Vinay Prasad: COVID, the FDA, and Why Journalism Keeps Getting Medicine Wrong

Vinay Prasad: COVID, the FDA, and Why Journalism Keeps Getting Medicine Wrong

Author: The Doctor's Lounge September 1, 2026 Duration: 59:41
Send us Fan Mail The prior uploaded file had 26 seconds that was corrupted. Restored on this version! Episode Summary: Dr. Vinay Prasad joins the Doctors Lounge in a recorded in person conversation that moves from his time at the FDA to bigger questions about evidence, incentives, and trust in medicine. The discussion focuses on how regulatory agencies actually function, why public health debates have become so politicized, and whether the current healthcare funding model rewards good c...

In The Doctor's Lounge, the white coat comes off for a conversation that moves freely from the exam room to the boardroom. This isn't a lecture hall; it's the back table where practicing physicians gather to unpack the complex systems that define modern medicine. Hosted by Dutch Rojas and Anthony DiGiorgio, DO, with regular voices like Anish Koka, MD, Dan Choi, MD, and Sanat Dixit, MD, the discussions are built on frontline experience. You'll hear unfiltered perspectives on the policy debates that shape care, the realities of navigating business and entrepreneurship within a medical practice, and the constant push for meaningful reform. The dialogue is grounded in a shared commitment to physician autonomy and, ultimately, better patient outcomes. Each episode in this podcast connects the dots between clinical fitness and the health of the medical profession itself, offering a rare look at the challenges and opportunities that exist where patient care meets the mechanics of the healthcare industry. It's a space for the nuanced, often contentious, and always real conversations happening behind the scenes.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Doctors’ Lounge
Podcast Episodes
The Shah's Spleen, Quality Metrics, Health Insurance & the FDA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:27
Send us Fan Mail Dr. Anish Koka and Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio open with the little-known medical story behind the death of the Shah of Iran — how Mohammed Reza Pahlavi came to be operated on in Cairo in 1980 by legendary car…
Dr. Mary Talley Bowden Battles the Health System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:21
Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Dr. Mary Talley Bowden shares her experiences as an independent physician during the COVID-19 pandemic, detailing her courageous battle against health systems and the Texas Medical…
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:13
Send us Fan Mail In this engaging conversation, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya discusses his unique perspective as a health economist and the impact of his training on his approach to public health, particularly during the COVID-1…
The $2 Million Verdict: Inside the First Detransition Lawsuit Trial [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:45
Send us Fan Mail Benjamin Ryan was the only journalist in the courtroom for every day of the first detransition lawsuit to reach a jury verdict. In January 2025, a White Plains jury awarded $2 million to Fox Varian, who…