Medical Breakthroughs From Penn Medicine

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH Host Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Paris D. Butler, who will be discussing breast reduction surgery for women who suffer from chronic back pain and breast cancer patients undergoing reconstructive surgery following a diagnosis. Dr. Butler will go into detail about the pros and cons of taking an immediate versus a delayed reconstruction approach and the various techniques associated.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Jean Bennett, MD, PhD There are 39 million people worldwide who are in total blindness and another 246 million with very low vision. The most frequent forms of visual impairment are caused by problems that can be corrected. Dr. Shira Johnson welcomes Dr. Jean Bennett, Professor of Ophthalmology and Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania and researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Bennett discusses her innovative work and research in curing blindness through gene therapy.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Michael Mullen, MD Every second counts for stroke patients. During a stroke, two-million brain cells die every minute, making the urgent administration of therapies and treatment vital to ensure a positive outcome. Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle is joined by Dr. Michael Mullen, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Penn Medicine. They discuss the clinical hallmarks and priority treatment consideration for stroke.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Joseph Berger, MD, FACP, FAAN, FANA Multiple sclerosis is a notoriously difficult disease to diagnose early on. With no singular confirmatory tests yet available, physicians often become reluctant to identify MS in their patients, leading to years of diagnostic and treatment uncertainty. But new innovations are helping doctors establish earlier diagnoses and start more targeted treatments for MS patients. Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Joseph Berger, Professor of Neurology at Penn Medicine, to explore some of these innovations advancing MS diagnosis and treatment.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Kathryn Davis, MD, MTR Guest: Timothy Lucas, MD, PhD According to the epilepsy foundation, epilepsy is the 4th most common neurological problem in the U.S. – only migraine, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease occur more frequently. The average incidence of epilepsy each year in the U. S is estimated at 150,000, or 48 for every 100,000 people. Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle talks with Doctors Kathryn Davis and Timothy Lucas about advances in treatment for epilepsy at Penn Medicine. Dr. Davis is Assistant Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and Epilepsy Surgical Program. Dr. Timothy Lucas is Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Surgical Director at the Penn Epilepsy Center, and Director of the Penn Center for Laser Neurosurgery.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD For the first time, Penn Medicine surgeons were able to complete a bilateral hand transplant on a child. The surgical team successfully transplanted donor hands and forearms onto 8-year-old Zion Harvey who, several years earlier, had undergone amputation of his hands and feet and a kidney transplant following a serious infection. Host Dr. Shira Johnson sits down with Dr. Scott Levin, who led the surgical team and is Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn Medicine. They discuss this remarkable, groundbreaking surgery.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: K. Akaya Smith, MD Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH): Who is at greatest risk for developing it? What do practitioners need to know about diagnosing, treatment and the overall prognosis? Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Akaya Smith, Medical Director for Pulmonary Hypertension Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University Pennsylvania. Dr. Smith answers these questions, as well as, the Penn Center of Excellence for Pulmonary Hypertension.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Francis Marchlinski, MD Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Francis E. Marchlinski, Richard T. and Angela Clark President's Distinguished Professor and Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Marchlinski will review the epidemiology of PVCs, the kinds of problems that PVCs can cause, and how these problems manifest as symptoms in patients. He will also review the effectiveness of catheter ablation as a current treatment option for ventricular tachycardia (VT), a potenially serious complication of PVC's.

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Deepak Sudheendra, MD, FSIR, RPVI Host Dr. Barry Mennen joins Dr. Deepak Sudheendra, Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology & Surgery at the Hospital of the University Of Pennsylvania Perelman School Of Medicine. Dr. Sudheendra will explain the difference between acute, subacute, and chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and their complications. He will also discuss the scope of post thrombotic syndrome (PTS) and why it is so important to treat quickly and effectively.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Timothy W.I. Clark, MD Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Timothy Clark, Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology and the Director of Interventional Radiology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Clark will review the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the U.S., the central risk factors, and how PAD is properly diagnosed and managed. He will also review advanced endovascular procedures for PAD and other therapies that make a difference in patient care and outcomes.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Yuli Kim, MD Advancements in cardiac surgery and medical care for pediatric patients over the past decades have produced a sizeable population of adults living with congenital heart disease. These adults and their unique health care needs expose an emerging gap in expertise for the cardiology community, where training in congenital heart disease management has traditionally been the provence of pediatric subspecialists. How can these adult patients find cardiologists familiar with their particular anatomy and problems, and what special care strategies must cardiologists be familiar with to provide optimal care? Dr. Jennifer Caudle will discuss the selective health care needs and personalized management strategies for adults with congenital heart disease with Dr. Yuli Kim, Medical Director of the Philadelphia Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine & Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philade

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE Penn Medicine’s Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence (TCE), known as the 2-PREVENT TCE is led by Drs. Lewis Chodosh and Angela DeMichele. 2-PREVENT TCE aims to address one of the greatest challenges in breast cancer treatment: the high rate of relapse and late treatment effects among breast cancer survivors. Host Dr. Barry Mennen welcomes Dr. Angela DeMichele, the Alan and Jill Miller Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Excellence, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, and Co-Leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Nimesh Desai, MD Complex aortic diseases, feared by clinicians and the general public alike, are often labeled "silent killers" due to their unnerving pattern for developing insideously prior to presenting as acute crises. Even more concerning, the symptoms of aortic diseases are typically vague and difficult to diagnose without a high degree of clinical suspicion. For these reasons, the speed of diagnosis and treatment can determine whether patients live or die from aortic disease. Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Nimesh Desai, attending cardiac surgeon and Director of the Thoracic Research Program at the University of Pennsylvania, to discuss innovative medical and surgical approaches to complex aortic diseases. The two categorize these disease states specifically, examine which patient populations are at highest risk, and review methods to help clinicians reach faster life-saving diagnoses.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Joseph M. Serletti MD Reconstructive microsurgery, where specialized operating microscopes and precision instrumentation are utilized to perform intricate operations in very small fields, is a rapidly evolving specialty. Dr. Joseph Serletti, Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, oversees the largest reconstructive microsurgery program by volume in the country, performing over 700 free tissue transfers for breast, head & neck, and extremity reconstructions. Dr. Serletti joins host Dr. Ashira Johnson discusses the nuances of these complex procedures, as well as updates on the next horizons in reconstructive microsurgery such as facial and hand tranplants and replants.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Sunil Singhal, MD The clinical ramifications for adding special fluorescent features to tumors at various stages of malignancy and penetration are enormous. But how do surgical, oncologic, and radiological specialists create these glowing tumors, what impacts do such markers have on clinical care, and which patient populations benefit most from this approach? Host Dr. Ashira Johnson welcomes Dr. Sunil Singhal, Director of the Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratory and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Singhal reviews the use of fluorescence in tumors, articulating how new and emerging applications for this technology will advance the field of oncologic surgery.

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Guest: Maarouf Hoteit, MD Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the top ten causes of cancer death in the United States, and is the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer death in men. What's more, incidence rates are on the rise. For these reasons, understanding the nuances of early liver cancer detection, and treating underlying liver diseases prior to cancer development, have been more urgently needed. Joining Dr. Barry Mennen to discuss diagnostic, medical, and surgical priorities for managing hepatocellular carcinoma is Dr. Maarouf Hoteit, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of the Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Clinic, and Program Director of the Transplant Hepatology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: G. Russell Huffman, MD, MPH Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. G. Russell Huffman, Associate Professor and Director of the Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Huffman provides an overview of the various types of elbow injuries, treatment options for athletes at all levels, and special considerations for those who require surgery. Dr. Huffman focuses in particular on updated techniques in ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, otherwise known as the Tommy John surgery.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: James L. Carey, MD, MPH What happens when articular cartilage is damaged? And what are the differences between focal cartilage defects and arthritis? Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss current mechanistic understandings of articular cartilage is Dr. James Carey, Director of the Penn Center for Cartilage Repair and Osteochodritis Dissecans Treatment; and, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn Medicine

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Guest: Samir Mehta, MD Patients of all ages can be affected by a traumatic injury. These injuries can be complex to treat and may involve multiple parts of the body. And, in traumatic situations, decisions need to be made quickly. Host Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Samir Mehta, Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine; and, Chief of the Orthopaedic Trauma and Fracture Service at the University of Pennsylvania.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Christian A. Bermudez, MD Christian A. Bermudez, MD is the Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation and ECMO, Director of Thoracic Transplantation, and Associate Professor of Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bermudez discusses current technologies used in lung transplantation, including mechanical support as a bridge to oxygenation during the procedures themselves. He also reviews the role of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in lung transplantation.