Rio Bravo qWeek
Education & Explainer
About
qWeek is the official podcast of the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program. Residents and faculty routinely present key topics and relevant discussions, coupled with medical jokes and Spanish medical terminology.
Episodes
- Episode 224: Community Health Workers
This episode of Rio Bravo qWeek, featuring Dr. Arreaza and Moira, defines Community Health Workers (CHWs) as trusted frontline public health workers. It explores their role in bridging healthcare gaps, their recognition in the Affordable C…
- Episode 223: Oncogenic Viruses
In Episode 223 of Rio Bravo qWeek, medical students Mehr Boparai and Jeremy Pan discuss oncogenic viruses. They explain that viruses can cause cancer through three main mechanisms: direct oncogenesis where viral proteins interfere with tum…
- Episode 222: Antibiotic Resistance
In Episode 222 of Rio Bravo qWeek, Dr. Hector Arreaza and medical students Mehr Boparai and Jeremy Pan discuss the critical issue of antibiotic resistance. They explain how bacteria evolve to resist antibiotics and its implications for mod…
- Episode 221: Insomnia Pharmacotherapy in Adults
This episode covers pharmacotherapy for adult insomnia, differentiating between over-the-counter options such as antihistamines (diphenhydramine, doxylamine) and melatonin, and prescription medications. It notes that pharmacotherapy is a s…
- Episode 220: Approach of Insomnia in Adults
Episode 220 of Rio Bravo qWeek covers the approach to insomnia in adults, from assessment to treatment, noting recent shifts in first-line therapy. Chronic insomnia affects about 10% of the population, a figure that rose during the COVID-1…
- Episode 219: Chronic Pain and Functionality in Cancer Survivors
Shivam: My name is Shivam Patel and I’m currently a 3rd year medical student from Western university and today we will be discussing Chronic Pain After Cancer with an emphasis on Improving functionality in cancer survivors and how it overl…
- Episode 218: Statin Therapy Fundamentals
Episode 218: Statin Therapy Fundamentals What are statins? Zohal: Statins are medications that lower cholesterol by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which prevents cholesterol synthesis in the liver. By doing so, statins decrease l…
- Episode 217: Testicular Cancer
Episode 217: Testicular Cancer Dr. Arreaza: Welcome to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. Today we are discussing testicular cancer, a topic that may not appear frequently in primary care but is extremely important to recognize early. We are joined…
- Episode 216: Fibromyalgia Overview
Episode 216: Fibromyalgia Overview Reitta Wyllie and Tejasvi Ayaggari (medical students) discuss with Dr. Arreaza the presentation, diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia, a commonly unrecognized disease that may impact patient’s quality…
- Episode 215: Meth-associated HFrEF
Episode 215: Meth-associated HFrEF. Abishak and Zat (medical students) explain the cardiotoxic effect of methamphetamine and the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Dr. Arreaza adds insight into…
- Episode 214: Valley Fever Complications
Episode 214: Valley Fever Complications. Dr. Arreaza: Welcome back to the podcast. I’m Dr. Arreaza, and today we’re talking about a topic that’s very relevant here in the Central Valley but often not well known in the rest of the country,…
- Episode 213: HIV PrEP Review
Episode 213: HIV PrEP Review H. Nicole Magaña, medical student, reviews the history of PrEP and outlines the currently FDA-approved medications used for HIV prevention. Dr. Arreaza provides additional perspective on long-acting injectable…
- Episode 212: Managing HFpEF
Episode 212: Managing HFpEF Hyo Mun and Jordan Redden (medical students) explain how to manage HFpEF with medications and touch some basics about nonpharmacologic treatments. Dr. Arreaza asks insightful questions to guide the discussion. W…
- Episode 211: Understanding HFpEF
Episode 211: Understanding HFpEF. Hyo Mun and Jordan Redden (medical students) explain the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and how it differentiates from HFrEF. Dr. Arreaza asks insightful question…
- Episode 210: Heat Stroke Basics
Episode 210: Heat Stroke Basics Written by Jacob Dunn, MS4, American University of the Caribbean. Edits and comments by Hector Arreaza, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the R…
- Episode 209: Do not Do
Episode 209: Do not Do Stephanie Granat (medical student) explains three screenings that are USPSTF Grade D (Do not do): Prostate cancer, genital herpes, and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Arreaza shares some insight about testing patients with lo…
- Episode 208: Cough Basics (Pidjin English)
Episode 208: Cough Basics (Pidjin English) Written by Ebenezer Dadzie You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, Californi…
- Episode 207: Understanding Hypertension and Diabetes (Pidjin English)
Episode 207: Understanding Hypertension and Diabetes (Pidjin English) Written by Michael Ozoemena, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Pr…
- Episode 206: Street Medicine and Harm Reduction
Episode 206: Street Medicine and Harm Reduction. Mohammed Wase (medical student) and Dr. Singh describe what it is like to provide health care on the streets. They share their personal experiences working in a street medicine team. They de…
- Episode 205: Atopic Dermatitis
Episode 205: Atopic Dermatitis Kara Willbanks (medical student) explains the definition, pathophysiology , and treatment of eczema. Dr. Arreaza adds some input about bleach baths and topical steroids. Written by Kara Willbanks, MSIV, Ameri…
- Episode 204: Adult Pneumococcal Vaccines in 2025
Episode 204: Adult Pneumococcal Vaccines in 2025. Luz Perez (MSIV) presents all the available pneumococcal vaccines for adults. Dr. Arreaza guides the discussion about what to do with adults who have previously received pneumococcal vaccin…
- Episode 203: Microinduction and harm reduction in OUD
Episode 203: Microinduction and harm reduction in OUD. Nathan Bui and Sanjay Reddy describe how to manage opioid use disorder (OUD) by using microinduction and harm reduction, strategies that are reshaping the way we treat opioid use disor…
- Episode 202: BPA Overview
Episode 202: BPA Overview Written by Cameron Carlisle, MSIV, Ross University School of Medicine. Comments by Hector Arreaza, MD. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Fa…
- Episode 201: AKI Roadmap
Episode 201: AKI Roadmap. Future Dr. Ayyagari describes the different types of acute kidney injury and shares some elements of management for each category. Dr. Arreaza shares some input about statistics and the importance of drinking wate…
- Episode 200: All About Ascites
Episode 200: All About Ascites. Jesica Mendoza explains the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of ascites. Dr. Arreaza adds input about early detection and prevention of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Written by Jesica Mendoza,…
- Episode 199: Essential Screenings for Young Adults
Episode 199: Essential Screenings for Young Adults Dr. Lopez presents the most important screening tests for young adults. Dr. Arreaza adds some input on screening for depression and anxiety. Written by Alejandra Lopez, MD. Edits by Hector…
- Episode 198: Fatigue
Episode 198: Fatigue. Future doctors Redden and Ibrahim discuss with Dr. Arreaza the different causes of fatigue, including physical and mental illnesses. Dr. Arreaza describes the steps to evaluate fatigue. Some common misconceptions are…
- Episode 197: Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Episode 197: Continuous Glucose Monitoring Written by William Zeng, MSIII, and Chris Kim, MSIII. University of Southern California. You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo…
- Episode 196: Bipolar Disorder
Episode 196: Bipolar Disorder. Learn about the diagnosis and management of bipolar disorder, presented by medical students Jennifer, Targol, and Tyler. Written by Jennifer Burnham, OMS III; Targol Mehrazar, OMS III; and Tyler Richins, OMS…
- Episode 195: Case of headache
Episode 195: Case of headache. Future doctors Ibrahim and Redden explain the most common causes of headaches and explain the features of a serious cause of headache. Dr. Arreaza highlights the importance of diagnosis migraines. Written by…
- Episode 194: Acute Low Back Pain
Episode 194: Acute low back pain. Future Dr. Ibrahim presents a clinical case to explain the essential points in the evaluation of back pain. Future Dr. Redden adds information about differentiating between a back strain and more serious d…
- Episode 193: Gestational Diabetes Intro
Episode 193: Gestational Diabetes Intro Jesica Mendoza (OMSIII) describes the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes and the right timing and method of screening for it. Dr. Arreaza adds insight into the need for culturally-appropriate fo…
- Episode 192: ADHD Treatment
Episode 192: ADHD Treatment. Jordan Redden (MSIV) explains the treatment of ADHD. Dr. Bustamante adds input about pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments. Dr. Arreaza shares the how stimulants were discovered as the treatment for AD…
- Episode 191: Diagnosis of ADHD
Episode 191: Diagnosis of ADHD Future Dr. Granat explains how to diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. She explained the influence of social media in increasing awareness of ADHD. Dr. Arreaza added input about the validated to…
- Episode 190: Measles Basics
Episode 190: Measles Basics Future Dr. Kapur explained the basics of measles, including the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of this disease. Dr. Schlaerth added information about SPPE and told interesting stories of measles. Dr.…
- Episode 189: Intermittent Fasting (Religious and Sports)
Episode 189: Intermittent Fasting (Religious and Sports) Future Doctors Carlisle and Kim give recommendations about patients who are fasting for religious reasons, such as Ramadan. They also explain the benefits and risks of fasting for at…
- Episode 188: RSV Management and Prevention
Episode 188: RSV Management and Prevention Dr. Sandhu and future Dr. Mohamed summarize the management of RSV and describe how to prevent it with chemoprophylaxis and vaccines. Dr Arreaza adds some comments about RSV vaccines. Written by Ab…
- Episode 187: Autism Fundamentals
Episode 187: Autism Fundamentals Future Dr. Ayyagari explains the recommended screenings for autism, how to diagnose it and sheds some light on the management. Dr. Arreaza mentions the Savant Syndrome and the need to recognize ASD as a spe…
- Episode 186: Exercise Prescriptions
Episode 186: Exercise Prescriptions Dr. Sandhu and future Dr. Daoud explain the way to prescribe exercise, what are the general guidelines for exercise and how to overcome barriers to exercise. Dr. Arreaza emphasized the importance to scre…
- Episode 185: Aging 101
Episode 185: Aging 101. Dr. Schlaerth explained the physiology, how to slow down and how to prevent aging. Dr. Ayyagari inquired about how to fight ageism in our clinic and in our society. Dr. Arreaza highlights the importance of treating…
- Episode 184: Multiple Myeloma Basics
Episode 184: Multiple Myeloma Basics Sub-Interns and future Drs. Di Tran and Jessica Avila explain the symptoms, work up and treatment of multiple myeloma. Written by Di Tran, MSIV, Ross University School of Medicine; Xiyuan Yang, MSIV, Am…
- Episode 183: Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults
Episode 183: Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults Future Dr. Avila and Dr. Arreaza present evidence-based information about the screening and diagnosis of colorectal cancer and explain the increasing incidence among young adult and the import…
- Episode 182: HPV Vax
Episode 182: HPV Vax Future Dr. Zuaiter and Dr. Arreaza briefly discuss HPV infection but pocus on the prevention of the infection with the vaccine. Dr. Arreaza mentions that HPV vaccine is also recommended by ASCCP to medical professional…
- Episode 181: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
Episode 181: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Future Dr. Johnson explains the pathophysiology, assessment, and management of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis syndrome. Dr. Arreaza adds some insights on the topic. Written by Tyler Johnson, MSIV, Wes…
- Episode 180: Pediatric Hip Pain
Episode 180: Pediatric Hip Pain Future Dr. Pena-Brockett explains the differential diagnosis in a 14-year-old patient who has a new onset of left hip pain. Dr. Arreaza adds comments and explains toxic synovitis. Written by Natalie Pena-Bro…
- Episode 179: Impact of intermittent fasting on T2DM.
Episode 179: Impact of intermittent fasting Impact on T2DM Future Dr. Carlisle explains the physiology of fasting and how it can help revert type 2 diabetes. Dr. Arreaza adds details on how to do intermittent fasting. Written by Cameron Ca…
- Episode 178: Social Media in Medicine
Episode 178: Social Media in Medicine Dr. De Luna and Dr. Song explain the role of social media in medical education and how online journal clubs have become more useful in recent years. Dr. Arreaza offers insights into our role as educato…
- Episode 177: Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults
Episode 177: Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults Future Dr. Nguyen explains the evaluation and treatment of older adults with urinary incontinence. Dr. Arreaza adds insights into the conservative management of urinary incontinence. Writte…
- Episode 176: Self-sampling for HPV screening
Episode 176: Self-sampling for HPV screening Future Dr. Markarian explains the importance of HPV screening for the prevention of cervical cancer. Dr. Arreaza adds some insight about cervical cancer. Written by Chantal Markarian, MSIV, Amer…
- Episode 175: Alcohol Use Disorder Basics
Episode 175: Alcohol Use Disorder Basics Future Dr. Sangha explains the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and fundamentals of the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Dr. Arreaza offers insights about the human aspect of the treatment…