Blood Donation Crisis & A 4-Organ Transplant First
August 7, 2026
In today's episode, Dr. Will Flanary (@DrGlaucomflecken) & Eva Johnson cover the American Red Cross declaring its second-ever national blood crisis, with Type O blood critically low and hospitals postponing transfusions. They break down what's driving the shortage and debate whether blood donors deserve HOV-lane perks. Then: a 36-year-old Iowa woman with cystic fibrosis becomes the first known U.S. patient to receive a quadruple organ transplant involving re-transplanted lungs, in
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About the Hosts
Dr. Will Flanary (AKA Dr. Glaucomflecken)
Better known to millions as Dr. Glaucomflecken, Will Flanary is one of the most recognizable voices in medicine today, reaching a combined audience of well over six million online followers with medical comedy and satire that has become required viewing across the healthcare world. His sketches, podcasts, and public commentary have turned the absurdities of the US healthcare system, insurance, and academic publishing into a cultural touchstone for clinicians and patients alike, and his reach extends well beyond social media to keynote stages, the 2022 Yale School of Medicine commencement address, and collaborations with the US Surgeon General. Behind the persona is a board-certified ophthalmologist who earned his MD at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Iowa, with honors including the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Secretariat Award and Ophthalmology Management's 40 Under 40. A two-time cancer survivor and sudden cardiac arrest survivor, he turned lived experience as a patient into comedy that resonates because it is rooted in real clinical and personal stakes. In his nonexistent free time, Will hosts the podcast "Knock Knock, Hi! with the Glaucomfleckens" alongside his wife Kristin Flanary to bring the wider healthcare community a warm, curious, and fascinating exploration of being a practitioner (warts and all). On Medlines, his unmatched voice and genuine medical authority make him both a draw and a trusted guide.
Dr. Alok Patel
Dr. Alok Patel is a pediatric hospitalist, an award-winning medical journalist, television contributor, and self-proclaimed hype man for public health. Dr. Patel serves as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and department head of strategic communication for Stanford Children's Hospital, splitting his time between treating hospitalized children and developing strategies to amplify public health measures. As a national medical contributor for ABC News, Dr. Patel hosts the segment Patel It Like It Is, and has worked across CNN, PBS, NBC, and Netflix, including the documentary series The Human: The World Within, which trended worldwide on Netflix's top 10. He writes and hosts the Medscape series The Hospitalists Retort, a back-to-back Eddie and Ozzie winner, was a Shorty finalist as host of the PBS Nova Now podcast, recently cohosted the HBO Pitt Podcast, and has a parenting book coming this year with Penguin Random House. Dr. Patel also serves as a key influencer for the American Academy of Pediatrics and sits on the executive committee for its Council on Communication and Media. In his rare downtime, you can catch him practicing martial arts, laughing early and often, playing with his vibrant daughter and incredible wife, and dancing as if life is a massive dance battle.
Adam Rose
An Emmy-nominated producer with more than 20 years in journalism, Adam Rose has reported and edited for the Los Angeles Times, LAist, HuffPost, and CBS/Paramount, with work recognized by a National Magazine Award and multiple Best of Photojournalism Awards. He serves as deputy director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation and is a fellow and senior advisor at the Starling Lab for Data Integrity, a research program based jointly at Stanford and USC, where his work on authenticating digital evidence has supported investigations including a war crimes inquiry that reopened a 30-year-old cold case. Adam has successfully lobbied for a California law shielding journalists from police interference, and his advocacy has produced federal court orders against both the Department of Homeland Security and the LAPD. Adam also sits proudly on the board of the Los Angeles Press Club position. On Medlines, he brings the editorial rigor and verification standards of a career spent defending accurate, accountable information.
Eva Johnson
Eva Johnson is a medical speech-language pathologist working in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. She is the co-host of Speech Talk, a podcast that translates clinical research into practical, evidence-informed guidance for SLPs in adult medical care. Trained at NYU, Eva came to speech-language pathology from an education, linguistics, and advocacy background — experience that sharpened her systems-based approach to clinical communication. She co-created Speech Talk to fill a real gap: accessible, grounded resources for practicing clinicians. On Medlines, her daily clinical work keeps her grounded in day-to-day patient care.