committee's Medical Commission and current member of the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee. Their topic of conversation is sports medicine and the differences in clinical care of athletes between American and Australian health systems. They will discuss how these differences may separate care plans and rehabilitation efforts for athletes representing the American and Australian Olympic teams respectively.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Arlin Rogers, PhD Arlin Rogers, PhD, chief of comparative pathology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, details a new genome study which is helping to explain why men are saddled with liver cancer more often than their gender counterparts. Dr. Rogers aims to raise awareness for the influence of hepatitis B and C, and the role of an important cell mediator, in this disease trajectory. Find out more with host Dr. Maurice Pickard.

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD Guest: Geoffrey Joyce, PhD The individual's healthcare in the last 12 months of life costs about 25% of total healthcare costs for that person's life. Should policy makers’ better control end-of-life costs? This is just one of many questions addressed in this segment about weighing the effectiveness of treatment vs. cost. Join us as host Dr. Bill Rutenberg interviews Senior Medical Economist of the Rand Corporation, Geoffrey Joyce PhD.

Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH Guest: Joseph Hill, MD, PhD Dr. Joseph Hill, Chief of the Division of Cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, talks to host Dr. Matthew Sorrentino about the changes that occur in the myocardium when the heart begins to fail. They explore more specifically autophagy, a new concept of cardiac remodeling that may be both beneficial and detrimental to cardiac function.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Samantha Collier, MD Quality measurement is becoming more known with grades of hospitals, nursing homes and doctor groups becoming more prevalent. But how about prescription drugs? Dr. Samantha Collier, the chief medical officer of HealthGrades, one of the nation’s largest independent healthcare ratings companies, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about ranking prescription drugs, the latest effort in rating medical care.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Samantha Collier, MD Everybody from the government to large employers are getting in the business of quality measurement. But what does one of the major commercial enterprises involved in health grades think of this movement? Dr. Samantha Collier, chief medical officer of HealthGrades, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen how one of the nation’s largest independent healthcare ratings companies fits into the crowded field.