Shows
Vital Times: The CSA PodcastPivoting Within Healthcare: From ER Charge Nurse to Quadruple-Boarded Anesthesiologistif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Dr. Jason Leong began his career as a night-shift nurse in the emergency department, quickly advancing to the role of charge nurse. Determined to further his impact in patient care, he went on to attend medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He then completed a combined Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology residency at Stanford University, followed by advanced training in Critical Care Medicine and Cardiac Anesthesiology.Unique? Absolutely. But beyond his impressive credentials, Dr. Leong is an engaging and...
2025-08-1243 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastBeyond the OR: The Role of Mentoring in Early Career Developmentif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Welcome to another episode of Vital Times, the CSA podcast! I'm your host, Dr. Rita Agarwal, and today we’re revisiting an important topic: mentorship. We've discussed mentoring before, but its significance in the lives and careers of anesthesiologists makes it worth exploring again.Strong mentorship can have a transformative impact, especially for early career anesthesiologists. Yet, despite its many benefits, building effective mentorship programs continues to be a challenge. In this episode, we’ll f...
2025-07-0850 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastCertified Anesthesiologist Assistants: Expanding the Care Team in Californiaif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!In this episode of the CSA Vital Times podcast, host Dr. Ludwig Lin explores the role of Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs). He speaks with anesthesiologists who have experience working alongside CAAs and navigating the legislative efforts to establish a CAA system in clinical practice. The episode also features a CAA who is a leader in education and practice management. This introductory conversation aims to familiarize California listeners with the CAA model, share key insights, and spark interest in this emerging aspect of anesthesiology care.
2025-06-1746 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastOrigin Stories: How Drs. Rita Agarwal and Ludwig Lin Came to Be!if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Catch this episode where *both* of the Vital Times podcast hosts, Drs. Rita Agarwal and Ludwig Lin, show up, and discuss how they fell in love with Anesthesiology, and podcasting.
2025-04-2930 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastLow Back Pain and the Murder of an Insurance Company CEOif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!We were all shocked by the murder of Brian Thompson the United Health Care CEO in early December. What was just as surprising was the comments deny, delay and depose written on the bullets. Once the alleged shooter was arrested, information started to trickle out that he suffered from low back pain and spondylisthesis. Speculation ran rampant that the problems with his back, inadequate treatment, or repeated insurance denials were in some way the catalyst for this terrible crime. These are not questions we know...
2025-03-1144 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastAn Interview with Dr. Marilyn Hill Harper, One of the First Black Woman Anesthesiologists at UCSFif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!For Black History Month, Dr. Ludwig Lin is honored to speak with someone who’s been through all of it. Dr. Marilyn Hill Harper, raised in the South, educated at a HBCU and then training in the Midwest, joined the prestigious UCSF faculty in the 1970s, at a time when both women and Black physicians were rare. Her story is ever relevant.To read the UCSF profile on Dr. Harper, click here.
2025-02-1831 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastRevolutionizing Pain Care: Suzetrigine and Other Innovations in Analgesiaif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Host: Rita Agarwal, MD, FAAP, FASAGuests: Rakhi Dayal, MD, and Amber Borucki, MDWelcome to another episode of Vital Times, the California Society of Anesthesiologists’ Podcast with your host Dr. Rita Agarwal.Pain is the most common reason that people seek medical care and since the beginning of time, we have searched for better ways to treat pain. For many years opium and its derivatives were the mainstay of pain management, with local anesthetics making an appearance in th...
2025-02-1123 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastPushing the Limits in the Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs)if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!There have been a lot of questions recently regarding the appropriateness of patients scheduled for care in an ambulatory surgical center (ASCs). It appears that sicker and more complex patients are being scheduled for care in an ASC, and many anesthesiologists are increasingly concerned about the safety of anesthetizing these patients in locations that may lack resources to escalate care if needed. In today’s episode we are going to discuss some of these issues with two experts in ambulatory to help navigate this quandary. We...
2025-01-141h 03Vital Times: The CSA PodcastBuilding Collegiality: An Inter-Disciplinary and Institutional Approachif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Drs. Charles Hummel and Jason Cheng explain the origin story behind their involvement in founding the drive toward collegiality for a major healthcare system in California, Kaiser Permanente. Take a listen and be inspired by the immense possibilities when physicians join forces in the name of empathy and humanity.
2024-12-1044 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastIUD Insertion Pain and Techniques to Improve Painif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Your host Dr. Rita Agarwal is joined today by two outstanding guests who have an interest in preventing and treating women’s pain. Drs. Anita Gupta and Stephanie Cizek. At the California Society of Anesthesiologists’ Annual Meeting in Anaheim, in April 2024, there were several posters authored by Dr. Anita Gupta looking at the literature surrounding IUD insertion pain and potential treatments for that pain. Several months later the new CDC recommendations were released recommending improved pain management techniques in patients undergoing IUD placement. Aroun...
2024-11-1245 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastWhat Anesthesiologists can do about Climate Changeif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Your host Dr. Rita Agarwal is joined by two wonderful guests to talk about climate change and what anesthesiologists can do about it.Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time with far reaching implications. There is evidence of the increasing numbers of deaths directly related to heat in the USA, but even more across the rest of the world. This doesn’t include deaths related to the consequences of climate change such as more profound and extreme weather events, ri...
2024-10-0852 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastPatient Safety: The State of Ketamine Use, a Conversation with Californian Anesthesiologists and Pain Specialistsif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!With ketamine being very prominent in the news recently, lots of questions arise about its use. Is it safe enough to be used the way it is? Why are patients being prescribed it? What are the safety guidelines, and are they being met?The California Society of Anesthesiologists’ Vital Times Podcast talks with anesthesiologists and pain specialists Drs. Amber Borucki, Rakhi Dayal and Rita Agarwal to talk this over. This is a must-listen for everyone.
2024-09-1034 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastCryoneurolysis: An Up and Coming Regional Anesthetic Technology. What is it, and What’s Next?if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Cryoneurolysis has rapidly evolved and refined itself as a viable technology for postoperative and chronic pain. Its specifications mean greater efficacy for certain scenarios, and active research means its application is about to enter warp-speed. In this episode of Vital Times, we speak with Dr. John Finneran, of UCSD, who is actively conducting research trials with this technique. Get up to date and get inspired.
2024-08-1351 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastDifficult Airway Challengesif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Welcome to another episode of Vital Times the CSA Podcast. I am your host, Rita Agarwal. For this episode we went back to the basics and talked about something that all anesthesiologists care deeply about – managing the challenging airway. Joining me is a former colleague and friend who is an attending anesthesiologist at one of the busiest trauma centers in the country - Denver Health Medical Center. Dr. Alma Juels is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado School of Med...
2024-07-1656 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastPride Month Bonus Episode!if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Dr. Ludwig Lin has a blast discussing LGBTQ and its impact on various anesthesiologist leaders within academia and politics; drop in and listen to them discuss how this one element of their lives adds meaning and purpose to all of their pursuits. This episode features Travis Reece-Nguyen, MD, Arthur Chyan, DO, and Maricela Sanchez, MD.
2024-06-2644 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastThe Scoop About Research Data Integrity: How to Navigate the Minefieldif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!There has been much noise about famous scientists reckoning with past publications with data integrity issues. The pressures of “publish or perish”, and the need for oversight of a busy lab, are tricky. Dr. Lin talks with Harriet Hopf, MD, FASA, and Elizabeth Whitlock, MD - two lauded NIH-funded anesthesiologists-scientists to get the scoop.
2024-06-1157 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastHow to Start a Mentorship Program in Both Academic and Private Practiceif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Mentorship has long been recognized as a crucial component of training physicians. Benefits of mentorship in medicine include increased productivity, improved career satisfaction, expansion of professional networks, reduction in stress, and better work-life balance. Mentorship has also been shown to aid recruitment and retention of a diverse physician workforce. The establishment of mentorship programs has been proposed as a mechanism for promoting inclusivity and diversity within academic medicine, but setting up successful programs can be challenging.Today’s podcast features 3 accomplished anesthesiologists at di...
2024-05-141h 07Vital Times: The CSA PodcastThe Evolution of the Academic Anesthesiology Department Chair Job Description: Adapting to Headwindsif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!CSA Vital Times tracked down some of the chairs running some elite Anesthesiology Departments - they just happen to be in California! They have survived and thrived the seismic changes occurring across all academic medical institutions, ie the increase in clinical need, with huge growths in anesthetic opportunities (and locations - see #NORA), the competition with community hospitals, and resulting impact on their staff. Dr. Michael Gropper (UCSF), Dr. Ron Pearl (recently retired Stanford chair), and Dr. Richard Applegate (UC Davis and now Loma Linda...
2024-04-021h 19Vital Times: The CSA PodcastSexual and Gender Harassment, Why You Should Care: Part 2if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Dr. Rita Agarwal continues the conversation about sexual and gender harassment with fellow Drs. Christine Doyle, Sydney Thomson, and Alyssa Burgart. Gender and sexual harassment can be harmful in many ways and not just to the person/people being harassed. It can occur to all genders and is often associated with increased costs to the institution, intention to leave and job/career dissatisfaction. I discuss the problems and possible solutions with leaders from the California Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Society of A...
2024-03-121h 02Vital Times: The CSA PodcastCelebrating Black History Month with Dr. Ashley Oliver - Examining the Beginnings of an Academic Medical Careerif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!To amplify the message of Black History Month, CSA Vital Times Podcast series revisits the talented Ashley Oliver, MD. We spoke with her in February 2022 when she was a cardiothoracic anesthesia fellow at UCLA, after having been a resident and Chief Resident at UCSF. Dr. Oliver is now a first-year faculty at UCLA’s cardiothoracic section, and we have a no-holds barred discussion about being a starting faculty, being a minority, building allies, representation, and the importance of building engagement via societies like CSA and AS...
2024-02-2043 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastSexual and Gender Harassment, Why You Should Careif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!A recent study from the Association of Academic Medical Colleges reported tht sexual harassment is common in the medical profession and that anesthesiologist (both men and women) reported the highest incidence of harassment. Harassment led to decreased morale, decreased engagement and a higher intention to leave. Join me for a fascinating and engaging conversation with Diana Lautenberger the author of the AAMC article for suggestion on how to prevent harassment.
2024-02-0654 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastThe Impact of Scope Creep by Physician Extenders in British Anesthesiology: Lessons for the Futureif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!The utilization of physician extenders in the UK healthcare system has been quite controversial recently, with topics like training and validation requirements, impact on training and staffing, all bubbling to the surface. In addition, the lack of funding for physicians and residency slots has contrasted with the increasing spending on physician assistants. Dr. Ramey Assaf, resident and leader within Anesthetists United and Dr. Richard Marks, former Vice President for the Royal College of Anesthetists speak with Dr. Ludwig Lin on this topic.
2024-01-0950 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastMaternal Peripartum Morbidity: How Did We Get Here, and How do Anesthesiologists Help?if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!US and Californian Maternal morbidity is alarmingly high, especially in Black and Hispanic women. How did this happen, and how do we become active change agents in reversing the trend?Leaders in healthcare equity - Drs. Amanda Williams (OB), Jennifer Lucero (OB Anesthesia), and Mofya Diallo (Pedi Anesthesia) join host Dr. Ludwig Lin for this important podcast episode.
2023-12-1245 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastThe History of Anesthesia at Stanford 1972-1982if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Dr. Rita Agarwal interviews Drs. Jay Brodsky and John Brock Utne, the authors of a new book on the history of anesthesia at Stanford during the Larson Years. They share funny and moving anecdotes about the people, the department, and the events that shaped one of the top anesthesia programs in the country.
2023-11-1441 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastLatino Physician Day - Panel Interviewif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!October 1 was Latino Physician Day. For anyone interested in the health of Californians, this is important, because a large portion of our population is Latin-X, and the physicians who care for them should reflect that demographic. We at CSA are excited to bring together a panel of Latinx anesthesiologist at different stages and areas of their professional careers to speak on their journeys to Anesthesiology. This conversation is inspiring - for everyone - and is a call to action.
2023-10-121h 17Vital Times: The CSA PodcastDetails Matter: Tips on Communicating with Patients in the Perioperative Processif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Those few precious minutes in the Preoperative area spent speaking with a patient and their significant others are essential to the initiation of a successful anesthetic, as is the “vibe” generated during the entire time until the induction agent for General Anesthesia goes in. What are the keys to success? We speak with Dr. Phil Jones, a cardiac anesthesiologist now in Toronto, Canada, who nearly trained as an actor in Britain before enrolling in Medicine studies at Cambridge. He was a consultant in Anesth...
2023-09-1242 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastDebriefing on the Kindness and Empathy Deficit in the Medical Profession - Part 2if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!This is Part 2 of Debriefing on the Kindness and Empathy Deficit in the Medical Profession featuring Professor Doug Hollan of UCLA Anthropology, Dr. Wes Ely of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. David Elkin of UCSF.
2023-08-0836 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastDebriefing on the Kindness and Empathy Deficit in the Medical Profession - Part 1if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Anthropologist, Intensivist, Anesthesiologist, and Psychiatrist, convene to talk about the anthropological concept of empathy, why it’s missing in modern-day medicine, and how to go about reclaiming it. Professor Doug Hollan of UCLA Anthropology, Dr. Wes Ely of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. David Elkin of UCSF.
2023-07-1140 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastWords of Leadership: From CSA President, Dr. Antonio Hernandez Conteif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!In Part 2 of Dr. Lin's interview with Dr. Conte, they discuss how you can get involved in CSA advocacy and what led Dr. Conte to becoming President of the society. Dr. Conte also discusses his diverse upbringing, what led him to becoming an anesthesiologist, and his love for competitive figure skating.
2023-06-1333 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastPolitical Advocacy 101: How each CSA Anesthesiologist can help advocate for the professionif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!This episode of the CSA Vital Times Podcast is with Antonio Hernandez Conte, MD, MBA, FASA, President-Elect and one of the current member advocates for the CSA in the State Capitol. Dr. Hernandez Conte, along with CSA's legislative advocate, make our voices heard on decisions about the way medicine is practiced and reimbursed in California. All of us benefit from advocacy that helps us to care for our patients. Dr. Hernandez Conte tells us how he came to be a leader in this sp...
2023-05-0928 minVital Times: The CSA Podcast360 Approach to Treating a Person with Long COVIDif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Recently CSA Vital Times published a poignant first-person account by Dr. Zeest Khan, cardiac anesthesiologist, of her struggles with #LongCOVID. This is a follow-up, with Drs. Khan and Wes Ely, MD, a prominent critical care medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University and leader in ICU delirium management, who is now directing efforts in Long COVID. They sit down to discuss the therapeutic approaches. Follow Dr. Wes Ely on Twitter @WesElyMD and Dr. Zeeest Khan at @doctor_zeest.
2023-04-1149 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastPerioperative Work Culture is Broken: How Do We Fix It? (Part 2)if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Hosted by Dr. Ludwig Lin, listen to Part 2 of this fascinating discussion panel featuring: Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA, FAAPElizabeth Duggan, MDJina Sinskey, MD, FASAAmy Vinson, MD, FAAP It’s no secret that being a healthcare professional in the United States right now, even more so within Anesthesiology, is stressful. The attrition rate is high. One of the factors that impact us daily is the high level of tension in the Perioperative setting in which anesthesiologists are required to practice. It’s...
2023-03-1430 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastA Conversation with Dr. Ashley Oliver: Honoring Black History Monthif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!In support of Black History Month, California Society of Anesthesiologists is proud to present a podcast conversation with Dr. Ashley Oliver, currently a cardiac anesthesiology fellow at UCLA. Dr. Oliver is a former PhD candidate in film studies, having received a Masters in it. However, she had an epiphany while working abroad, and pivoted to medicine. She has had a star-studded career ever since, including being Chief Resident at UCSF’s anesthesia residency. Dr. Ludwig Lin and Dr. Oliver have a wide...
2023-02-2742 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastPerioperative Work Culture is Broken: How Do We Fix It? (Part 1)if you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Dr. Ludwig Lin hosts a discussion panel featuring: Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA, FAAPElizabeth Duggan, MDJina Sinskey, MD, FASAAmy Vinson, MD, FAAP It’s no secret that being a healthcare professional in the United States right now, even more so within Anesthesiology, is stressful. The attrition rate is high. One of the factors that impact us daily is the high level of tension in the Perioperative setting in which anesthesiologists are required to practice. It’s a given that we provid...
2023-02-1438 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastExperiencing Long COVID as a Physician and a Patientif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Dr. Zeest Khan is a Stanford-trained cardiac anesthesiologist. Very early in 2020, she fell ill with COVID, but the worse was to come - she developed “Long COVID”. To be a physician used to crises, there can’t be a scenario worse than feeling disempowered and unable. To add to that, Dr. Khan encountered skepticism from the healthcare system she sought for care and treatment. As an articulate and driven healthcare professional, Dr. Khan’s personal account of her experience as a Long COVID survivor is a powerf...
2023-01-1044 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastAn Interview with Brendan Carvalho, MD, FRCAif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Welcome to the latest episode of the CSA Podcast, Vital Times. Dr. Ron George interviews his friend, mentor, fellow Obstetric Anesthesiologist, and a highly engaged member of the California Society of Anesthesiologists, Brendan Carvalho, MD, FRCA, from Stanford University. Dr. Carvalho is Professor and Chief of the Division of Obstetric Anesthesia and the Vice Chair for Faculty Development at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a Past-President of SOAP, the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology and during his tenure on the e...
2022-12-1330 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastA Journey Through Fire: Conversations with CoCo Vandeweghe, Tennis Star and CRPS Survivor, and her Anesthesiologist, Dr. Vivianne Tawfikif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!In honor of #CRPSAwarenessMonth, Dr. Lin interviews physician scientist Vivianne Tawfik, MD, PhD, who just won the ASA James Cottrell Presidential Scholar’s Award for her work with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Dr. Tawfik has a successful lab studying causes such as glial function, her clinical work with CRPS, as well as her work mentoring upcoming physicians and scientists. The topic is one that is intellectually challenging, with life-changing implications for people with CRPS, and one that the CSA Podcast is proud to call att...
2022-11-0854 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastAn Interview with CSA President Ed Mariano, MD, MAS, FASAif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Welcome to the latest episode of the CSA Podcast, Vital Times. Today's guest is likely a well-known name to many in the California Society of Anesthesiologists - Dr. Ed Mariano who happens to be the current President of the CSA. If you have not met him in person, you may feel you know him from his prolific digital presence, web-blogs, and through various social media platforms. Dr. Mariano is Professor and Senior Vice Chair of Clinical Operations and Value in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative...
2022-10-1147 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastChoosing Career Goals & Pursuing Leadership Excellence with Sue Carlisle, MD, PhDif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!In honor of Women in Medicine Month, Dr. Ludwig Lin interviews anesthesiologist and intensivist Sue Carlisle, MD, PhD, who recently retired as UCSF Dean for the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital campus. In this chat, Dr. Carlisle talks about her unconventional - yet entirely intentional - way she arrived at each step of her career, and talks about how her values system helped her develop her richly varied and successful academic career. It’s an inspirational call for all of us to reach for...
2022-09-1237 minVital Times: The CSA PodcastPhysician Well-Being with Jina Sinskey, MDif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!Welcome to the second episode of the CSA Podcast, Vital Times. Physician well-being has certainly been pushed into the forefront of our practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode Ronald George, MD, FRCPC, speaks with the Vice Chair, for the ASA Committee on Physician Well-Being and Associate Professor at UCSF, Jina Sinskey, MD. Physician well-being is important to all anesthesiologists and ultimately, the patients we serve. Dr. Sinskey plays a vital role in her departments initiatives to address physician well-being at UCSF where she practices...
2022-08-0924 min
Vital Times: The CSA PodcastHistory of Anesthesia with Dr. Merlin Larsonif you have any feedback, please send us a text! Thank you!To kick off the new CSA Podcast, Vital Times, we are going with a surefire crowd pleaser: Dr. Merlin Larson, the man behind the popular posts about History of Anesthesia on Twitter. He talks to Dr. Ludwig Lin about the relevance of history to every anesthesiologist. He also discusses his favorite bits of anesthesia history, picks out some incredible advances as well as shameful bits, and basically makes everyone want to sit up and pay attention. Want to get reacquainted with why we all fell...
2022-06-2432 min