Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD]

Guest: Amanda K. Lorenz, M.D.

Giving our patients bad or unexpected news is one of the most difficult, but also one of the most important responsibilities we have as health care clinicians. This is when our patients need us the most and we need to do this with compassion and empathy. This is best done face to face and ideally once we have established a good relationship with our patient. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. A clinician in the emergency department telling a patient they’ve suffered an MI or a radiologist explaining a worrisome finding on mammogram may have just recently met the patient. What’s the best way to give our patients bad news? Can we become better at this? What can we expect from our patients after they hear the news? And how much information should we share with them? These are all topics we’ll discuss with our guest, Amanda K. Lorenz, M.D., a palliative medicine physician. Our topic for this podcast is “Giving Bad News”.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD]

Guest: Ali J. Ainsworth, M.D.

A successful pregnancy is a complicated process. It involves a combination of precise timing as well as anatomic and physiologic conditions which need to be intact and functioning normally. When pregnancy is unable to be achieved, it can be due to a problem in the female, the male, or both. It’s relatively common and can result in significant frustration. Psychological problems also commonly result. The topic for today’s podcast is infertility; it’s causes, evaluation and management. My guest is Ali J. Ainsworth, M.D., a specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mayo Clinic.

June is Infertility Awareness Month

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at

https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD]

Guest: Robert M. Jacobson, M.D.

Immunizations are one of the greatest success stories in modern medicine and it’s estimated that they’ve saved more lives and prevented more disabilities than any other medical intervention. They’re probably responsible, more than any other medical advance in contributing to our increased longevity as a population. They’re also extremely cost-effective and their benefits far outweigh the very small risks they carry. This podcast will review new information regarding immunizations and how we as clinicians can increase our patients’ immunization rates. Our guest is Robert M. Jacobson, M.D., a pediatrician, and expert in immunizations from the Department of Pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.