COVID19: A Neurosurgeon On The Front Line with Dr Sheri Dewan
14th Apr 2020
Today I chat with the amazing Dr Sheri Dewan - who is a board-certified neurosurgeon, and who was inspired to become a doctor after her mother was rushed to the hospital with a ruptured brain aneurysm.
Dr. Dewan is one of just 219 female neurosurgeons in the United States (there are just less than 4,000 neurosurgeons nationally, in total) - she works at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University and completed her neurosurgical residency at the well renowned Brown University.
She specializes in pituitary tumors, gamma knife radiosurgery and minimally invasive degenerative spine disorders and Dr Sheri is a passionate advocate for women’s brain health and diet how our lifestyle and the food we eat can impact our brain health.
In today’s episode we talk about the evolving situation with COVID-19 in Chicago and the flexibility of healthcare systems there and nationally in the USA to respond to the unveiling crisis. We also talk about how Dr Sheri’s regular job has changed how she is now gearing up to work in intensive care.
It’s really interesting to hear some other stories from the front line and how America is dealing with the situation over there
On this episode we also talk about the following:
- Posture - and working from home, what we can all do to help ourselves and our posture right now including regular movement
- Neck flexion and some tips from Dr Sheri on how to make improvements in this area
- Degenerative back issues with some tips on how to prevent and manage back pain with exercises and food
- How exercises such as Yoga and Pilates can be incredibly beneficial to help with flexibility and core strength
- Dr Dewan's incredible experience and career thus far
- How females in the medical industry can forge ahead with incredibly successful careers
- Dr Sheri’s meditation practice that she has kept up for over 20 years throughout her training
- How cultivating self care in our society has never been more important
- We end with a positive note on what good can come of this current situation and how to deal with the anxiety of the unknown
Listener Note: In light of the situation, we talk about some distressing facts regarding the fatality of healthcare workers that some listeners may find difficult to hear. Caution is advised.
Episode guests
Board-certified neurosurgeon, Dr. Sheri Dewan, was inspired to become a doctor after her mother was rushed to the hospital with a ruptured brain aneurysm. Dr. Dewan is one of just 219 female neurosurgeons in the United States (there are just less than 4,000 neurosurgeons nationally, in total). Dr. Dewan works at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Chicago. She graduated from Northwestern University and completed her neurosurgical residency at Brown University. She specializes in pituitary tumors, gamma knife radiosurgery and minimally invasive degenerative spine disorders. Dr. Dewan is a passionate advocate for womens brain health and how the food we eat impacts our brain health. She is a role model for young women considering a career in the field of neurosurgery. Dr. Dewan is in the process of publishing her first book, a memoir. Check out the YouTube video of the podcast with Dr Dewan below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z01RCAMWno
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