Listening and Learning from Student and Postdoc-Produced Podcasts

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed there was an explosion of online content to keep us all occupied as we stayed away from others. Among the formats of programming that became more popular was podcasts, as many people sought both entertainment and new knowledge.

Podcasting offers a unique platform for sharing information on a topic about which one is passionate. It also allows podcasters and their listeners to make meaningful connections.

At Einstein, several groups—of students or students and postdocs—have teamed up to produce podcasts that offer interesting and informative programming. These include the External Medicine Podcast, the Health Bronx Podcast, and NeurOnAir. Inside Einstein offers an overview of each podcast. Be sure to give them a listen!

The External Medicine Podcast

Currently, the lone podcast posting new episodes is The External Medicine Podcast, a joint effort of Daniel Belkin, class of ‘22, and his younger brother Mitch, who graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) this year as well.The podcast taps into the brothers’ love of long-form podcasting and their observation that there were topics connected to medicine that they find interesting, but which weren’t fully explored in their course curriculum.

“We have always been interested in non-traditional ideas and medical innovation. In starting the podcast, we thought it would be a good opportunity to explore topics not typically covered in medical education, like the economics of vaccines and why the number of Cesarean sections in the U.S. has increased over the past 60 years,” said Daniel. “We figured that as we learn, others can, too.”

Brothers Daniel (at left) and Mitch Belkin team up to produce the External Medicine Podcast

“While we initially aimed to reach those in the medical field, what we found was that other people outside of medicine were interested as well,” said Mitch.

They launched their podcast in January 2021 and describe their episodes as “exploring the outskirts of medicine.” The topics they’ve covered thus far among 19 episodes, are fairly broad, with some specific to the resident or physician experience and others reflecting the economic, historic, or social aspects of the field.

“Contemporary medical practice is complex and ever changing. By exploring new ideas and treatments inside the field, we hope we can give current and future medical professionals a better handle on where medicine might be headed,” noted Daniel.

One of their first interviews featured Einstein’s Nir Barzilai, M.D., discussing “Metformin and the Biology of Aging’ and another featured UMSOM alumnus Paul Offitt, M.D., (now at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) about his book Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far. They have since branched out to interview individuals outside their respective medical schools, guided by their interests but also “looking to whether topics are relevant to a broader audience.”

“We try to interview scientists, physicians, and medical entrepreneurs who we believe are unique and thoughtful, and we hope our listeners will find them interesting, too,” said Mitch.

While COVID-19 has offered challenges, it also has provided opportunities. “Interviewing our guests is easier thanks to Zoom,” observed Daniel. “We can talk with anyone in the world who speaks the same language as us and has an available hour.”

The duo benefits from Daniel’s previous career in film production, an endeavor he began while still in high school. At 26, he found “it no longer resonated with me.” He took college classes and discovered a love of science, which led him to medicine.

Mitch also took a non-traditional path to medicine, living abroad after college and working for non-profit entities before determining that he also wanted something different.

Following their respective graduations this month, each will pursue a residency in radiology—Daniel at Johns Hopkins following an intern year at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Mitch at UMMC following an intern year at Midtown Hospital. They will join their parents as healthcare providers; their father is an optometrist with the Veterans Administration and their mother is a retired pediatrician.

They plan to continue production of the External Medicine Podcast, beginning with the release of their 20th episode later this month. Be sure to tune in and to check out their existing episodes.

The Healthy Bronx Podcast

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Einstein student Alexander Levine founded the Healthy Bronx Podcast, which stemmed from his longstanding interest in the impact of government policy on health outcomes. Alex sought to feature community leaders, journalists, policymakers, and physicians from the Bronx and throughout New York City to tell stories that shared how social determinants of health in our borough are shaped.

The podcast serves as an outreach tool for the efforts of the Bronx One Policy Group (BOP), which Alex co-founded with classmate Ali Kalam. BOP works with community leaders and local government to advance policy efforts that affect healthcare delivery in the Bronx. It partners with the NYC Department of Health’s #Not62 campaign, whose aim is to highlight health inequities and to end the Bronx’s ranking as New York State’s unhealthiest county.

“I was inspired to create a podcast because I wanted to raise awareness of the social, economic, and environmental issues that affect health and quality of life in the Bronx,” said Alex. “In talking with classmates, it was clear that others thought the subject matter would be of interest to our local community. We sought to reach young, educated individuals wanting to see a change.”

Several other Einstein medical students joined Alex and Ali, coordinating on various aspects of the podcast production and outreach through BOP. Alex has taken the lead in conducting and editing interviews, while Ali, Nupur Shridhar, and Ashley Castillo do outreach to health experts and community members who are podcast guests. Timothy Liang has been instrumental in designing materials for sharing information, including content from podcasts that reached a wider audience on the Healthy Bronx Instagram page (@healthybronx), while Olivia Howell has written and edited content for the podcast website. She also wrote an editorial featured in City Limits News.

In just over a year, the group produced 14 podcast episodes, with the first launching on September 11, 2020, just as COVID-19 began its initial resurgence. While some episodes tie into a theme, like the conversation on maternal and reproductive health during Women’s History Month, others focus on issues that impact health in the Bronx in ways not widely known, like the conversation on the infamous construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

An episode about vaccine safety and efficacy, which posted earlier in the pandemic, featured Alex collaborating with the Department of Health and Bronx-native Chidi Akusobi M.D., Ph.D.—now an infectious disease expert at Harvard— to field questions from community members throughout the Bronx about their COVID-19 concerns.

The podcast episodes about their Cross Bronx Expressway advocacy formed the foundation for a multimedia exhibit, “The Bronx Is Building,” which Alex and Tim curated in partnership with Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning and the Montefiore Fine Art Program. It was on display from this February to early May in Tower One of Montefiore’s Hutchinson Center.

“I worked with journalists at the Hunts Point Express and the episodes we produced helped to galvanize and organize community members around ensuring President Biden’s federal infrastructure bill—known as Build Back Better—included funding to cap the Expressway,” said Alex.

The Expressway podcasts included an interview with Congressman Ritchie Torres. They also helped BOP members hone their vision for environmental justice advocacy aimed at transforming the Cross Bronx Expressway as a public health intervention—an effort in which they teamed with community group Loving the Bronx.

The podcasts and advocacy efforts were covered by local newspaper the Bronx Times, and the broader community efforts even caught the attention of the international periodical The Guardian. And, in November, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced at a press conference that $2 million in federal funds to support a feasibility study for capping the expressway and addressing harmful effects to the communities within its vicinity.

When third year began for Alex, Ali, Nupur, and Tim immersing them in clerkship rotations at various clinical sites, their focus shifted more to advocacy work through BOP. The team plans to resume podcast production this summer, building on the strong reception its initial offerings received—including more than 250 listens per episode and 1,000 followers on the Healthy Bronx Instagram page. You can still check out the podcast episodes at The Healthy Bronx.

NeurOnAir

Rounding out the Einstein-produced podcasts is NeurOnAir, originally developed by Joanna Krzyspiak, a graduate student who will receive her diploma this month. The podcast’s website lists more than a half-dozen episodes, with more to be added later this summer.

Organized and run by Joanna and fellow students, postdocs and trainees in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, the podcast is intended for anyone interested in learning more about neuroscience and the brain. It features interviews with neuroscientists who are invited speakers of the department’s weekly seminar series.

NeurOnAir explores the brain and neuroscience, with podcasts produced by students and postdocs Joanna Krzyspiak, Heather Snell, Seydanur Tikir, Aravind Krishna, Ilana Deyneko, and Tori Lovallo. Those interested in hosting an episode can join their team.

Two NeurOnAir team members host each episode, which have featured Einstein faculty and distinguished researchers from other institutions, including a Nobel Laureate. One episode, hosted by Joanna and Heather Snell, delves into different forms of depression and anxiety, including how best to manage them. It was a timely topic when posted in early 2021, given the heightened stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. It still remains topical.

Students, postdocs, and trainees from the department, including Aravind Krishna, Seydanur Tikir, Ilana Deyneko, and Tori Lovallo round out the team that has brought the podcast episodes to light. At the outset, NeurOnAir members wore multiple hats critical to establishing the podcast but have since divided the tasks into generally defined roles.

Since scientists can easily talk about their favorite subject for hours, as content manager Aravind makes sure that storylines flow in a way that the audience can easily follow. Joanna, Seydanur, Ilana, and Heather have combined forces to create a social media presence, through which they also hope to attract a wider audience. While Joanna and Heather write the content, Seydanur and Ilana create beautiful, artistic graphics for the website and social media posts. Finally, Tori taught herself how to use audio editing software to assure that audio for each episode sounds just right.

In addition, to ensure the quality of content is accurate, in producing each segment the team consults with whichever faculty member is hosting the guest scientist.

For those interested in listening to the available NeurOnAir podcasts, you can access them on Spotify, iTunes, and Google Podcasts. You also can follow the team on social media using the handle @neuronaircast. In addition, the team welcomes any student, trainee, or postdoc at Einstein who is interested in hosting an episode.

“No experience is needed,” noted Seydanur. “We offer training and support. Simply email us at neuronairpodcast@gmail.com.”

Posted on: Friday, June 03, 2022

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