DDx

Figure 1

A podcast about how doctors think. Presented by Figure 1, the knowledge-sharing and collaboration app for physicians and healthcare professionals. Learn more at Figure1.com/ddx

  • 10 minutes
    From Clinic to Hospital

    Join us as we sit down with Colorado-based allergist and immunologist Dr. Robert McDermott, who has seen first-hand what an AI-powered solution can do for care providers at facilities of all scales. Dr. McDermott offers his unique perspective as someone who has integrated DAX Copilot as a documentation assistant at both a small clinic as well as a hospital. He delves into why and how, at each scale, he has seen the investment pay off for the providers, patients, and facility alike. For Dr. McDermott, the ability to give physicians on his staff hours of their day back, on top of the ease of integrating the new-age technology, swiftly quashed any early skepticism regarding his investment. Listen in to hear why! Episode guest:
    Dr. Robert McDermott

    26 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 11 minutes 44 seconds
    The Workflow Conveyor Belt

    “There's so many downstream effects of having people work in an inefficient environment.” Dr. Alfred Atanda, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, shares his experiences dealing with inefficiencies in a clinical environment and the stress that results. Every day in his practice, he sees how broken workflows ripple out—straining providers and the patients who rely on them. Dr. Atanda highlights how DAX Copilot, an AI-powered solution, aims to simplify doctors' workflows by recording patient visits and automatically drafting medical notes, potentially improving efficiency and patient care. Dr. Atanda highlights the benefits and limitations of using DAX Copilot.

    Episode guest:
    Dr. Alfred Atanda

    19 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 9 minutes 33 seconds
    Burnout, Interrupted

    “If I’m running on empty, I can’t be the doctor my patients deserve,” said Dr. Theresa Nguyen. Dr. Nguyen, who is the Chair of Pediatrics at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and leads the Medical Staff Wellness Committee, joins us to discuss the culture of wellness at the workplace for physicians. She opens up about her own personal journey dealing with the stress of perpetual burnout, delving into the impact on her life not only as a physician, but also as a mother and human being. For Dr. Nguyen, utilizing the capabilities of an AI assistant like DAX Copilot is about much more than just being efficient in the workplace.

    Episode guest:
    Dr. Theresa Nguyen
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtheresanguyen

    12 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 10 minutes 8 seconds
    The Human Connection

    We sit down with Dr. Patrick McGill, who shares his experiences and challenges as Chief Transformation Officer at Community Health Network and as a family doctor at South Indy Family Practice in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. McGill discusses the growing disconnect between doctors and patients due to administrative tasks and required documentation, which often take away valuable time and focus from patient care. Dr. McGill discusses his initial skepticism about integrating AI-powered solutions and his eventual relief, both personally and professionally, upon using the cutting-edge technology to help restore human connections in his practice. 

    Episode guest:
    Dr. Patrick McGill
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-mcgill-md
    X: @pmmcgill

    5 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 minute 11 seconds
    Season 11 Trailer
    Imagine a world where doctors spend more time with patients—and less on paperwork. This season on DDx, we explore DAX Copilot, an AI assistant that listens to doctor-patient conversations and drafts notes for medical records. We’re asking doctors what it’s really like to use this technology. Does it help? Does it get in the way? And what does it mean for the doctor-patient relationship when AI is in the room too? Real stories from the frontlines of healthcare. Season 11 of DDx is coming soon.
    29 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 10 minutes 44 seconds
    Giving New Life Through X-linked Hypophosphatemia Research

    After a lifetime of treating her rare bone disease, X-linked hypophosphatemia, a patient is at the end of her rope. Due to a genetic variation of the X chromosome — specifically the PHEX gene — there’s an imbalance of phosphate levels in her body. Because of its domino effect on bone development and mineralization, the patient is in pain, she’s frustrated, and nothing seems to help. So when a clinical trial opportunity presents itself, Dr. Suzanne Jan de Beur, a professor of medicine and the Chief of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Virginia, is unsure the patient will want to participate. While the decision to participate is surprising, the results of the clinical trial are astonishing.

    29 May 2024, 7:00 am
  • 11 minutes 1 second
    The Bumpy Road to Hypoparathyroidism Diagnosis and Treatment

    It’s a summer day and a 45-year-old is out for a drive. As she accelerates her stick-shift car, she starts to experience familiar, and scary, symptoms: facial tingling, numbness around her mouth, and a sharp pain in her hands. Her hands cramp and lock onto the steering wheel. Fortunately, she makes it home safely, but it will take many wrong turns and the help of Dr. Google to determine a diagnosis of hypoparathyroidism, a rare bone disorder. Dr. Michael Mannstadt, the Chief of the Endocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor in Medicine at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, shares this patient’s story and how a clinical trial changed this patient’s life.

    22 May 2024, 7:00 am
  • 10 minutes 32 seconds
    Unexpected Therapies for Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Offer New Hope

    A local pool in the summer is teeming with kids. A 9-year-old does a cannonball into the shallow end. As she surfaces, a stab of pain shoots through her hip. As days pass, what seems like a straightforward bump takes a complicated turn. Dr. Edward Hsiao, an endocrinologist and Director of the UCSF Metabolic Bone Clinic at the University of California, describes how after discovering a new bone growth at the site of the pain and several rounds of major (and unsuccessful) interventions, the child is diagnosed with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. This extremely rare bone disorder has a devastating impact on a patient’s life. But thanks to unexpected areas of research, patients have new reasons to hope.

    15 May 2024, 7:00 am
  • 10 minutes 22 seconds
    Overcoming the Odds of Prenatal Hypophosphatasia

    In an examination room, an ultrasound technician moves a wand over a patient’s belly. The patient is 20 weeks pregnant. Usually, these appointments bring good news, but the news this day is devastating: the baby’s bones are broken and bowed. Despite this, the baby is born and does well. After testing, all signs point to hypophosphatasia for Dr. Eric Rush, a clinical geneticist at Children’s Mercy Hospital and the University of Kansas Medical Center, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, who shares this patient’s story. And thanks to the life-changing treatment of enzyme replacement therapy, today, this child and many others with this rare bone disease are living happy, healthy lives.

    8 May 2024, 7:00 am
  • 9 minutes 49 seconds
    The Power and Potential of GACI Clinical Trials

    In a bustling maternity ward, an infant has a case of newborn hiccups. But this quickly transforms into labored breathing. A chest X-ray unravels an unexpected discovery – calcium deposits around her shoulder. Follow-up tests paint a complex picture, revealing narrowed blood vessels and widespread calcifications. Genetic testing confirms a grim diagnosis: generalized arterial calcification of infancy, or GACI, a rare genetic condition with a challenging prognosis. Nearly half of infants don't survive beyond six months. But as Dr. David Weber, a pediatric endocrinologist and the Medical Director for the Center for Bone Health at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, shares, a revolutionary clinical trial could potentially transform this child's life and the lives of others with this disease.

    1 May 2024, 7:00 am
  • 10 minutes 35 seconds
    Biosimilars and the Quiet Revolution in Medicine

    On a December morning, a 62-year-old goes for a walk. There’s snow on the ground and she loses her balance. She falls and fractures her wrist. This simple fracture reveals underlying osteoporosis, requiring lifelong (and expensive) medication. But as you’ll learn from Dr. Richard Eastell, an endocrinologist and professor of Bone Metabolism at the University of Sheffield, this is where biosimilars come in. Biosimilars are extremely similar — hence the name — to the original biological drug they're designed to imitate. The excitement around biosimilars is that they’re cheaper, making them more accessible to more people, meaning fewer fractures … better health … a better economy … and ultimately, a better quality of life.

    24 April 2024, 7:00 am
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