In this episode, we speak with Dr. Kevin Vu about pain fellowship applications.

Dr. Vu is from Austin, Texas. He attended UT Dallas for undergraduate studies, where he participated in the accelerated program and studied Biology. He subsequently went to medical school at UT Southwestern. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to do a residency in Physical medicine and rehabilitation at Spaulding and is now in a fellowship subspecializing in pain medicine.

Full disclosure: Dr. Vu is my co-fellow, and we are both in Fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. I am biased toward this program and Kevin, as he is absolutely brilliant, and I love this program.

But speaking of programs, pain medicine is an ever-evolving field. Getting to a pain fellowship can appear daunting to some of us in residency or medical school because despite having an interest in the field, it may prove difficult to get significant hands-on experience while in residency or medical school.

So, if you’re a medical student or resident, hopefully, this episode sheds some light on various aspects of the fellowship application process.

As always thanks so much for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something.

In this episode, we speak about neck pain with Dr Mikhail Zhukalin

Dr. Zhukalin was born and raised in Russia, immigrating to the United States at 16. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry with honors from Boise State University before completing his medical education at Des Moines University. Dr. Zhukalin completed his Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency at Emory University, where he served as Chief Resident from 2014 to 2015. He then pursued an additional year of subspecialty training at Northwestern University in Pain Medicine before returning to Atlanta to join Emory.

Neck pain is a condition nearly all of us have experienced at some point in our lives. From a dull ache due to looking down at our phones for too long or a sharp pain after sleeping in the wrong position, neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints. Neck pain can affect our everyday lives and can be more than just a minor inconvenience; it can significantly impact your mobility, sleep, mood, and overall well-being. In this episode, we'll delve into some of the intricacies of the anatomy of the neck and explore some common causes of neck pain. We'll also discuss some possible treatment options and lifestyle adjustments for the neck

As always, thanks so much for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something.

In this episode, we speak about pediatric headaches with Dr Jasmine Forte

Dr Forte is a board certified pediatric neurologist who graduated with honors from Meharry Medical College in Nashville Tennessee and subsequently completed her residency in pediatric neurology at Emory University where she also served as chief resident. She was amazing to interview and had exceptional answers to all of my questions, whether they were relevant or not! I would definitely take my child to her for any headache concerns.

Pediatrics is a fascinating yet often daunting field; many practitioners tend to avoid it altogether if they themselves are not a pediatrician. It’s understandable—why delve into topics you think you might never encounter? However, our discussion today sheds light on how understanding pediatric headaches can significantly enrich our perspectives on adult pain management. Whether you’re a medical professional or simply curious about the complexities of pain, this episode promises to offer valuable insights.

As always thanks so much for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something.

In this episode, we speak about peripheral nerve stimulators with Dr Vinita Singh

Dr Singh is double-board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. She went to medical school at the Armed Forces Medical College in India, did residency at Indiana University School of Medicine then fellowship at Emory University. Dr Singh is equal parts brilliant and positive energy. I am very happy I was able to speak to her about

Peripheral nerve stimulators are not a new technology but we have seen them become more and more popular in the pain space as we have moved away from using opioids to treat pain. They work in much the same way as a TENS unit, in essence, stimulating one nerve fiber to block a pain signal of another. We discuss them in further detail with Dr Singh and her approach to their use.

As always, thanks so much for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something.

In this episode, we speak with Dr Yogita Tailor and discuss pelvic pain.

Dr Tailor was extremely generous with her time in doing this podcast and I am very grateful for it, she is definitely the sort of person you want to help manage a challenging condition, as pelvic pain can be.

Dr Tailor went to undergraduate at the University of Maryland, then medical school at The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s School of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. She is an expert in both men's and women’s sexual health and is skilled in treating pelvic pain.

Pelvic pain can be disabling and severely impact someone’s quality of life. Often given the inherently sensitive nature of pelvic pain’s location, it can be not only difficult to discuss in public but also private settings even with a healthcare practitioner. Additionally, it can affect not only women but also men. I know the wonderful work Dr. Tailor is doing is helping to break this stigma

As always thanks so much for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something.

To learn more about Dr. Yogita Tailor follow the link below:
https://pelvicrehabilitation.com/providers/yogita-tailor/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrKu2BhDkARIsAD7GBotnEsWbd6PwcZUDuFDhkfUn8G5fWTCqMFwWxvpbqhQwT4zvH3Z_LFwaAh2VEALw_wcB

In this episode, we speak about lower back pain with Dr Oluseun Olufade, also known as Dr. O or Dr. Alfy to his patients.

One could sum Dr. Olufade up by saying role model. He has the characteristics that come most readily come to mind when someone thinks of a doctor: cares deeply about his patients, volunteers in the community, is sharp as a scalpel, and dresses equally as so. Additionally, he currently serves as a team physician for many of the sports teams in Atlanta Georgia.

Dr. O went to Rutgers University for undergraduate then Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He did his residency at Temple University in physical medicine and rehabilitation and completed two fellowships - 1 at Temple in pain medicine and another at Crozer Keystone in Sports Medicine

Lower back pain is an extraordinarily common condition and affects more than 100 million people in the US and over 5 million are disabled from it.

Many of the people listening to or watching this podcast are probably experiencing it right now - sorry about that. I intend to have many discussions about lower back pain in the future but I am very lucky to have spoken about it with Dr. Olufade.

As always thanks so much for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something.

To learn more about Dr. Olufade check out his website here:
https://www.olufadesportsmedicine.com/

In this episode, we speak with Dr Alan Chalil.

Dr. Chalil just finished his fellowship in functional neurosurgery which is a subspecialty of neurosurgery that he will detail later in this episode. In this episode, we speak primarily on what is pain, and what functional neurosurgery can do to help alleviate and treat it.

Dr Alan Chalil immigrated to Canada at 16 years old. He went to the University of Waterloo for undergraduate and graduate school, attended medical school at the University of Toronto, did his neurosurgery residency at Western University in London, Ontario. He completed his fellowship in Functional Neurosurgery at Emory in Atlanta, GA

*Disclaimer* I am not 100% convinced that he’s not just Oscar Isaac acting SO well he is functioning as a functional neurosurgeon. I am on to you Dr Isaac Chalil.

Thanks so much for listening, I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something!

In this episode, we speak with Dr Yawar Qadri about cancer pain and touch on the use and function of ketamine.

Besides having the coolest name, nicest hair, and ability to grow a full beard in 5 seconds flat, he is genuinely a hilarious and brilliant person. Dr Qadri is an anesthesiologist who subspecialized in pain management and largely focuses on cancer pain.

It is no wonder he has a deep understanding of the field as Dr. Qadri went to undergraduate at Trenton State for physics, thus his approach to pain management and likely in life is through basic principles and an understanding of the fundamentals to arrive at a more thoughtful and plausible outcome. He attended medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine for his combined MD / PhD in physiology and biophysics, completed his residency at The University of North Carolina, then subsequently did fellowship in Pain Medicine at Duke.

Thank you so much for listening!