In our latest episode we are joined by the Co founders of The Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON). BEACON is dedicated to the rapid collection, vetting, reporting, and analysis of information on emerging threats affecting humans, domestic animals, wildlife, plants and the environment globally. BEACON combines emerging infectious diseases surveillance, a global network of moderators who are subject matter experts and the power of artificial intelligence and large language models. By using this technology BEACON provides even based informal surveillance coupled with custom tailored AI to aid in risk assessment, and near real time reporting. This technology can help lead to response from healthcare systems, bio preparedness and possibly the prevention of the next pandemic.

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia is the founding director of the Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases and a board-certified infectious diseases physician. She is an Associate Professor at the BU School of Medicine and a national expert in global health security, pandemic preparedness, and emerging infectious threats.

From 2022 to 2023, Dr. Bhadelia served as Senior Policy Advisor for Global COVID-19 Response at the White House, where she led U.S. interagency efforts on global vaccine donations and helped direct Project NextGen, a $5 billion initiative to develop next-generation vaccines and treatments for pandemic-prone viruses.

Dr. Bhadelia has extensive frontline and research experience responding to outbreaks including Ebola, COVID-19, Zika, and other high-consequence pathogens, She previously led the Special Pathogens Unit at Boston Medical Center, a state-designated Ebola Treatment Center.

She currently serves on national and international advisory bodies including the National Academies and the World Health Organization, teaches global health security at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, and has published in Nature, Science, and The New England Journal of Medicine. Her expertise has been featured by NBC and MSNBC, The Atlantic, Time, National Geographic, and NOVA.

Dr. Britta Lassmann, MD is an infectious diseases physician, health technology innovator, and expert in disease surveillance, analytics, and digital public health applications. She serves as a Research Associate Professor at Boston University School of Medicine and is Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Biothreats Emergence, Analysis, and Communications Network (BEACON), an open-source global surveillance platform that integrates advanced analytics and technology to detect emerging infectious disease threats in near-real time.

Dr. Lassmann trained at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and her fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Yale University. She went on to serve on the faculty at UCLA’s Division of Infectious Diseases and was Program Director at the International Society for Infectious Diseases. She is American Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases.

She is also co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Global Second Opinion, a platform that combines artificial intelligence with expert clinical input to deliver rapid, specialized medical consultations online. Her work bridges clinical care, epidemiology, modeling, analytics, and technology to strengthen how outbreaks are tracked, understood, and responded to globally.

Dr. Lassmann has contributed to research on real-time disease surveillance, digital health tools, and infectious disease dynamics, including publications on outbreak risk mapping and data needs for surveillance systems.

In this episode we celebrate this joyous time of year filled with delicious foods, gatherings of family and friends, and all of the pathogens that happen to play Grinch with our holiday plans. We discuss respiratory germs to gut bugs, including salmonella, and the king of all food borne illnesses, norovirus, We also take some time to discuss our favorite Christmas songs, movies, favorite holiday traditions. You might want to stock up on Imodium and toilet paper after listening to this very merry episode!!!!

In our latest episode, we are joined by Allison Kaelblein, RN, MSN, CCRN (and soon to be DNP). Allison is a Nursing Educator in the Medical ICU at Boston Medical Center, in this episode she joins us to discuss her passion for and current work on ICU delirium. Allison explains what ICU delirium is, who is affected, what it looks like, and how it can be treated. She also describes her research on a new delirium assessment tool, which she will soon be defending as she prepares to obtain her Doctorate in Nursing. This is a must listen for anyone who is curious about delirium and all the questions surrounding this often overlooked complication of inpatient care.

In our latest episode we welcome new Host Mikayla Winn MSN as she speaks with Pulmonologist and Critical Care Attending Dr. Christopher Kearney. They discuss the convoluted and frustrating topic of Prior Authorizations. Prior authorizations were originally designed to be used by insurance entities to ensure high-quality, evidence-based, and cost-effective treatments, but have proven to be a time consuming, and what seems to be purposely difficult process that can lead to denials of treatments and delays in care. Dr. Kearney joins us to discuss his experiences and personal frustrations with the current "prior auth" process, how it works (or doesn't), and who it effects.

Dr. Kearney completed his undergraduate studies in Mathematics and Biology at Villanova University before earning both his MD and Master of Public Health from Harvard Medical School.

At Boston Medical Center, Dr. Kearney serves as a board-certified pulmonologist and critical care attending physician in the Medical ICU, where he provides expert care in areas such as organ failure, sepsis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). He also holds the academic title of Assistant Professor in Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care Medicine at Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

As a clinician-educator and health services researcher, Dr. Kearney is dedicated to improving outcomes for critically ill patients. He works closely with fellows, residents, and nursing staff, emphasizing patient-centered care and leveraging his expertise in pulmonary and critical care medicine to enhance patient outcomes.

Dr. Kearney has also been widely published in leading peer-reviewed journals, contributing important research and insights into treatment trends, asthma management, and critical care interventions.

In under 10 minutes we delve into this destructive and sometimes deadly parasite, we discuss what it is, what it does and why decades after being eradicated from the US this flesh eating insect is again raising concerns.

In our first YMMS! Snapshot, we take a quick look at the Measles virus. In under 10 minutes, we discuss what it is, how it's spread, who it's affecting, the importance of vaccination, and the current state of measles in the U.S.

In our latest episode, we’re extremely fortunate to be joined by evolutionary virologist and avian influenza researcher Dr. Louise Moncla to discuss the current H5N1 situation in the U.S. and around the world. We cover the history of H5N1, how the virus might mutate, the current risks to both animal and human populations, and the potential for a future pandemic. Dr. Moncla also shares insight into her work on surveillance, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) tracking, and vaccine development. For anyone looking to better understand H5N1 or curious about what the current outbreak might lead to, this episode is a must-listen.Dr. Louise H. Moncla is an assistant professor of pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she leads cutting-edge research on the evolution of avian influenza viruses, including highly pathogenic H5N1 strains. Her work focuses on understanding how these viruses adapt across hosts—especially during zoonotic spillover events—by combining computational phylodynamics, population genetics, and experimental virology.

Dr. Moncla has contributed to major surveillance efforts, including the development of a Nextstrain dashboard tracking H5N1 evolution in cattle, where her team identified key mutations suggesting mammalian adaptation.

She has briefed lawmakers on the current H5N1 crisis and is frequently cited by organizations like the WHO and USDA. Her publications include studies on within-host evolution in humans and poultry, and she is a co-author of the Nature paper on the global H5N1 panzootic.

In recognition of her impactful work, Dr. Moncla was named a 2024 Pew Biomedical Scholar. Her research is helping shape how we understand, monitor, and respond to emerging pandemic threats.

In this episode, we speak with Suzette Bianchi, RN. Suzette is a Charge RN in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Boston Medical Center and has been at the bedside for over 30 years. She has been on the front lines of medical crises from the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s to the COVID-19 pandemic. She holds a permanent Charge RN role and also serves as an instructor for continuous dialysis, or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). She joins us today to talk about her experiences as an RN, how the field has changed, and how she has managed to remain at the bedside in the ICU without succumbing to burnout or becoming jaded. We are grateful to have Suzette with us for this Nurses Week episode!