Parul Bhargava, MD is Professor & Vice-Chair of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is a pathologist with subspecialty training in hematology. Dr. Bhargava describes herself as passionate about medical education and has authored or edited numerous academic publications.

In this podcast, Dr. Bhargava talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Diagnostic testing, laboratory medicine, pathology. How blood is like sap from a tree that flows to nearly every part of the body.
• What happens in the lab after patients have blood drawn. How blood tests help scientists learn more about a patient’s diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options, and treatment response.
• Ways to communicate to patients and the public about the vital function of blood and importance of blood tests.

More ways to learn:

• The Blood Project: Bringing Blood to Life. A website for practicing physicians, medical trainees, health professionals, and everyone curious about blood.
• Talking about Blood: What does it mean to be a hematopathologist? Podcast interview with Dr. Parul Bhargava on The Blood Project.
• Making Lab Test Results More Meaningful. A Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, PhD.
• UCSF Health: Clinical Labs

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. Especially relevant to this podcast is the chapter, “Community Connections.”

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Blood Testing: What Is Learned in the Lab (HLOL #223) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.