The Specialty Spotlight Podcast explores the various specialties in medicine with interviews of physicians in each of the specialties/subspecialties.
The goals of the podcast are for students to:
- Learn about the specialty/subspecialty
- Think about which specialty is right for you
- Begin the long-term planning to successfully match into a specialty and have a successful career
- Learn of the resources available to make an informed decision about a specialty
About the Podcast
The WMed Career Development Team launched the specialty spotlight podcast in January 2024. This initiative was put in place to assist medical students with what can often prove to be a difficult undertaking in choosing a medical specialty and planning their careers. There are many reasons for this:
- Students are overwhelmed with the number of medical specialties
- They do not feel they know enough about medicine to begin the discussion
- They do not have a mentor, either because there is no obvious person or they are hesitant to reach out to a physician
Because each physician guest on the specialty spotlight podcast is asked the same set of questions, the similarities and differences of their responses are more easily identified.
Meet the Host
Biren Shah, MD, is the assistant dean for Career Development and professor in the Department of Radiology at WMed. He also serves as the section chief of breast imaging at Detroit Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Shah is a former associate residency program director of the Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University diagnostic radiology residency program and former breast imaging fellowship director at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Meet the Podcast Producer
Aaryan Balu is the producer for the WMed Specialty Spotlight. After graduating with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, Aaryan has worked as a journalist, local NPR host, and an audio producer at the University of Virginia, highlighting UVa's academic faculty and STEM achievements. In addition to being the producer for the WMed Specialty Spotlight, he produces podcasts for news, entertainment, business, and education.
Most Recent Episode
- Episode 13: Emergency Medicine with Kathryn E. Redinger, MD (January 2025)
Kathryn E. Redinger, MD Kathryn Redinger, MD, is an associate professor and currently serves as assistant dean for Clinical Applications at WMed. She holds dual appointments in the departments of Medical Education and Emergency Medicine. She is actively involved in curricular development and academic leadership. Her educational innovations have been published in Medical Education and the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Redinger is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and is a fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Notre Dame and her medical degree at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at WMed at the Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, the predecessor to WMed, where she served as chief resident and completed a specialty track in Healthcare Administration. Since completing her residency, she has been practicing emergency medicine for Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. Dr. Redinger has served as a site medical director and quality assurance and corporate compliance officer for her practice and is a core faculty member at WMed for both graduate and undergraduate medical education.
Her research interests include quality and performance improvement, medical ethics, medical education and emergency mental health and patients in crisis. She is especially interested in the promotion of leadership, wellness, and career formation of physicians, both practicing and in training. As a mom of five, she has had a child in every level of medical training.
Show Notes
- Emergency Medicine Resident Association (EMRA)
- EMRA and CORD Student Advising Guide, 2023
- Book recommendation:
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss & Tahl Raz
Past Episodes
- Episode 12: Anesthesiology with Tristan M. Wilson, MD (December 2024)
Tristan Wilson, MD Tristan Wilson, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist with Kalamazoo Anesthesiology in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is also the Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine since 2017. He is a graduate of Alma College in Alma, Michigan. He earned his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in anesthesiology and critical care with Saint Louis University.
Show Notes
- Email an anesthesiologist and ask to shadow them
- American Society of Anesthesiologists
- Future Anesthesiology Resident (@FutureAnesRes on X (formerly Twitter)
- Book recommendations: None
- Episode 11: Obstetrics and Gynecology with Kevin A. Ault, MD (November 2024)
Kevin A. Ault, MD Kevin A. Ault, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist. He is a professor in the Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed). He served as department chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at WMed from 2022-2024. He is a graduate of Butler University and Indiana University School of Medicine, both in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America. His clinical and research interests include women's health and infectious diseases.
Show Notes
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (membership is free for medical students)
- Try to go to a regional or national OB/GYN meeting
- Book recommendations:
- And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts
- Coach Wooden and Me: Our Friendship On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Episode 10: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with Jesse Chou, MD (October 2024)
Jesse Chou, MD Jesse Chou, MD, is a fourth-year resident physician in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency program at the University of Virginia and a clinical instructor in the Department of Surgical Sciences at WMed. He received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and earned his MD degree at WMed in 2021. In addition to teaching, his academic interests lie in health services research and improving surgical outcomes.
Show Notes
- Talking to as many people as you can (you can even reach out to Dr. Chou at Jesse.chou.med@gmail.com) to get different perspectives and be well informed about the specialty
- American Society for Plastic Surgeons (https://www.plasticsurgery.org/for-medical-professionals/join-asps/medical-students-forum)
- Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/pages/default.aspx)
- Book recommendations:
- Essentials of Plastic Surgery by Jeffrey Janis (good overview of the specialty)
- Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant
- Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande
- Episode 9: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with Rebecca S. McConnell, DO (September 2024)
Rebecca S. McConnell, DO Dr. Rebecca McConnell is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with Bronson Healthcare in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She is also a board-certified physician with the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Dr. McConnell is a graduate of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, West Virginia. She completed her traditional internship with Altoona Family Physicians in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and completed her physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. During her residency, she did an integrated fellowship in medical education and received the Peer Teaching Award. She became a Clinical Instructor with the University of Michigan, running an inpatient and outpatient clinical practice in complex medical rehabilitation and musculoskeletal rehabilitation while working with medical students and residents.
Dr. McConnell completed an international research fellowship from 2019-2020 with the Università di Torino, Torino, Italy. Her clinical, teaching, and research interests include medical education, chronic pain, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, and technologically enhanced rehabilitation strategies.
Dr. McConnell’s primary clinical interests include electrodiagnostic medicine, non-interventional spine, and chronic and centralized pain syndromes including fibromyalgia. Additionally, she is committed in mentoring medical students, aiming to enhance their understanding of pathology as a career path.
Show Notes
- Get involved in the rehab process/volunteer experience (demonstrate you are a team player)
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R)
- Association of Academic Physiatrists
- Book recommendations:
- Episode 8: Anatomic and Clinical Pathology with Heather I. Chen-Yost, MD (August 2024)
Heather I. Chen-Yost, MD Dr. Heather Chen-Yost is a fellow in the thoracic pathology fellowship program and clinical instructor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Chen-Yost earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Integrative Biology at the University of California in 2013. Following this, she pursued her medical degree at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in 2018, and subsequently finished her anatomic and clinical pathology residency from the University of Chicago. Dr. Chen-Yost further specialized in cytopathology through a fellowship at the University of Michigan.
In her academic pursuits, Dr. Chen-Yost has contributed significantly, with 13 peer reviewed publications and 14 abstracts presented at national meetings. Her research interests are on the correlation between molecular findings and morphology, emerging diagnostic techniques, and digital cytology.
Beyond her research, Dr. Chen-Yost is actively involved in professional organizations, serving on the Research and Current Concepts Committee of the American Society of Cytopathology. Her dedication and expertise has garnered recognition, including being the finalist for the American Society for Clinical Pathology Academic Excellence and Achievement in Pathology in 2016, receiving the Outstanding Pathology Student Award from WMed in 2018, and securing first place in the Chicago Pathology Society Research Competition in 2020.
Dr. Chen-Yost’s clinical interests lie primarily in pulmonary pathology and cytopathology. Additionally, she is committed in mentoring medical students, aiming to enhance their understanding of pathology as a career path.
Show Notes
- Online communities on X (formerly Twitter): @MatchtoPath; @Path_SIG; @Pathologists
- YouTube video series called “H&E Life” with Dr. Cindy Wang: https://www.youtube.com/@Baking_MD
- College of American Pathologists (CAP)
- Book recommendations:
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
- Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday
- Episode 7: Radiation Oncology with Simon A. Brown, MD (July 2024)
Simon A. Brown, MD Simon Brown, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist who joined West Michigan Cancer Center in July 2022. Dr. Brown came to Kalamazoo from Springfield, IL, where he served for three years as a radiation oncologist and assistant professor at Southern Illinois University.
Dr. Brown received a Baccalaureate of Arts in human biology from Brown University in Providence, RI, where he played running back on the Brown football team and bass trombone for the jazz band. He followed up his undergraduate education with a medical school degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. While there, Dr. Brown managed a non-profit clinic providing care to the indigent and served as a physician recruiter. He also published articles on health disparities.
Dr. Brown then headed across the country to Portland, OR, where he completed a surgical internship and radiation oncology residency at Oregon Health & Science University. During his residency, Dr. Brown served as a physician liaison, clinical instructor and chief resident. He also researched and wrote chapters on radiation treatment for benign disease, which are published in seminal textbooks for radiation oncology.
In 2017, Dr. Brown was selected as a clinical research fellow in conjunction with the European Society of Radiation Oncology (ESTRO) and the American Association for Cancer Research, held in the Netherlands.
Show Notes
- Shadow your local radiation oncologist to learn more about the specialty. WMed students can email Dr. Brown to arrange a time to shadow him.
- American College of Radiation Oncology
- American Society for Radiation Oncology
- Book recommendations:
- The White Coat Investor: A Doctor’s Guide to Personal Finance and Investing by James M. Dahle, MD
- Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
- Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
- Episode 6: Internal Medicine with Joanne Baker, DO (June 2024)
Joanne Baker, DO Dr. Joanne Baker is the residency program director of the Internal Medicine program at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed). She is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at WMed and is the Clinical Professor for the Department of Osteopathic Medical Specialties at Michigan State University (MSU) College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Baker completed her undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University. After completing her medical degree at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Baker completed an internal medicine residency at the MSU Flint Osteopathic Campus. She then went on to do a faculty development fellowship at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing, Michigan.
Dr. Baker is heavily involved with many professional organizations and has served or currently serving in various leadership roles on local, state, and national committees, in addition to her leadership and mentorship roles at WMed.
Dr. Baker is a prolific lecturer having given over 60 lectures at local and national meetings. She has been academically active. Her CV lists over 20 abstracts reflecting presentations at local and national meetings as well as 3 peer reviewed publications.
Among her many honors and awards, Dr. Baker is a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists, Fellow of Hospital Medicine, Fellow of the Association of Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators, and Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
Show Notes
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Osteopathic Internists
- Book recommendation:
- Episode 5: General Surgery with Saad A. Shebrain, MD, MMM (May 2024)
Saad A. Shebrain, MD, MMM Dr. Saad Shebrain is the residency program director of the general surgery residency program and professor in the Department of Surgery at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. After completing his medical degree from the University of Cairo, Dr. Shebrain did a general surgery internship at the University of Cairo. He completed an internship in general surgery at Metropolitan Group Hospitals (MGH) General Surgery Residency Program, University of Illinois Medical College at Chicago. He then went on to do a general surgery residency at the UCLA Medical Center followed by a fellowship in minimally invasive and foregut surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Shebrain also has a master’s degree in medical management from Carnegie Mellon University and did a mini fellowship in laparoscopic bariatric surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
Show Notes
- American College of Surgeons
- Association of American Medical Colleges
- Book recommendation:
- History of Surgery by Harold Ellis
- Episode 4: Psychiatry with Madhavi Latha Nagalla, MD (April 2024)
Madhavi Latha Nagalla, MD Madhavi Latha Nagalla, MD, is the residency program director of the Psychiatry residency program and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at WMed. After earning her medical degree from Guntur Medical College in Andra Pradesh, India, she went on to complete a psychiatry residency at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York. Dr. Nagalla then went on to complete a psychosomatic medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan and simultaneously did a psychotherapy fellowship with the Michigan Psychoanalytic Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to coming to WMed, she led a Mother Baby Partial Hospitalization Program – the second of its kind in the nation for almost seven years. Dr. Nagalla is looking forward to bringing that expertise into the Kalamazoo area by building a perinatal collaborative care model.
Show Notes
- American Psychiatric Association
- Michigan Psychiatric Society (MPS) – especially the MPS Annual Spring Meeting (registration is free for medical students)
- PsychSIGN – The Psychiatry Student Interest Group Network
- Book recommendation:
- The Citadel by A.J. Cronin
- Episode 3: Orthopaedic Surgery with Karen Bovid, MD (March 2024)
Karen Bovid, MD Karen Bovid, MD, is the residency program director of the Orthopaedic Surgery residency program at WMed. She is an associate professor in the departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Bovid completed her undergraduate degree at Hope College in 2003. After earning her MD degree at University of Michigan Medical School in 2007, Dr. Bovid completed her orthopedic surgery residency training at the University of Michigan in 2012. She then went on to do a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at the Children's Orthopaedics of Atlanta at Scottish Rite in 2013.
Dr. Bovid is, and has been, heavily involved with the professional organizations in her field since the beginning of her career. Dr. Bovid has served and held leadership roles on numerous national committees in addition to her leadership and mentorship roles at WMed. In additional to being a reviewer for several journals, Dr. Bovid is also an associate editor of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Dr. Bovid has been academically active. Her CV lists 14 peer-reviewed publications and 19 book chapters and invited review articles, and over 40 abstracts reflecting presentations at local and national meetings. She completed three research grants.
Among her many honors and awards, Dr. Bovid is a Fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association and has been an award recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from the WMed Orthopaedic Surgery residency program.Show Notes
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Grand Rounds and conference in TBL 2 on Thursday mornings at 6:15 am (at WMed)
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
- Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS) About RJOS
- J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society (JRGOS) Home (gladdensociety.org)
- (All of these organizations welcome members and student members from all backgrounds)
- The Perry Initiative Medical Student Outreach Programs More about the Medical Student Outreach Program | Perry Initiative
- WMed Orthopaedic Surgery Student Interest Group (OSIG) and Women in Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group (WOSIG)
- Book recommendations:
- Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande
- Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal by Rachel Naomi Remen
- Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom
- Episode 2: Family Medicine with Kristi VanDerKolk, MD (February 2024)
Kristi VanDerKolk, MD Kristi VanDerKolk, MD is a family physician and program director for the Family Medicine-Kalamazoo residency program at WMed. She earned her medical degree at Wayne State University and completed her family medicine residency at the University of Michigan. Her clinical interests include both inpatient and outpatient family medicine as well as care of gender diverse individuals.
Show Notes
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM)
- Book Recommendation: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
- Episode 1: Med-Peds with Theo Gomes, DO (January 2024)
Theo Gomes, DO Dr. Theo Gomes is the Program Director for the Medicine-Pediatrics residency program and an assistant professor in the departments of Medicine and Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at WMed. He is a trained Internal Medicine-Pediatrics physician.
Dr. Gomes completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland in 2005 earning his bachelor’s degree in Physiology and Neurobiology. He performed research in neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He went on to complete a post-baccalaureate fellowship within the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He also trained as an EMT-B, Firefighter 2, and NREMT-I/Cardiac Rescue Technician before starting medical school. In addition, he was a clinical research associate at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
Dr. Gomes earned his DO degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2013 and was part of the Sigma Sigma Phi National Osteopathic Honor Society. He completed his Med-Peds residency training at WMed and served as co-chief resident in his final year of training.
Show Notes
- National Med-Peds Resident Association (NMPRA)
- Book Recommendation: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Author), Abraham Verghese (Foreword)
Guest Suggestions
Suggested physician guests are certainly welcomed. Check out the list of recent episodes above to see which specialties have been covered.
The ideal physician guest would be:
- Someone that has completed their specialty residency or fellowship.
- Someone that you think highly of.
- Someone that has a strong internet connectivity.
If you have a guest recommendation, please reach out to Dr. Shah at biren.shah@wmed.edu. Providing Dr. Shah with the CV of a recommended guest would be appreciated.
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