UVA doctors and students launch 12-part COVID-19 podcast series

UVA School of Medicine physicians and students have launched a COVID-19 podcast series that includes advice to protect your health along with a behind-the-scenes look at UVA Health's patient care and research.

Many of the doctors and students involved with the podcast also participate in UVA's annual Mini-Medical School for community members, said Sean Reed, MD, a family medicine physician who has helped organize both. The goals of both the podcast and the in-person Mini-Medical School are largely the same, he said: "Our goal is to raise health literacy and to empower people to be the best advocates for their own health."

The 12-part podcast series features interviews with care providers and researchers at UVA Health and the UVA Biocomplexity Institute that cover a range of COVID-19 topics, including:

• Protecting yourself and the elderly from COVID-19
• How patients with COVID-19 are cared for
• What "flattening the curve" means and the importance of social distancing
• How UVA quickly developed a COVID-19 test
• How soon a COVID-19 vaccine might be available
• Leadership lessons from a pandemic
• How volunteers can get involved in the fight against COVID-19

While the in-person Mini-Medical School is on hold for now, the podcast series provides an opportunity to answer the kinds of questions normally asked in those sessions, said Shriram Sundararaman, a UVA medical student who helped produce the podcasts. It's also a chance to address concerns and provide accurate information directly from UVA team members directly involved in COVID-19 patient care and research.

There is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for a lot of people about coronavirus. This is a way to provide the right message about what people can do to stay safe and stay healthy."

Shriram Sundararaman, UVA medical student

The UVA COVID-19 podcast can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPBOqEhvv35fFipiBdlqxO0HlD06IXrWh