Pomegranate Health
A podcast about the culture of medicine.
You'll hear clinicians, researchers and advocates discuss all aspects of professionalism and quality improvement in healthcare. This includes clinical ethics, diagnostic bias, better communication and more equitable systems.
For a sampler of these diverse themes of professional practice take a listen to Episode 132 and Episode 135.
If RACP is your CPD home, you can log time spent listening to each episode with the "Add activity to MyCPD" button. And if you're a Basic Physician Trainee, the [Case Report] series might help you prepare for your long case clinical exams.
This is also the home of [IMJ On-Air], featuring authors from the Internal Medicine Journal sharing their latest research. Meanwhile, the [Journal Club] episodes give RACP members a place to talk through their research published in other academic journals.
Feel free to leave feedback in the comments section for each episode or send it to us via email at podcast@racp.edu.au.
Latest episodes
<<REWIND>> Genomics for the generalist
This <<REWIND>> of the 2017 episode “Genomics for the Generalist” is a good primer on fundamental concepts and everyday challenges for the physician advising a patient. The expert guests include a genetic pathologist, a clinical geneticist, a genetic counsellor and a medical oncologist.
Ep146: Dealing with the next pandemic 2- lockdowns and human rights
While Australia’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most effective in the world it caused unintended social harms and lingering resentment in some parts of the community. In the second of two episodes we ask whether there even is a scientific answer to the cost-benefit calculus around lockdowns and school closures.
Ep145: Dealing with the next pandemic 1- border closures and vaccine mandates
Australia’s public health policies to manage the COVID-19 pandemic are estimated to have spared up to 50,000 lives up to December 2022, and vaccines probably saved three times as many again. Over two episodes we examine the efficacy and the social costs of various interventions, starting with border closures and vaccines.
[Case Report] 62yo undergoing procedure for a lung nodule
A 62‐year-old man is undergoing a CT‐guided core biopsy of a lung nodule when he develops an iatrogenic pneumothorax. After admission he has ongoing dyspnoea, oxygen desaturation, and chest pain and treatment for these doesn’t immediately go to plan.
Ep143: On the ground with MSF
MSF has projects in more than 70 countries that affected by natural disasters, armed conflict or disease outbreaks. We hear from two physicians about what it’s like to be involved with the organisation and how to fit assignments in with a career path back home.
[Case Report] 75 yo with a porcelain aorta
A 75 year-old man with severe aortic stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is deemed unsuitable for surgery because of a porcelain aorta. Additional complications force an experimental two-in-one procedure.
Ep141: Space Medicine Part 2- really remote practice
A round trip to Mars will take two years or more in that time weight-bearing bones can become severely demineralized. Prolonged exposure to microgravity also has profound effects on the circulation and nervous system. How will astronauts safely explore the solar system and manage medical emergencies that may arise?
Ep140: Space Medicine Part 1- radiation and retinopathy
By the early 2030s, NASA will be building a permanent base on the moon, and Elon Musk reckons he’ll be sending people to Mars. Among the many risks of prolonged space-travel are exposure to cosmic radiation and the many effects of microgravity on the body.
[Case Report] 72yo with anterior uveitis
A 72-year-old presents to an Adelaide emergency department with bilateral eye pain lasting several days. Anterior uveitis is identified as the proximal cause but there are many possible aetiologies given her complex medical history.
Ep138: Amyloid busters- the benefit and the burden
Australia has approved a two amyloid-targeting therapies for incipient Alzheimer’s dementia but both remain unfunded. We put the research outcomes into context and discuss the implications of the burdensome treatment regimen for the health system.