Center-Right in a White Coat: Pradeep Shanker on AI, Vaccines, and Medical Orthodoxy

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Episode Summary

Radiologist, National Review senior contributor, and prominent center-right voice in medicine Pradeep Shanker joins Anish Koka and Anthony DiGiorgio for a wide-ranging conversation that covers AI's real (and overstated) role in radiology, the structural dysfunction of GME funding and physician immigration, what went wrong with COVID policy from both the left and right, the asymmetric treatment of physicians like Mary Bowden versus institutional failures like Aduhelm, and whether America is still a creedal nation. Pradeep and Anish agree on more than expected — and disagree sharply where it counts.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Introduction and guest background

02:23 AI in radiology — where it actually helps

07:42 Ground truth, image resolution, and the limits of AI diagnostics

12:16 Should AI replace the Nighthawk radiologist?

19:40 CMS reimbursement and AI — does it help or hurt?

21:09 Physician immigration and the GME funding problem

27:49 Supplier-induced demand and the third-party payment trap

35:52 Why we're not building enough American medical schools

39:23 Affirmative action in medical training

47:41 How did we do on COVID?

51:26 Depoliticizing the CDC and NIH

54:09 Vaccine mandates — where Pradeep draws the line

56:42 How do you rebuild trust in public health?

1:02:30 Mary Bowden, Vinay Prasad, and dissent in medicine

1:08:42 The Aduhelm asymmetry

1:16:35 Is America a creedal nation?

Co-Host Handles

@anish_koka and @drdigiorgio

Show Handle

@drsloungepod

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDoctorsLounge

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