Announcer:
0:00
Welcome to the MedEvidence! Monday Minute Radio Show hosted by Kevin Getings of WSOS St Augustine Radio and powered by Encore Research Group. Each Monday morning, r Michael Koren calls in to bring you the latest medical updates with insightful discussions. Medvidence is where we help you navigate the real truth behind medical research, with both a clinical and research perspective. So sit back, relax and get ready to learn about the truth behind the data in medicine and healthcare. This is MedEvidence.
Kevin Geddings:
0:31
Dr. Michael Koren joining me live on the studio line, as he does normally around this time in the morning. He, of course, a medical doctor, research scientist, cardiologist, and also heads up the show ENCOwhere where you can go and participate in a clinical trial, and both myself and Karen and our team and other members of our families have been a part of clinical trials w ENDocs Docs. Highly recommend the experience and you have an interesting Dr Koren, about how people different people interact in different ways with this process, right.
Dr. Michael Koren:
1:02
Yeah, yeah, good morning, Kevin, hope, all is well.
Kevin Geddings:
1:08
All right Yeah, thank you.
Dr. Michael Koren:
1:10
surviving the cold and flu season without incident. so far
Kevin Geddings:
1:14
So far.? Got got that flu vaccine, as per your recommendation, in early September. So that was the right thing to do, right.
Dr. Michael Koren:
1:21
Yeah, yeah, it's amazing what those little preventative measures can lead to. Hopefully, they lead to having a non-event, which is the thing that we're most excited about.
Kevin Geddings:
1:31
Yeah, exactly.
Dr. Michael Koren:
1:32
The non-events. But anyway, yeah, you asked about the story. So we were just chatting before about everybody's path and story in the clinical trial space and I have an interesting one. So there was a woman who approached me maybe 10 years ago who had a cardiac issue and she was asking if there was anything in clinical research that I knew about that might help her condition, which was an unusual condition, not super unusual, but somewhat unusual and I won't disclose it for privacy reasons.
Dr. Michael Koren:
2:00
But how we looked at her for that particular reason and that particular disease and it turned out that there weren't any good trials that were an exact fit for her. But during the process she learned about our flu vaccine work and she said, oh, this is interesting, let me give it a shot. So she found out that she could be protected against the flu during the winter months and cold and flu season. She got paid money. It was anywhere between $500 and $800 a season. She used that money for holiday gifts and then she felt that not only was she protecting herself but she was protecting others around her, including other family members who are vulnerable. At the same time had a little change in her pockets to buy some nice holiday gifts. So that was her path.
Dr. Michael Koren:
2:46
And then, following that experience, every year she would call me up and say oh, what do you got going? I'd love to do a vaccine study. So that was her pathway, and it was a super interesting one and she discovered it. The irony is that, although she originally approached me about cardiovascular disease, we never actually put her in a cardiovascular disease study. But she found this other way to participate in clinical research which she enjoyed for many, many years.
Kevin Geddings:
3:11
Yeah, and indeed when people participate in these studies, of course you're going to be in an office environment where you're going to see other opportunities to sign up. You're also going to see opportunities where other members of your family may benefit from some of the ongoing research that you're doing, right.
Dr. Michael Koren:
3:27
Absolutely. You also just become generally educated in the therapeutic area that you originally asked about and then in other therapeutic areas. So this happens all the time is that people come in, we screen them.
Dr. Michael Koren:
3:41
They're not perfect for the programs that we have ongoing. At any given time we find out that they have a family member or a friend who actually fits in beautifully. So it's not only about the patient that comes in to explore, but it's about the people in the community around the patient, who often get some valuable insights and often end up getting involved in our programs.
Kevin Geddings:
3:59
Yeah, and of course, as we've mentioned before, while you're engaged and enrolled in these studies, you're going to get some of the best health care you've ever experienced in your life, because nobody's rushed. You know they're interested at ENCORE Research Group to get the data from you, so it's a very relaxed environment. You get to talk about anything that may be going on with your body, and so I don't know, for many folks, myself included, it was a different experience because you don't feel like you're under the clock.
Dr. Michael Koren:
4:28
Yeah Well, there's no doubt about it that in modern healthcare, clinicians and practices are just so rushed to put people through as quickly as possible and unfortunately, the sad truth is that 90% of what we get paid for in clinical practice is putting data into a computer rather than taking care of the patient, rather than take care of the patient. So we like to refer to research as a care option, because it's one of those places where we listen to you. We actually have an obligation to understand everything that's going on in your healthcare world, write those things down and then assess whether or not they have anything to do with the study program. So it's a very, very nurturing environment. It's something that our patients really enjoy.
Kevin Geddings:
5:09
And I know too from the story of the lady that you mentioned who got involved in these different studies and we don't highlight it that much and it should not be the main reason you would do this sort of thing but there is financial compensation that helped pay for some Christmas gifts in that situation, right?
Dr. Michael Koren:
5:24
Yes, it's actually a very popular program these days because of that exact reason. Is there something wrong with having a little extra change in your pocket when you want to provide some joy for your family and friends? So why not?
Kevin Geddings:
5:36
Yeah, it's a good way to help celebrate the holidays. So, whatever the reasons and there probably are going to be a combination of reasons we encourage you to learn more. Go to EncoreDocs. com that's EncoreDocs. com and Dr. Koren before we let you go. And, of course, a lot of folks will be spending time with family and there'll be some downtime over the holidays and you start researching. You know, maybe a health concern, you might have A good place to do that is the MedEvidence. com website, correct?
Dr. Michael Koren:
6:04
Yeah, and thanks for mentioning that. MedEvidence! is our platform to help people understand the truth behind the data.
Dr. Michael Koren:
6:08
And we had actually really a super interesting interview. On Friday I interviewed the former Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Jerome Adams, who was the Surgeon General during the first Trump administration and that will be dropping this week in MedEvidence so take a look at that. He had some really pretty interesting insights and I'll be interested to see how the second Trump administration deals with some of the important medical issues out there. But it was a fascinating interview and we'd encourage people to check out MedEvidenc! e and take a look at it.
Kevin Geddings:
6:40
Man, what a great gig for you, Dr. Koren. We need to start lobbying for that at some point. You'd make an awesome Surgeon General. You would.
Dr. Michael Koren:
6:48
Well, I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Um, I like what I do day to day, though I guess uh, I know you're. You have a political background, Kevin. So what was that Lyndon Johnson quote um, if nominated, I will not run, if elected, I will not serve.
Kevin Geddings:
7:05
Yeah, exactly, although I think I could entice you because we would show you the uniform. You know the surgeon general does get the public health service uniform. You get all the stripes that might pull you over the edge.
Dr. Michael Koren:
7:17
You're right about that. That could be my weakness.
Kevin Geddings:
7:20
Dr. Michael Koren. Of course we appreciate him. A big part of our family here at WSOS. And before you resort to Dr. Google because of that rash or that feeling you have in your gut or whatever, go to MedEvidence. com, where you can actually get good information, the truth behind all the data, MedEvidence. com. Dr. Koren, be safe out there and we'll talk with you soon.
Dr. Michael Koren:
7:41
You too, have a great week.
Announcer:
7:42
Thanks for joining the MedEvidence! podcast. To learn more, head over to MedEvidence. com or subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
