Becker's Hospital Review

59 CMO / CARE DELIVERY 'Twindemic' risk greater this year, experts worry By Erica Carbajal T he U.S. avoided a long-feared "twindemic" of flu and COVID-19 for the past two years, largely because of widespread masking and other behaviors that kept flu seasons mild. But the risk that both illnesses will increase this winter appears greater. "is could very well be the year in which we see a twindemic," Wil- liam Schaffner, MD, infectious disease professor at Nashville, Tenn.- based Vanderbilt University, told NPR in a Sept. 23 report. "at is, we have a surge in COVID and simultaneously an increase in influenza. We could have them both affecting our population at the same time." Experts believe the risk is greater this year because widespread mask- ing and other prevention measures are no longer commonplace, and there are already signs that this year's upcoming flu season will be more severe, based on the Southern Hemisphere's severe flu season, which typically runs from April to September. Flu trends in the Southern Hemisphere offer health experts strong indications of what could be in store for the U.S., and Australia is coming out of its worst flu season in five years. HHS data compiled by e New York Times shows about 35,000 people in the U.S. are still hospitalized with COVID-19 every day, and the CDC estimates flu causes between 140,000 and 710,000 hospitalizations annually. Pedi- atricians in Southern California are already seeing an uptick of flu cases among children. "We should be worried," Richard Webby, PhD, an infectious disease specialist at Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude Children's Research Hos- pital, told NPR. "I don't necessarily think it's run-for-the-hills wor- ried. But we need to be worried." Viral interference — a biological phenomenon in which infection with one respiratory illness reduces the risk of catching another — may offset the twindemic threat. But "the best prevention tool we have" are flu vaccines, experts say. n 'Patient care is my first love': Dr. Aimee Becker on leading UW Health during COVID-19 and beyond By Cailey Gleeson T he patient has always been at the center of Aimee Becker's, MD, career. She has served as Madison, Wis.-based UW Health's chief medical officer since August 2018, where she's led the sys- tem through the countless challenges presented by COVID-19. Dr. Becker spoke to Becker's about what piqued her interest in the field, most rewarding experiences and goals for the future. Question: What piqued your interest in healthcare? Dr. Aimee Becker: You know, it's funny. When I was a kid, probably going off to college and so on, I never thought I wanted to be a doctor. I was a science [and] math kid, did well in school, and pursued biomed- ical engineering degrees before medical school. My dad had a cerebral aneurysm rupture aer my freshman year of college, and in that mo- ment, I don't think that was the forefront of my thought processes that, "Hey, I want to go to medical school and be a doc," but when I look back I feel like that that definitely influenced me. en when I look back even further [at] what my interests were in el- ementary school, I was fascinated with the human body. Like, I don't Only 68% of young physicians would choose medicine again By Mackenzie Bean N early one-third of young physicians say they would not choose a career in medicine again, according to Medscape's 2022 Young Physician Compensation Report. The report is based on survey responses from 13,064 physicians in 29 specialties polled between Oct. 5, 2021 and Jan. 19, 2022. Four findings: 1. Sixty-eight percent of physicians under age 40 said they would choose a career in medicine again if they could redo their careers, down from 76 percent a year prior. Thirty-two percent said they would not choose medicine again. 2. Only 54 percent of young physicians said they felt fairly compensated. Average annual pay for physicians ages 28 to 34 was $260,000. This jumped to $311,000 for physicians ages 35 to 39. 3. When asked to identify the most challenging part of their job, young physicians cited dealing with difficult patients (22 percent), long work hours (19 percent) and having so many rules and regulations (18 percent) as their top three challenges. 4. Gratitude from patients and patient relationships was the most rewarding part of the job for 27 percent of respondents. n

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