Real conversations with healthcare professionals — designed to give students a front-row seat to clinical careers, patient safety, and life in medicine.
Listen on SpotifyClick each episode to tune in! Here you can explore summaries from each episode — or visit the full recap archive in our Resource Hub.
In this episode of Behind The Mask, psychiatrist and hospital administrator Nelia San Jose-Carlson shares her experience balancing mental health care with hospital leadership. The conversation explores psychiatry, healthcare decision-making, and the challenges of managing both patient care and system-wide operations in high-pressure medical environments.
In this episode of Behind The Mask, CRNA Alana shares her journey from the ICU to the operating room, highlighting the critical role of managing patient safety, pain, and airway in high-stakes care. The conversation explores the precision, pressure, and mindset required to succeed in nurse anesthesia and thrive in one of healthcare's most demanding roles.
In this episode of Behind the Mask, Charge Nurse Christina shares insight into dialysis nursing, including her daily responsibilities, leadership role, and how she supports both patients and her team. This episode also highlights her dedication as a new mom, offering an honest and personal look at balancing nursing and motherhood while inviting listeners to share feedback on the podcast.
High performance doesn't always equal high well-being—many athletes struggle silently due to pressure, perfectionism, stigma, and fear of vulnerability. This episode highlights why speaking up is a strength, reminding athletes, coaches, and supporters that success and struggle can coexist, and mental health matters on and off the field.
In this episode of Behind the Mask, Dr. Yesha Parekh shares her journey through medical school and orthopaedic surgery residency, offering insight into the daily life, challenges, and rewards of physician training. The conversation highlights perseverance and provides an honest look at what it truly takes to pursue one of medicine's most demanding specialties.
In this episode, Manda, a clinical research nurse at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, shares her journey into oncology research and how clinical trials, patient care, and data intersect in her role. This conversation highlights a lesser-known but vital path in healthcare, offering valuable insight for students interested in nursing, research, and alternative medical careers.
Join us as Dr. Ghalib of the Rutgers Cancer Institute opens up about the human side of oncology administration. He discusses the challenges and rewards of supporting patients through one of the most difficult moments in their lives, his educational path to his position, and talks about how strong leadership drives better results from employees and for both patients and providers.
Dr. Habib, a palliative care and pain management physician at Rutgers Cancer Institute, joins us to break down what palliative care really is and how he got into one of the most meaningful branches of medicine. We talk about patient stories, pros and cons of the job, and the human side of healthcare that often goes unseen.
More episodes coming!
View Full ArchiveQuotes from the healthcare professionals featured on Behind The Mask.
"Putting in hard work early on will always work out in the future!"
— Dr. Yesha Parekh, Orthopaedic Surgery Resident at Johns Hopkins University"You really need to love what you do, and put in a lot of time to reach your goal. This is a very rewarding field!"
— Dr. Hamza Habib, Palliative Care Leader and Pain Management Physician at Rutgers University"If you have heart and empathy, and you really want to make a difference in the world, do whatever it takes to get through."
— Manda DiRubbo, Clinical Research Nurse