THE BRAIN TRUST PODCAST
A Physician’s practical guide to Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias
Welcome to The Brain Trust, a podcast for and by physicians designed to help improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in clinical workflows. Tune in weekly to hear our guest primary care clinicians discuss innovative ways to support patients and their families in better managing brain disease.
Podcast to Build Your Confidence in
SCREENING, DIAGNOSIS, and TREATMENT
The Brain Trust – a physician’s practical guide to early detection of Alzheimer’s and related Dementias. The accredited podcast series is designed by and for physicians to help improve the detection, screening, diagnosis and management of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias in clinical workflows and in patient care. Tune in to these CME podcast episodes to hear Primary Care physicians discuss innovative ways to support patients and their families.
Together, we’ll cover Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Topics Like:
Detection
Diagnosis
Management
EXPLORE OUR ONLINE TOOLKIT FOR DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
for more resources on managing Alzheimer’s and other related dementia’s in your practice
Earn CME credits for each episode!
These CME activities will meet the 2023 State of Illinois Continuing Medical Education Requirements for Physician License Renewal for Recognizing Dementia. Every licensed healthcare professional who has direct patient interaction with adults age 26 and above must take one hour of training on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Accreditation
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
AMA PRA Category 1 – The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians designates each Online enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credit™
Healthcare practitioners other than physicians (PAs, NPs) will be issued a certificate of participation to submit to their respective boards to be used toward their continuing education requirements.
The Brain Trust
EPISODE GUIDE
Episode 1: Welcome to The Brain Trust
The goal of the Brain trust in this podcast series is to educate and empower the primary care clinician in the early detection, diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Episode 2: Understanding Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Dr. Raj Shah talks with Dr. Eukesh Ranjit about what we currently know about dementia. The goal is have healthcare professional on the same page with understanding aspects of dementia including mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease and memory issues.
Episode 3: Diagnosing, Documenting, & Screening
Dr. Raj Shah and Dr. Eukesh Ranjit discuss what it means for healthcare professionals to understand dementia objectively and how healthcare professionals can diagnosis and document dementia objectively, utilizing screening assessments for improved early diagnosis.
Episode 4: Eco System of Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Dr. Eukesh Ranjit hosts this episode and talks with Dr. Raj Shah about the larger ecosystem of the Illinois healthcare landscape involving Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Their discussion provides foundational information on how organizations across the state are working to improve early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Episode 5: Early Detection Implementation in Health Systems
In this episode Dr. Raj Shah talks with guest Dr. John Brill of Advocate Aurora; they discuss barriers and solutions for family physicians in health systems regarding the early detection, diagnosis and management of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
Episode 6: Early Detection in Rural Communities
Dr. Eukesh Ranjit talks with Dr. Sharon Smaga about the unique challenges faced by providers serving in rural patient populations. They discuss the barriers, solutions and provide successful tips on how to improve early diagnosis clinic practices in rural communities.
Episode 7: Early Detection in African American Populations
Dr. Raj Shah speaks with guest Dr. Scott Levin to discuss ways family physicians can improve early detection of Alzheimer’s disease in African-Americans communities. They discuss barriers, solutions and provide successful tips on how to improve early diagnosis with their African-American patients.
Episode 8: Early Detection in FQHC’s
Dr. Raj Shah speaks with guest Dr. Emma Daisy to discuss the roles Illinois physicians working in Federally Qualified Health Centers can play in the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
Episode 9: Community Service Agencies in Rural Areas
Eukesh Ranjit, MD speaks with guests Sharon Smaga, MD, Heather Knutt, and Becky Salazar to discuss the roles community service agencies can play in assisting physicians in rural areas with early detection.
Episode 10: Early Detection of Dementia in Veteran Populations
Raj Shah, MD speaks with guest Avinash Mantha, MD, Associate Program Director at Loyola Hines VA Geriatric Fellowship, to discuss early detection of dementia in veteran populations.
Meet Our HOSTS
Raj C. Shah, MD
Dr. Shah has been a family physician/geriatrician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, for over 20 years. Currently, he is a Professor in Family & Preventive Medicine and the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He completed his bachelor of science in chemical engineering at Northwestern University and then attended the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. After completing a family practice residency at West Suburban Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, he received further geriatrics training at Rush.
Dr. Shah’s academic career interest is the design and conduct of community-based clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of age-related conditions including, but not limited to, dementia. Dr. Shah is a founding member of the Illinois Cognitive Resources Network (ICRN, ilbrainhealth.org). The ICRN works to optimize the cognitive and functional well-being of Illinois residents and their families throughout the Illinois ecosystem. He is also involved in the leadership of the Geriatrics Member Interest Group of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians.
Eukesh Ranjit, MD, MBBS, CAQGM, FAAFP
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Director, Division of Geriatric Medicine
SIU Center for Family Medicine (Springfield)
Medical Director, Lewis Memorial Christian Village
Dr. Eukesh Ranjit is a Family Physician and a geriatrician. He is currently serving as the Director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Southern Illinois University Center for Family Medicine in Springfield. His practice includes outpatient, nursing home care, assisted living, home visits, inpatient care, as well as training residents and medical students. He is the founding chair of Geriatrics MIG at IAFP. Also, he has recently been elected to the IAFP Board of Directors. His areas of interest include care of geriatric patients in primary care settings, dementia, multimorbidity, and frailty. In his free time, he enjoys travelling, learning about global cultures, and adding to an ever expanding collection of his books.
ILLINOIS STATE MANDATED CME
Don’t forget to get your 1-hour state of Illinois mandated dementia education on the IAFP online education center website. In addition to our podcast series, we are offering an online webinar Early Detection and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia to help fulfill your continuing education requirements.
This CME activity will meet the 2023 State of Illinois Continuing Medical Education Requirements for Physician License Renewal for Recognizing Dementia. Every licensed healthcare professional has direct patient interaction with adults age 26 and above must take one hour of training on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Early Detection and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia online CME
Presented by Raj C. Shah, MD
Learning Objectives
- Understand the barriers associated with effective early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
- Identify the key component of a comprehensive cognitive evaluation.
- Highlight treatment and research options for individuals with cognitive concerns and their families.
CONNECT WITH THE BRAIN TRUST
We’re developing this podcast series based on the needs of our provider community and we want to hear from you! Send us your questions, concerns, and thoughts on screening, diagnosis, and treatment for Alzheimer’s and related dementias and our staff will work to address these throughout the series.
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