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!