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CardioNerds (Amit Goyal and Daniel Ambinder) join Dr. Bryan Smith (Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist at the University of Chicago) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (rising cardiology fellow, CardioNerds ambassador for the University of Chicago, and creator of ShirlyWhirl, M.D.) They discuss the story of a patient with end stage heart failure due to peripartum cardiomyopathy that highlights racial disparities in healthcare and advanced heart failure. They emphasize the importance of providing mentorship for Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and share personal stories of their journey to Cardiology. Dr. Andi Shahu joins us to read his AHA blog titled "Let\u2019s Ban the Phrase \u201cSocial Issues\u201d: Social Justice and Advanced Heart Failure Therapies". Audio editing by CardioNerds Academy intern, Pace Wetstein. \n\n\n\nCollect free CME/MOC credit just for enjoying this episode!\xa0\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCardionerds Narratives in Cardiology PageCardioNerds Episode PageCardioNerds AcademyCardionerds Healy Honor Roll\n\n\n\n\n\nSubscribe to The Heartbeat Newsletter!Check out CardioNerds SWAG!Become a CardioNerds Patron!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nQuotables:\n\n\n\n\u201cOne of the reasons why I went into Heart Failure is because I connected a lot with these young patients, a lot of these young black men and black women who were terrified of the hospital. As a resident and a fellow I would go talk to them and really understand their fears and where they are coming from. I think a lot of times these patients can be labeled as \u2018noncompliant,\u2019 or \u2018withdrawn,\u2019 or \u2018aggressive,\u2019 but a lot of times you just have to understand where they\u2019re coming from. And I really found that just sitting down to talk to them, and to get to know them, I was able to help get them better, or a lot of them went on to get VADs or transplant. And, to be perfectly honest, I\u2019m in touch with a lot of these patients who I met as a fellow who...I feel are part of my life....You have to meet patients where they are. Meaning you need to text them, interact with them on social media, and really connect with them in a way they understand.\u201d Dr. Bryan Smith (12:10)\n\n\n\n\u201cBeing black in America means not getting the benefit of doubt. ...I can\u2019t help but wonder if unconscious bias among providers is imposing...unreasonable scrutiny on patients of color.\u201d Shirlene (21:15)\n\n\n\n\u201cThere are many different ways to combat [racial] disparities. As a Heart Failure physician we have these multidisciplinary meetings where we discuss patients for transplant. And I think it\u2019s...important to highlight to our providers that how we discuss patients really matters. Language definitely matters. Heart failure is art in addition to science. ...Sometimes when discussing these patients...charged words are used, like \u2018withdrawn,\u2019 or \u2018aggressive,\u2019 or \u2018ghetto\u2019 even. And it\u2019s all coded, racist language. ...Part of our responsibility is to educate everyone with implicit bias training....and to make sure we\u2019re able to advocate for patients in the right way.\u201d Dr. Bryan Smith (22:30)\n\n\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve felt like I\u2019ve been paying the minority tax...which is doing the necessary but unpaid and frequently seldom recognized labor of mentorship, community engagement, etc, and also of being hyper visible and acting as a symbol...\u201d - Shirlene (24:52)\n\n\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s really easy when patients are in the hospital to think of them only as patients and forget that they\u2019re people too, and that people are complex, they have complex emotions, they have reactions to things, sometimes those reactions aren\u2019t necessarily what we would think are appropriate for their medical situation, but they\u2019re what make us human.\u201d - Shirlene (9:50)\n\n\n\nNotes:\n\n\n\n1. What are some of the racial disparities in diagnosis and outcomes of peri-partum cardiomyopathy, and what are some factors that might be contributing to those disparities?\n\n\n\nCVD disease is the leading cause of pregnancy-associated mortality in the US. Black and American Indian/ Alaskan Native women are 3-4x more likely to die from a pr...