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Rating

★★★★★

4.5

from

68 reviews

Description

An examination of medical ethics and the practitioners who define them. Sign up to receive the Second Opinion topics in newsletter form at kcrw.com/newsletters .

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Second Opinion podcast

The Pressure to Succeed

2026/09/13

American teens are anxious, exhausted, and getting too little sleep. Are phones really the whole problem—or should we also be looking at our culture of achievement?

Would You Get Sick for Science?

2026/09/06

They were conscientious objectors who refused to fight in World War II. So they found another way to serve: they offered their own bodies for dangerous medical experiments.

Maybe We've Been Fighting the Wrong Enemy

2026/08/30

For 100 years we've been trying to kill mosquitoes. What if the real problem was us?

Mosquitoes Are Winning

2026/08/23

We've spent decades trying to kill mosquitoes. So why do they seem to be getting better at living with us?

The Missing Ingredient in Fighting Ebola

2026/08/16

You can bring doctors, laboratories, and protective equipment to an Ebola outbreak. But you can't ship trust in a box.

The Choice Dementia Takes Away

2026/08/09

Who should make the final decision about your death? You, your family, your doctor...or a disease that slowly takes away your mind?

Evolution Never Saw this Coming

2026/08/02

Your body was built for a world that no longer exists — and that mismatch might be making you sick.

In The Last Pew

2026/07/26

When the family of a longtime patient invited me to her funeral, I found myself wrestling with a question I never addressed in medical school.

Before You Take That Alzheimer's Test, Ask This Question

2026/07/19

New Alzheimer's blood tests are accurate, available, and increasingly advertised — but for healthy people, a positive result is rarely useful.

Because We've Always Done It That Way

2026/07/12

Standard medical practice isn't the same as proven medical practice — and the difference can be deadly.

The Comfort Premium

2026/07/05

It’s the same medicine. So why does the convenient version cost so much more?

Solving One Problem, Creating Another

2026/06/28

From a Pacific island overrun by rats to hospital wards battling superbugs, why our best intentions so often backfire.

What's Your Pain Worth? The Ethics of Paying Research Subjects

2026/06/21

Would you take $5,000 to be in a painful medical study? And should researchers even be allowed to ask?

Why Is She Being Blamed for Her Cancer?

2026/06/12

We'd never ask a breast cancer patient what she did to deserve it. So why do we ask her?

Gorillas: The Canary in the Jungle

2026/06/08

Veterinarians in Central Africa are bracing for an Ebola outbreak among gorillas. It might sound remote. It's not.

Podcast reviews

Read Second Opinion podcast reviews

4.5 out of 5

68 reviews

★★★☆☆

Fernandina M 2025/11/23

Not that kind of doctor

I’ve been listening for a long time and today’s was the first episode I found disappointing. In “not that kind of doctor”, Dr Wilkes describes an NP w...

★★★★☆

Sylverwylf 2022/04/30

Ticks and one health

While I agree with the assessment of physicians and veterinarians should work together. Facts were wrong in the episode. Ticks require 3 blood meals ...

★☆☆☆☆

Auditory Aficionado 2022/02/05

One opinion, Lop sided, physician centric

Podcast brings a single perspective to common problems with the US healthcare system. At a time when debate, dialogue and collaboration are necessary ...

★★★★★

lsmakarova1717b 2021/06/05

Love it

Love it!

★★★★★

pinpillage_ray 2021/02/14

Underrated-long needed

Concise and important. Leaves me wanting more Seriously, I cannot stress enough how great this podcast is

★★★★★

Lizblank40 2020/03/28

Second Opinion

Short, easy to understand messages. Important and relatable topics.

★★★★★

Chelsea Born 2020/03/27

All

Excellent podcast. Evidence based and short! Thanks

★★★★★

staeces 2017/11/04

Cuts to the chase

I appreciate the effective & simple format the doc uses to provide relevant perspectives on things I need to hear. He cuts to the chase perfectly. T...

★★★★★

@MrRLA3 2016/08/30

One of my favorites'

The information is to the point, helpful, consistent, and well delivered. Great Job!

★★★★★

n7011n 2014/04/08

Thought provoking

I often wish I could find a physician who knew as much and cared as much as Dr. Wilkes.

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