Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Vitals Podcast
In Part Two of The Vitals podcast, “Five Years Since COVID-19: Lessons from the Frontlines,” host Leslie Schlachter, PA, Chief Physician Assistant in the Department of Neurosurgery continues the conversation with two of Mount Sinai’s front line physicians, Zevy Joshua Hamburger, MD, Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine and Erik Blutinger, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health Specialist.
In this far-ranging discussion, the panel discusses how public attitudes formed during the pandemic are impacting current health issues, such as measles and flu. The doctors reflect on what health care institutions as a whole might have done better in terms of communication, and how they are applying those lessons in their practice today.
The doctors examine how personal immunity for other infectious diseases has changed because of the pandemic, and discuss what masking can and can’t accomplish.
The panel describes how the pandemic has left its mark on various aspects of personal etiquette. The doctors reflect on the personal toll the pandemic has taken, but also how their sense of personal mission has been strengthened.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of the Mount Sinai Health System at large.
Check out all of our informative Mount Sinai Podcasts: mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/podcasts
Learn more about the Mount Sinai Health System: mountsinai.org
CHAPTERS
0:03 Leslie Schlachter introduces the podcast and Drs. Hamburger and Blutinger
0:20 Discussion of how public attitudes formed in the pandemic are affecting the rate of vaccinations for measles, flu, and other infectious diseases
0:54 Discussion on how more humility and better communication from health care institutions might have built more public trust during the pandemic
2:25 Discussion about the politization of health care issues and its impact on public health
3:42 The importance of conveying the attitude that the patient’s physician is on their team and there to help them. Treating patients as if they are one of the doctor’s family.
5:25 The need to outline the patient’s options because many health decisions aren’t black and white
6:14 Discussion of the effects of PTSD on health care professional as one of the lasting effects of the pandemic
8:13 How simple things like a handshake and other aspects of personal etiquette have been affected by the pandemic
9:38 Discussion of why the flu has been more severe this past year and how the pandemic may have affected immunity among the public
10:47 Discussion about what masking can and can’t accomplish
14:42 Discussion of how the pandemic strengthened their sense of purpose about the health care profession, and why, in spite of job opportunities elsewhere, the doctors have stayed at Mount Sinai
The Vitals Podcast
In Part Two of The Vitals podcast, “Five Years Since COVID-19: Lessons from the Frontlines,” host Leslie Schlachter, PA, Chief Physician Assistant in the Department of Neurosurgery continues the conversation with two of Mount Sinai’s front line physicians, Zevy Joshua Hamburger, MD, Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine and Erik Blutinger, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health Specialist.
In this far-ranging discussion, the panel discusses how public attitudes formed during the pandemic are impacting current health issues, such as measles and flu. The doctors reflect on what health care institutions as a whole might have done better in terms of communication, and how they are applying those lessons in their practice today.
The doctors examine how personal immunity for other infectious diseases has changed because of the pandemic, and discuss what masking can and can’t accomplish.
The panel describes how the pandemic has left its mark on various aspects of personal etiquette. The doctors reflect on the personal toll the pandemic has taken, but also how their sense of personal mission has been strengthened.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of the Mount Sinai Health System at large.
Check out all of our informative Mount Sinai Podcasts: mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/podcasts
Learn more about the Mount Sinai Health System: mountsinai.org
CHAPTERS
0:03 Leslie Schlachter introduces the podcast and Drs. Hamburger and Blutinger
0:20 Discussion of how public attitudes formed in the pandemic are affecting the rate of vaccinations for measles, flu, and other infectious diseases
0:54 Discussion on how more humility and better communication from health care institutions might have built more public trust during the pandemic
2:25 Discussion about the politization of health care issues and its impact on public health
3:42 The importance of conveying the attitude that the patient’s physician is on their team and there to help them. Treating patients as if they are one of the doctor’s family.
5:25 The need to outline the patient’s options because many health decisions aren’t black and white
6:14 Discussion of the effects of PTSD on health care professional as one of the lasting effects of the pandemic
8:13 How simple things like a handshake and other aspects of personal etiquette have been affected by the pandemic
9:38 Discussion of why the flu has been more severe this past year and how the pandemic may have affected immunity among the public
10:47 Discussion about what masking can and can’t accomplish
14:42 Discussion of how the pandemic strengthened their sense of purpose about the health care profession, and why, in spite of job opportunities elsewhere, the doctors have stayed at Mount Sinai
