em dash podcast

Josh Mugele describes himself as an Emergency Medicine physician, father, and human being. In this episode we talk about identities (both fixed and fluid) and what it's like to interact with healthcare professionals as an educator, advocate, parent, patient, and peer. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of having a strong social media presence and we explore the strengths and limitations of medical education as currently conceptualized. You can find Josh on Twitter at @jmugele.

Foster describes themself as a queer, nonbinary, trans person in recovery who is a writer and a parent. The author of critically-acclaimed short story collection Shine of the Ever, Foster talks in this episode about what it's like to interact with healthcare professionals as a trans person in recovery. To learn more about Foster's work, visit clairerudyfoster.com. You can find Foster on Twitter at @crf_pdx.

Kate describes themself as "a genderqueer, disabled clinician, sex therapist, and clinical research fellow at the Kinsey Institute Trauma Stress Research Consortium at Indiana University, specializing in disability, trauma, sexuality from the perspective of healthcare professionals and the people they serve, under the watchful nose of ADA service dog, Lucy." In this episode we talk about multiple sclerosis, loud sex in mom's house, privacy during the pandemic, waterproof blankets, and much, much more. You can find Kate on Twitter at @DisabledDuo.

Kait Sanchez is a self-described queer, autistic, disabled person of color who is "just trying to survive both grad school and whatever curse has been put on their family." Her research interests focus on trans healthcare disparities and the inclusion of trans-specific topics in medical education curricula. In this episode, we talk about Kait's work as a standardized patient and about his interactions with healthcare professionals after a sexual assault. You can find Kait on Twitter at @crisp_red and on Medium at medium.com/@kait.c.sanchez.

Cameron C. is a first-year resident physician in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington. He is also a bisexual, transgender, Iranian-American man. In this episode, we talk about Cameron's experiences as both a healthcare professional and a recipient of healthcare. You can find Cameron on Twitter at @eponymics.

Inspired by her personal and professional experiences, Sophia Zupanc is currently travelling the world as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow to investigate the question "What is palliative care and why does it matter?" Her Watson project is called “Dispatches from Death: Exploring How We Die.” In this episode, we talk about Sophia's experiences as a lesbian, cisgender woman traveling the world talking to people about death. You can learn more about Sophia's travels on her website, peripateticpalliation.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @SophiaZupanc Note: The episode was originally titled "Walk in My Shoes" and I didn't record a new intro. So this episode has two titles. :)

Last season you met Andrew Gurza, self-described “disabled man” and “queer cripple.” In this episode, Andrew returns to the show to talk about "straw bans," ableism, and turtles. If you're one of the many people who think that banning straws in restaurants is a good idea, pour yourself a drink and listen to Andrew explain why privilege and ableism may be making it hard for you to understand the perspective of persons with disabilities. Andrew is the host of Disability After Dark, a podcast that "shines a bright light on sex and disability." You can learn more about Andrew's podcast and disability awareness consulting services on his website, http://www.andrewgurza.com. You can follow Andrew on Twitter at @andrewgurza.

Meet Sara Quin, a self-described queer woman and activist who also happens to be a musician. (I’m loathe to write that she’s “one half of the duo, Tegan and Sara” because as a twin, Sara’s not 50% of a pair – she’s 100% Sara, and she has a sister who’s 100% Tegan, and they’re in a band together). In this free-flowing episode, Sara and I talk about what it’s like to seek healthcare as someone in the public eye. We both utter the phrase “superfamous vagina,” which in context, will make total and complete sense when you listen to the episode. We talk about how it feels to not have the comforting cloak of anonymity during intensely private moments like sitting at the bedside of a dying loved one or flying on an airplane while grieving a loss. Along the way, Sara and I chat about body image, breasts, Instagram, cats, family, vulnerability, and Sara’s work with The Tegan and Sara Foundation and Queer Health Access. You can follow Sara on Twitter at @teganandsara

Meet Cavanaugh Quick, a self-described "queer, fat, AFAB transgender, femme, Afrolatinx, poly, kinky person with chronic pain" who’s also a graduate social work student at the University of Albany. In this episode, Cavanaugh and I talk about sexual health, kink, PrEP, gonorrhea, and the weird tendency for health care professionals to assume that AFAB transgender persons loathe their genitals and want to have phalloplasty so that they can morph into some sort of “beautiful man-butterfly.” You can follow them on Twitter at @heyawkwardology

Meet Rachel Reimer, a self-described "Medical Intuitive, senior in college, and Millenial."   According to her website, she "provide[s] spiritual insight to health care or mental health professionals on clients that want to know more about their health and/or are 'stuck'....Messages that [she] receive[s] can come in the form of images, sounds, or feelings.."   In this episode, Rachel and I talk about her experiences as a patient as well as about her experiences as a "medical intuitive" who interacts with healthcare professionals.  You can follow Rachel on Twitter at @intuitiverae.

Meet Joshua Shea, a journalist, publisher, film festival founder, and local politician from Central Maine. Arrested and convicted for possession of child pornography after a long struggle with alcoholism and porn addiction, Joshua served six months in jail. He’s written a memoir, The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About: How I Let My Pornography Addiction Hurt People and Destroy Relationships, published in January 2018. In this episode, we talk about Joshua’s addiction and his path to recovery.

Earlier this season you met Andrew Gurza, self-described “disabled man” and “queer cripple.” In this episode, Andrew returns to the show to talk about his experiences with healthcare providers during his most recent hospitalization. We talk about C. Diff, diapers, nurses, doctors, hospitals, and tangentially, Grey’s Anatomy. You can follow Andrew on Twitter at @andrewgurza.

Meet Andrew Gurza, self-described ​“disabled man” and “queer cripple.” Andrew shares his experiences interacting with healthcare professionals around issues related to mobility, autonomy, and sexuality. He talks about what it feels like to be moved without his consent and treated by healthcare professionals in ways that distance him from his body, pleasure, and human connection. We explore the idea that persons with disabilities aren’t like everyone else and the power that he feels reclaiming words like “queer” and “cripple.” Finally, we discuss his recent musings on Twitter and Facebook about possibly doing porn and the reactions he’s received from friends who worry about that “fetishizing” his disability. You can follow Andrew on Twitter at @andrewgurza.

Meet Ryder Avalon – model, songwriter, ink enthusiast, and self-described “LA sewer ninja.” In this episode, Ryder alks about her experiences interacting with health care professionals along her journey as a woman who identifies as “transsexual” and biracial. She explains why she prefers the word “transsexual” to the word “transgender” to describe herself, and she talks about how concerns about possible mistreatment may make trans-identified patients anxious or hesitant to be forthcoming during interactions with health care professionals. You can follow Ryder on Twitter at @RyderAvalon.

Meet Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the Pulse shooting in Orlando and Vice President of The Dru Project, “an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization on a mission to spread love across the nation and promote gay straight alliances.” In this episode (recorded on May 22nd before the Manchester bombing), Brandon talks about identifying as “intersectional,” Black, White, gay, and male and the ways in which these identities have influenced his thoughts and feelings about healthcare. Brandon describes the “awkward first date” feeling of seeing a new healthcare professional and talks about the impact feeling judged during the encounter can have on one’s willingness to continue seeing that healthcare professional. We talk about Brandon’s experience with mental healthcare professionals after the Pulse shooting as well as about what the world of healthcare might have been like if his friend Drew Leinonen, a master’s-prepared psychologist, hadn’t been killed at Pulse. Brandon shares how his view of the world has changed as a result of the Pulse shooting, and he talks about how his relationship with his father has changed over the years. Finally, Brandon shares his thoughts about what healthcare professionals need to know about gun violence and the impact it has on survivors. You can follow Brandon on Twitter at @bjoewolf

Meet Lindsey Nebeker, a pianist/composer, disability rights advocate, and person on the autism spectrum. In this episode, Lindsey talks about what it’s like to seek and receive health care as a person on the spectrum. She describes when and why she discloses (or decides not to disclose) her autism diagnosis to health care professionals, as well as what healthcare professionals can do to make the clinical environment more welcoming for people on the autism spectrum. Lindsey and I also discuss her experiences as a queer-identified cisgender woman married to a cisgender man, how painful it can be to be labeled incorrectly as heterosexual, and how her father coming out as gay when she was 18 years old brought the two of them even closer together. You can follow Lindsey on Twitter at @LindseyNebeker

Meet Kelli Dunham, self-described "ex-nun genderqueer nurse author nerd comic." Kelli and I talk about what it's like to be the caregiver and advocate for two partners who died (both at the age of 38), what it's like to be a nurse viewing the healthcare system through the eyes of a patient, and what it's like to be a nun in a habit going to the gynecologist. You can follow Kelli on Twitter at @KelliDunham

Meet Dr. Majeda El-Banna, an Assistant Professor in the George Washington University School of Nursing. In this episode (taped on March 27th, Muslim Women's Day), Majeda and I talk about Islam, her experiences as a Muslim nurse educator who wears hijab, and her experiences attending graduate school in the midwest while raising two young children. You can follow Majeda on Twitter at @Majeda_Elbanna

In this episode, Nina and I talk about her experiences as a Black woman interacting with healthcare professionals, particularly around the issue of weight. We explore the complicated history that healthcare has with Black people in America and the ways that medicine’s past discriminatory, deceptive, and exploitive practices have shaped the way healthcare is viewed today. We also talk about hospice, hair care and exercise, and the strength of Black women.

Meet Amy Berman, a nurse living with Stage IV breast cancer. Amy describes the moment she went from being a nurse to being someone with a terminal illness, and she talks about living – really living – for the six and a half years since her diagnosis thanks to the care she’s received from palliative care professionals. You can follow Amy on Twitter at @NotesOnNursing.

Meet Laura Antoniou and Karen Taylor, together for 19 years. Laura is a novelist, pornographer, and self-described "pervert." Karen is a social service professional and kink aficionado. Laura, Karen, and I talk about sadomasochism, consent, and what healthcare professionals need to know in order to meet the needs of patients who practice BDSM. Also in this episode: the literary dumpster fire that is "Fifty Shades of Grey" and why you shouldn't get your sex advice from Cosmo. (If you're a healthcare professional and you're freaked out a little by the previous 4 sentences, you definitely need to listen to this episode. Seriously). You can follow Laura on Twitter at @LAntoniou.

Meet Dr. Peggy Chinn, Professor Emerita of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. Peggy and I talk about her experiences in the 1970's as a feminist lesbian nurse educator and how perceptions of lesbian nurses have changed since then. Peggy also describes the 1982 birth of "Cassandra: The Radical Feminist Nurses Network." You can follow Peggy on Twitter at @PeggyChinn

Meet Dr. Rachel Levine, Physician General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. Rachel and I talk about her experiences as a physician who is transgender, about privilege, and about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's commitment to transgender youth.

Meet Dr. Mitchell Tepper, a Sexuality Counselor whose focus is educating people about sexuality and disability. Mitch is a person with a spinal cord injury who has a master’s degree in public health from Yale University, a PhD in Human Sexuality Education from the University of Pennsylvania, a 30-year marriage, and a 20-year old son. He's also an AASECT-Certified Sexuality Educator, Educator Supervisor, and Sexuality Counselor. Mitch and I talk about sex, disability, and what healthcare professionals can do to be more supportive of patients with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities when it comes to sex. *Note to listeners: This episode contains content about sex. Mention is made of vibrators, cock rings, ejaculation, and erections.

Meet Charlie Blotner, a senior at Arizona State University who identifies as trans-masculine and non-binary. Charlie and I met at the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona after we connected via Twitter. On a sunny patio at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, we talk about gender, identity, body image, and healthcare.