INTERVIEWS

Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss globally. Dr. Carlos Martinez, Ophthalmologist at Eye Physicians of Long Beach, CA, discusses cataract risk factors, signs, symptoms and treatment options available. He talks about why he feels it is imperative for Latinos to be aware of risk factors and learn about the latest cataract lens options available. In his experience, Latino patients are more likely to develop severe cataracts earlier in life than other groups of people and are unfamiliar with cataract surgery, one of the most common and safest procedures to get. 

40 Years of HIV and AIDS: Incredible advancements have been made in the way we treat and manage HIV compared to the earliest days of the crisis, but there are still significant barriers preventing us from ending this epidemic. Returning guest, Dr. Kimberly Smith, Head of Research & Development for ViiV Healthcare discusses the research and innovation that is changing how HIV will be treated in the future, the current issues that still impact the HIV community, and the barriers that are preventing us from ending the HIV epidemic.

Zach Shemtob, based in New York, was among the first wave of people to be infected with COVID-19, but it wasn’t until a year later that he was finally able to confirm the diagnosis. Initially, Zach and his husband, David Lat, both experienced flu-like symptoms. Zach’s symptoms eventually subsided; however, David was hospitalized at NYU Langone Hospital for 17 days with COVID and suffered lung scarring and now has heart issues. Zach was never able to find out if he had COVID because tests were in such short supply and he kept testing negative with the antibody tests. While David slowly recovered, Zach wondered about his own diagnosis. Finally, Zach was able to determine he had COVID-19 through T-Detect™ COVID, the first and only clinical T cell-based test for patients to confirm recent or past COVID-19 infection. They now share the year long journey to the COVID diagnosis and how it impacted their family including their 3-year-old son and how they had to advocate for themselves in order to get a diagnosis. They share tips for other people who may be on the same journey. 

Imagine a liquid biopsy test whose results would allow physicians to evaluate chemotherapy for every patient in real time.  Richard Brand, CFO of DiaCarta, Inc., a translational genomics and personalized diagnostics company, discusses a recent data publication in “Nature Scientific Reports” that validates their cell-free DNA biomarker detection pre-treatment (chemotherapy) can predict how much treatment a patient needs. Their QuantiDNA™ cfDNA test, studied in this paper, is used to quantify the total amount of cfDNA directly from a plasma sample while the patient is undergoing cancer therapy.  

Dr. Neil Skolnik, MD, Professor of Family And Community Medicine At The Sidney Kimmel Medical College Of Thomas Jefferson University discusses chronic kidney disease (CKD), risk factors, diagnosis and a new way to treat CKD. 

Dr. Rachel Kuperman, MD, CEO and Founder of Eysz, a medtech/AI startup, discusses the company’s AI-enabled Epilepsy Management Platform that they are building that uses passive eye movements to detect and track seizures and neurocognitive side effects in order to help get patients on the right medication sooner.  She also talks about their equity crowdfunding offering through the Bioverge Portal that enables the epilepsy community the opportunity to receive equity in Eysz in return for investing in the further development of the platform.  

Dr. Randy Brown, MD, Global Senior Director of Respiratory Medicine for Teva Pharmaceuticals, discusses symptoms and tips for managing asthma during allergy season. He talks about the best ways to communicate asthma symptoms during a telehealth appointment, and how technology such as Teva’s Digihaler® family of inhalers can help inform treatment decisions and improve communication with a healthcare professional.  

Dr. Esther Davis, a Research Fellow in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital discusses her recent research “Echocardiographic markers of myocardial dysfunction in spontaneous coronary artery dissection”, which was recently presented at the 2021 American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific meeting. Dr. Davis examined the transthoracic echocardiographic and angiographic features in patients with angiographically confirmed spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), an increasingly recognized cause of myocardial infarction, particularly in young females. 

Dr. Doreen DeFaria Yeh, MD, Associate Director, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, Co-Director, MGH Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Program, and Program Director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship discusses her recent presentation “Strategies for Recruiting and Supporting Cardiology Fellows in Training from Diverse Backgrounds” at the 2021 American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific meeting. Featured as part of a larger discussion around cultivating an antiracist culture in cardiovascular medicine, Dr. DeFaria’s timely research aims to increase inclusion within the industry.  

Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, MD, Co-Director, Cardiac MR PET CT Program at Massachusetts General Hospital discusses his recent research, “Alcohol’s Beneficial Effect on Cardiovascular Disease is Partially Mediated Through Modulation of Stress Associated Brain Activity”. The study, which was presented at the 2021 American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific meeting, seeks to understand how alcohol plays a role in major adverse cardiovascular events.