The Emergency Docs
The Emergency Docs
About
The world of medicine is notoriously complicated, especially when it comes to emergency care. There’s a wealth of information available. Unfortunately, much of it is overwhelming and difficult for the average person to understand. And when you add a pandemic into the mix, it’s easy for patients and their loved ones to feel scared and uncertain.
Dr. Alaina Rajagopal saw this fear firsthand at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. She witnessed how misinformation spread like wildfire as our nation searched for answers.
As a trained emergency medicine physician, virologist, and global health specialist, Dr. Rajagopal knew she had to do something. She launched The Emergency Docs Podcast – a series that educates and empowers the public about emergency medicine and diseases.
While creating the podcast, Dr. Rajagopal (known as Dr. R in the podcast) had a realization. She saw that so much valuable information existed that the general public never gets to see. Often, they’re left to form their own opinions about emergency care from the television shows or movies they watch. This overdramatization does little to inform them of the realities of emergency medicine.
Dr. R sought to correct this through the careful design of her podcast episodes. Episode topics range from particular diseases, disease processes, interviews with leading ER doctors, and interviews with patients who have experienced emergency care. At the heart of each episode is the intersection of humanity and medicine.
Dr. R’s passion is to put a personal face to medicine. Emergency medicine clinicians are strong, inspirational people. Like their patients, they also experience love and loss. This podcast series spotlights the many facets of emergency medical providers – from their many job functions, to the struggles physicians face in the ER, to personal triumphs and downfalls.
Season two of The Emergency Docs Podcast features a new series of episodes titled, “COVID Reflections.” The main focus is on ER docs (and other clinicians) sharing their experiences with COVID. The “COVID Reflections” series will be in addition to the regular The Emergency Doc episodes. The Emergency Docs is also excited to announce they will be launching their YouTube channel this season. Finally, season two will also feature a new host, Dr. Victor Cisneros, who will be hosting our new "Social EM" section.
Hosts
Dr. Rajagopal went to Kalamazoo College for her undergraduate training, the University of Texas Medical Branch for her MD/PhD, and the University of California, Irvine for emergency medicine residency. She also has a Certificate in Tropical and Travel Medicine from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. She is a board-certified emergency medicine physician.
Dr. Yanuck went to University of California, Davis for his undergraduate training and the University of California, Irvine for his MS and MD. He attended the University of California, Irvine for his residency in emergency medicine. He completed a fellowship in pain medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is a board certified emergency medicine physician.
​
Dr. Cisneros was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico but was raised in Anaheim, California. He graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona were he received his B.S. in Biotechnology and a minor in Chemistry. He obtained his medical degree (MD), masters of public health (MPH), and later board certification in public health (CPH) at UC Irvine School of Medicine.
Interns
Nate Zona
Nate is a current undergraduate student at Kalamazoo College studying biology. With a developing passion for the field of medicine, he is eager to gain as much experience as a pre-medical student can. He is excited to contribute in delivering medical related content to those also pursuing medicine, as well as the general public.

The Emergency Docs welcomes:
Dr. Victor Cisneros, the new host of our "Social Emergency Medicine" Episodes




