Purple Pen Podcast

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.