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In this episode we meet Dr. Urooj Fatima, a native of Pakistan and first-year internal medicine resident at the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. During her first month of residency, Fatima participated in a cooking class on the Eastern Campus of the West Virginia University School of Medicine as a part of the Culinary and Lifestyle Medicine Track. Working alongside medical students and family medicine residents, she helped prepare meals appropriate for patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The cooking was facilitated by a chef and paired with lectures from diabetes experts and bariatric surgeons in a day of hands-on learning at the Erma Byrd Health Professions Education Center.

While she was cooking, hosts Renée K. Nicholson and Ryan McCarthy spoke with Fatima about a dish at the heart of Pakistani cuisine.

“Biryani is important to us in Pakistan and we have it on every special occasion. ​​You marinate meat in yogurt and cut up onions and tomatoes–lots of tomatoes! And you then cook the onions and tomatoes together while you boil the rice. Then, you create layers, one of meat, one of rice, over and over again. Then, it goes in the oven on a slow temperature, creating a meat and rice layered cake. It’s spicy.”

Fatima also shared how her love of food helps shape her medical practice. “You have to be culturally relevant, understanding patients, their needs, their home. When we speak to patients, we need to understand where they are coming from.” She also shared, “I really like mysteries, stories, novels–these are my things. In medicine, I love puzzle solving,” which prompted Nicholson to respond, “With you and your patient, it's a co-constructed mystery. ”

Healthcare is Human is created by Ryan McCarthy and is a signature program of the Berkeley Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency in Martinsburg, WV, https://medicine.wvu.edu/internal-medicine-eastern-division/residency/

This podcast is engineered by Kym Mattioli.

Visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram to see incredible photography by Molly Humphreys, native of Shepherdstown, WV. Find more of her world-class portfolio on Piccadilly Posh Photography https://www.instagram.com/piccadillyposh?igsh=Nm02YXlmdG1vZTJx

Learn more about Renée K. Nicholson, her poetry, prose, and other projects by visiting http://www.reneenicholson.com/

Healthcare is Human is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council, WVU Medicine, WVU Foundation, Freedom’s Run Foundation, and generous donors in our community.

Isaac McCarthy (PhD candidate, Ohio State University) plays the banjo to open and close the show. https://music.osu.edu/people/mccarthy.851

Healthcare is Human is featured on TED.com; KevinMD; Synapsis; The Gold Foundation; Narrative Mindworks; West Virginia Public Broadcasting; 100 Days in Appalachia; American Public Health Association; and Academy for Professionalism in Health Care, amongst others.

#healthcareishuman

Be sure to visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram. If you have a great idea for a podcast, we would love to hear from you.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we meet Erin McGowan, a third-year medical student from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, who shares her experiences in the Culinary and Lifestyle Medicine Track at the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine in Martinsburg, WV:

“Right now, we are focusing on post-bariatric care. We're looking at recipes that, first of all, are very nutritious and specifically looking at the two-ounce serving size that you can eat right after bariatric surgery. We are introducing ourselves to what many of our patients might be experiencing, especially in the state West Virginia where a lot of people are dealing with obesity. This is a really big step for them and I think that, no matter what specialty I go into, I will have to bring in the nutritional side as much as I can. Obesity is so prevalent, so who is best to start that education, if not your family doctor?

I feel very fortunate. My family ate pretty healthily growing up--as many colors on your plate as possible. I actually had an experience where I really wanted all the stuff that was really bad for me, but it wasn't in our house. I remember when I went to have a sleepover and they only had junk food in their house. I got so excited and I threw up within three hours and had to go home! And looking back, you don't know what's good for you if you haven't had it growing up. I feel so fortunate that my body has that signal: this is not good for you.”

Healthcare is Human is created by Ryan McCarthy and is a signature program of the Berkeley Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency in Martinsburg, WV, https://medicine.wvu.edu/internal-medicine-eastern-division/residency/

This podcast is engineered by Kym Mattioli.

Visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram to see incredible photography by Molly Humphreys, native of Shepherdstown, WV. Find more of her world-class portfolio by searching for Piccadilly Posh Photography.

https://www.facebook.com/PiccadillyPoshPhotography

Learn more about Renée K. Nicholson, her poetry, and contributions to narrative medicine by visiting http://www.reneenicholson.com/

Healthcare is Human is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council, WVU Medicine, WVU Foundation, Freedom’s Run Foundation, and generous donors in our community.

Isaac McCarthy (PhD candidate, Ohio State University) plays the banjo to open and close the show. https://music.osu.edu/people/mccarthy.851

Healthcare is Human is featured on TED.com; KevinMD; Synapsis; The Gold Foundation; Narrative Mindworks; West Virginia Public Broadcasting; 100 Days in Appalachia; American Public Health Association; and Academy for Professionalism in Health Care, amongst others.

#healthcareishuman

Be sure to visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram. If you have a great idea for a podcast, we would love to hear from you.

Send us Fan Mail

Healthcare is Human: Internal Medicine Residency, Melissa Carter

In this episode we meet Melissa Carter, ambulatory service manager for medicine & pediatrics at the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV:

“I have been a medical assistant for eighteen years and started my journey going to college to be a special education teacher. I graduated high school early and then decided that I wanted to be in a position where I had the ability to make an impact on others. I changed course and, because my mother was a nursing assistant, I went into health care.”

“If you can come to the table with empathy, then you will be a wonderful healthcare provider, and that's really what we're aiming for with our internal medicine residency program. We want everyone to be treated as if they were someone in your family. If you were to walk into that office with your grandparents, how would you want them to be treated?”

This podcast features the poem “Diagnosis Color by Number” read by its author, Renée K. Nicholson. Learn more about Renée and her poetry by visiting http://www.reneenicholson.com/.

Music written and performed by Robert Sears.

Healthcare is Human is created by Ryan McCarthy and is a signature program of the Internal Medicine Residency at the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV, https://medicine.wvu.edu/internal-medicine-eastern-division/residency/

This podcast is engineered by Kym Mattioli.

Visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram to see incredible photography by Molly Humphreys, native of Shepherdstown, WV. Find more of her world-class portfolio by searching for Piccadilly Posh Photography.

https://www.facebook.com/PiccadillyPoshPhotography

Healthcare is Human is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council, WVU Medicine, WVU Foundation, Freedom’s Run Foundation, and generous donors in our community.

Isaac McCarthy (PhD candidate, Ohio State University) plays the banjo to open and close the show. https://music.osu.edu/people/mccarthy.851

Healthcare is Human is featured on TED.com; KevinMD; Synapsis; The Gold Foundation; Narrative Mindworks; West Virginia Public Broadcasting; 100 Days in Appalachia; American Public Health Association; and Academy for Professionalism in Health Care, amongst others.

#healthcareishuman

Be sure to visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram. If you have a great idea for a podcast, we would love to hear from you.