The Scope Radio

Getting into physician assistant school is an impressive feat itself, but what’s it like once you’re in? We spoke to two students at the University of Utah Physician Assistant program about how tough PA school really is. They give some sound adbvce for staying focused on the coursework and the absolute importance of holding onto the things that matter to you, including staying active.

Amy Steinbrech suffered a stroke on New Year’s Eve of 2012. In this podcast, she interviews Stacey Turner, a physical therapist who worked with Amy to help her get back on her feet and in her skis. They talk about setting realistic goals for physical recovery and staying motivated to keep pushing.

Menopause marks the end of significant reproduction of eggs and estrogen. But just because your body’s reproductive system is slowing down doesn’t mean you and your partner have to. Dr. Kirtly Jones talks about a few of the ways you can safely treat vaginal dryness and keep intimacy comfortable. Ladies—this podcast is for your ears only!

Often, cleft lip can be detected through ultrasound, but families need to wait a few months before their babies can have the reparative surgery. Dr. Barbu Gociman is a facial plastic surgeon who specializes in cleft lip reconstruction. He talks about the spectrum of cleft lip and palate severity and the surgeries that might be required. Dr. Gociman shares some advice and resources for families with or expecting a child with a cleft lip.

If you’re prone to chronic headaches, it could be a jaw issue. Dr. Gary Lowder is a professor and practicing dentist at the University of Utah School of Dentistry. He talks about how tension in your jaw muscles and grinding your teeth can cause severe headaches and what a dentist can do to treat it.

If you’ve been told your baby will have complications when it’s born, you and your family might have a lot of questions and worry about what’s going to happen. Neonatologist Dr. Mariana Baserga and Dr. Tom Miller talk about how babies with complications are taken care of in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). Dr. Baserga addresses some questions families might have about when they can see and hold their new babies.

Certified Nurse Midwife Dr. Debra Penney asks: “Why not choose a midwife?” Most people think having a physician deliver their baby is the only way to go, but Debra explains how midwives can help make your delivery a more personal and comfortable experience.

It’s hard to imagine anyone intentionally harming a child. When people think of child abuse, they often picture physical abuse, but as Dr. Cindy Gellner explains, child abuse includes much more than that. She talks about the forms of child abuse and what to do if you suspect a child you know is being abused in any manner.

How might your neighborhood pharmacy be different five or ten years from now? Dr. Mike Feehan, visiting professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah talks about how one day, you may be more likely to visit your local pharmacist for routine acute care than you would your doctor. He is conducting the largest survey of its kind to determine a new model for pharmacies that works best for consumers, pharmacists, and insurance providers. The research is being done in collaboration with Mark Munger, PharmD, and is supported by the Skaggs Foundation for Research.

Dr. Howard Degenholtz is the man behind the popular smartphone game Dr. Transplant. In this podcast, he talks about the game and its beginnings as a way to convey public health messages that were in competition with mobile gaming. He discusses how the game works, how it conveys a message while entertaining the player and gives some tips for groups trying to create their own health game.

Perimenopause is the final stretch before you stop having periods altogether. For many women, it’s a frustrating time filled with hot flashes, heavy and unpredictable bleeding and a lot of hormones. Even though perimenopause is different for every woman, Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones talks about what you can expect before those pesky periods leave your life forever.

It can be extremely emotionally difficult if your parent suddenly doesn’t remember who you are. Family Physician Dr. Kyle Bradford Jones discusses some of the signs of memory loss to look for as your parents age. He also talks about how to make sure your parents are mentally healthy for as long as they possibly can be and how to make sure you and your family are also staying emotionally healthy.

Taking pills to treat addiction might seem counterintuitive. If you took these medications, would you just end up replacing one addiction with another? Psychiatrist Dr. Katie Carlson specializes in treating addiction. She talks in-depth about these medications and how they can be used with therapy and other treatments to help fight addiction and withdrawals.

Geneticist Gabrielle Kardon, Ph.D., never thought that she would be explaining her research to patient advocacy groups, but that’s where her science led her and she has not shied away from it. Her work, published in Nature Genetics and highlighted in the New York Times, brought forth a new understanding behind the mechanisms of a common birth defect, congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Since then she has been getting to know the CDH community and advocating for their cause. She explains what they have taught her, how she has helped them, and what basic scientists can get out of developing relationships with patients.

If your jaw starts to bother you with clicks and pops while you eat or when you yawn, you might start to worry. Is it worth it to go see a dentist? Dentist Dr. Gary Lowder talks about what can cause jaw problems and what you might be able to do to resolve it without treatment. He tells you what to do if these problems become painful or if they persist.