Check out our latest episode as Kristin and Nat chat with Dr Jeremy McAnulty about the work undertaken by Public Health Units. If you are from NSW, you may remember Dr McAnulty from the daily televised COVID updates  - Dr Jeremy McAnulty is a public health physician and Executive Director of Health Protection NSW at NSW Health, overseeing the statewide public health aspects of communicable disease control and environmental health. From 2020 to 2022 he headed NSW Health’s COVID Public Health Response Branch.

Join Kristin for a deep dive into meningococcal disease with Dr Anita Campbell.  Learn more about the various strains of meningococcal and their prevalence patterns in Australia and how that might impact the way we think about vaccination for meningococcal, using Men B as an example. Dr Anita Campbell is a clinician researcher working as a paediatric infectious disease specialist and medical lead of the Stan Perron Immunisation service at Perth Children’s Hospital.

Join us for a very special World Pharmacist Day edition of the Purple Pen Podcast.  Recorded live during pharmacy wellbeing week at Monash Health, Nat & Kristin reconnect with Jane Booth and Karlee Johnston to talk about Pharmacist Wellbeing.  We explore the concepts of empathy, vulnerability, burnout and restorative supervision. Our guest, Dr Karlee Johnston, is a clinical pharmacist with extensive experience in critical care and winner of the SHPA - Australian Clinical Pharmacy award in 2023. Karlee’s PhD focused on the experiences of Australian pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific interest in burnout in this cohort. Following from this research Karlee has continued to research burnout and possible interventions to better support healthcare professionals in their work.

Join Kristin as she chats with Rebekah Moles about fever. Rebekah is an Associate Professor in Pharmacy Practice at the University of Sydney and she is passionate about quality use of medicines in paediatric patients. She has conducted research on the management of common ailments such as fever and cough/cold in young patients.

Join us as we talk with Dr David Liew about the underappreciated condition of gout, dispel some myths and talk about what's changed in recommendations.  This podcast is in collaboration with Medcast and the Quality Use of Medicines Alliance, a provider of health professional education in Australia focused on the quality use of medicines. Check out their resources here.  Arthritis Australia have further information on gout here. The 2015 study by Philip C Robinson is here An Observational Study of Gout Prevalence and Quality of Care in a National Australian General Practice Population 

Kristin is joined by Professor Sanjay Swaminathan to talk all things MABs or monoclonal antibodies. Dr Sanjay Swaminathan is a Clinical Immunologist and Allergist, he is a Senior Staff Specialist and Head of the Department of Immunology and Allergy at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals.

Prof Asha Bowen is back to discuss Impetigo (also known as school sores), an infection of the skin caused by bacteria. Observational studies over four decades in northern Australia have found that Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in remote communities have the highest burden of impetigo worldwide. Prof Asha Bowen is a paediatric infectious disease specialist and clinician-researcher at Perth Children’s Hospital and Telethon Kids Institute. She is Head of Department of Infectious Diseases at Perth Children’s Hospital. National Healthy Skin Guidelines can be found here

RSV season is upon us, and there are a number of new exciting developments in the prevention of RSV to discuss! Listen in, as Prof Asha Bowen chats to Kristin and Natalie about the newest innovations in RSV immunisation and vaccination. Prof Asha Bowen is a paediatric infectious disease specialist and clinician-researcher at Perth Children’s Hospital and Telethon Kids Institute. She is Head of Department of Infectious Diseases at Perth Children’s Hospital. ATAGI statement in the use of Arexvy in older Australians NCIRS FAQs relating to RSV Information relating to WA RSV Immunisation Program Information relating to the QLD RSV Immunisation Program Clinician Guide to the NSW RSV Immununisation Program

Join Kristin as she chats with A/Prof Esmita Charani, PhD, MSc, MPharm, MRPSGB, about the way clinicians think and feel about antibiotic use, and in particular how these beliefs can impact their response to various antimicrobial stewardship interventions.  Esmita also shares her research journey into broader human rights issues including bias and imbalance in low and middle income countries. Esmita is an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town where she is undertaking a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship investigating intersectionality and AMR (2023-2027). In the UK, she is an Honorary Reader in Infectious Diseases, AMR and Global Health at the University of Liverpool. She is a visiting Researcher at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen Norway, and Adjunct Professor at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala India, where she is involved in helping implement and investigate national antibiotic stewardship programmes. Her work in AMR has been recognised through the Academy of Medical Sciences UK-India AMR Visiting Professor award. She is involved in mentoring and supporting clinical pharmacists across different healthcare settings and economies in implementing antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

Join Kristin as she talks with Dr Mark Horowitz about how to deprescribe psychotropics like antidepressants, what is known about the causes of depression, what evidence is behind the antidepressants commonly used, what the symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal look like and the origins of the phrase "it's Bedlam here." The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentinoids and Z-drugs are available for purchase here:  https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Maudsley+Deprescribing+Guidelines%3A+Antidepressants%2C+Benzodiazepines%2C+Gabapentinoids+and+Z+drugs-p-9781119823025  This podcast has been released to co-incide with MedsAware which is SHPA’s Deprescribing Action Week, 18-24 March 2024 - find out more here: https://www.shpa.org.au/news-advocacy/MedsAware   

Have a listen as Kristin talks to Associate Professor Deshan Sebaratnam about psoriasis. Who does it typically affect, how is it managed and there can be a lot more to psoriasis than meets the eye. 

Tune in as Kristin chats to Pia Nairn, Clinical Audiologist at Lions Hearing Clinic to discuss Tinnitus, general advice for looking after your hearing and what to expect in a hearing assessment 

Check out a bumper episode of the Purple Pen Podcast with Specialist Cardiac Pharmacist and PhD candidate Adam Livori as well discuss what in, and definitely what’s out when it comes to cholesterol management. Adam is the Lead Pharmacist - Medical Specialties and Ambulatory Care at Grampians Health Services in Victoria and is the current Chair of the SHPA Cardiology Specialty Practice Leadership Committee. His PhD through Monash University is looking for patterns and predictors of clinical outcomes in myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation. Connect with Adam via LinkedIn

Join us as Kristin talks to Natalie Raffoul (a pharmacist who now works at the Heart Foundation) to discuss the new Aus CVD Risk calculator and associated guideline. They also talk about the highlights of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Amsterdam this year.  https://www.cvdcheck.org.au/overview https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/heart-age-calculator 

Natalie is joined by Dr Ian Bilmon, a senior consultant Haematologist working at Westmead Hospital and Sydney Adventist Hospital to do a deep dive into haemochromatosis. They cover: What is heriditary haemochromatosis or iron overload? How is haemochromatosis managed? What other conditions are patients with haemochromatosis at risk of? Who else is at risk of iron overload and how is it managed?   Avid Purple Pen listeners may recognise Dr Bilmon who has been on our podcast previously.  Check out episode 70 where Ian goes back to Haematology Basics.

Kristin spoke with Dr Terri Foran to discuss Human papillomavirus (HPV). We covered: the HPV vaccine genital warts cervical cancer  changes to National Cervical Screening Program (pap smears)  

Kristin and Nat were at the 81st FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences this week in Brisbane. They caught up with Professor Parisa Aslani, Paul Sinclair AM, Anna Packer, Dr Sami Isaac, Aagam Bordia, Dr Kaitlyn Watson, Dr Michael Stepanovic and Dr Stephen Eckel. Have a listen for a taste of what the congress had to offer.  Link to the Basel Statements - https://www.fip.org/basel-statements#:~:text=The%20Basel%20Statements%20cover%20all,practice%20through%20updating%20the%20statements.

Happy World Pharmacist Day 2023! Kristin and Natalie are joined by Tom Simpson, Executive Director - Statewide Hospital Pharmacy, Tasmania and President of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) to discuss opportunities for Australian pharmacists in 2023 and beyond.   

Celebrating our 150th episode with pharmacist Karl Winckel from Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, as Kristin and Nat ask Karl to dispel some myths about metformin. Resources related to this episode: Risk of fatal and nonfatal lactic acidosis with metformin use in type 2 diabetes mellitus (Review) Hospitalization for Lactic Acidosis Among Patients With Reduced Kidney Function Treated With Metformin or Sulfonylureas Risk of Fatal and Nonfatal Lactic Acidosis With Metformin Use in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Chapter 12: Assessing Drug Safety Assessment: Metformin Associated Lactic Acidosis

Check out our latest episode as Natalie speaks with Dr Kristin Graham and Saraid Martin, both endorsed prescribing podiatrists, practicing in South Australia. Make sure you listen until the end to get some valuable tips about how to protect your feet at work!

Prof Stephen Davis and Professor Geoffrey Donnan AO chat about the different types of strokes and how they are managed; the practice points of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and secondary prevention stroke. We also discuss emerging technology with lightweight brain scanners and stroke smart ambulances. 

Kristin and Natalie chat with Dr Daniel Wilson, rural GP and president of the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria about what it is like to work as a healthcare professional in rural Australia.

Did you know people with constipation have a higher all cause mortality than those with normal bowel function? Join Natalie and Kristin as they get bogged down in the details of how to treat and manage constipation with Sydney based Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist and Gastrointestinal endoscopist, Dr Kostas Brooks.

Kristin is joined by Dr Timothy Matthews, to discuss Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL). Dr Matthews is an Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon with additional fellowship training in Otology and Neurotology (ear surgery/diseases). He has a special interest in minimally invasive endoscopic ear surgery and hearing implants (including cochlear implantation).

Join Kristin in a showcase of the Australian Pharmacy Students’ Journal, as they celebrate their first year in publication. Speakers include: Elissar Mansour, Co-editor in Chief of the Australian Pharmacy Students’ Journal (APSJ) Elishka Juricka, Co-editor in Chief of the Australian Pharmacy Students’ Journal (APSJ) Maria Siskamanis, Clinical Pharmacist at Royal Darwin Hospital Alanah Wilson, Intern Pharmacist at John Flynn Private Hospital https://apsj.com.au/index.php/journal

In a special International Women's Day episode Kristin spoke to A/Prof Monique Watts, a cardiologist with special interest in women and heart health. Heart disease kills more than two times as many Australian women than breast cancer. 

Listen in as Kristin speaks to Dr Melanie Bissessor from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre with an update on HSV.

Join Kristin as she speaks to Dr Colin Tuft, Advanced Trainee in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital about all things sleep apnoea.

Kristin is joined by Dr Emma Goeman and Dr Jean Li-Kim-Moy to discuss the ins and outs of herpes zoster (more commonly known as shingles). 

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. 

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.