Heart of Medicine

Episode 21 - Stroke: Testing The Limits of Medicine? May 28, 2025

As doctors, we feel we are omnipotent. We bring people back from cardiac arrests, car accidents, we stop their heart for open heart surgery and then start it again. We play God. And yet, there is one disease that always humbles us… stroke. It’s an outcome that some fear worse than death. Yet, it’s something that is rising in prevalence yet the science is not keeping up as fast as it should.

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Dr. Payal Kohli and Dr. Omid Jazaeri discuss their own emotions about when they treated their very first stroke patient during medical school. They talk about the emotions physicians face everyday when dealing with stroke patients - sadness, empathy, frustration and guilt. Because a stroke changes the very core of everything that defines us - our autonomy, independence, our personality, our very being, it’s unlike any other disease.

But hope is not lost! Drs. Kohli and Jazaeri review the systematic increases in educational efforts, awareness, resources and preventive efforts and how that could change the landscape of stroke medicine.

This episode, in honor of May which is Stroke Awareness Month, leaves you uplifted and empowered to tackle and push the limits of medicine with a disease that can affect any of us or our loved ones!

Episode 20 - When Doctors Become Patients Feb 21, 2025

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, hear Dr. Kohli and Dr. Jazaeri both discuss their own struggles with being patients recently and even joke about how doctors are hypocrites when it comes to following doctor’s orders. This heartfelt episode explores how the “role reversal” of doctors becoming patients impacts both physicians and their patients. Does it make them better doctors? Should being a patient be taught in medical school? Does it make the system realize that doctors are human and not superhuman?

The physicians talk honestly all aspects of being a patient… from their own loss of control to the “knowing too much” problem to their anxiety and humility and how it has shifted their perspective as physicians. They even cover the challenges of navigating the health system and important lessons learned about medicine that were never taught in medical school.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has heard the expression “doctors are the worst patients” and for any doctor who has been a patient or any patient who has wondered whether his/her doctor knows what he/she is experiencing.

Episode 19 - How Thinking outside the Box Can Change Your Life While Also Changing The World Oct 23, 2024

What if a single infusion could result in lifelong lowering of your cholesterol and reduction of heart disease? What if this infusion could “turn off” a single cholesterol gene through gene editing that didn’t affect any other functions? Sounds like a good sci-fi movie, doesn’t it? Well… it’s the future of medicine and we are a LOT closer than you think.

In this incredibly inspiring episode of HeART of Medicine, Cardiologist, TV personality and host of the show Dr. Payal Kohli is joined by Vascular Surgeon Dr. Omid Jazaeri. They both sit down for a “heart to heart” with Dr. Sek Kathiresan, who is the co-founder and CEO of Verve Therapeutics, which is pioneering gene editing technology in Cardiology. Dr. Kathiresan shares the details about the inception of the idea, how he left the “ivory tower” of academic medicine at Harvard Medical School and his challenges and struggles along the way. This episode will change your thinking in so many ways and show you how thinking outside the box can change your life while also changing the world!

Episode 18 - Who Are You Voting For? Healthcare Issues in Upcoming Election Sep 11, 2024

Can you believe that the election is under 2 months away? Have you thought about what the most controversial healthcare related topics will be and where you stand on them?

In this election-focused episode of HeART of Medicine, Cardiologist and TV personality Dr. Payal Kohli and Vascular Surgeon Dr. Omid Jazaeri discuss the hottest and most polarizing public health topics in the upcoming election, including reproductive rights for women, gun control, climate change and healthcare for migrants. They share where the candidates stand on each of these issues and debate whether some of these issues are medical issues or policy issues. Dr. Kohli and Dr. Jazaeri even disagree on whether states should have their own rules for abortion or these should be regulated uniformly under federal law. (Have you thought about YOUR take on this?)

For anyone getting ready to cast their vote in November, this episode perfectly crystallizes some critical public health controversies and will definitely get you thinking… not just about where the candidates stand on these issues, but more importantly… where YOU stand! Don’t miss this episode!

Episode 17 - Should All Doctors Be Required To Do Cognitive Testing? Jul 18, 2024

The whole world has an opinion on whether President Biden (or any older Presidential candidate) should be required to have mandatory cognitive testing… what’s yours?

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Dr. Payal Kohli and special guest Dr. Scott Humphreys, who is a psychiatrist and a medical director at Colorado Physician Health Program, debate whether doctors should have mandatory, scheduled cognitive testing to be allowed to practice medicine. After all, being a doctor is also a profession where (literally) another person’s life is in your hands!

They also debate the pros and the cons of mandatory retirement, “quitting while you’re up” and whether doctors should be held to a different standard than other professions. For example, it may be ok for someone who works at a desk job, but would it ok for a surgeon to have “normal” age-related left-right confusion? Or slower response times? They discuss the challenges (and the hefty price tag) of comprehensive cognitive testing and implementation in medicine and how medicine creates an environment where cognitive issues are exacerbated. Finally, they touch on what happens when someone fails the cognitive test - how do you take away their ability to practice medicine while still preserving their identity as a doctor?

This episode humanizes the figure in the white coat and asks “Is Mandatory Retirement Just What The Doctor Ordered?”

Episode 16 - Has “Cancel Culture” Penetrated Medicine? And Are We Hurting Patients As a Result? Jun 13, 2024

You won’t want to miss the extra “spicy” episode of HeART of Medicine, where Dr. Payal Kohli and Dr. Omid Jazaeri discuss “cancel culture” and “feedback ninjas” in medicine.

Has fear of “cancel culture” created an environment where doctors are afraid to speak up when trainees need feedback to grow and most people just end up looking the other way? Is the feedback process being “weaponized” by medical trainees and is this a generational issue? And does being fearful of giving open feedback whether to trainees or hospital systems cause harm to our patients? Have we taken it too far?

In this heated episode, Dr. Payal Kohli shares her personal experience and both doctors discuss how “cancel culture” in medicine could pose a serious harm to the care of patients, to communication and to the growth of medical trainees.

Episode 15 - Is “Practice Creep” allowing Physicians and PAs/NPs to Practice Beyond the Scope of Training? May 02, 2024

The last time you went to the emergency room or to a doctor’s office, were you surprised to be seen by a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistants/Associate only rather than a physician or a team of people? Does it seem like there are more and more of these types of encounters in medicine, where the doctor isn’t even part of the visit? Historically, the role of a NP and PA had been developed to improve access to healthcare and offload physicians from more of the straightforward patient care tasks in medicine. However, more recently the role of these types of providers, called APPs, has evolved into becoming specialists, addressing new problems independently, managing complex patients and even performing complicated surgical procedures. The APPs can even switch specialities without having to train the way a physician would to switch and in many states, don’t need physician supervision to practice.

So where does this leave us… Has this has impacted the care of patients? The trust patients have in the medical system? The cost of care? The access to care? And, is this “fair” to our APPs to expect them to take on so much more their training allowed for - to literally, throw them in the deep end with a “sink or swim” mentality?

In this episode, Dr. Kohli and Dr. Jazaeri tackle these difficult question and many more. And… spoiler alert… they even discuss the question at the end of “Why would anyone want to be a physician rather than an NP or PA?”

This is HeART of Medicine episode you won’t want to miss!

Episode 14 - When It Comes to Health Policy, Are Doctors Irrelevant? Feb 28, 2024

In this emotionally-charged episode, Dr. Payal Kohli discusses the latest medical-legal-political decisions with her recurring guest Dr. Jazaeri.

Whether it is banning abortions, classifying embryos as children or the safety and efficacy of masking and the COVID vaccines, a series of recent health policy issues have changed the way physicians practice at the bedside. These stones have been thrown into the pond of medicine by politicians and lawyers. But the ripples that have been created have impacted doctors and patients everywhere. Most shocking of all is how these ripples may actually be compromising the credibility of the physician. Dr. Kohli asks the difficult question “When It Comes to Health Policy…Are Doctors Irrelevant?”

Episode 13 - Why Is Insurance So Confusing? And How Did We Even Get Here? Jan 22, 2024

HeART of Medicine host Dr. Kohli kicks off the new year with an episode about something nearly every patient and healthcare provider will struggle with (if he/she hasn't already) - navigating the complex world of health insurance! This is especially relevant in January, when it is the most expensive time to consume healthcare, and ironically - many of us consume more healthcare, especially preventive care, at this time due to our New Year’s Resolutions.

In this riveting episode, Drs. Kohli and her recurring guest Dr. Jazaeri highlight the challenges of health insurance and how it directly impacts the health outcomes of patients. They discuss lack of cost transparency in healthcare – how we know exactly what we pay for a box of Cheerios at the grocery store but are left wondering what your doctor’s visit or blood draw or Xray would cost you. And how two doctors giving the exact same care can be reimbursed very differently - a concept that is fundamentally in conflict with a capitalistic society! They have a frank discussion about how patients and healthcare providers are both victims and collateral damage when it comes to healthcare insurance and how we even got here.

This is an episode that elucidates so much about health insurance and its current and future challenges that it is one you will not want to miss!

Episode 12 - Can The Doctor Ever Really Be Out of Office? Dec 13, 2023

In this special holiday edition of HeART of Medicine, Dr. Payal Kohli and guest Dr. Jazaeri discuss how a doctor can never really be “out of office”? And should they be? Or does the profession have a higher calling that requires this type of dedication? Is this constant sacrifice of being away from our family and friends and working on holidays an expected part of the job or is it a recipe for burnout? Does the system “have our back” or are we left to take care of the ever growing conveyor belt of demands placed on us?

Whether you are a physician or a patient, this episode is one that really highlights how physicians constantly walk the tightrope between being doctors and being people. A great holiday listen for anyone as we all reflect upon the year behind us and gear up for the next ahead of us.

Episode 11 - AI in Medicine: Will Dr. ChatGPT Take Over? Nov 21, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has infiltrated almost all aspects of our lives, from how we shop to who we follow on social media to the television shows we watch. But how will this AI technology impact the practice and delivery of medicine?

In this thought-provoking episode of HeART of Medicine, host Dr. Payal Kohli sits down with Vascular Surgeon Dr. Omid Jazaeri to ask some difficult questions about AI in Medicine.

Is AI going to replace your doctor? Are computers better and faster at doing what doctors do? What about when it comes to procedures or surgery? What happens when AI makes a mistake? Who is liable? And what about patient privacy - how does AI ensure protection of patient information, which would otherwise be only between the patient and his/her clinician? And are the AI algorithms biased or do they fairly represent diverse populations? Can AI reduce healthcare costs and make research more efficient?

This fascinating episode and discussion takes you down the “rabbit hole” of the applications of AI in medicine and it’s future potential - it’s a must not miss!

Episode 10 - Grief in Medicine: When Your Patient Dies Oct 03, 2023

In this emotional episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu open up about death and their grief. They share stories of the patients they have lost and how they have coped with the pain. They reflect on how such conversations are taboo in medicine… how doctors don’t talk about death of patients and the expectation is for stoicism and moving on. The hosts discuss how death can shake up their confidence as physicians and as people. Dr. Baron says, “I burst into tears… it was too much!”

Because doctors literally fight against disease and death every single day, a patient death can feel like a loss. After all, even doctors are human and death moves them too… but at the same time, there is this impossible expectation that they need to become accustomed to death and compartmentalize their emotions so they can be immediately ready and present for the next patient.

This episode of HeART of Medicine is incredibly emotional and will really move you if you have ever coped with grief or loss.

Episode 9 - Is your Doctor Overpriced? Aug 21, 2023

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu talk about current physician compensation and its impact on health care costs.

They discuss how training, medical school debt as well as the demands of the job all play into how much they feel is fair for a physician to make. As physicians, they address how they deal with the criticism that doctors make too much and that is the main driver for healthcare costs. has the compensation for the level of work has actually gone down for physicians over the years, rather than increasing commensurate with inflation and how that has fed the cultural mis-perpection that “doctors make too much money”? The hosts also tackle head-on the controversial topics of “gender pay gap” and why female physicians continue to make less and have smaller bonuses than their male counterparts; and how advanced practice practitioners are being hired as physician replacements due to cost.

You won’t want to miss this episode - it will be utterly eye-opening about how we pay our modern day physicians and whether your doctor is truly “overpriced”?

Episode 8 - Job Transitions in Medicine: When Is It Beneficial To Call it Quits? Jul 13, 2023

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu talk about how finding the right job is similar to dating and why so many physicians change their job within the first few years of training. They delve into why a physician’s job transition has implications not just for him/her but also for family and importantly, for hundreds of thousands of patients. Do physicians leave jobs because they are attracted to another one or because they are pushed out of their current one? If your job isn’t going perfect, when it is more beneficial for physicians to hang in there and weather the tides and when should we just throw in the towel and call it quits?

They leave you with the best advice they would give their younger self. This episode is a must-listen to anyone who has ever contemplated a job transition.

Episode 7 - Has the Doctor Taken the White Coat Off? Jun 26, 2023

Have you ever noticed what your doctor is wearing? Is it scrubs with a fleece Jacket? Or, is it a white coat with professional attire? Does it change your perception or perception of others of your physician if your doctor has a white coat on? Is the white coat the ultimate symbol of a doctor or is it an antiquated remnant of the past?

There has been a shift in healthcare away from the white coat towards a more comfortable and practical scrubs based attire for all healthcare professionals, regardless of speciality and level of training. But, has this shift inadvertently eroded the authority and credibility of the modern physician?

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu reflect on the data and opine about what attire means to a physician’s role, authority, and professionalism. The struggle between representation of the profession and asserting of individuality represents the ultimate tug of war each physician faces. They reflect on gender biases, specialty biases, patient biases, age-related biases and a whole lot more.

The ultimate intersection of psychology and human behavior and its impact on medicine and healthcare…This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Episode 6 - Frenemies May 14, 2023

Have you ever felt that twinge of competitive jealousy? Or have you been a victim of someone else’s professional envy? Are frenemies more common in medicine? And is there something about Medicine and especially Cardiology that selects people who are inherently more competitive?

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu have a frank conversation about professional jealousy, envy, intimidation, and its impact on them - not just as physicians but as people! They discuss their personal experiences, talk about how social media has exacerbated the problem and brought on symptoms of “Imposter Syndrome” for them.

This is an episode that will get you thinking about your own workplace and your own colleagues and one you will not want to miss!

Episode 5 - Doctor Unions: Is It Just What The Doctor Ordered? Apr 22, 2023

Should doctors unionize or is this another manifestation of the “cancel culture”? Does having a union hurt or help their patients? Should medical trainees be considered students, who can’t legally unionize or should they have the same rights as employees? How has COVID impacted the doctors’ decisions to unionize?

In Episode 5 of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Naidu and Baron share their differing opinions and provide compelling arguments both for and against medical unions at different stages of training. Whether you are a doctor or a patient, this is an episode you don't want to miss as it will enlighten you on this growing controversy. #takebackmedicine

Episode 4 - Crazy Call Stories Apr 07, 2023

Most doctors are “on call” from the day they graduate medical school for the entire duration of their medical careers. So, what actually happens on call and what are some of the craziest or funniest “on call” stories that aren’t just on TV but happen in the real-world? Do doctors actually “hook up” while they are on call?

Download Episode 4 of HeART of Medicine to get a peek into what being “on call” really looks like from three real-world doctors, who share their funny, crazy and heartfelt memories from their “on call” training days. The combination of being sleep deprived (working 30-36 hour shifts), the stress of managing critically ill patients and the navigation of interpersonal dynamics of young doctors makes for a hilarious and emotional episode you will not want to miss!

Episode 3 - Infertility: The Price of a Career in Medicine Mar 11, 2023

Physicians struggle with infertility.

Is it because of the long medical training, which delays family planning and for women, makes them less likely to get pregnant? Is it the psychological toll and the physical demands of the profession that leave very little time for family planning? Or, is it the physical demands of the job, with sleepless nights, stress and exposure to radiation?

In this episode, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu reflect on the above questions, share their personal stories and struggles and discuss how medicine has impacted the way they viewed their families and vice versa. A must not miss episode, chock full of emotion!

Episode 2 - The Mistress of Medicine Mar 01, 2023

In this Valentine’s Day special episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Naidu and Baron discuss why doctors face so many challenges in maintaining successful personal relationships and address the question of whether Medicine is a Toxic Mistress in every relationship.

Does Medicine change the person? Or is it the long hours and logistical demands on a physician’s time that set up relationships for failure? Is a doctor-doctor relationship more or less likely to be successful?

For anyone who is a doctor, has dated a doctor, or wondered why doctors, who have navigated some of the toughest academic challenges, struggle with relationship success, this episode is a must-listen!

Episode 1 - Social Media in Medicine Feb 14, 2023

In this episode, you meet Drs Kohli, Baron and Naidu. They have a spirited and captivating discussion on the role of social media in medicine. Should physicians on social media be held to a different standard and be more responsible? Does it reduce or increase a doctor’s credibility and how does it reflect on the profession? Do patients relate better (and listen better) to doctor’s on social media? The first episode of HeART of Medicine is a must-listen for every patient and anyone who has ever seen his/her doctor on social media.

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