Purple Pen Podcast

Kristin caught up with Dr David Woo, an Ophthalmic and Oculoplastics surgeon from the Sight Foundation at the Sydney Eye Hospital and the Sydney CBD eye clinic. We chat about orbital and periorbital cellulitis and other serious eye infections - including the red flags that differentiate these from common eye infections. To find out more about Dr David, visit his website

Kristin was joined by Prof Sam Berkovic, Laureate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, and Director of the Epilepsy Research Centre at Austin Health. They discuss the diagnosis, treatment and management of epilepsy, including emerging therapies. Visit Prof Berkovic’s University profile or the Epilepsy Research Centre’s website for a list of his research.

Kristin chats to Professor David Kissane about psycho-existential symptoms in Palliative Care. David is a consultant psychiatrist in psycho-oncology and palliative care at Monash Health and the Department of Psychiatry at Monash University. We talk about: the current state of palliative care in Australia why patients are are often scared of commencing palliative care Differences in palliative care patient experience in the context of oncology An exploration of the terms psycho-oncology and the existential approach the role of pharmacotherapy in psycho-oncology

Today we talk all things oral health with Mark Schifter with a particular focus on Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) and antibiotic use in dentistry 

We welcome back Simon Lewis, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, who talks to Kristin about dementia. They discuss the multiple types of dementia, as well as established and new treatment options. You can learn more about Prof Lewis and his research at his website

Jane talks to Karlee Johnston, a pharmacist and PhD candidate at the Australian National University in Canberra. We talk about Karlee’s recently published paper: Burnout and the challenges facing pharmacists during COVID‑19: results of a national survey (International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-021-01268-5) Keep an eye out for the repeat survey through our social media channels and your professional organisation. If this episode raises any issues for you or someone that you care about, contact: Pharmacists Support Services: https://www.supportforpharmacists.org.au/ Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Kristin spoke with Dr Eli Dabscheck and Dr Johnson George about all things Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) including: Risk factors  Management Exacerbations of COPD and the issues around the appropriate use of antimicrobials in this situation  The Therapeutic Guidelines and COPD-X Guideline recommendations Asthma and COPD overlap  The benefits of medication reviews and COPD action plans 

Kristin and Dan caught up with Associate Professor Vincent Lee for a discussion on all things Chronic Kidney Disease.   You can visit Vincent’s Uni website here

Dan and Jane spoke to Dr Amy Bohren about recruitment for early career graduates. Amy is the Principal Consultant and Director of Red Careers Australia. We asked Amy for some tips to help interns and early career pharmacists navigate the recruitment process. We discussed: Where to look for your dream job Whether you should directly call an employer about a job? How long an application letter and CV should be Tips for a successful interview Our favourite fonts (!) If you’d like to contact Amy for some more advice or access the articles we discussed, you can contact her via https://redcareersaustralia.com/. You can mention the podcast for a special rate.

In our second episode for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020, Dan and Kristin spoke to Dr Brendan McMullan. Brendan is a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist and Microbiologist, working at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and a Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the School of Women’s and Children’s Health at UNSW. We discuss: the reasons why choice of antimicrobial can be different for children special considerations for paediatric antimicrobial use why kids get more infections than adults strategies for explaining a decision not to prescribe an antimicrobial how Kristin ruined her kindergarten Christmas play

In a bumper episode for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020, Jane and Kristin spoke to Tony Lai. Tony is the Senior Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney. Here’s a list of the medicines that Tony discussed (and Jane and Kristin struggled to pronounce): cefidericol eravacycline rezafungin ibrexafungerp MAT2203 (Oral Ambisome)

Kristin and Dan chat with Prof Pablo Fernandez-Peñas about all things Dermatology. Pablo is Head of the Department of Dermatology at Westmead Hospital in Sydney and Professor in Dermatology at Sydney Medical School (The University of Sydney). We went back to basics in this episode to understand the basis for prescribing topical products in common dermatological conditions. We also discussed the old chestnut about using steroid creams “sparingly” and why an expensive product won’t necessarily give you a better outcome.

Kristin catches with up Prof Simon Finfer, intensive care clinician and researcher and professor at The George Institute. They discuss all things sepsis, from identifying sepsis, early management, complications and new research being undertaken.

It’s World Mental Health Day. Dan and Kristin caught up with Dr Mark Cross, Psychiatrist and author. They discuss a range of mental health topics: changes in mental health literacy at a population level the mental health of health professionals mental health and well being in challenging times best practice prescribing of psychotropic medicines You can read more about Mark’s work and his new book on the SANE Australia website.

Kristin is joined by Simon Lewis, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney to discuss Parkinson’s Disease. We find out about: The link between COVID-19, Parkinson’s disease and your sense of smell  Risk factors and causes of Parkinson’s disease Non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease Therapeutic options for Parkinson’s disease Potential future therapies on their way

Kristin and Dan caught up with Alicia Martin, author of the recent paper Gender balance in pharmacy leadership: Are we making progress?. We discuss Alicia’s findings and how well Australian pharmacy organisations are doing at representing women in leadership positions. Alicia’s paper on Science Direct Follow Alicia on twitter

Kristin and Dan spoke to Professor Steve Vucic about Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Steve is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Director of Neurophysiology and Consultant Neurologist at Westmead Hospital in Sydney. We spoke about the basics of MND, current treatments and what the future may hold. You can learn more about Steve’s work here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/steve-vucic.html

Kristin spoke to Dr Natasha Andreadis AKA the “Fanny Mechanic” a Integrative Fertility Specialist Gynaecologist Health Coach about all things In vitro fertilisation

In another best-of collection to celebrate our 100th episode, here are Kristin's Top Five favourite episodes: Episode 65 - Surgery in the Victorian Era with Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Author of "The Butchering Art" Episode 83 - The Unexpected when you're Expecting with Dr Nisha Khot  Episode 72 - Is your postcode making you sick? The Australian Atlas of Health Variation - with Professor Anne Duggan & Meredith Page Episode 93 - Ophthalmic Emergencies with Dr Tanya Karaconji Episode 73 - Faecal Microbiota Transplants with Dr Sam Costello  

In another best-of collection to celebrate our 100th episode, here are Jane’s Top Five favourite episodes: Episode 64: Are We Wasting Our Patient’s Time? with Brian Dolan Episode 20: Heart Failure with Rochelle Gellatly Episode 59: Interventions to Improve Analgesic Prescribing with Jenny Stephens Episode 80: Peri-operative medicines management with Tanya Selak Episode 99: National Reconciliation Week with Chastina Heck and Aleena Williams