Purple Pen Podcast

Kristin is joined by Dr Jerry Abraham Alex - a medical registrar from Western Australia. They take an indepth look at Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Kristin is joined by Thuy Bui, Lead Pharmacist - Analgesic Stewardship (AGS) & Perioperative Services at Alfred Health in Victoria to discuss the role of analgesic stewardship. In their discussion they address the importance of appropriate acute pain management, some of the clinical considerations for analgesic choice and the role of the perioperative pharmacist. Note: this episode discusses the use of real-time prescription monitoring. The monitoring system and requirements for monitoring vary from state to state. Please refer to information from the jurisdiction where you practice for guidance on when you are required to use real-time prescription monitoring.

Kristin catches up with Ivette Aguirre and Dr Melanie Bissessor from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, to discuss monkeypox. We talk about vaccination, treatment as well as symptoms, screening and diagnosis.

Kristin is joined by Dr Priya Sumithran, Endocrinologist and Clinician Researcher, to talk about treatment options for the management of type II diabetes. Priya leads the Obesity Research Group at the University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine (St Vincent's) and is Head of Obesity Medicine at Austin Health. *Note Wegovy (semaglutide) was not registered in Australia at the time of recording but has since been registered with the TGA (1st September 2022). PBAC Public Summary Document - Wegovy (semaglutide) - March 2022 consideration

We are joined by anaesthetist A/Prof Christine Ball to discuss her book, The Chloroformist, and more...

Kristin speaks to Bronwyn Clark and A/Prof Faye McMillan about how to practice pharmacy in a culturally safe way. We also hear about the Australian Pharmacy Council's Leaders in Indigenous Pharmacy Profession Education (LIPPE) Network.

Kristin is joined by Prof Jason Roberts and Dr Carolyn Hullick to discuss the release of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's new Clinical Care Standard in sepsis - which launches today! Jason will be well known to listeners as a pharmacist from University of Queensland and Metro North. Carolyn is a Clinical Director at the Commission and the Chair of the Sepsis Clinical Care Standards at the Commission. Visit the ACSQHC to find out more and read the new Standard

Kristin and Dan are joined by Associate Professor Naren Gunja - a clinical and forensic toxicologist from Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney. We discuss Naren's "top 5 issues" in toxicology - covering a wide range of topics including paracetamol, methylene blue, benzodiazepines and more.

Kristin is joined by Associate Professor Nicole Goh to talk Interstitial Lung Disease. Nicole is a respiratory and sleep physician at the Alfred and Austin Hospitals in Melbourne.

We are joined by Professor Ian Hickie, a Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of Health and Policy at the Brain Mind Centre. He last spoke to the podcast on treatment resistance depression. This time we discuss the challenges of bipolar disorder diagnosis, risk factors and the therapeutics used in treatment, especially the Australian wonder drug Lithium.

We are joined by Professor Ian Hickie, a Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of Health and Policy at the Brain Mind Centre. He last spoke to the podcast on treatment resistance depression. This time we discuss the challenges of bipolar disorder diagnosis, risk factors and the therapeutics used in treatment, especially the Australian wonder drug Lithium.

Kristin chats to Dr Emma Gray, consultant respiratory physician and visiting medical officer at Royal Prince Alfred. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney. There have been some big changes in asthma management in recent years, and Emma talks us through the key points.

Kristin caught up with Leanne Teoh, a pharmacist, dentist and research fellow from the University of Melbourne and Sophie Beaumont, head of Dental Oncology at the Peter Mac to discuss all things oral cancer. We learn about diagnosis, presentation, vaccination and red flags - as well as the critical value of saliva! Sophie recommends the Oral cancer hub as a great learning resource: https://www.oralcancerhub.org.au/

We're back for 2022 and now that's school is in session we spoke to Prof Brendan McMullan about COVID19 in children. We discussed what COVID19 is like for kids, vaccination, current treatments and transmission.

In our last episode for 2021, Kristin chats with Professor Ian Hickie, co-Director of the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney. We chat about treatment-resistant depression and learn all about the "happy accident'" of esketamine.

Dan is joined by Professor Robyn Guymer AM from the Centre for Eye Research in Australia to discuss Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

We're back! And Dan is joined by Professor Dave Coghill, a Child Psychiatrist and Chair of Developmental Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. We discuss ADHD - an overview of its epidemiology and diagnosis, as well as existing and emerging treatments.

Kristin caught up with Conjoint Professor Michael Bennett AM (Academic Head, Wales Anaesthesia and Dept. Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Prince of Wales Clinical School) to discuss Hyperbaric Medicine. It is used to treat decompression illness, carbon monoxide poisoning, necrotising infections, soft tissue & bony radiation injury and chronic non healing wounds.

Dan and Jane caught up with our friend Dr Nisha Khot, who is the Clinical Director of Obstetrics at Djerriwarrh Health Service in Victoria. We discuss the screening, management and impact of a wide variety of infections in pregnancy, including CMV, syphilis, COVID-19 and GBA. We briefly discuss listeria, to Nisha's chagrin. You should definitely follow Nisha on twitter

In a bumper episode, Kristin talks with ID physician and clinical microbiologist with Westmead Hospital and the Institute Of Clinical Pathology And Medical Research (ICPMR) Dr Indy Sandaradura. They discuss all things clinical microbiology, from how tests are run to how microbiologists decide what to report, in terms of sensitivities and positive results. Indy helps us understand why we still do Gram staining, first developed by Danish scientist Hans Christian Gram in 1884.

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

To celebrate our 100th episode, we're bringing you some highlights packages. First up is a recap of our five most downloaded episodes: Episode 1: Antibiotic Allergies with Jason Trubiano (with an update for Episode 50) Episode 45: Why tramadol sucks with David Juurlink Episode 49: Cardiovascular Therapeutic Guidelines update with Jane O'Connor and Dan Scherer Episodes 55 and 56: Antibiotic pharmacokinetics with Jason Roberts Episode 70: Haematology Basics with Ian Bilmon

In an episode to mark National Reconciliation week, Dan and Kristin spoke to Chastina Heck and Aleena Williams. Chastina is a clinical pharmacist at Logan Hospital and an Associate Lecturer at the University of Queensland. Aleena is the Director of Immunisations at the Northern Territory Public Health Directorate. Chas and Aleena are both proud Aboriginal women and pharmacists. In this episode, they share their personal and professional stories with us. National Reconciliation Week is from May 27 to June 3 2020. You can learn more here.

Kristin flies solo this week to talk to Dr Lisa Kouladjian O'Donnell, a consultant pharmacist and postdoctoral research associate affiliated with the NHMRC Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre, The University of Sydney, and the Kolling Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW. Kristin and Lisa discuss: definitions of polypharmacy and deprescribing drivers of polypharmacy at-risk populations a collaborative approach to deprescribing the Drug Burden Index (DBI) calculator You can read more about Lisa's work here. The Goal-directed Medication review Electronic Decision Support System (G-MEDSS) is here.

Kristin & Dan spoke to Prof Ramon Shaban, Clinical Chair of Infection Prevention and Disease Control, University of Sydney and Western Sydney Local Health District We covered Australia's interventions to reduce the spread of COVID-19 Testing of COVID-19, including the difference between antibodies, antigens & PCR testing. Are false negatives an issue? The challenges of doing a good swab Asymptomatic spread and how significant it is in Australia Face masks, how they should be used and the basics of transmission What we know so far about reinfection and vaccination for COVID-19

Dan caught up with Mel Ankravs, chair of the SHPA Critical Care Leadership Group and Senior Pharmacist at the Royal Melbourne for a brief chat about the basics to caring for COVID-19 patients in the ICU. We couldn't cover everything in this episode, but Mel recommends these resources for a deeper dive: National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce - an Australian repository of evidence for the management of COVID-19 Introduction to Critical Care: A COVID-19 Rapid Response document - a bigger introduction from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Kristin and Dan spoke to Professor Mary-Louise McLaws from the University of New South Wales Faculty of Medicine. Professor McLaws is a renowned infection control expert with extensive experience in novel viruses such as SARS. She is also an expert on pandemics and outbreak investigations. We covered: • Why do novel virus cause so much concern compared to known entities such as the flu? • How does COVID-19 compare to influenza or SARS? • The finer points of quarantine • An overview of surgical vs N95 masks and what is appropriate for COVID-19 • The treatments (remdesivir, chloroquine & angiotensin II receptor antagonists) for COVID-19 and when we can expect a vaccine for prevention

Kristin and Jane spoke to Professor Alex Broom from the University of Sydney. Alex is Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy. We asked Alex: What is sociology, and how does it apply to studies of healthcare and illness? How are principles of sociology particularly relevant to addressing rising antimicrobial resistance? What effect does organisational culture have on the use of antimicrobials? How can sociology principles be used as a stewardship tool? You can read more about Alex's work on his University of Sydney Researcher Page.

WE'RE BACK! Happy 2020 to all our listeners! Today Kristin and Dan are joined by Dr Tanya Karaconji, Ophthalmologist at Sydney Eye Hospital, where we discuss a number of topics related to eye emergencies. We discuss: Red flags for selling chloramphenicol Eye drops made of swimming pool tablets How damaging one eye can make you lose both Intravitreal injections and culturing the eye jelly Hourly eye drops for keratitis

In the last of our episodes from MM2019, we spoke to the 2019 SHPA Medal of Merit winner, Tom Simpson. Tom is the Executive Director for statewide hospital pharmacy in Tasmania. He gave us a recap of his excellent oration, based around five pieces of advice for his younger self. You can read more about Tom and the SHPA Medal of Merit here

Jane and Kristin caught up with Sir Harry Burns at MM2019 to discuss what are some of the social causes of wellness. Sir Harry is Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Strathclyde, a surgeon and one of the world's leaders in addressing global health inequality