The ACOPedscast Podcast Series

February can always be a difficult time. Holidays are behind us, the nights are still long, our weather forecast is dependent on a groundhog, and yet Spring seems to be just out of reach. It is peak time for a case of the Winter Blues. With this in mind, Scott and Jason sit down this month with pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Olivia Shadid to discuss how we can screen our kiddos quickly, red flags to watch for, and most importantly, the need to do self-check-ins from time to time as we make our way through the end of the winter months.  Dr. Shadid talks about what drew her to her field of medicine and how she approaches the sensitive subject of mental health. After taking January off, this episode is a perfect way to kick off 2026!! Looking forward to Spring already?? Don’t forget to register for DO Day on Capitol Hill at DO Day | Impact the future of medicine at DO Day with the virtual content on March 20-21 and meetings in DC on March 25-26. Then hop over to Columbus for the annual ACOP Spring CME Conference running March 26-29! Registration and details for this year’s session can be found at ACOP 2026 Spring Conference MMG: Welcome Happy Listening… and hope to see you at DC and Columbus!!

December is here! We are closing out the year and getting together with family and friends to share memories of the months behind as we celebrate the Holidays… what better time to talk all things financial! Jason and Scott close out 2025 with Gabriel Miller, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs for the AOA, to help us demystify healthcare financial policy from physician payment schedules to the ever-intimidating non-compete clause. Sharing his expertise with the ACOPedscast audience, Gabriel breaks down the nuts and bolts of healthcare policy to easy-to-understand concepts in this informational and highly educational episode that is a must listen to anyone who is responsible for their own coding/billing  and especially our soon-to-be graduates who may be in the process of reading through and negotiating their first official contract. We at the ACOPedscast also want to thank all of you for sharing some of your time each month with us. We hope you have enjoyed our topics for 2025 and we look forward to continuing to grow both our offerings and audience in 2026! Scott and Jason want to wish you all a very Happy Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year! See you in 2026, and as always… HAPPY LISTENING!

November is here! The temperatures are getting cooler, nights are getting longer, and the times for getting together with family and friends to celebrate the holidays is upon us. November is also Childhood Safety and Protection Awareness Month. With all of this in mind, Jason and Scott sit down in the studio to discuss ways to ensure that you, your family, and your patients can ensure that these upcoming holidays are both joyful and safe. It is just family this month as your co-hosts take the mics without a special guest to discuss practical guidance to keep everyone around the hearth and not in the Emergency Department this winter. We hope you enjoy this  month’s podcast, and more importantly we want to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. A special thank you to those of you who are spending this time in the wards or making your rounds caring for children and their families. Since this may be the last ACOPedscast of 2025 (December schedules being what they are!) Scott, Jason, and the entire ACOP family also want to wish you a very Happy Holidays and Healthy New Year if we do not meet again until 2026!! Happy Listening!!

To say that there has been A LOT of talk about what should and should not be offered to our pediatric patients of the recent months is an understatement, and we at the ACOPedscast thought that this would be a perfect time to keep our commitment of providing evidence-based content to you all. To do this Jason and Scott thought they would invite a few of their closest friends to the studio. ACOPedscast frequent visitor, and infectious disease expert, Stan Grogg, DO returns and Teresa Hubka, DO, an OB-GYN from Chicago, and Laura Taylor, DO, a developmental pediatrician from Oklahoma, make their inaugural (and hopefully not final) appearances to share their expertise with our hosts and all of you.  With this panel we discuss the evidence behind vaccines, acetaminophen, and neurodevelopmental outcomes from pregnancy onward. Based in evidence, we challenge common misinformation and provide tips on how to talk to patients and parents about how to protect yourself and your children. Dr. Hubka shares her approach when counseling expecting parents on how to safely care for themselves while not doing harm to their growing baby.  Dr. Taylor breaks down the evolution of neurodevelopmental differences such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, debunking rumors and providing insight into the diagnosis and management of children with these diagnoses while providing reassurance to the parents. Lastly, Dr. Grogg guides us on where we can turn for the most up-to-date evidence on vaccine science, and how to get this information to our patients and families. This episode will certainly be one to bookmark and return to multiple times no matter where you are in your medical education and career! DISCLAIMER: We discuss some very hot topics in this episode, and we have always been committed to presenting you with evidence-based material. Jason, Scott and the guests of this episode hold leadership roles in multiple organizations, but all comments made in this episode are theirs and are not meant to be taken as the views of the organizations they either currently represent or have recently represented.

It is hard to believe that summer is almost gone! School is back in session, there is already a hint of crispness to the night and early morning air, and Scott and Jason’s annual college football rivalry is about to pick back up. But before all that your hosts sat down in the studio for another excellent discussion about how to get involved with advocacy through the AOA. This time they welcome Vice President of State and International Affairs, Raine Richards, JD to the microphone! In this month’s episode of the ACOPedscast, Scott, Jason, and Raine discuss just how the AOA manages to stay on top of issues affecting our patients and our profession not just on a federal level but also in all 50 states AND globally. Raine discusses some excellent examples of how through partnerships with state and specialty affiliates, the AOA has been able to achieve tremendous advocacy success. She also stresses the importance of these relationships in order to continue to build coalitions in support of Osteopathic medicine. Raine also shares stories from her travels abroad, representing the AOA on the global stage and how the power of one can literally create change on the other side of the world. This episode is a must listen for anyone looking to be inspired to lead a life as a physician advocate! If you are looking for more information about the organizations discussed in this week’s episode, we have included a few links below. Happy Listening! The Osteopathic Advocacy Network: Osteopathic Advocacy Network - American Osteopathic Association The Osteopathic International Alliance: The Osteopathic International Alliance Contact Raine: rrichards@osteopathic.org  

In this episode Scott and Jason are fresh off another inspiring weekend in Chicago for the annual gathering of the AOA House of Delegates where the leaders of our organization met to discuss the top priorities of the coming year for the osteopathic profession, and of course to do a little celebrating. This included the inauguration of our 129th President, Robert G. G. Piccinini, DO! We wanted the celebration to continue, so this month’s episode shines a spotlight on an organization many of our listeners may not know about, but certainly reap the benefits of its work, the Student Osteopathic Medical Association Foundation, or SOMAF, the philanthropic arm of SOMA. Our hosts sit down in the studio with 2 special guests, Chris Hughes of the AOA who serves as the SOMAF Senior Director of Fundraising and Engagement, and the current SOMAF President, Monser Alatrach, OMS-4. In this hour our hosts and special guests talk about the successes of the students, the support available for students through the SOMAF, and the vision for the future for SOMAF and the Osteopathic Profession… with of course a few tangents along the way. This is a great listen for students looking for ways to get involved, AND to maybe get awarded some money for that involvement, and for practicing physicians to learn about the bright future in store for our profession. Happy Listening!

As can happen, the month of June got away from Scott and Jason and they weren't able to find time together; so of course that means you get a special BONUS episode at the beginning of July. This is always a popular topic whenever our hosts get to sit down with the student members of the ACOP, and with this one being just family at the mic they thought it would be a great topic to discuss... how to master (and also a few ways on how to flop) your 3rd year clinical rotations. You've finally made it out of the classroom and into the clinics and wards where you get your first tastes of just what it means to be an osteopathic physician. Looking back on both experience as students and as preceptors of students, Jason and Scott share their tips on how to stand out for all the right reasons and cautionary tales on what could make you stand out for the wrong reasons.  Laugh along with your hosts as they share stories, tips, and cautionary tales about making the leap into your clinical years! We will be back at the end of this month with our regularly scheduled Pedscast. Until then... Happy Listening!!  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the ACOPedscast wanted to take the opportunity to focus the spotlight on a topic that doesn’t get brought up nearly enough… physician self-wellness and recognition of physician burnout. Jason and Scott were lucky enough to find as a special guest, someone who just last month shared her personal story with physician burnout and how she turned it into a life lesson in The DO online magazine, Doctor Veronica Nkie, DO, MPH, MLS (ASCP). Doctor Nkie took time out of her busy schedule wrapping up her Traditional Internship and military service period at the Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, took join the Pedscast to share more about her story, what led her to share such a personal moment, and what this experience has taught her about listening to her own body while caring for the patients in front of her. This month’s episode is a must for listeners at any level in your osteopathic medical career, as we all already have or likely will face a period of burnout, and it is important for us to know how to recognize that within ourselves, seek help, and get back to being our best when caring for our patients and each other. Make sure to save some time for this one because in true Scott and Jason style, the clock on the wall gets ignored as they get lost in the conversation. Scott, Jason, and the ACOP want to thank Dr. Nkie for sharing her story, thank her – and all of you who choose to serve our Nation in the military – for her service, and congratulate her on completing her traditional internship and moves on to a residency in General Surgery. If you haven’t read the story, the link is below as well as ways you can follow Dr. Nkie and the ACOP on your favorite social media platforms. Welcome to Summer… and Happy Listening!! If you, or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available: Get Help - 988 Lifeline The DO Magazine piece: How burnout taught me to listen to my body - The DO Mental Health resources from the AOA: Wellness Toolkit - American Osteopathic Association Contact Dr. Nkie: Email: veroniguebijou@gmail.com Facebook: Veronique Bijou Instagram: veroniquebijou Follow the ACOP: Facebook: ACOPeds Instagram: acopediatricians Bluesky: acopeds.bsky.social

April’s episode is a very special one for both Jason and Scott, and hopefully for all of you was the hosts sit down with a listener who contacted them to share his story. Dr. Gary Kirkilas is a unique pediatrician in Phoenix, AZ who works primarily with Phoenix’s unhoused population through the robust mobile medicine program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. In this free-flowing conversation, Dr. Kirkilas shares his story and what drove him to this career including meeting his future employer, and a role model for many on Pediatric Advocacy, Dr. Randy Christensen, author of the book Ask Me Why I Hurt: The kids nobody wants – and the doctor who heals them. Gary talks about the unique joys and challenges that comes with running a mobile medicine unit and caring for the unhoused pediatric population, as well as advocacy efforts he has undertaken to take healthcare to the children in the schools in the area.  He also discusses his additional advocacy efforts in protecting Pheonix’s children from the dangerous advertising and labelling practicing utilized by many manufacturers of THC-infused drinks and snacks, an effort that has led him to the Arizona Capitol to provide expert testimony on the impact these foods and drinks have on the pediatric population. We also dive into Gary’s life outside of medicine and his own quest for health as an Ironman Triathlete!! This is an extremely inspiring and educational podcast that you are sure to enjoy as much as we enjoyed recording it. If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Kirkilas, you can find his story at Dr. Gary Kirkilas – Pediatrician ∙ Speaker ∙ Writer ∙ Advocate. And you can find the book Ask Me Why I Hurt at major retail booksellers, or you can always support small businesses by asking your local bookstore to order it for you! On a side note, if you think we are sounding better lately that is do to the amazing editing and sound mixing of Allison Cyrus, who just happens to also be Scott’s daughter-in-law. Welcome to the ACOPedscast family Allison!! Happy Listening!

Have you ever stopped and just thought about how much time you spend on your smart phone? (If not you should… after the podcast, of course.) Or have you thought about what it would be like to go a week without your phone… or a day… how about just 30 minutes? It is no secret that we have become more and more dependent on these small rectangles in our pockets, and that dependence is most prominent in our teens.   Our guest, Aileen Behringer, is a librarian at a high school in Orange County, NY where she had a front row seat to the growing screen dependence in the teens she cared for, and she decided that she wanted to take a closer look at the effects of this phenomenon. What she found out is nothing short of eye opening for all of us.   Jason and Scott sit down with Ms. Behringer to discuss her study, her findings, and the implications in physical and mental health that these findings may have for not only our teens but also many of us, and yes the hosts take a deep dive into their phone usage too!   Thank you to Aileen for reaching out to join us on the Pedscast and for sharing your work, This is a great example of how education is a vital component to the overall health of our pediatric population, and how we need to continue to celebrate our public school teachers and librarians for the work that they do!  

It’s that time of year again; days are starting to get longer, we catch a few passing glimpses of Spring, and 3rd year medical students start preparing for 4th year Audition Rotations. Annually this is one of the most requested and downloaded episodes, when we sit down with our student trustees to discuss all things VSLO, Auditions, and preparing for 4th year. Unfortunately, respiratory viral season claimed 3rd year trustee Lindsay Abel’s voice on the night of recording, but current 4th year trustee Madison Craft was ready to take al of our questions and share his story about juggling auditions, interviews, on top of every other expectation of graduating medical school. He also provides a new perspective not had on this show before in that he is going through Couple’s Match and is applying Med-Peds. This episode is always filled with excellent pointers and advice for our students as you prepare for the upcoming months. Be sure to also listen to the end to hear about some excellent opportunities to get involved in the student leadership in the ACOP! As always Jason and Scott welcome all requests or comments. We can be reached at acopeds@acopeds.org.  

After a Holiday break, which we all hope you also took time to enjoy with friends and family, Jason and Scott are back in the studio.  For the first episode of 2025 we sit down with current ACOP President Dr. Jamee Goldstein and President-Elect Dr. Tyree Winters to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the ACOP and pediatric medicine in general as we head into a new year. Tackling tough topics, the panel does not shy away from concerns regarding the future of vaccine science or healthcare access, but with each topic we discuss how we will be pushing forward as an osteopathic pediatric community. We also make sure to take time to celebrate our wins of 2024 and dole out some congratulations for our very own Scott Cyrus as he takes the lead as President of the American Osteopathic Foundation this year. We discuss our visions for both organizations, ways we hope to collaborate and, yes, we do have a lot to look forward to as well. We hope you will enjoy this first episode of the New Year and we look forward to spending more time with you in the coming months. As always our virtual doors are open if you have any topic requests or would like to guest on an episode of the ACOPedscast. We can be reached at acopeds@acopeds.org with the subject line “ACOPedscast”. Until next month… Happy New Year, and Happy Listening!

It is November, a time when nights start to overcome daytime hours, temperatures start to drop, and the sights and sounds of the Holidays begin to surround us. As we get ready to prepare for Thanksgiving, we could think of no better time than this month to take a moment to thank an organization that many of our listeners may not even be aware of but one that does tremendous things in support of the osteopathic physician community, the Advocates for the American Osteopathic Association or AAOA. This amazing group is comprised of the spouses, partners, and significant others of osteopathic physicians and medical students. It serves as a support network for those people who are supporting osteopathic physicians throughout every stage of their training and career, as well as a fierce group of advocates for the osteopathic profession. This month Scott and Jason sit down with immediate past president of the AAOA, Megan Maples of Colorado to discuss her journey as an advocate for her husband and children as he went from medical student in Fort Woth, Texas, to now co-owning their Still Point Osteopathic Care Center in Castle Rock, Colorado. Megan discusses what it meant for her to serve as an advocate for the osteopathic profession, her accomplishments as the immediate past president as well as the future of the advocates under current leadership. She also talks about how other spouses and significant others can get involved in their activities. Make sure to stop by their table your next visit to OMED, DO Day on the Hill, or the AOA HOD and thank them for all they do… and maybe even buy a fun tie or brooch to support their cause. If you are looking for more information about the Advocates or how to get involved, details can be found at their website at Advocates for the American Osteopathic Association. If you are in the Castle Rock area and are looking for osteopathic care you can find out more information about Dr. Maples and his center at Comprehensive Osteopathic Musculoskeletal Care in Castle Rock - Osteopathic Care. Scott and Jason also want to take this time to thank all of our listeners for continuing to tune in each month and listen to our ramblings. We hope you will continue to like, subscribe, download and share the ACOPedscast with friends as we head into 2025. With the fourth Wednesday of December falling on Christmas Day this will be the last episode of 2024. We both want to wish you all a safe and Happy Holiday Season, and we will see you in January 2025. As always if you have any requests or have something you’d like to share on a future episode, contact us at pedscast@acopeds.org. Happy Listening!

It’s the first episode since the ACOP got together in San Antonio as part of the annual AOA OMED Conference, and the ACOPedscast is celebrating a milestone as we reach our 40th episode, and what better way to commemorate all of that than with a celebratory episode with two leaders in the ACOP family. Each year at OMED, the American Osteopathic Foundation, AOF, presents a select number of awards and this year pediatricians were well represented. Fellow-in-Training Board of Trustee member Dr. MacKenzie LeMay was the recipient of the AOF/ACOP Pediatrics Resident of the Year Award, and Dr. Bob Hostoffer, a past President of the ACOP among many other roles, was awarded the prestigious AOF Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual AOF Awards Gala! Scott and Jason were able to get both of them to sit down together in the “studio’ to discuss what it meant to them to receive this recognition from the AOF, and to talk a bit about their respective journeys to where they are now. With a great deal of reminiscing and a lot of looking forward, this month’s episode provides a double dose of inspiration for listeners in any stage of your training or career. If you need a dose of warm fuzzies to help get you through the change in weather this 40th episode of the ACOPedscast is just what the doctors ordered! Jason and Scott are always looking for show ideas and guests who’d like to come on and share your achievements with the ACOP family. If you have an idea or would like to sit down with us, reach out at pedscast@acopeds.edu for more information! Also don’t forget to share, like, and subscribe to auto-downloads so you never miss an episode! Happy Listening!

This month the ACOPedscast has its second “live on location” episode with Jason and Scott coming to you from the 2024 OMED Conference in San Antonio, Texas, and like the last on-location episode from DO Day on the Hill in Washington DC, the topic is how to serve as physician advocates. Jason and Scott also take advantage of being at the AOA’s largest annual gathering to pull a very special guest to the Pedscast, Sean Neal. Sean is part of the AOA Washington DC office and serves as the Vice President of Advocacy and Political Affairs for the organization. In this episode we get a first-hand look at how the AOA advocates for our patients and our profession and how you can get involved in legislative advocacy at all levels. We also discuss the resources available to you as members of the AOA ranging from help for the novice advocate in getting in contact with your local representatives to getting prepared to run for public office yourself! Sean explains the difference between the AOA, the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA), and the Osteopathic Political Action Committee (OPAC), breaking down what each arm does in relation to healthcare advocacy and how you can get involved in each. He gives us a boots-on-the-ground evaluation of the current environment on Capitol Hill. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. Look for more episodes like this in the future as Scott and Jason sit down with other members of the AOA Policy Team to learn more about the various ways the AOA supports our profession. See you in October! If you are interested in learning more, links are provided below: AOA: osteopathic.org Osteopathic Advocacy Network: Osteopathic Advocacy Network - American Osteopathic Association AOIA/OPAC: AOIA-OPAC (osteopathicpac.org)

For the August Pedscast, Jason and Scott welcome back a frequent guest to the studio, David King, DO, FACOP. Dr. King sits on the ACOP Board of Trustees and has served as the chairperson of the CME Committee since 2021. In that role he has helped lead the ACOP in putting together our excellent Spring and Fall conferences for the past 3 years and counting. During this visit we decided to not only give you a preview of what to expect if you are joining us in-person in San Antonio or virtually for the ACOP track at OMED 2024, but also an in depth behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to go from the blank page to a full 4-day schedule of expert lectures covering hot topics in pediatrics. If you have ever wondered what this process looks like or are looking for possible avenues to get involved in the ACOP, this episode is full of helpful hints and insights. Interested in being a guest on the ACOPedscast or have a request or suggestion on how we can improve? Reach out to Jason and Scott at pedscast@acopeds.org. Are you enjoying the ACOPedscast? Be sure to like and subscribe and set up for automatic downloads on whatever podcast streaming platform you choose. New episodes come out on the fourth Wednesday of each month! Happy listening and we will be back in September!

In this month’s episode Jason and Scott welcome Kim Wolf, DO, FACOP, FAAP to the “studio” to discuss two phenomenal organizations of which she is a pivotal part. In the ongoing dedication to expanding the reach of osteopathic manipulative medicine in pediatrics, Dr. Wolf set out to create a space to both celebrate and educate the public on the efficacy of OMT in the pediatric population. Out of this endeavor came the American Academy of Pediatric Osteopathy or AAPO.  Based in San Diego, this organization focuses primarily on the advancement of both clinical skills and academic research in the field of Pediatric Osteopathy. For those of you who attended the ACOP Spring 2024 Conference in Denver, CO, you may remember a sample of this work in the ACOP/AAPO joint sessions on Sports Injuries, Concussion, and OMT for the busy pediatrician which kicked off our conference. In addition to this Dr. Wolf also co-founded an organization dedicated to building the academic catalog of osteopathic manipulative medicine, the Conference on Osteopathic Research and Knowledge, or CORK. Dr. Wolf provides details of their first conference held in June at NYIT-COM which had approximately 100 attendees sharing the work they are doing to increase the visibility of osteopathic-focused academic research. Leaving no time, she also announces the dates for their second conference to be held in Spring also at NYIT-COM! If you are looking for inspiration or wondering if there is a place for academic exploration in osteopathic manipulative medicine, this is a perfect episode for you! (The ACOP may also make some surprise announcements in this episode as well about how to share that amazing work!!) More information on the AAPO can be found at AAPO | The American Academy of Pediatric Osteopathy (the-promise.org) and if you are looking for information about CORK follow NYIT Osteopathic Medicine Center. You can also follow them on X/Twitter at @AcademyAapo.

With no special guests this month, Scott and Jason share the mic to discuss a very important and timely topic, especially as much of the country has been facing record high temperatures to kick off the Summer of 2024. June is the month of children putting away the schoolbooks and putting on the swimsuits and summer sports gear. While outdoor activity is vitally important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is equally as essential to ensure that children, adults, are taking part in these activities safely. From wearing proper protection on bicycles, to life vests in the water, and recognizing the signs of heat related illnesses, Scott and Jason cover a broad spectrum of ways to ensure that the whole family has fun while taking the proper precautions for a day in the sun and the heat. The two also share some of their plans for the summer months, which includes getting to meet up with each other in person when they both attend the 2024 AOA House of Delegates meeting in Chicago! Of course, what would an ACOPedscast be if there wasn’t at least a little discussion about ways to get involved and serve your profession whether it be as part of a specialty college or in this case as a member of your state and local osteopathic organizations. Happy listening! And we will see you in July when hopefully there will be a guest to help keep these two on topic! Don’t forget! If you have an idea for an episode of the ACOPedscast or would like to be a guest to talk about something you are working on or have recently achieved, please reach out at Pedscast@acopeds.org and let us know!

This month’s ACOPedscast is truly a special one as co-hosts Scott and Jason sit down with this year’s recipient of the ACOP Career Achievement Award, Dr. Ava Stanczak, DO, FACOP. Dr. Stanczak is a true pillar of the ACOP community having served as a preceptor, mentor, instructor, and Dean to numerous osteopathic medical students and trainees at various institutions. Over the course of the conversation, Dr. Stanczak takes us on a journey of her storied career, from working as a respiratory therapist to make ends meet while also in medical school to eventually being called upon to found pediatric programs at developing osteopathic medical schools, and describes what has always been a driving force in her decision making both professionally and personally. With the double feature of Dr. Stanczak and our current Watson Lecture designee in co-host Scott Cyrus, this episode is a wealth of inspiration for any listener regardless of where you are in your journey. We are always looking for topic ideas and guests. Contact Scott and Jason at Pedscast@acopeds.org if you are interested. Be sure to like, subscribe, and set up automatic downloads on whatever platform you listen stream your podcasts on to always have the most up-to-date episodes on your computer or mobile device! Scheduled episodes out every fourth Wednesday of the month!!