In this episode of the Vets First Podcast, Levi and Brandon interview Dr. Alejandro Pezzulo, a pulmonologist, and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa. This episode was recording back in August of 2021 during the height of the Delta wave. We think this is an interesting look into COVID-19 with a critical care provider.
Dr. Pezzulo was born in Caracas, Venezuela where he grew and eventually went to medical school. He became interested in biomedical research, particularly pulmonology, and established connections at the University of Iowa. Dr. Pezzulo wanted to include research with being a clinician and began work with the VA during his internal medicine residency. He enjoyed talking and working with Veterans while providing clinical care and continues to do so to this day. He notes that some of his favorite patients are Veterans.
In our discussion, Dr. Pezzulo shares with Levi and Brandon his insight into SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. He breaks down how COVID-19 affects the body, why the body’s response to this virus is so severe, and how current treatments work to combat this disease. Particularly, Dr. Pezzulo illustrates the difference between how the body responds to a new virus never experienced before and how the immune response plays a role. He also comments on why COVID-19 is more harmful to some patients than others and what factors play a role. Additionally, Dr. Pezzulo comments on how the COVID-19 vaccines are made, getting the COVID-19 vaccine even if a person has already contracted the virus, the potentials of long COVID, and a brief history on vaccination efforts with other diseases like polio and measles. Finally, he discusses what it has been like for a critical care pulmonologist during the pandemic.
For the latest science and research on COVID-19, we highly encourage our listeners to consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-and-research.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fmore%2Fscience-and-research.html
Louis Kolling: From the Army to Science, How an Army Veteran found a career in science
A Discussion with Neil Andrews From the Migraine Science Collaborative
Season 3 Episode 8: Understanding diabetes and vision loss: A walkthrough with Dr. Randy Kardon
Season 3 episode 4: Resilience and growth through traumatic vision loss: Tim Hornick
Season 3 Episode 2: Guiding the way to meaningful research for Veterans: Dr. Lina Kubli
Season 3 Episode 12: Building bridges in international veteran vision research: Dr. Renata Gomes and Bravo Victor
Season 3 Episode 3: Investigating visual disfunction in blast traumatic brain injury: Dr. Steven Fliesler
Season 3 episode 5: Providing support and community with sight loss: Dr. Laura Peters
Season 3 episode 10: A look into the optic nerve and vision loss: Dr. Oliver Gramlich
Season 3 Episode 11: Advocating for Veterans and families with sight loss: Dr. Thomas Zampieri and the Blinded Veterans Association
Season 3 episode 9: Navigating life with glaucoma related vision loss: Liz Holmes
Season 3 Episode 7: Life and independence after diabetic vision loss: Loretta Phillips
Season 3 Episode 6: Connecting sight loss, TBI, the importance of building a care network: Dr. Eric Singman
Season 3 Episode 1: Introduction to season 3
Season 2 Episode 7 – Perseverance through care and routine: Dr. Carolyn Turvey and Dr. Anne Sadler discuss research on depression and suicide risk with our Veterans
Season 2 Episode 2 – Not broken, just doing things differently: Director of Disability in Education for the Student Veterans of America, Dan Standage
Season 2 Episode 5 – Learning about drug use disorders from origin to treatment: Dr. Anthony Miller and Dr. John Wemmie
Season 2 Episode 1 – Kicking off Season 2 of the Vets First Podcast
Season 2 Episode 3 – Aiding vision-impaired Veterans through experience: Iowa City VA VIST Coordinator Keith Queen
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