by Diego Fernandez, MD

Medical learning is no longer confined to morning rounds and conferences. With a simple click of a button, medical professionals can access a plethora of resources, including those curated by UAB’s renowned faculty. While we continue to pride ourselves on the Oslerian tradition of medical education with engaging and knowledgeable attendings teaching at the bedside, several Department of Medicine faculty have embraced alternative means of communication to reach students, residents, and their peers. 

Robert Centor, MD, MACP, Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine, and former Dean and Executive Director of the UAB Huntsville Regional Medical Campus, has been using non-traditional means to educate tomorrow’s physicians. Dr. Centor has explored various platforms in his efforts starting with a blog in 2002 and more recently transitioning to Twitter (@medrants). Dr. Centor stated that his goal in initially utilizing these forums was twofold: (1) to reach learners remotely and in an engaging manner; and (2) to help expand upon his own research ideas.

Sixteen years in, Dr. Centor reports his efforts have prompted new and interesting areas of research, which in turn have culminated in several successful publications. Dr. Centor’s online discussions of both the foundations of practicing medicine and new areas of medical research have garnered him a large online following. Thanks to his notoriety and expertise, you can now find him as a frequent guest on the popular “Curbsiders Internal Medicine” podcast, where he serves as the “Chair of Medicine” of the podcast’s fictional hospital Kashlak Memorial.

Dr. Centor’s positive exposure to the podcast medium prompted him to start his own podcast, “Annals on Call.” This podcast is produced in collaboration with the ACP. Each episode features a guest expert and a lively debate centered around a clinically influential article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Episode topics to date include diuretic resistance in patients with heart failure, blood pressure goals, and uric acid targets in gout. Dr. Centor hopes to broaden the topics of future episodes to include both the fundamentals of Internal Medicine and showcases of notable personalities. The Annals on Call podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other podcasts platforms.