Episodes
What does the future hold for abortion care? In this final episode of Post-Roe America, we hear from clinicians and advocates at the forefront of finding new solutions for patients in need.   Host & Co-creator: Ali Block, MD Co-creator: Emily Silverman, MD Featuring: Amy Meg Autry, MD; April Lockley, DO; Jiana Menendez, MD, MPH; Oriaku Njoku; Linda Prine, MD; and other contributors who wish to remain anonymous   Find show notes, transcript, and more at...
Published 11/02/23
How has the Dobbs decision impacted medical education? In this episode we talk to trainees and educators about how Dobbs has impacted their lives in the classroom, and explore what we lose when we lose abortion training.   Host & Co-creator: Ali Block, MD Co-creator: Emily Silverman, MD Contributors: Anastasia Anazonwu, MD Candidate; Bria Peacock, MD; and other contributors who wish to remain anonymous   Find show notes, transcript, and more at...
Published 10/26/23
Many physicians have been advocating publicly for reproductive health for decades, but many more have remained silent on the subject of abortion, fearing retribution from the general public and their communities. Today we talk about the culture of silence around reproductive health in medical spaces, and how breaking that silence is our only hope for reclaiming our reproductive freedom.   Host & Co-creator: Ali Block, MD Co-creator: Emily Silverman, MD Contributors: Vineesha Arelli,...
Published 10/19/23
Leilah Zahedi-Spung never planned to leave her life behind in Tennessee. But after Roe fell, she found herself having to make an impossible decision about the future of her career. In this episode, we examine how political events can upend clinicians’ lives and communities.   Host & Co-creator: Ali Block, MD Co-creator: Emily Silverman, MD Contributors: Scott Dunn, MD; Zachary Halversen, MD; and Leilah Zahedi-Spung, MD   Find show notes, transcript, and more at...
Published 10/12/23
Host of STAT First Opinion Podcast, Torie Bosch, interviews family medicine physicians and abortion providers Ali Block and Nikki Zite. Physicians Alison Block and Nikki Zite knew what they were getting into when they became abortion providers early in their medical training. Family planning has long been a politicized, divisive area of medicine. And even though they knew that Roe v. Wade — the 1973 Supreme Court case that protected abortion access across the country — was being threatened,...
Published 10/09/23
After Dobbs, many states in the middle of the country severely restricted abortion – but Kansas stood out as an exception. As a result, a small clinic in Wichita called Trust Women became an unexpected oasis for abortion care. In this episode, we bring you inside the clinic to learn how they handled the overwhelming influx of patients.   *This episode briefly mentions violent imagery and actions targeting abortion clinics. Listener discretion is advised.   Host & Co-creator:  Ali...
Published 10/05/23
Before the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, there was S.B. 8—a Texas law that prohibited any abortion after 6 weeks, essentially banning it entirely in the state. In episode 2 of The Nocturnists: Post-Roe America, we hear from healthcare workers in and around Texas. What was it like to be an early witness to America’s crumbling abortion rights?   Host & Co-creator:  Ali Block, MD Co-creator:  Emily Silverman, MD Contributors:  Kiernan Cobb, RN; Bhavik Kumar, MD MPH; and other...
Published 09/28/23
We open in Orlando, at a reproductive health conference where many abortion providers were gathered on the day of the Dobbs leak. We follow a few of them home, as they scramble in the aftermath to figure out what the ruling means for their practices, their patients, and themselves.   Host & Co-creator:  Ali Block, MD Co-creator:  Emily Silverman, MD Contributors:  Diane Horvath, MD MPH; Jiana Menendez, MD MPH; Nikki Zite, MD MPH   Find show notes, transcript, and more at...
Published 09/21/23
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Dobbs Decision. Overnight, Americans lost the protections on abortion care that Roe vs. Wade had afforded for almost 50 years. Soon afterward, The Nocturnists began talking to abortion providers around the country. Join us for The Nocturnists: Post-Roe America – a 7-episode podcast series featuring the stories of abortion providers from Texas to Tennessee, Oklahoma to Ohio, and beyond.   Series Host:  Ali Block, MD Co-creators:  Emily...
Published 09/14/23
Psychiatrist Pooja Lakshmin speaks about her book Real Self-Care, which challenges mainstream notions of "self care" and offers a new framework for cultivating wellbeing. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.  
Published 08/24/23
Emily speaks with critical care physician Hannah Wunsch about her book The Autumn Ghost, which tells the story of a polio epidemic in Copenhagen in the 1950s, and how it gave birth to the invention of the modern ventilator and the field of ICU medicine. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.  
Published 08/17/23
Emily speaks with ophthalmologist-comedian Will Flanary and educator Kristin Flanary (aka Dr. Glaucomflecken and Lady Glaucomflecken) about their medical comedy platform, and how Will's personal experience with cardiac arrest impacted the way they view their work as healthcare satirists and content creators. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 08/10/23
Emily speaks with cardiologist Eric Topol about his 2019 book Deep Medicine, which explores the potential for AI to enhance medical decision-making, improve patient outcomes, and restore the doctor-patient relationship. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 08/03/23
In honor of Juneteenth this year, we're re-releasing one of our favorite episodes from our 2020 Black Voices in Healthcare series – Episode 7. "Standout." Have you ever looked around and realized you were the only one? Standing out in the crowd can be hard, but it might just be your superpower. The Black Voices in Healthcare series is hosted by Ashley McMullen, MD and executive produced by Kimberly Manning, MD. Contributors include: Marla Law Abrolat, MD; Tomás Díaz, MD; Utibe R. Essien,...
Published 06/15/23
Emily speaks with physician, public health professor, and author Michael Stein about his recent book Me vs. Us: A Health Divided, which explains why the U.S. focuses on individualized health rather than public health, and the importance of considering populations, prevention, and policy. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 06/01/23
Emily speaks with writer and physician Ricardo Nuila about his debut book The People's Hospital, a love letter to Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, Texas, and exploration of how its unique business model may help solve our broken healthcare system. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 05/25/23
Emily speaks with writer and philosophy professor Chloé Cooper Jones about her memoir  Easy Beauty, which chronicles her quest to widen perceptions of beauty, motherhood, and disability. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 05/18/23
Emily speaks with historian, attorney, and diplomat Philip Zelikow, about the investigative report Lessons from the Covid War, authored by the COVID Crisis Group, which examines the U.S. response to COVID and provides valuable insights for how we can do better in the future. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 05/11/23
The Nocturnists' Emily Silverman tells a story about how medical school satisfied much of her curiosity about the human body—but how some mysteries remain, especially related to her dreams. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 05/04/23
Medical student Katie van Kampen brings us into the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons. The deeper they get into the forest, the more parallels they find between their role as Dungeon Master and their role as physician-in-training. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 04/27/23
Medical student Oak Sonfist brings us inside their vivid dream about the Lost City of Atlantis – and the impossible decisions they face as they navigate between two worlds. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 04/20/23
Actor-turned-otolaryngologist Alessa Colaianni has no problem acting sad—it’s actually feeling sad that’s the problem. In this episode, Alessa tells the story of losing and regaining access to her emotional landscape. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 04/13/23
Primary care doctor Tseganesh Selameab brings us inside her practice as a provider for immigrants and refugees, and describes one of the most common ailments she sees: “homelonging.” Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 04/06/23
Medical student and classically-trained cellist Melanie Ambler describes her most memorable concert, which took place over Zoom with only one other person in attendance. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 03/30/23
Hospitalist PJ Lally reflects on a time he got a second chance at life.  Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com.
Published 03/23/23