Advertise on podcast: The VPZD Show
Rating
4.9from
This podcast has
45 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Drs. Vinay Prasad & Zubin DamaniaExplicit
Yes
Date created
2021/11/18
Latest episode
2026/10/09
Average duration
83 min.
Release period
96 days
Description
Two doctors, one podcast, Alt-Middle as heck. Featuring Dr. Vinay Prasad (host of Plenary Session) and Dr. Zubin Damania (host of The ZDoggMD Show).
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Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from The VPZD Show podcast
Nobel Prize Snubs, AI Medicine, Brain Death, SSRIs
2026/10/09
AI gave Zubin hair in our thumbnail...we truly are at End Times 😁
It's VPZD Ep. 45, originally streamed LIVE on YouTube.
Chronological topic list
Shout out to Dentalica, the Metallica cover band of dentists
Follow up on the failed execution and whether healthcare professionals should take part in executions
Firing squad and livestreamed executions as a case for the state owning its violence
Childhood abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, and whether crime is a medical problem or a moral one
A bilingual doctor barred from speaking Spanish to her patient after failing a hospital proficiency test
Nobel Prize snubs in optogenetics, including Ed Boyden, Feng Zhang, and the Wayne State researcher
Rosalind Franklin, narrative, and why credit in science is so messy
Why science is full of forced moves while art is not, and what that means for AI
Clinical breakthroughs like Gleevec that never win Nobels
Political Nobels, Obama, and Bob Dylan skipping the ceremony
Academic AI studies that are outdated by publication, plus a Lancet “phase one” chatbot trial with no control arm
AI models guessing Trump’s IQ and the case that the voting booth is the health check for politicians
Why Zubin doesn’t vote, and the billionaire tax
The seven levels of wealth and the arc from Rolex to no watch
NYU’s three-year medical school and the cherry-picked comparison groups
Zubin’s fourth year of medical school and finishing Berkeley in three years
Reforming medical training from college through the extra fellowship year
Teaching critical thinking over memorization as the line between charlatan and expert blurs
Zeke Emanuel’s Eat Your Ice Cream, reverse causality, and confounding in observational studies
The descriptive versus prescriptive fallacy in medicine and spiritual awakening
Counseling cancer patients about alcohol
SSRIs, RFK Jr., withdrawal, and why long-term data can’t separate benefit from dependence
Brain zaps and SSRIs in awakening circles
Vinay’s accidental decaf month and the nicotine gum trend
Brain death, advance directives, and who you’d trust to pull the plug
Moral anguish, organ and cadaveric nerve consent, and an ICU nurse’s perspective
Airplane rules, annual PPD testing, and the absurdity of medical bureaucracy
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Lethal Injection Ethics, Meditation Dangers, GRAIL Cancer Screening
2026/10/04
Should we be medicalizing state-sanctioned executions? Is meditation actually safe? Do liquid biopsies save lives? EASY QUESTIONS ONE AND ALL 😂 Originally streamed LIVE on YouTube! (#44)
In this episode, we talked liquid biopsies for multi-cancer screening, the evidence behind recent blood test trials, and the risks of false positives and overdiagnosis. We dove into meditation’s possible benefits and harms, including anxiety, dissociation, and psychosis, as well as concerns about using it as a productivity tool. Finally, we hit physician involvement in state executions and the ethics of lethal injection, along with honest conversations about cancer prognosis and goals of care.
Dr. Prasad's "Plenary Session" podcast.
Dr. Damania's "ZDoggMD Show" podcast.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Affirmative Action, AI Medical Recording, AI Doomers
2026/09/30
Easy topics for easy times 🤭 Originally streamed LIVE on YouTube! (#42)
Using Beethoven's Archduke Trio as a lens for why AI-generated art still falls short of true creative risk-taking
Whether AI companies calling for regulation are protecting the public or protecting their own competitive lead
The "Chernobyl of AI" idea, and skepticism toward vague doomsday percentage predictions
Burnout across the AI industry, and a personal parallel to burning out in medicine before starting ZDoggMD
Why doctors, unlike coders, are resistant to AI encroaching on their work
A court ruling on whether the raw audio of an AI-assisted medical visit is discoverable in a malpractice suit, and a comparison to body cam data
The DOJ's civil rights division investigation into UCSF and other med schools over affirmative action compliance post-SFFA v. Harvard
Whether standardized test scores, grit, or adversity best predict who becomes a good doctor, and the weak evidence behind racial concordance studies
A broader reflection on how identity and tribalism shape reactions to contested topics, using the Israel-Palestine debate and the Macklemore/Ed Sheeran episode as examples
Institutional neutrality, the NIH funding fight involving Russ Vought, and why one-sided political stances put universities at risk
Addressing a live comment about their COVID-era track record and clarifying actual positions
Closing thoughts and sign-off
Dr. Prasad's "Plenary Session" podcast.
Dr. Damania's "ZDoggMD Show" podcast.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Macklemore, Confidence Intervals, LG Spying
2026/09/19
Exploring the issues of the day, (Mackle)more or less 🤭 Originally streamed LIVE on YouTube! (#42)
Topics covered: the Macklemore/Ed Sheeran controversy over political statements at concerts; land acknowledgments and performative activism; T-Rex body temperature research using tooth enamel isotopes; amateur archaeology and human evolution theories; the fluoride-in-water debate, weighing dental benefits against IQ concerns; a University awards ceremony disrupted by political chanting; Jonathan Haidt's three great untruths and campus culture; why Middle East politics resist typical activist framing; Wall Street Journal's editorial inconsistency on FDA drug decisions; statistics deep dive on p-values, split alpha, and confidence interval interpretation; new ACGME resident work-hour rules and their unintended consequences; administrative burden as the real driver of resident burnout; Angela Duckworth's concept of grit, examined through the lens of descriptive versus prescriptive reasoning; ambition, cortisol, and the psychology of never feeling successful; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as a surprisingly good stage production; a JAMA study on pilots, flight attendants, and radiation-induced cancer; skepticism toward routine dental X-rays; hot tub-associated lung disease and questionable AI-generated medical advice; cold plunge trends and the lack of supporting data; why subtle political art works better than explicit statements; the controversy over AI assistance in solving a famous unsolved math problem; concerns about LG smart TVs recording audio and network data; and closing thoughts on 90s hip-hop versus the explicitness of modern rap.
Dr. Prasad's "Plenary Session" podcast.
Dr. Damania's "ZDoggMD Show" podcast.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Pancreatic Cancer Drug, USPSTF, Tylenol-Autism
2026/09/11
We're trying to become better listeners, SO PREPARE FOR SOME SHOUTING 🤭 Originally streamed LIVE on YouTube! (#41)
We cover the new pancreatic cancer drug daraxonrasib and its rash side effect, survival benefit, and cost; what makes pancreatic cancer especially deadly; Vinay’s clinical background across hematology and oncology; how mechanistically cancer actually kills; the challenge of finding good podcast guests and why authenticity matters more than plugging a product; vaccine mandates and the difference between individual versus population-level benefit; the USPSTF’s recent upheaval and the challenge of evidence-based guidelines on contested topics like depression screening, mammograms, and prostate cancer screening; observational versus randomized evidence, with examples spanning flu vaccines, shingles vaccines and dementia, and Tylenol in pregnancy and autism; the OpenAI Navier-Stokes controversy and AI’s role in mathematics; AI in medicine and a JAMA perspective piece on AI replacing physicians; statins, coronary calcium scores, and personal decision-making around cardiovascular risk; weight stigma in medical training and the complexity of obesity; alternative medicine, longevity influencers, and Vinay’s evolving views on certainty; the ethics and mechanics of prediction markets and biotech stock betting; and reflections on active listening and communication style on the show.
Dr. Prasad's "Plenary Session" podcast.
Dr. Damania's "ZDoggMD Show" podcast.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fauci's Diary, Vinay's FDA Experience, Jason Arday (Recorded LIVE)
2026/09/10
Yeah it's been over a year but you can't keep a couple of handsome brown guys apart forever 😎 A BRAND NEW VPZD EPISODE, originally streamed LIVE on YouTube! (#40)
Dr. Prasad's "Plenary Session" podcast.
Dr. Damania's "ZDoggMD Show" podcast.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ivy Leagues, Vaccine Science, Politics & Stuff
2025/04/23
We're back, just cuz we had dinner and felt like a live nightcap. Enjoy!
Watch the originally live YouTube video here.
Subscribe to "The VPZD Show" on your favorite podcast app.
Dr. Prasad's "Plenary Session" podcast.
Dr. Damania's "ZDoggMD Show" podcast.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Trump Transition, Reproductive Rights, Vaccine Truth
2024/11/14
Another live episode, we touch on a BUNCH of stuff, including Trump's transition, possible FDA appointments, RFK Jr., letters we've gotten about reproductive rights, was Harris or her team afraid to have her go on Rogan, a deep dive into COVID infection fatality rate and what to do about vaccines, and MUCH more. Watch the video version here.
Subscribe to The VPZD Show on your favorite podcast app. Check out VP's Substack Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts as well as Sensible Medicine. Here's all our previous episodes together.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Trump Won & What It Means For Healthcare
2024/11/09
Regardless of your political leanings, this live podcast WILL traumatize you 😻.
Election reactions, media polarization, what this might mean for healthcare and WAY more than you cared to hear about Peyronie’s disease 🍆🤓. Watch the video version here.
Subscribe to The VPZD Show on your favorite podcast app. Check out VP's Substack Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts as well as Sensible Medicine. Here's all our previous episodes together.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Rogan & Trump, Dumb Medical Practices, A VPZD Book Club?
2024/10/30
In this episode we discuss Joe Rogan/Trump Interview insights, the ‘science’ of polling, irrational COVID policies, erosion of trust in the medical establishment, the dangers of public health dogma, Trump Derangement Syndrome™️, reflections on the US political system, Zubin’s TikTok verification drama, what creates successful social media reach, TikTok’s cringey docs, the impact of shame on medical practice and education, Rogan’s fixation on physical fitness, why Yoga kicks ass, Vinay’s literary review of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series, and Zubin’s personal experience with psychedelics (watch THAT video here).
Video version of this episode here.
Subscribe to The VPZD Show on your favorite podcast app. Check out VP's Substack Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts as well as Sensible Medicine. Here's all our previous episodes together.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Public Health Sex Party Hypocrisy
2024/10/04
Former New York public health official Jay Varma's hypocritical sex parties during COVID, why we refuse to talk to most reporters, VP’s take on the new schizophrenia drug, the 10 year anniversary of VP’s PARADIGM-HF heart failure drug trial smackdown, how much an MD/PhD with 100 years of training makes when they finally finish school, Marty’s new book, a Stanford and Emory conference where VP is speaking on public health controversies, and much more!
Subscribe to The VPZD Show on your favorite podcast app. Check out VP's Substack Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts as well as Sensible Medicine. Here's all our previous episodes together.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Blind Spots (w/Dr. Marty Makary)
2024/09/16
Marty's in tha' house to rap about his new book, out Sept. 17th! Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health. Video version here.
Subscribe to The VPZD Show on your favorite podcast app. Check out VP's Substack Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts as well as Sensible Medicine. Here's all our previous episodes together.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Biden’s Drug Pricing, Fake Health News, Marty’s Book
2024/08/22
The three horseman of the apocalypse are BACK! We talk Marty’s new book, CVS as a PBM and the effect on independent community pharmacies, Biden’s medicare drug price negotiations, media health reporting biases, COVID and testing rules, Paxlovid efficacy, the media and lab leak theory, garbage research and health equity, lab leak vs. wet market, medical education is broken and what to do about it, why the med school curriculum is crap, how to fix medical conferences, why debate in medicine is now taboo, ABMS and medical board exam monopoly, culture of obedience in medicine, and more!
Here's a sneak peek of Marty Makary's new book BLIND SPOTS: When medicine gets it wrong and what it means for our health (now available for pre-order).
Subscribe to The VPZD Show on your favorite podcast app. Check out VP's Substack Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts as well as Sensible Medicine. Here's all our previous episodes together.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Losing ZDadd, MOC is Dumb, Medical Masking
2024/04/29
The most epic medical bromance in history is BACK and we've brought our A-game 🔥 Video version here.
Topics covered:
00:00 Intro, WE'RE BACK!
4:02 Zubin's Dad's Passing
30:00 Physician Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
48:18 Chat GPT and Medicine
52:24 Letting DOJ Know About MOC Monopoly
54:04 Colon Cancer Screening
1:04:30 Whole Body MRI Scans
1:12:24 GI Jokes
1:13:57 Masking In Hospitals
1:23:07 Doctors' Attire and Behavior (Professionalism)
1:27:21 What's Up With Braces?
👉 Ain't The Way To Die, including resources on end-of-life planning.
👉 Link to let DOJ know about MOC.
👉 Previous episode w/Dr. Paul Teirstein on MOC (Maintenence of Certification)
Subscribe to The VPZD Show on your favorite podcast app. Check out VP's Substack Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts as well as Sensible Medicine. Here's all our previous episodes together.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CDC Masking Comments, Prior Auths, Paxlovid Data
2023/02/16
Famous docs who can’t process evidence, prior authorization in healthcare and care variation, private equity and gray areas in medicine, the decline of academic medical centers, indoctrination in education, does Paxlovid actually work in populations that matter and the biases of observational trials, fake twitter medical experts, why hospital maintenance workers have more common sense than healthcare leadership, Cochrane mask review, CDC director masking comments and ivermectin, politics in science and why politicians simply can’t be honest, and more! Video here.
Subscribe to "The VPZD Show" on your favorite podcast app.
Check out our new Substack collaboration, "Sensible Medicine" here.
Dr. Prasad's "Plenary Session" podcast.
Dr. Damania's "ZDoggMD Show" podcast.
More on Vinay.
More on Zubin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcast reviews
Read The VPZD Show podcast reviews
Jayoz 2026/10/10
So needed
Thank you for an entertaining analysis of key medical issues . Medical schools have clearly failed on quality analytical thinking . I would love a joi...
Jojo Lauder 2026/09/08
vPZD the salt of Medicine
These duo is the salt of medicine .. both are funny but they are intellectually superior to others . Their minds are full of knowledge of science and ...
Jennifer Ingrid 2026/09/07
You both keep me sane!
You are the best, started listening during COVID and you kept me sane while I was working in healthcare. So glad you’re back!!
eueu2222 2025/11/30
Helped me through the post pandemic
this show really helped me with the alt-middle approach, especially from ZD being expert and VP being a scholar expert. but with what’s going on with ...
Ally277! 2025/09/23
Tylenol causes Autism?
You guys need to get together and share your take on the claim that Tylenol causes autism. This autism
mom can’t wait to hear VP tear apart the evide...
Morgan88311 2025/06/04
Sanity
Love you guys so much! You guys got me through Covid. It’s hard to even put into words how much I value listening to your conversations and your insig...
Mmsbest 2025/02/17
ZD still love you
VP no longer alt-middle I tried but I can't anymore
jubilee890 2025/02/09
Love this podcast!!
I hope that you guys do an episode soon! I’ve been watching Dr Prasad YouTube. I would love to hear both of your perspectives! I love this podcast!!
TreeHugger717 2025/01/30
What Happened???
What happened to this show??? It was one of a kind, and absolutely TERRIFIC. I have not been able to find anything quite like it. I understand if you ...
ahhhhfvxfdhb 2024/12/01
5 stars
Love listening to this podcast. Never a dull moment. Lots of information. Thank you!
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