Fall 2001

Doctors Talk It Up On the Air with Medical Issues

IUSM's Sound Medicine radio show delivers a healthy dose of information.

Colleges warn parents and students about the possible threat of encephalitis. The evening news buzzes with reports about the safety or danger of eating vegetables and fruits sprayed with pesticides. Concerns about genetic testing and embryonic stem cell research are prompting policymakers and legislators to consider new laws.

Today the public is deluged with news on health issues, and more people than ever are responding. While many physicians want their patients to take a proactive role in managing their own health, finding high-quality, accurate information in the public domain can be difficult. Though medical and health information is increasingly accessible on the Internet, there are no quality standards yet, and many Web sites offer content that is outdated or commercially driven.

To help address this dilemma, the IU School of Medicine and Indianapolis' WFYI Public Radio have joined forces to offer a new hour-long weekly show, Sound Medicine. The broadcast can be heard on 90.1 FM each Saturday at 12 noon, local time.

Since its April 7 debut, more than twenty shows have aired, each featuring IU physicians and other health care professionals from around the country. Barbara Lewis, a veteran broadcast journalist and host of Sound Medicine, is joined each week by four rotating co-hosts, IUSM faculty members Ora H. Pescovitz, MD, executive associate dean for research affairs; David Crabb, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine; Michael Koch, MD, chair of the Department of Urology; and Kathy Miller, MD, a breast cancer specialist at the IU Cancer Center.

Each week's panel tackles topics, ranging from sinus headaches and alcohol use during pregnancy, to the latest treatments for diabetes and cancer. A call-in segment lets listeners interact with the experts. The shows are archived on the Web site, www.soundmedicine.iu.edu, which lets visitors e-mail questions for discussion and provides links with community health resources.

"Our goal is to create an interesting and compelling show that gives listeners medically accurate information," says Lewis. "We educate and motivate them to make informed health care choices for themselves and their families."

Sound Medicine also is beginning to make rounds outside the Indianapolis listening area. Bloomington-based WFIU (103.7 FM) and Louisville's WFPL (89.3 FM), both public radio stations, recently began airing the show on Sundays.