Social Rounds

In this episode of Social Rounds, Tony and Frances Mei sit down with Dr. Kate Buhrke — rock climber, former ortho gunner, and unapologetic regime-builder.

Kate shares her journey from growing up in suburban Illinois (not Chicago, according to Tony), to climbing hundreds of feet without ropes, to eating, sleeping, and breathing orthopedic surgery… and then not matching.

They talk about:

1. The identity crisis of not matching
2. What surgery demands of you — and what it takes back
3. The paradox of “putting all your eggs in one basket”
4. The culture of ortho
5. Whether ChatGPT in journal club is criminal or minimal
6. And why sometimes you just have to decide you’re not going to fall

This one is about ambition, ego, shame, calling, and what survives when your professional identity doesn’t.

Plus: apple-cracking intimidation tactics.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Guest: Kate Burhke, DO

Connect with Kate:

https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/kate-buhrke-do

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

This week on Social Rounds, Frances Mei and Tony bring back Outside Baseball with three wild medical stories you can’t make up.

First: a woman delivers her baby in the back of a Waymo robo-taxi. Is the surveillance state helping… or creeping us out? Then: doctors warn that your favorite claw clip could cause serious head injuries in a car accident. Fashion vs. safety — where do we draw the line? And finally: GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro are linked to surprise pregnancies. From slowed gastric emptying affecting oral contraceptives to PCOS cycles restarting after weight loss, we break down what’s actually happening.

Plus, one cool thing each — from a surprisingly great narrative video game (Dispatch) to the underrated luxury of a disciplined tea ritual (with valerian root, obviously).

Modern life is weird. We’re just here to process it.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

It’s that time of year again. Rank lists are due, anxiety is peaking, and medical students everywhere are trying to reverse-engineer “the algorithm.”

In this week’s Social Rounds, Tony and Frances Mei break down the residency Match—from the “big computer in the sky” to the chaos of SOAP week—and share what actually matters when you’re ranking programs.

Frances Mei opens up about not matching, the shame spiral that followed, and how trying to “game” the system can quietly shape your decisions long before you hit submit. Tony shares his own interview experience, why prestige is overrated, and what you should really be evaluating on interview day (hint: training volume, autonomy, and vibe).

They also talk about:

1. Why trying to predict how programs rank you is a trap
2. The myth of the “perfect” program
3. Leadership changes, hidden curriculum, and the unpredictability of residency
4. What happens if you don’t match—and why it’s not the end
5. The uncomfortable truth: you don’t control most of this

If you’re building your rank list right now, this one’s for you.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective