In this 50^th anniversary special episode of the Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina podcast, we take a moment to connect with former colleagues, faculty, and partners to reflect on the many ways in which Northwest AHEC has impacted the quality of health and healthcare education in the 17-county region of Northwest North Carolina over the past 50 years.

How is conflict helpful with business operations and clinical care? What is this lagging indicator of quality care? How is AI impacting the practice of medicine? What are the key traits for leadership in health care system? What happens when you self diagnose your cancer with a 10-20% chance of survival?

Metin Gurcan, PhD, director of the director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and the Clinical Image Analysis Lab at Wake Forest University School of Medicine joins the Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina podcast to talk about his research in Artificial Intelligence in healthcare. 

What do sleep, homelessness, electroconvulsive therapy, and Alzheimer's have in common? They are all part of our Podcast CE learning series. Listen to a podcast, pass the post-test, and earn an hour of continuing education credits for your professional development, and there is no cost! Get the details here: https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/podcastce 

Why a Podcast Learning Series? 
Podcasts have emerged as a popular learning tool for adult learners, offering flexibility and accessibility. Recent research has explored the effectiveness of podcasts in educational settings, focusing on how they contribute to knowledge acquisition, engagement, and retention among adult learners.

Studies suggest that podcasts can be effective in enhancing knowledge acquisition and retention. Adult learners appreciate the convenience and ability to learn on the go, which fits well with their often busy schedules. Podcasts have been shown to improve understanding and retention, especially when paired with supplementary materials such as transcripts or quizzes.

Podcasts are highly engaging due to their conversational style, which often makes complex topics more accessible. Research shows that learners are more likely to stay engaged with the material when it is delivered in an audio format, especially if the content is structured in a narrative or storytelling format.

The ability to listen to podcasts at any time and place is particularly beneficial for adult learners who may struggle to find time for traditional learning methods. This flexibility can lead to higher levels of motivation and self-directed learning.

See our current podcast course offerings here: https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/podcastce 

Sleep is one of the foundational pillars of our overall health and wellness. Not getting enough can leave you sleep deprived and can result in downstream negative health consequences. Sleep hygiene, sleep strategies, sleep aids, and sleep medications can help get us back on the path to rest and recovery through sleeping well.

Pastor and founder of MedicareSchool.com joins us for a primer on Medicare. He demystifies Medicare, when and how it begins, what you can receive, and cost considerations. And he shares the decision making processes (and common mistakes) people make when choosing their coverage.

We have a new learning opportunity from Northwest AHEC called the Podcast Learning Series. Now you can listen to select episodes of our Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina podcast and earn continuing education credits. And it’s free!

The podcast format allows you to listen at your convenience and multitask while listening. I personally like to do my cardio workout or weight training while consuming podcast content, and sometimes find myself listening while cooking, cleaning, or doing yard work. It's a great way to optimize your learning and your life activities.

This first episode in this Podcast Learning Series is on homelessness in Forsyth County. In this episode you will learn about the main causes of homelessness in our region, the services provided by service organizations in Forsyth County, and the challenges of serving the homeless population and finding permanent housing.

Once you have finished the episode you can take the short post-test to receive 1 hour of CE credit. And another bonus is that this is offered to you at no cost aside from your time and attention.

You can link directly to the course, register and listen here: https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/courses-and-events/72832/podcast-ce-series-homelessness-in-forsyth-county 

Alternatively, you can listen to Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina wherever you get your podcast content (Spotify, Google, Apple, Soundcloud, etc.). Simply search for "Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina" and look for Episode 87 featuring William McDonald, Director of the Bethesda Center for the Homeless in Winston-Salem, NC. 

Once you have listened you can register for the course, take the post-test and claim your 1 hour CE credit.

I hope you find our episodes timely and relevant to your practice. And finally, if you have a topic or know of a person that you think would be great to have on the podcast, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know. I am always looking for interesting topics and presenters to have on the podcast.

Emotions are energy in motion. How we embody them into our current state of being determines our mood, disposition, dopamine and cortisol levels, and much more. If we find ourselves in a state of anxiety, James suggests ways to work out a path through, and closer to peace of mind, calm, confidence, and more.

Aimee Lischke, MD of the Gaudiani Clinic, talks about trends and issues around disordered eating and eating disorders.

Amy McMichael, MD, Chair and Professor of Dermatology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, sat down with us to talk about all things skin - from alopecia to Lupus and beyond.

Amy was recently named the 2022 recipient of the Medical Dermatology Society Lifetime Achievement Award. The annual award is given in recognition of the recipient’s lifetime of inspired patient care as a medical dermatologist, mentoring of future medical dermatologists, and research to advance medical dermatology. The Medical Dermatology Society is dedicated to improving the care of patients whose skin diseases or therapies have substantial systematic consequences, fostering research in medical dermatology, and assuring medical dermatology expertise in community and academic settings.

Listen to this episode of the Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina on our podcast host at https://soundcloud.com/nwahecwebmaster or search for "Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina in your favorite podcast player.