paul evan bunce, md
@paulbuncemd.bsky.social
1.2K followers 59 following 110 posts
internist, infectious diseases md, educator. he/him. toronto creator of firstcallid.ca and “the host response” https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-host-response-a-firstcallid-podcast/id1813669140
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Reposted by paul evan bunce, md
onisillos.bsky.social
A great and informative discussion of peer review. I have too many opinions to go into depth here.

My general solution is to better value, in all senses, both peer and editorial review. If peer review was formally counted as work by an academic that might encourage more engagement.
cmicomms.bsky.social
🎙️ Just published: Communicable E37: 'Peer review is broken'

Hosted by @angelahuttner.bsky.social & @anniejoseph.bsky.social

w/ invited guests: Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social & Serge Horbach

Listen on Communicable:

#IDSky #Clinmicro #MedSky #peerreview #AI
Communicable E37: 'Peer review is broken'
Contrary to popular belief, peer review has only recently become an...
share.transistor.fm
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
statin use in PLWHIV, a routine question in outpatient HIV care.

this brief review covers the key points (rationale + recommendations).

IMO, starting a statin in all PLWHIV should be a shared decision, not just for those at moderate CV risk.

www.cmaj.ca/content/197/...

#idsky @cmaj.ca
Statin use in people with HIV
Despite advancements in treatment and HIV viral suppression, people with HIV experience a risk of myocardial infarction that is 1.73 times higher than in people without HIV.[1][1] Believed to be in pa...
www.cmaj.ca
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
turns out what The Host Response really needed to make it great was... a new host (well, guest host).

brooke fraser joins the show as we dig into a few topics on the teaching and practice of ID.

pretty sure we’ll be making a habit of this type of episode.
firstcallid.bsky.social
🎙️ New from The Host Response: The Bundle

This episode features a new format—part roundtable, part reflection—where we talk about what’s shaping ID thinking right now.

Featuring guest host, Dr. Brooke Fraser.

🔗 firstcallid.ca
#FirstCallID #MedEd #IDsky
Episode 12 - The Bundle
Podcast Episode · The Host Response: A FirstcallID Podcast · 10/05/2025 · 15m
podcasts.apple.com
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
of the many reasons patients with pneumonia fail to improve, the one i encounter most often is a complicated parapneumonic effusion.

easy to overlook but important to catch.

(and trust me, you need to look at the CT with your own eyes to appreciate them)
firstcallid.bsky.social
New FirstcallID Teaching Video 🎥

Approach Non-Resolving Pneumonia 🫁

A practical framework for ID consultations; covering history, exposures, investigations, and when to consider further interventions.

Watch now(and share often)!

#InfectiousDiseases #MedEd #AntibioticStewardship #idsky
FirstcallID - How to do an Infectious Diseases Consultation: Non-Resolving Pneumonia
YouTube video by FirstcallID
youtu.be
Reposted by paul evan bunce, md
firstcallid.bsky.social
New FirstcallID Teaching Video 🎥

Approach Non-Resolving Pneumonia 🫁

A practical framework for ID consultations; covering history, exposures, investigations, and when to consider further interventions.

Watch now(and share often)!

#InfectiousDiseases #MedEd #AntibioticStewardship #idsky
FirstcallID - How to do an Infectious Diseases Consultation: Non-Resolving Pneumonia
YouTube video by FirstcallID
youtu.be
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
i'll admit that i fall back on this strategy routinely.

the "mulligan", when thoughtfully deployed, is a helpful way to manage cases where you aren't sure where to turn next.

the art is knowing when best to take this approach, but the timing (and optics) need to be weighed carefully.
firstcallid.bsky.social
⛳️ THR Episode 11 – The Mulligan

In golf, a mulligan is a do-over.

In ID, sometimes the best move is the same: stop, reset, and start fresh.

We discuss the value of this strategy and when use it (or shelve it).

#InfectiousDiseases #AntibioticStewardship #MedEd #idsky

🎧 Listen here:
Episode 11 - The Mulligan
Podcast Episode · The Host Response: A FirstcallID Podcast · 09/21/2025 · 5m
podcasts.apple.com
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
i really enjoyed this discussion with nick daneman and rob fowler on the #Communicable & #Breakpoints podcasts, where the lead investigators break down the journey of the BALANCE trial.

the story behind this epic study is almost as compelling as the results.
cmicomms.bsky.social
The 2nd #Communicable & #Breakpoints collaboration drops on 19 Sept! Hosts @angelahuttner.bsky.social & @erinmccreary.bsky.social invite BALANCE trial leads Nick Daneman & Robert Fowler to discuss everything from the trial's humble start to its meteoric impact in clinical practice.
#IDSky #clinmicro
Screenshot of Communicable & Breakpoints hosts Erin McCreary & Angela Huttner with guests Rob Fowler and Nick Daneman.
Reposted by paul evan bunce, md
firstcallid.bsky.social
Gram-neg bacteremia is common, important, and often the reason ID is called.

It's not just about picking an antibiotic, but also asking why it happened, and what else to do?

This FCID session reviews an approach to the patient with GNB bacteremia.

#MedEd #InfectiousDiseases #FOAMed #idsky
FirstcallID - How to do an Infectious Diseases Consultation: Gram-negative Bacilli Bacteremia
YouTube video by FirstcallID
youtu.be
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
as a hospital based internist, i find my physical exam skills are elite.

mind you, i’ve usually reviewed the blood work and imaging prior to seeing the patient.
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
having been on both sides, i wanted to highlight this dynamic and ways to improve the sync between trainee and attending.

in hindsight, i think this one may speak more to staff than trainees…
firstcallid.bsky.social
🎙️The Host Response: Out of Step

When your plan is careful, evidence-based… and your attending still says “No, do the opposite”?

This episode is about those moments of mismatch between trainee & attending, and how to find your footing when you feel out of sync.

#MedEd #InfectiousDiseases #idsky
Episode 10 - Out of Step
Podcast Episode · The Host Response: A FirstcallID Podcast · 09/07/2025 · 5m
podcasts.apple.com
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
interesting. i was halfway through it but lost track with other life stuff.
i will pick it up again.
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
job posting: clinician scientist in infectious diseases at UofT (UHN/Sinai Health), with a focus on TB research.

it’s a great academic environment, full of supportive colleagues, engaged learners, and all the energy of toronto.

spread the word!

#idsky #clinicianscientist #tuberculosis
Assistant Professor - Academic Infectious Diseases Physician
Assistant Professor - Academic Infectious Diseases Physician
jobs.utoronto.ca
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
as a longtime proponent of calculating or noting the anion gap, this case was fascinating.

it also puts my personal record for “lowest AG” to shame.

if of interest, this case of Li toxicity includes summary of causes of a negative AG.

www.cmaj.ca/content/176/...
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
ICYMI - FirstCallID is a growing collection of free, focused ID teaching videos made for rounds, clinics, and learners at all levels.

🌐 Website: www.firstcallid.ca
📺 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@FirstcallID
🎧 The Host Response podcast also available via Apple/Spotify

Use it, share it, teach with it.
FirstCallID – ID Teaching Videos & Podcast for Trainees
Case-based ID teaching videos and a short-format podcast for trainees. Created by Dr. Paul Bunce to support real-world clinical thinking.
www.firstcallid.ca
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
i am thinking of “the lives of others”(2006).

“people who tell the truth can re-formulate things, and they do. a liar has prepared sentences, which he falls back on when under pressure.”

“the truth is in the details. a liar’s story is too consistent.”
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
congrats to drs. hugh huang and manreet dhaliwal, coauthors on this brief cmaj review.

the result of much thought, effort, and fine-tuning.

we hope it's helpful to clinicians.

#idsky
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
a classic ID consult: unexplained eosinophilia.

i fall back on my usual diagnostic framework:
- infectious
- inflammatory
- malignant
... 🤔

(in this case drugs, primary heme, endocrine, etc.)

Great review + infographic via The Intern at Work:
🔗 www.theinternatwork.com/infographics...
Eosinophilia — The Intern at Work
Written by: Dr. Shreyash Dalmia (Hematology Fellow) Reviewed by: Dr. Siraj Mithoowani (Hematology & Thrombosis) & Dr. John Neary (General Internal Medicine) Infographic by: Lily Yu (Medical...
www.theinternatwork.com
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
i have respect for clinicians who sit with “box 2” — getting better, diagnosis unknown — without rushing to claim credit. it takes humility to accept improvement you can’t fully explain.

“despite our efforts, the patient recovered…”
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
got my first recombinant shingles vax—partly for the benefits (less shingles, maybe less dementia), partly to experience what i recommend

12h: sore arm, subjective fever
24h: back to baseline

boldly following the footsteps of marshall, kean, carrion…

is there a nobel prize coming my way?

#idsky
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
Protect the Macrolide!™

this @febrilepodcast.com episode is an excellent overview of commonly faced dilemmas in NTM treatment—concise, practical, and clinically relevant. excellent discussants as well.

player.captivate.fm/episode/ad81...

#idsky #NTM #meded #pulmsky
122: StAR: Protect the Macrolide! NTM Pulmonary Disease
Quickly and easily listen to Febrile for free!
player.captivate.fm
paulbuncemd.bsky.social
having just recorded/released a teaching video on HIV that highlighted these OI guidelines as an invaluable resource - i was saddened to see this shared by dr. sax. the potential loss of this living, practical, evidence-based tool is a huge step backward
grateful to those who built and maintained it