The Doctor's Art

GLP-1s have taken the country by storm. Patients are losing and keeping off weight at levels previously only seen through bariatric surgery. Research trials have shown the drugs to be effective at reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death. They protect the kidneys, reduce sleep apnea, and treat fatty liver and peripheral artery disease – all while being studied for a laundry-list of additional indications. The drugs originally designed for glucose control in diabetes are transforming lives — and raising big social questions. 

Our guest on this episode is Dr. Marilyn Tan, clinical professor of medicine at Stanford University and chief of the Endocrine Clinic at Stanford Health Care. Dr. Tan focuses on diabetes management in both her clinical practice and research, and she is on the front lines of using GLP1-1s in patient care.

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Tan provides a brief history of the development of GLP-1s and describes just how large a leap forward these medications are in weight management. We discuss the patient experience of being on GLP-1s for weight loss – and the stunningly wide array of other uses for the drug beyond weight loss and diabetes. Finally, we discuss the curious effect these medications seem to have on cravings beyond food, and reflect on the use of GLP-1s in the context of an addiction-saturated society. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:37 - Dr. Tan’s path to endocrinology and her work in the field 

7:45 - The challenges and rewards inherent in treating a disease like obesity or diabetes that is strongly affected by factors beyond the control of the patient but still requires behavioral interventions

15:45 - The landscape of obesity treatment prior to GLP-1s 

22:45 - How GLP-1s function and how they differ from the drugs that came before them 

28:10 - Common patient experiences and treatment courses with GLP-1s 

35:30 - The growing evidence that GLP-1s can be effective in treating addiction, and the complexity of medicating individuals to address issues with systemic roots

49:00 - Improving your overall health while living a busy life 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.

Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2026

The hospital can be a harsh backdrop to many of life’s most pivotal events. Alarms blare at inopportune times, rounding doctors intrude on delicate conversations, and vigilant nurses disrupt rare periods of rest. All the chaos can add to the stress of a patient’s hospital stay and create an emotionally discordant experience — seemingly out of step with the profound grief, joy, or intimacy one might expect to accompany the weighty moments that happen in the hospital. In the face of this challenging environment, what can be done to connect patients to the emotional threads of their lives — to invite meaning during these critical times? The answer, at least in part, may lie in music. 

Our guest on this episode is Melanie Ambler, fourth-year medical student at Stanford and professional cellist. As an undergraduate at Brown, Melanie began researching the intersection of music and medicine. She then completed a Fulbright fellowship in France where her master’s work centered on the effect of music on patients with dementia. Once she got to Stanford, Melanie and her cello Shelby got to work bringing music to hospitalized patients. In 2024, she founded Musical Rounds – a music and storytelling project for patients in palliative care. 

Over the course of our conversation, Melanie shares how her musical and medical journeys melded into one. We discuss the power of music to prompt reflection, draw out stories, and even transform the ugliness of the hospital into beauty. Best of all, Melanie plays for us live while sharing her early patient experiences that motivate her work at Musical Rounds — including the launch of her new Musical Rounds podcast.

In this episode, you’ll hear: 

3:00 - How playing the cello became a central part of Melanie’s life 

13:45 - Melanie play a piece that showcases the beauty of the cello

18:10 - How Melanie became interested in medicine

27:10 - How Melanie merged music and medicine in her research and in the hospital 

46:00 - Reflections on the power of music in the lives of physicians

52:00 - How Melanie’s non-profit organization Musical Rounds is working to provide patients moments of reflection through music and storytelling

55:22 - A patient story that exemplifies the power of music at a patient’s bedside 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.

Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2026

Many patients interpret their illness through the lens of their religious tradition. Sometimes this process brings hope, comfort, or growth – but other times it compounds their suffering. What are patients supposed to do when they don’t see their lives reflected in the religious stories they cherish? And how can physicians recognize and respond to spiritual suffering that is layered on top of the physical? 

Our guest on this episode is Dr. Jonathan Weinkle, clinical assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Weinkle practices Internal and Pediatric medicine at Squirrel Hill Health Center – a health center focused on overcoming economic, cultural, and logistical barriers to health care. He serves as a consultant to the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and as the medical director of the Physician Assistant Program at Chatham University. In 2025, he published his book From Illness to Exodus with the goal of helping patients and healers navigate illness – using one of the world’s oldest stories.  

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Weinkle shares insights from the story of the Jewish Exodus that may help patients feeling trapped in the “narrow place” of illness. We discuss the spiritual and emotional complexity faced by patients whose own illness stories don’t end with a miraculous escape. Finally, we reflect on the importance of healers who understand their patients’ “idioms of distress” and who can attune to their suffering. 

On this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:45 - How Dr. Weinkle found his way to a career in Med-Peds, and the many hats he wears in his current work 

9:00 - Dr. Weinkle’s views on balancing faith and science in medicine

16:00 - The cultural importance and traditions of Passover in the Jewish faith 

21:30 - How the lessons of the Passover can be connected to medicine and healing 

28:45 - Why Dr. Weinkle chose to write a book for healers 

40:00 - Dr. Weinkle’s advice for identifying and responding to a patient’s taxonomy of distress

47:30 - Attending to suffering when it cannot be ‘fixed’

52:25 - How healers can use ritual to center themselves in their work 
 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.

Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2026

The creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 enabled millions of Americans to meaningfully access healthcare for the first time — and dramatically increased demand for doctors. The passage of the Hart-Celler Immigration and Nationality Act a few months later enabled tens of thousands of immigrant physicians to migrate to the US. Since then, immigrant physicians have comprised between 25 — 40% of the physician workforce. 

Our guest on this episode is Professor Eram Alam, associate professor of history at Harvard. Alam specializes in the history of medicine, race, migration, and health during the twentieth century. In 2025, she published The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare.

Over the course of our conversation, Professor Alam traces the legal, economic, and geopolitical factors that led to the US depending on immigrant physicians to care for many of the country’s most vulnerable populations. We explore how American attitudes toward immigration have shifted over time and how the current state of politics has created a jarring disconnect: many patients depend on care from immigrant physicians and yet continue to view immigrants as un-American. Finally, Professor Alam reminds us how remembering everyone feels a little out of place, can help us see the person in front of us more fully. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

3:00 - Dr. Alam’s work as a professor and historian of healthcare and medicine

7:30 - The background for Dr. Alam’s book The Care of Foreigners. 

13:00 - The story behind the 1965 legislation that led to the mass employment of physician immigrants in the US

22:10 - How the role of immigrant physicians in the US healthcare system complicates the idea of meritocracy in medicine

29:00 - The ways in which US immigration policy has changed the experience for foreign-born doctors over time 

33:45 - Dr. Alam’s view of how current immigration crackdowns fit into the larger historical narrative of US immigration 

45:36 - How dehumanizing political rhetoric surrounding immigrants can blind us to the humanity of those who care for us

53:26 - The unifying power in acknowledging discomfort in ourselves and others

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.

Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2026

The epidemic of physician burnout isn’t just a personal problem. Burned out doctors are more likely to make mistakes, less likely to follow preventative care guidelines, and more likely to have dissatisfied patients. When a burned out physician leaves an institution or quits all together, it can cost north of a million dollars to replace them. Unwell doctors lead to unwell patients — and an unwell health care system. The toll that the burnout epidemic has taken on physicians, patients, and even the bottom-line requires more than individual adaptation on the part of physicians. It requires a grass-roots movement to heal the healers. 

Our guest on this episode is Mary Brandt, MD — pediatric surgeon and Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Medical Ethics at Baylor College of Medicine. Over the course of her clinical career, Dr. Brandt published over 245 peer reviewed publications, 26 chapters, and 2 books. She became particularly attuned to the suffering of trainees and physicians while serving as General Surgery Program Director and Dean of Student Affairs at Baylor, and she subsequently obtained a Master of Divinity Degree to better understand and articulate what she was observing. Dr. Brandt is a persistent advocate for physician wellness and correcting systemic issues in medicine. 

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Brandt describes the moment she felt called to surgery, her fruitless efforts to resist this calling, and how the combination of competence and humility allowed her to manage the pressure of operating on children. We explore the evolution of the physician-wellness movement and why the health care system cannot afford to ignore the wellness of its physicians. Finally, Dr. Brandt posits that the hard work of compassion is what can sustain physicians long term. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

3:00 - Dr. Brandt’s unexpected path to becoming a pediatric surgeon  

11:00 - Dr. Brandt’s mental approach to the high stakes work of pediatric surgery  

27:49 - The disconnect between the work of healing and the business side of medicine

38:15 - How Dr. Brandt’s studies in liberation theology have influenced her vision for the healthcare system and medical practice

42:00 - The three shifts healers can make to collectively change medicine

48:20 - The ‘practice’ of compassion and how it can protect physicians from burnout 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.
Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2026