Medical School associate dean tackles difficult discussions with patients on new AMA podcast

Rajesh S. Mangrulkar, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine and learning health sciences, the Marguerite S. Roll Professor of Medical Education, and associate dean for medical student education, will add a new title to an already full resume: podcast host.

The American Medical Association recently announced Mangrulkar will host the first season of their newly launched podcast “AMA Doc Talk.”

In the six-episode series, titled Difficult Conversations, Mangrulkar speaks with physicians and national leaders about challenging encounters with patients, valuable lessons learned, and what we know about the science and best practice of difficult communication. Many of the episodes involve patients as well, and each of them offers practical information that physicians can use as they interact with patients, based on the recommendations from these experts.

“I think as physicians, we have an enormous responsibility — to be part of our patients’ lives in some of their worst moments,” says Mangrulkar. “In those moments, our patients need not only our knowledge and our expertise, but they must also have our heart, our empathy and our humanity.”