Ep 81: @Medlife Crisis and Authenticity with YouTuber & Interventionalist, Dr Rohin Francis
Ep 81: @Medlife Crisis and Authenticity with YouTuber & Interventionalist, Dr Rohin Francis

Average (ratings)
No ratings
 
  Your rating

In 2017, Rohin Francis AKA Medlife Crisis uploaded a YouTube video titled “Leonardo da Vinci's theory about the heart was right”. This first video about how the heart valves close was watched by 412K people, garnering more than 700 comments from a diverse audience who connected to the subject with fascination, curiosity and humour.

This week’s guest on Parallax is Dr Rohin Francis, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and prolific YouTuber.

Rohin believes that authenticity is one of the keys of his videos’ success. When asked about his journey to medicine he summarises: “I was being rebellious and ended up doing the most cliché job for an Indian possible.” He turns the table and asks Ankur what he think is behind the stereotype of the Indian cardiologist.
Rohin shares an advice that he received at the beginning of his career: “If you can deal with an average day, the exciting day will take care of itself.”
Ankur asks Rohin about Medlife Crisis and the work that goes into producing a show followed by 500K people. Rohin reiterates his passion for research and science communication. Ankur and Rohin discuss what it means to be yourself on social media and what is Rohin’s advice to our early-career listeners.

What is Rohin’s advice for aspiring creators? How does he balance his work and personal life?

Questions and comments can be sent to “podcast@radcliffe-group.com” and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode.
Guest: @MedCrisis, host: @AnkurKalraMD and produced by: @RadcliffeCARDIO.


Read MoreRead Less
Share
Up Next
Ep 82: Hospital Peer Review Process: What You Need to Know as a Physician
EP82 • Dec 19, 2022 • 55m 32s
In this week’s Parallax Dr Kalra’s guests are the team that fought for justice in Dr Kaki’s case: Dr Lawrence R. Huntoon, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and Deborah Gordon, employment attorney.
Read More
All Episodes
EP 41: Mallory Abbott on Ebstein’s Anomaly, Self-Care & Gratitude
EP41 • Feb 09, 2021 • 42m 26s
Mallory was not prepared when she underwent her first heart surgery in seventh grade: She was hoping to regain her stamina, instead she experienced what she describes as a loss of self. Mallory was born with a rare heart disease called a Ebstein’s anomaly.
Read More
40: Mentorship, Reflection & the Journey of Mandeep R Mehra
EP40 • Jan 25, 2021 • 46m 33s
How does Dr Mehra think about building opportunities? What were his formative experiences? How does he think about the role of mentorship in medicine? What is Dr Mehra’s message to our listeners?Dr Mehra does not frame his experiences as failures or successes; he looks at all events with one question in mind: What can I learn from this?

In this week’s episode Ankur’s guest is Dr Mandeep R Mehra, Medical Director of Brigham Heart and Vascular Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Read More
EP 39: The Year 2020 in Review with Sukh Nijjer
EP39 • Jan 21, 2021 • 1h 2m 19s
In the first Parallax episode of 2021, Ankur welcomed back Sukh Nijjer from Imperial College London to review the most impactful events and advances in cardiology from 2020.

Which COVID19 patients require risk stratification with a stress test? What are the take-home messages for physicians taking care of patients diagnosed with COVID19? What were the key trials of 2020? What can we learn from the negative results of the STRENGHT study? How have studies like STOP-AF influenced clinical practice?
Read More
38: Martin B Leon on CRF, Mentorship and the Lessons of 2020
EP38 • Dec 17, 2020 • 27m 6s
In the Season 2 finale, Ankur Kalra is joined by the legendary Martin B Leon, Professor at Columbia University, director of the TCT and chairman emeritus of the CRF.

What makes Dr Martin B Leon tick? What is his message to cardiologists and/or researchers at the beginning of their careers? How did the pandemic and his work as a clinician in New York change his perspective?
Read More
37: Lindsay’s Law: From Ballerina to Health Advocate
EP37 • Dec 30, 2020 • 32m 15s
This week Parallax welcomed its first non-physician/researcher guest: health advocate Lindsay Davis. Lindsay, ballerina with ambitions to study at Julliard, was experiencing the symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) from her early teens, but she had not been diagnosed until she was 17.

In this episode Ankur asks Lindsay about her treatment path. Lindsay recalls her own journey to taking control of her condition and the important role of information in patient adherence. Lindsay, former Miss Ohio, talks how she used the pageant to create awareness. Lindsay talks about work in state legislation and her plans for 2021.
Read More
WiC, Mentorship and Diversity in Academic Publishing
EP36 • Apr 23, 2020 • 48m 34s
In 2020, women still only represent 16% of editorial boards.

US Cardiology Review journal, has recently seen a 7-fold increase in female editorial board members in response to journal-based strategic initiatives and the stellar work of USC editorial board leadership, Ankur Kalra (Editor in Chief) and Bill Gogas (Deputy Editor in Chief), who were keen to drive this change. With thanks to Dr Anastasia Mihailidou’s tenure as a new board member and her suggested nominees, ten new female board members have recently joined US Cardiology Review’s editorial board.
Read More
C Mike Gibson On Art, Medicine And Fatherhood
EP35 • Apr 23, 2020 • 44m 47s
One of the first things painted by the young Mike Gibson, today Professor of Medicine at Harvard, researcher and interventional cardiologist, was a cloud. Years later while painting angiograms Dr Gibson came up with the idea of myocardial blush: The blush was that cloud of dye in the heart muscle.

In this episode, Mike opens up about his childhood in Stilwell, Oklahoma. Ankur and Mike discuss how the inductive quality of art can complement the deductive principles of science. Mike recalls earlier stages of his career and warns about the blinding effect of the ego-driven, competitive culture of cardiology. Ankur asks Mike about fatherhood and about his role as an educator. 

What does it mean to be fearless as a medical professional? How can you protect yourself from the emotional toll of the profession? What is Mike’s advice to early career cardiologists?

Sponsored by Edwards.
Read More
Toolbox Of An Analyst With Suzanne J Baron
EP34 • Apr 23, 2020 • 45m 59s
In this week’s episode Ankur Kalra asks Dr Suzanne J Baron, Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Research at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center: How do we measure the value of a novel technology?

During her interventional cardiology fellowship, Dr Baron became fascinated by the implementation of novel technologies. She earned her degree in Clinical Epidemiology and spent a year working at the FDA’s Device Evaluation unit.

In 2019 Dr Baron presented the results of her late-breaking trial, COAPT. Ankur invites Suzanne to discuss the economic analysis of the study and to give a short introduction to cost-effectiveness analysis. Suzanne provides an overview of the trial and they talk about the importance of understanding the value and benefits of new devices from both the patient and the health-economic point of viewpoint.
Read More
Chuck Simonton on Leadership, Innovations and Industry
EP33 • Apr 23, 2020 • 47m 9s
In this week’s Parallax, host Ankur Kalra is joined by Charles (Chuck) Simonton, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Abiomed. Chuck talks about how his father’s leadership and service as a Methodist minister inspired him to become a doctor. He recalls the dawn of interventional cardiology: the birth of angioplasty and stenting. Drawing from his experiences as a trialist who worked with some of the most influential minds, he offers practical tips to young doctors. Finally, Ankur asks Chuck about the Impella device controversy and the recent decision of Abiomed to accelerate their clinical research.

How should you start building a research programme? What are Chuck Simonton’s thoughts on the relationship between doctors and the industry? What is Chuck’s message to young cardiologists?
Read More
Diagnosing treating sexism in cardiology
EP32 • Apr 23, 2020 • 50m 40s
Martha Gulati, Professor of Medicine and the Chief of Cardiology at the University of Arizona joins Ankur Kalra to continue the important conversation on how the cardiovascular community can stand up against sexism.

After the #MedBikini campaign provoked by a misogynistic study that scrutinized female doctors’ social media posts, this episode is about creating a safer environment for female healthcare professionals.
Read More
Ep 91: Beyond Metrics: Reimagining Success in Academic Medicine with Dr Anavekar
EP91 • May 02, 2023 • 45m 23s
In this stimulating and thought-provoking episode, Dr. Kalra and Dr. Anavekar delve into the topic of measuring success in medicine. Dr. Anavekar puts forward the argument that the ambiguous definition of academic achievement often results in damaging biases that have long-term repercussions on the medical field. As a program director, Dr. Anavekar believes that the number of published articles should not be the only or most crucial criterion for evaluating early-career faculty. He argues that it's important to also consider the "distance travelled" by candidates. Dr. Kalra raises pertinent questions about the practical implications of this approach, and Dr. Anavekar provides candid insights into his responsibilities.
Read More
Ep 90: Academic Bullying Unmasked: Enablers, Effects & Solutions with Dr Täuber & Dr Mahmoudi
EP90 • Apr 24, 2023 • 41m 31s
Dr Mahmoudi and Dr Täuber teamed up to explore bullying in academic settings. Together with Dr Kalra they discuss why bullies thrive in such environments and the ways institutions enable such behaviour. Dr Täuber offers solutions and a critical overview of institutional narratives, while Dr Mahmoudi highlights the long-term effects on academic work and medicine. They call for action against toxic behaviour and for stakeholders to eliminate incentives for universities to support perpetrators.
Read More
Ep 89: Contemplative Self-Exploration & Outcome-Focused Cardiology with Dr Nandan Anavekar
EP89 • Apr 05, 2023 • 44m 54s
In 2018, the loss of a friend to suicide compelled Dr Anavekar to embark on a profound journey of contemplative self-exploration. Now, he uses his experience to encourage and guide trainees to pose thought-provoking questions that challenge the status quo of the materialistic approach to medicine, ultimately leading to a more outcome-focused perspective.
What is the Global Cardiology University project? How does Dr Anavekar encourage trainees to re-examine their role in patient care? What is his advice to our listeners?
Read More
Ep 88: Leadership, Advocacy & Involvement in Your Local ACC Chapter with Dr Vijay Rao
EP88 • Mar 21, 2023 • 44m 19s
In the latest episode of Parallax, Dr. Ankur Kalra invites Dr Vijay Rao, the Governor of the Indiana Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, to share his experience and insights with the audience.
As Dr Kalra asks Dr Rao about the ways in which early career faculty members can get involved with the organization at a state level. Dr Rao shares his insider tips and highlights key events where individuals can further their participation.
How can you get involved with your local ACC chapter? How can you improve your leadership skills? What is Dr Rao’s advice for our listeners?
Read More
EP 87: Gut Microbiome and Heart Health: The 3 Compounds You Need to Know About with Dr Vuyisich
EP87 • Feb 27, 2023 • 45m 50s
Dr Vuyisich shares his personal journey with rheumatoid arthritis and how it led him to explore the intersection of nutrition and the gut microbiome function.
He explains how the complexity of nutrition and the compounds generated by the gut microbiome can impact our health. We learn more about three compounds produced by our gut microbiome that have a strong connection with heart disease.
Through this conversation, Dr Vuyisich invites us to reframe our approach to nutrition and prevention as a question of food education and data-driven science.
Read More