Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry

In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we decided to open up the conversation and start a miniseries - “Ask the Internist” where I field questions from our live audience.

Several discussion points today;

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Covid Vaccine, Pan-Vaccine, and the newest variants
Difference between an Internist and a Family Medicine Physician
My thoughts on the nurse practitioners in health care

Apr 19, 2023

00:29:33

So let's talk about the Autism in Black conference...

There are a lot of stigmas that’s been surrounding autism for a very long time now. And even today, in 2023, many people still lack compassion and understanding toward autistic people. On top of that, things get even trickier if you come from the black community.

Being a part of the minority in America is already hard enough, but being part of the black community while dealing with the stigma that people have about autism just unlocks a whole new level of struggle. I know, for I, myself, am a father of two beautiful children who has autism, and I had to face its challenges when our first daughter was diagnosed at a very early age.

This, exactly, is what inspired my wife, Maria Davis-Pierre, to start Autism in Black.

Since its launch three years ago, she has dedicated herself to helping parents from the black community who have kids with autism by means of providing education and advocacy services. Part of this is the Autism in Black Conference, an annual event where we invite various experts and resource speakers who are also part of the black, neurodivergent community to educate and empower attendees by speaking about their personal and professional experiences on dealing with autism.

Join us today as we talk you through our advocacy at Autism in Black, and how Autism in Black Conference might just be that one big support that you have been longing to have all this time.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the backstory of Autism in Black and why they do what they do;
Learn what Autism in Black Conference is all about, and get answers to the most frequently asked questions about it; and
Find out who can attend the conference, what topics will be discussed, where and when the conference will be, and what the different available ticket options/packages are

“[When] we started Autism in Black, we wanted to support parents raising black autistic children through education and empowerment, and we wanted to flip the game and go into organizations and train them on how to be less harmful to the black disability community.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“More than half of our speakers are either autistic or they fall under the neurodivergent umbrella… We are actually a conference that is talking about our lived experiences, in addition to our professional experiences. And I think that’s what makes us different.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

“Anyone can come to our conference… However, understand that our content centers only on the black experience. We center our experiences at our conference because our experiences are oftentimes not valued and diminished in other environments and under other circumstances.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Apr 14, 2023

00:57:04

Let's Connect:

In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we a video making the rounds by a pediatrician when asked why he doesn’t wear a mask in his practice anymore. Now this isn’t a new phenomenon within healthcare facilities. Many doctors have elected to go back to a time when masks were not a part of the wardrobe.

The discussion today highlights the rock and hard place many physicians find themselves when deciding on how to move along with this pandemic.

Several discussion points today;

Is masking in a healthcare setting necessary?
What are your thoughts when you walk into a sick clinic and there isn’t a mask on site
How tough decisions have to be made in the eyes of the patient

Links

Tik Tok Video

Apr 12, 2023

00:23:53

So let's talk about your second-quarter goals...

Before the beginning of the year 2023, we did an episode wherein I told you my goals and plans for this year. In that same episode and in the ones that followed, I also told you the importance of taking responsibility for why things that you have planned go one way or another.

Now, three months have already passed and we are officially in the second quarter of this year. And as anyone who knows me knows, if I do not teach you the importance of tracking, assessing, and taking accountability for how you are achieving your goals, I’d be remiss.

That’s why for today’s podcast episode, I’ll be talking to you about how my first quarter went, how things are going, and how I plan to do things in the second quarter of this year–all while also sharing how you can do better for your own plans.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out where Dr. Berry is in terms of his goals for 2023 while getting tips on how you can track yours;
Learn the value of always asking for help in order to make progress on things that you want to achieve; and
Be empowered to do more and know that you still have more opportunities this year if your first three months didn’t quite go as planned

“I see a lot of tweets and posts like, ‘Wow, the calendar’s moving’. No, it’s moving the same as it moves every year. The question is, how intentionally are we moving while the calendar is moving?”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“A lot of us’ biggest hurdle is we will not ask for help when we need help. We will just rack up our brains and sit in the same position we’re in for days, weeks, and months because of our pride in not asking for help. I don’t want y’all to do that” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We got three more quarters to go, which means that we have three more opportunities to improve upon what was good; but more importantly, to improve on what is bad.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When I stress about the good stuff, I don’t want you to just do the good stuff one time and then not think of it again. I want you to keep doing the good stuff over and over and over again. That’s really the name of the game” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You are never going to improve upon yourself if you don’t acknowledge the things that need to be improved upon or things that you need to do less of.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Apr 07, 2023

00:37:37

Let's Connect:

In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series, we draw on inspiration from the lawmakers in Tennessee who decided that because members of their congress chose to protest on behalf of the mass shooting that occurred in Nashville, those members were worthy of being expelled from their elected positions. So I figured that if the same thing could happen in medicine who would I vote to kick out of healthcare?

Today's discussion has comedic overtones but highlights a terrible problem in this country where even seeing kids get murdered isn’t enough to make those in power act.

Several discussion points today;

Republican Tennessee Lawmakers Vote to expel three Democratic Members.
What are my top 5 choices of healthcare workers who would get voted out?
What are some of the lessons we can learn from these Republican Tennessee lawmakers?

Links

Apr 01, 2023

00:41:36

Let's Connect:

In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series the topic is yet another mass shooting in this country with the latest being in Nashville, Tennesee. The discussion today is against bringing medicine & public health to the crossroads while we contemplate how in this country the number 1 killer for kids continues to be gun violence.

Several discussion points today;

The Public Health Crisis continues
How this country continues to be numb to mass shootings
Why despite having 130 mass shootings this year, why this country just sitting back and ready for more

Links

What we know about the deadly shooting at a Nashville elementary school

Mar 15, 2023

00:17:33

So let's talk about moving on from COVID-19...

Quite often, during these past three years, a question that I would get is “Dr. Berry, when is this pandemic over? When can we move on with COVID-19?”

As I always say, what I would like to see before I can actually say that it’s over are these three: 1) death counts going down, 2) case rates going down, and 3) as many people who can be vaccinated to actually get vaccinated.

Unfortunately, nowadays, all three are still going on opposites, with cases and deaths still going on and lots of people still unvaccinated.

But then here we are – moving on with COVID-19.

It’s sad and disheartening how there could be a slogan of “Hey, we are moving on. Move on with us or get left behind” here in the United States when a lot of people from other areas/countries are still dealing with the effects of COVID-19.

But then again, the writing’s been on the wall already, especially with our current government lacking in so many ways.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get an update on the COVID-19 numbers (cases, deaths, and vaccinations) so we can wrap our minds around what we’re dealing with when we talk about COVID-19;
Find out why Johns Hopkins’ dashboard was so important in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, why it isn’t updating anymore; and
Understand why the government is pushing us to move on from this COVID-19 pandemic even when it’s still not over

“You heard the numbers. They’re still there; the deaths are still there. People still need to be vaccinated; people still need to be boosted. If you fall into that category, do so today.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Remember, good information out starts with having good information in. So if you’re not receiving that good, timely information, if you’re not receiving that information that is likely going to be life-saving to someone if you’re not receiving it, there’s no way you can give it out.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“One of the biggest issues here in this country is just the lack of public funding, the lack of support for public health in dealing with all everyday issues… We just did not have the proper infrastructure from a public health perspective to deal with that.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Mar 10, 2023

00:51:31

Let's Connect:

In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series the topic of whether becoming a physician is too toxic. The discussion today stems from a series of tweets from user that1MedStudent talks about the decision to forgo going into residency which is the typical path after residency for those who are looking to specialize in a particular specialty.

Colon Cancer with Dr. Berry

Several discussion points today;

We will talk about the series of tweets that led the discussion
Ask the question why is the field of medicine so toxic?
Why the toxic culture of medicine is adding to physician burnout, physician suicide, and fewer people going into healthcare?
Discuss some possible solutions

Links

Tweet Thread

That1MedStudent Twitter

Mar 08, 2023

00:27:16

So let's talk about taking action against colon cancer...

Many of us seem to downplay or even completely ignore our risks of getting colon cancer because of the popular belief that it is an “old man’s disease”. While it is partly true that the “older” populace is at a higher risk of getting it, it does not mean that the “younger” generations are completely safe.

It has been found in recent studies that the chances of people as young as 40 getting colon cancer have significantly increased in the previous years, and it continues to do so in the present. And it is not solely about age either, as there are other important factors that help tell whether or not you’re going to get colon cancer.

Join me today as I discuss why colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States in line with colon cancer prevention month.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about the two types of colon cancer, what it does to our body, and why it is important to get checked early especially if you have it in your family history;
Discover the causes and risk factors that surround colon cancer - both those that you can and cannot control; and
Find out what steps you can do in order to avoid colon cancer as well as the available diagnostic tools you can avail in case you want to be tested for it

“Once you get your minds around colon cancer, it will help you understand just why we think it’s so important that we need a whole month to talk about it. And even though we’re going to talk about it during this month, this is a topic that I will touch on every single year.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“This disease is no longer a disease of the old people which we used to think about.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“That is our biggest issue. We are catching colon cancer way too late to the point where it should not be the second leading cause of death in our country.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It [colon cancer] is definitely something that we cannot take lightly… Understand that this disease is not going away, and the likelihood that you in your lifetime are either going to be directly or indirectly affected by it is so high.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Mar 04, 2023

00:53:50

In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we discuss the recent news from the US Department of Energy that gives a low-confidence assessment about the origin of the coronavirus that started the pandemic. Later on in the discussion, we talk about how this “news” continues to drive a wedge on the message of covid-19 and its treatment.