Endocrine News Podcast

For some people, diabetes can be very hard to control, even with the standard glucose-lowering therapies. Several studies have demonstrated that endogenous hypercortisolism is prevalent among these individuals. What’s the relationship between type 2 diabetes and hypercortisolism, and what do health care providers need to know about that relationship? To help answer those questions, host Aaron Lohr talks with two guests. Vivian A. Fonseca, MD, is a professor of medicine, assistant dean for clinical research, the Tullis-Tulane Alumni Chair in Diabetes, and chief of the section of endocrinology at Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans. James W. Findling, MD, is a professor of medicine and surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Drs. Fonseca and Findling are authors of an article published in the journal Diabetes Care looking at the CATALYST study: “Inadequately Controlled Type 2 Diabetes and Hypercortisolism: Improved Glycemia With Mifepristone Treatment.” This episode is made possible by support from Corcept Therapeutics Inc. Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp110 — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

In recent years, we have seen tremendous growth not just in the popularity of anti-obesity medications, but also in the medications themselves, how effective they are, how many there are. What exactly has changed during this rapid evolution? How safe and effective are these medications today? What challenges still exist in using them? To help answer these questions, host Aaron Lohr speaks with Gitanjali Srivastava, MD, professor of medicine, medical director of Vanderbilt Obesity Medicine, and founding program director of the Obesity Medicine Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Srivastava presented at the Endocrine Society’s Obesity Fellows Conference in September 2025. The title of her presentation was “Pharmacological Approaches to Treating and Understanding Complicated Obesity.” Listening to this episode can earn you 0.5 ABIM MOC points and 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. If you are interested in those points and credits, you will need to take a pre-test on the Endocrine Society Center for Learning before listening to this episode. You can find a link in this episode’s show notes. After that pre-test, listen to this episode in the Center for Learning, then take the post-test. This episode is made possible by educational grants from Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp109 — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

In the last five years, the field of artificial intelligence and robotics has taken off and has become a part of our everyday life, and it continues to grow and evolve. How are AI and robotics shaping the field of medicine? How is it improving the lives of doctors and patients? We used to ask, “What is the role of AI in medicine?” Are we getting closer to a time where we’ll be asking what the role is of humans? To help us answer these questions, host Aaron Lohr talks with Hassan M. Heshmati, MD. Dr. Heshmati has been a physician for 49 years and an endocrinologist for 45 years, with experience in clinical research and academia and in the pharmaceutical biotech industry. He founded Endocrinology Metabolism Consulting, based in Anthem, Ariz., and presented an abstract at ENDO 2025 titled, “Update on the Use of Robotic Surgery and Artificial Intelligence for Adrenal Tumors.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp108 — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

Technically known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1, these drugs have been around for years for treating diabetes. Now it seems most people think of GLP-1 drugs as medications to lose weight, and these medications are so popular that for a time, supply could not meet demand, leaving many to seek compounded GLP-1 medications, which were more accessible and affordable. However, compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and there are questions regarding their safety and efficacy. What do doctors and patients need to know when considering using compounded obesity medications? To help answer this, host Aaron Lohr talks with Michael Weintraub, MD, an endocrinologist at NYU Langone Division of Endocrinology. Dr. Weintraub serves on the exam writing committee for the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Support for this episode was provided by Lilly. Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp107 — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast

Bariatric surgery is a procedure used to manage obesity and obesity-related conditions. While studies have shown that bariatric surgery leads to significant weight loss, are there cases where it may be important to consider reversing the procedure? What would such cases look like? How effectively can bariatric surgery be reversed? To help explore those questions, host Aaron Lohr talks with Katherine Hazen, MD, a second-year endocrine fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She and colleagues presented an abstract at ENDO 2025 titled, “Going Backwards as a Means of Moving Forward: Severe Hypoglycemia After Bariatric Surgery.” Show notes are available at https://www.endocrine.org/podcast/enp106 — for helpful links or to hear more podcast episodes, visit https://www.endocrine.org/podcast