20-Minute Health Talk

Preventing gun violence: The role doctors can play

A .38-caliber bullet nearly killed Joseph Sakran, MD, when he was 17 years old. Now a trauma surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Dr. Sakran has dedicated much of his "second chance" at life to advocating for gun violence prevention. In 2018 he sparked a movement that became known as "This is our Lane." On Dec. 15 he will speak at Northwell Health's Gun Violence Prevention Forum on a panel moderated by Chethan Sathya, MD. Ahead of the event, the pediatric trauma surgeon and director of Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention joins Dr. Sakran to discuss:

• helping clinicians learn how to talk about gun violence 
• the upcoming Gun Violence Prevention Forum
• the link between social determinants of health and gun violence

The future of pancreatic cancer care

Pancreatic cancer survival rates have doubled in the last few years from 5 to 10 percent. This is thanks largely to clinical trials that have led to better treatments and a better understanding of how to tailor them to the individual. Despite the advancements, pancreatic cancer remains difficult to treat and long-term survival remains low. But, experts are hopeful that cutting-edge technology such as organoids — a collection of a patient’s cells that are maintained in a petri dish — will lead to continued improvements in outcomes.

Featured speakers: Matthew Weiss, MD, physician-in-chief and director of surgical oncology for the Northwell Cancer Institute; and Sepideh Gholami, MD, F.A.C.S., cancer specialist and surgeon at UC-Davis in California.

How patient navigators help with high-risk pregnancies

Expectant moms dealing with high-risk pregnancies desperately need someone who can guide them through the medical system to ensure they get the right care from qualified specialists. That’s the exact job description for patient navigators, such as Jeanne Woods Ludwig, RNC, and Bernadette Smith, RNC, who work in Northwell Health's new Maternal Fetal Medicine Center. In this unique role, they improve communication between patient and clinician, break down barriers to effective care, and provide support throughout the patient journey. 

Surprising COVID-19 symptoms in older adults

Common COVID-19 symptoms include fever, chills, cough and shortness of breath. But research has revealed that a surprising number of older adults experience some atypical signs of the virus. This is according to a study published in the Journal of Gerontology. The principal investigator of that paper, Allison Marziliano, PhD, discusses her findings and their implications for older adults and clinicians. 

Dr. Marziliano is assistant professor in the Center for Health Innovations and Outcomes Research for the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.

Chapters:

00:29 - What are atypical COVID-19 symptoms?

01:24 - About the study

02:33 - Key takeaways

04:40 - What is functional decline? 

05:43 - Testing older adults for COVID-19

07:34 - Comparing outcomes in typical, atypical patients

09:21 - Explaining atypical COVID-19 symptoms

11:07 - Dementia and COVID-19

11:25 - Northwell Health older adult workgroup

13:21 - Future COVID-19 research

15:24 - Isolation during COVID-19

16:00 - Ageism in healthcare research

18:14 - Role of COVID-19 vaccines

18:54 - On a positive note

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Documenting the First Wave of COVID-19

In the new National Geographic documentary, The First Wave, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and director Matthew Heineman captures what the COVID-19 pandemic really looked like inside the walls of one of New York City’s hardest-hit hospitals. In this 20-Minute Health Talk, Matthew reflects on what it was like to document patients fighting for their lives, as well as the frontline heroes responding to the crisis. He is joined by two nurses featured in the film: Kellie Wunsch, RN, a critical care nurse at LIJ; and Brussels Jabon, LPN, who was pregnant with her second child when diagnosed with COVID-19.

Meet our guests:  

Matthew Heineman is an Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker well known for documentaries including: Cartel Land; City of Ghosts; Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare; and his collaboration on Emmy-nominated HBO series, The Alzheimer’s Project. 

Kellie Wunsch, RN, is a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Kellie volunteered to be a member of the rapid response team through the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Brussels Jabon is a Registered Practical Nurse at Northwell Health’s Stern Family Center for Rehabilitation. 

Kids talk COVID vaccines

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine now has emergency use authorization (EUA) in kids ages 5-to-11, opening up eligibility to 28 million children in the US. Nora Gossett, 7, shares why she got the shot with her doctor dad, Jeffrey Gossett, M.D., F.A.A.P., at Cohen Children's Medical Center (CCMC). He was one of four doctors to stand behind their children as they received their first dose Nov. 4 at CCMC in a display of confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.

Like Dr. Gossett, Mundeep Kainth, DO, MPH, and Sophia Jan, MD, talked the talk and walked the walk by getting their children in this age group vaccinated. They join Lorry Rubin, MD, CCMC's director of pediatric infectious diseases, to discuss:

• how to talk to your kids about the vaccine
• clinical trials and vaccine safety
• parental concerns about long-term side effects like myocarditis
• what to expect with the COVID vaccine in kids 6 months to 4 years old

Meet the experts

Lorry Rubin, MD, director, pediatric infectious diseases, Cohen Children’s Medical Center

Sophia Jan, MD, chief of general pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center

Mundeep Kainth, MD, pediatric infectious disease, Cohen Children’s Medical Center

Jeffrey Gossett, M.D., F.A.A.P, vice president and system chief of pediatric cardiology at Cohen Children's Medical Center (CCMC)

The COVID vaccine and pregnancy: Empowering expectant moms

Only 33.8 percent of pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 49 in the US are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. And while many pregnant women are fearful of the effect that the COVID vaccines could have on them and their baby, more than 160K expectant moms have been vaccinated with no adverse pregnancy outcomes, explains Burton Rochelson, MD, chief of maternal fetal medicine, and Sarah Pachtman, MD, a maternal fetal medicine attending. Like Dr. Pachtman, Elizabeth Boyce, RN, got the COVID vaccine while pregnant. They share their experiences, dispel misinformation and encourage women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive to Crush COVID and get the shot. 

More from the experts

Is it safe to get the COVID vaccine if I'm pregnant? Burton Rochelson, MD, explains.

Pregnant and hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine? Sarah Pachtman details new research revealing that the COVID-19 vaccine is likely to protect unborn children, too, when moms-to-be roll up their sleeves.

 

Breast cancer survivorship: beginning at diagnosis

Thanks to improvements in breast cancer screening and treatment, more than 80 percent of patients will beat the disease. But, survivorship comes with its own health challenges — something  health professionals and patients need to start planning for at diagnosis, says Catherine Alfano, PhD, an international leader in cancer survivorship and rehabilitation. She joins medical oncologist Jennifer Ligibel, MD, and integrative health and wellness coach Deborah McElligott, NP, to discuss the challenges of implementing this approach; the issues cancer survivors face; and balancing the benefits and long-term risks of cancer treatments. 

Chapters:

00:01 - Survivorship starts at diagnosis

01:20 - What is survivorship?

03:24 - Cancer care and lifestyle changes

05:27 - American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

07:15 - Getting survivorship right

08:40 - Cancer treatments: balancing benefits and risks

09:09 - Integrative medicine programs

11:34 - Tai chi health benefits

12:21 - Cancer care and integrative health

14:03 - Cancer research and personalized care

15:18 - What is a learning health system?

16:01 - Breast cancer survivor

18:34 - Racial disparities in survivorship

19:36 - Support from faith-based communities

Meet the experts

Catherine Alfano, Ph.D., is vice president of cancer care management and research at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, and associate director for the Institute of Health System Science at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. She also co-chairs the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s clinical guidelines on nutrition, physical activity, and weight management for treatment in cancer patients. Previously, she served as vice president for survivorship at the American Cancer Society; and before that as deputy director of the office of cancer survivorship at the National Cancer Institute.

Jennifer Ligibel, MD, is a medical oncologist and director of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She also co-chairs the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s clinical guidelines on nutrition, physical activity, and weight management for treatment in cancer patients.

Deborah McElligott, DNP, is a holistic nurse practitioner, as well as an integrative health and wellness coach at the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine at the Katz Institute for Women's Health.

Clinical trials and the blood brain barrier

The COVID-19 vaccines have put a spotlight on the importance of clinical trials. During the early days of the pandemic in New York, researchers like John Boockvar, MD, had to shut down ongoing trials to contribute to the fight against the novel virus. Since, he has resumed his work investigating novel approaches to treating brain cancers. He has been internationally recognized for his research in brain tumors and stem cell biology throughout his 20-year career. He explains the importance of clinical trials, his connection with the inventor of mRNA technology, and his experience leading investigations into experimental treatments for glioblastomas — the deadliest form of brain cancer.  

Meet the expert

Dr. Boockvar is a world-renowned brain tumor expert. He is vice chair of neurosurgery and director of the Brain Tumor Center at Lenox Hill; and director of the Laboratory for Brain Tumor Biology and Therapy at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. 

Along with his fellow neurosurgeons, he was the subject of the highly-acclaimed Netflix docudrama in 2020, “Lenox Hill.” 

Northwell research making news:

• The healing power of vagus nerve stimulation
• New research identifies potential therapeutic target for fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome
• Feinstein Institutes research finds sex, gender identity are linked to human brain activity
• Feinstein Institutes study identifies Alzheimer's disease blood biomarkers
• Top 5 Northwell advances of 2023

Why I got the COVID booster shot

After receiving his COVID booster shot, Lorry Rubin, MD, director of pediatric infectious diseases at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, walks us through why it's important to get the additional dose, who is eligible and how effective it is. Currently the Pfizer mRNA vaccine is the only one approved for booster shots under emergency use authorization. However, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson both are seeking emergency use authorization and the FDA's Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet Oct. 14 and 15 to consider the requests. 

Dr. Rubin also talks about the COVID vaccines and children, with Pfizer reporting that its vaccine is safe and effective in kids age 5 to 11 - the dose would be smaller than those currently in use in other age groups. 

More from our expert

Dr. Rubin talks about the signs of MIS-C.

Myocarditis has been seen in some young people after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, but doctors say the risk of COVID-19 is far greater.