What Nerve! - The Past, Present, and Future of Neurology and Pain Treatment with Dr. David Simpson

Dr. Simpson is a world-renowned and endlessly creative Neurologist, and a graduate of the Yeshiva schooling system. In this episode, we explore how Dr. Simpson's background and Jewish schooling have influenced how he practices and learns about medicine, about some of the terrifying but lesser-known neurological effects of HIV and how Dr. Simpson has worked diligently and compassionately to improve the lives of the afflicted patients, about the fascinating histories of both Capsaicin and Botulinum Toxin and how Dr. Simpson has managed to transform these old discoveries into new sources of treatment and hope for his patients, and finally about frameworks that physicians and researchers can use to collaborate with pharmaceutical companies in an ethical manner and maximize benefits to their patients and to the wider public.

Timestamps:
(0:41) Introduction of Dr. David Simpson
(1:51) How Orthodox Judaism and Yeshiva education influence Dr. Simpson's methods of scientific and medical thought.
(6:00) Being Comfortable with Uncertainty, and how physicians come to terms with uncertainty as they gain experience.
(7:35) What drew Dr. Simpson to Neurology?
(13:00) The HIV pandemic, as experienced in a 1980 Neurology Ward.
(19:08) The timeline of HAART and other HIV treatments, and the toxicity of its early components.
(26:50) The Capsaicin Patch - treating peripheral Neuropathy using a familiar, friendly compound.
(33:45) The history and biology of Botulinum Toxin (Botox), and its novel application to spasticity and stroke patients.
(38:00) Magnifying the impact of a medicine through the discovery of new applications.
(42:04) How to Successfully and Ethically work with Pharmaceutical Companies: Principles, Encouraging Signs, and "Red Flags"
(46:58) Looking Forward: What's next for Dr. Simpson? What's next for Neurology?
(49:16) Closing Thoughts, Book/Paper recommendations, and Outro

Relevant Links:

Get in touch and leave feedback:

richard.hausman@yale.edu .
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-hausman-824035154/