Nearly ten million Americans are currently incarcerated, on parole or probation. This population has specific health care needs, especially those who were formerly incarcerated. Today, we bring you a very special conversation featuring two UMSOM alums, Dr. Michael Baca-Atlas and Dr. Matt Zeitler, as they interview their UNC Family Medicine mentor, Dr. Evan Ashkin, about how we can best care for our formerly incarcerated patients. 

This conversation originally aired on Hippo Education's Primary Care Reviews and Perspectives podcast. 

In this very special back-to-school episode, Dr. Frayha interviews one of her long-time primary care patients on his recent 88-day hospital stay, his particular experience as a patient, and what it takes for a doctor to feel like a family member. All of our school, training, and hard work ultimately lead up to this - the patient-doctor relationship. 

So far, our podcast has focused on student experiences along the path to becoming a physician. In this episode, we'll begin to explore what it's like to be a patient. Andrea Avery is an English teacher and writer who lives in Phoenix, AZ. She and our host became friends in high school, where Andrea was a phenomenal piano player learning to deal with her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Andrea is super smart, funny, and full of sparkling light. She tells us about the pitfalls of being a good patient, being "bi-abled," and an orthopedic surgeon who changed her life with a game of tic-tac-toe. Through her stories, she sheds light on what it's like to be a patient, and how med students and physicians can be their best selves as care providers.