Friends of Franz is a space for anyone who loves to learn about all things science, healthcare, and medicine. Hosted by Christian Franz Bulacan, a registered nurse from New York City, this e-learning initiative began as an Instagram livestream series highlighting clinical and research experts from different specialties. From relaying their academic journeys to conveying their realizations and tackling field-specific question ...
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According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), approximately 2.9 million annual injuries occur in sports, athletic, and recreational settings, with sprains and strains accounting for the largest portion of injuries at 41.4 per 1,000. Truly, the universal recommendation is that we all engage in physical activity and exercise due to its evidence-based benefits on our cardiopulmonary health and general wellness. However, how do we do so safely in order to avoid injury? How can professional athletes engage in training that assures safety while achieving desired progress? How can one with chronic pain still increase stamina and endurance during workouts? And in cases of pain and injury, how can one rehabilitate properly without needing surgery? We are joined today by Doctor of Physical Therapy and board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, Dr. Harris Choe. He received his BS in Psychobiology from UCLA and DPT from the University of Southern California Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, where he also completed his residency as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. Dr. Choe was previously an Adjunct Faculty Member at USC for physical therapy clinical reasoning and interventional skills. Since 2022, he has stood as the Founder and Owner of HYC Physio Physical Therapy and Sports Performance in Santa Monica, California, where individualized physical therapy services are provided to professional athletes to help rehabilitate from injury, eliminate chronic pain, and return to high performance. Livestream Air Date: August 3, 2023 Follow Dr. Harris Choe, PT, DPT, OCS: Instagram, YouTube Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, Facebook Follow Christian Franz Bulacan (Host): Instagram, YouTube Thankful to the season's brand partners: Covry, House of M Beauty, Nguyen Coffee Supply, V Coterie, Skin By Anthos, Halmi, By Dr Mom, LOUPN, Baisun Candle Co., RĒJINS, Twrl Milk Tea, 1587 Sneakers
"Life in plastic, it's fantastic." This iconic line from the 1997 hit song "Barbie Girl" by Europop band Aqua alludes to the Barbie doll that debuted in 1959. Barbie has long been the paradigm of societal attractiveness through physical features, as confirmed by a survey report by Fairmont State College professor Albert M. Magro. In the same year as the song was released, Magro published the paper "Why Barbie is Perceived as Beautiful" with reasons such as a thinner body frame, longer limbs, elongated neck, square shoulders, and larger eyes. Research studies throughout the decades have shown Barbie's mixed influences on body image and the rise of cosmetic-altering procedures to achieve these physical ideals that have been pushed as societal norms, such as liposuction, breast augmentation, and rhytidectomy (or a facelift). This has placed the medical domains of plastic and cosmetic surgery in a narrowed and misconstrued light of mere vanity and the pursuit of physical "perfection." However, there is more to the field of plastic surgery than cosmesis - with power and necessity in its own right by bestowing self-confidence and resulting quality of life. The field of plastic and reconstructive surgery daily changes, improves, and saves lives through surgeries such as cleft lip and palate repair, breast reconstruction secondary to breast cancer mastectomy, reduction mammoplasty to relieve Intertrigo, facial reconstruction after physical trauma, skin grafting to treat burn wounds, and much more. Today, we are joined by sixth-year plastic surgery resident physician Dr. Alex Sun to speak about the often misunderstood beauty of the field. He received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, where he was a Research Fellow at Duke University Orthopaedic Bioengineering Laboratory, and MD/MHS from Yale University School of Medicine, where he was an NIH-CTSA-funded Plastic Surgery Research Fellow. Dr. Sun is currently completing his Plastic Surgery Residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has also served as the Senior Staff Fellow and Medical Officer of the FDA Division of General Surgery Devices and the Division of Infection Control and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Livestream Air Date: July 27, 2023 Follow Alex Sun, MD, MHS: Website, Instagram Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, Facebook Follow Christian Franz Bulacan (Host): Instagram, YouTube Thankful to the season's brand partners: Covry, House of M Beauty, Nguyen Coffee Supply, V Coterie, Skin By Anthos, Halmi, By Dr Mom, LOUPN, Baisun Candle Co., RĒJINS, Twrl Milk Tea, 1587 Sneakers
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2021, 25% of Asian American adults with a mental illness reported receiving mental health services compared to 52% of White adults. Additionally, Asians were 2.25x more likely to report mental health treatment being ineffective. What is it about the Asian American community that their approachability to mental health and mental health care is lower than other demographics? Is it mistrust in the system? Is it disbelief in the concept of the services? Or can it be fear and shame to partake in these discussions and actually receive help? In this episode, we tackle the sensitive, often taboo, and stigmatized conversations that surround Asian communities and their mental well-being: the model minority myth, racism and microaggression, intergenerational trauma, guilt and shame within collectivist cultures, and the importance of culturally responsive mental health care. Carrie Zhang is the founder and executive director of the Asian Mental Health Project (AMHP), a non-profit organization that provides educational resources and community care initiatives to help de-stigmatize mental health and make it more accessible for the Pan-Asian community through social media, multimedia content creation, and community events. Carrie graduated from the University of Southern California with a BS in Public Relations and is a Policy and Research Associate at Rise Up Inc, focusing on civil rights. Alice Zhang, CEO and Nisha Desai, COO are the co-founders of Anise Health, an online holistic mental health service for the Asian community that incorporates cultural stressors into personalized treatments. Alice and Nisha were co-pupils at Harvard Business School for their MBA, where they saw and agreed on the importance of culturally-responsive providers and an integrated approach to executing data-driven treatment for Asian clients. Livestream Air Date: July 19, 2023 Follow Asian Mental Health Project: Instagram Follow Anise Health: Instagram Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, Facebook Follow Christian Franz Bulacan (Host): Instagram, YouTube Thankful to the season's brand partners: Covry, House of M Beauty, Nguyen Coffee Supply, V Coterie, Skin By Anthos, Halmi, By Dr Mom, LOUPN, Baisun Candle Co., RĒJINS, Twrl Milk Tea, 1587 Sneakers
According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA), approximately 65% of over 50 million anesthesia services in the United States are delivered by certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) each year, whether in collaboration with a physician or independently. In many rural and underserved areas in America, this percentage is significantly higher at over 90%. Despite this, the profession is still regarded as a “hidden gem” within the nursing domain, given that the general public and patients may not be fully knowledgeable about their scope and even their existence at all. Dating back to the American Civil War in the early 1860s, nurses have been providing anesthetics to wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Now, nurse anesthetists administer both surgical and procedural relief in and out of operating rooms across over 100 countries worldwide. How does the scope of practice of nurse anesthetists differ from physician anesthesiologists? What does the educational and training pathway of CRNAs look like? In what settings and specialties can CRNAs deliver anesthesia? In this episode, we are joined by the co-founders of Confident Care Academy, a comprehensive online educational resource that seeks to empower critical care nurses, nursing students, nurse educators, and future CRNAs through lecture video series and discussion boards. Chrissy Massaro is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist of five years, rooting her near-decade nursing career in the Cardiovascular ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she later received her MSN in Nurse Anesthesia. Anna Jobe is a current Resident Registered Nurse Anesthetist with three years of ICU nursing, ranging from Cardiovascular ICU at The Johns Hopkins University Hospital, COVID-19 ECMO units, and travel nursing around the country in both medical and surgical intensive care units. Livestream Air Date: June 30, 2023 Follow Christina Massaro, MSN, CRNA: Instagram Follow Anna Jobe, BSN, RRNA: Instagram Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, Facebook Follow Christian Franz Bulacan (Host): Instagram, YouTube Thankful to the season's brand partners: Covry, House of M Beauty, Nguyen Coffee Supply, V Coterie, Skin By Anthos, Halmi, By Dr Mom, LOUPN, Baisun Candle Co., RĒJINS, Twrl Milk Tea, 1587 Sneakers
According to the Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the Sleep Research Society (SRS), and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), adults should regularly sleep at least 7 hours a night to promote optimal health. However, over one-quarter of adults do not meet this recommendation. (Oops, me included!) AASM states that about 30% of adults have insomnia symptoms, and about 10% of adults have insomnia that is severe enough to cause daytime repercussions. What is it about sleep that it’s so important to have? What is the parameter of good and quality sleep? What are the health risks of not sleeping enough? In this episode, we tackle it all: sleep, dreams, the sleep cycle, sleeping pills, sleep disorders, and so much more! We are joined today by Dr. Meredith Broderick, a triple-board certified sleep neurologist and the Founder of Sound Sleep Guru, a boutique sleep telehealth service focused on discovering the root of individualized sleep problems. She received her BA in Chemistry from The Ohio State University as Summa Cum Laude, MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Neurology Residency at the University Hospitals of Cleveland, and Sleep Disorders and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Broderick is on the Medical Advisory Board of Ozlo Sleepbuds®, wireless biometric sensors to help optimize the sleeping experience. She has been the Assistant Professor of Neurology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, the Sleep Lab Director at Alaska Neurology Center, and the Medical Director at several sleep centers in Seattle, Washington. Livestream Air Date: June 28, 2023 Follow Meredith Broderick, MD: Instagram Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, Facebook Follow Christian Franz Bulacan (Host): Instagram, YouTube Thankful to the season's brand partners: Covry, House of M Beauty, Nguyen Coffee Supply, V Coterie, Skin By Anthos, Halmi, By Dr Mom, LOUPN, Baisun Candle Co., RĒJINS, Twrl Milk Tea, 1587 Sneakers