Special Section: Palliative Care
SFMMS INTERVIEW Monique Schaulis, MD, MPH, FAAHPM Dr. Schaulis interviews Alex Smith and Eric Widera, hosts of GeriPal: A geriatrics and palliative care podcast for every health care professional. We invite the brightest minds in geriatrics, hospice, and palliative care to talk about the topics that you care most about, ranging from recently published research in the field to controversies that keep us up at night. You'll laugh, learn and maybe sing along. bigger to make a difference. Most of our listeners are health care providers who want to change the world for older adults and for those living with serious illness, even if it is one patient at a time. If we can help them with that, even just a little bit, for me that’s the big idea for this podcast.
MS: First of all, I’m a diehard fan. I’ve been listening for years and find GeriPal to be an incredible source of up to date information that is really entertaining. Thank you for all of your amazing interviews! Can you tell us about how you got started? AS: We started the GeriPal blog in 2009 as a way to integrate the fields of geriatrics and palliative care. There was some friction between the fields at the time, “turf wars” over fellows and clinical service. We felt strongly that geriatrics and palliative care have more to learn from each other and can accomplish more together than separately. Our blog was targeted at health care professionals in geriatrics or palliative care. About five years ago we decided we wanted to go in a new direction and explore podcasting. Since then, we’ve expanded our intended audience, and our new tagline is “A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Podcast for Every Healthcare Professional.” Our goal is to educate all healthcare professionals about cutting edge issues related to the care of older adults and patients living with serious illness. MS: Did you have any idea at the beginning how big this podcast would become? How has it evolved over time? How many followers do you have now? AS: We had no idea how big it would become. At first, when we were a blog, we wondered, “Is anyone reading this?!?” When we transitioned to a podcast, we again wondered, “Will anyone listen?” We’re so pleased that there is an audience for our work (and it does take work to set up, research, and produce each episode). We currently average between three to five thousand downloads per podcast, about twice the size of a plenary session at an annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society or the annual assembly of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. We’re growing rapidly, and have gained about 1,000 listeners per podcast over the last six months alone. EW: I wouldn’t say we're big, as we get about 3,000-5,000 listeners per podcast episode. But I don’t think you have to be 34
MS: How do you choose whom to host? Do you peruse the latest journal articles and just call them up? AS: We are constantly monitoring the literature for articles that take a fresh look at issues, that tackle common clinical issues, or that bring real world practical advice that clinicians can use in everyday practice. We email the authors of studies or speakers we’ve heard at conferences. I can count on one hand the number who have said “no,” and we’ve recorded almost 200 podcasts at this point. MS: For me, the music really changes the feel of the episodes. What do you think? AS: I’m biased, but I love the music for two reasons. One, our speakers are often academic, and used to giving a grand rounds “talk-for-40-minutes” type of presentation. Those endless talking presentations make for a terrible podcast. The music gets them out of that frame into a more relaxed and non-academic mindset. Second, selfishly, I enjoy the music because I enjoy the challenge of learning and recording a new song each week. I can combine a life hobby with my academic work, which is a win-win in my book.
SAN FRANCISCO MARIN MEDICINE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
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