Bedside Rounds

Adam Rodman started Bedside Rounds in 2014 as a second-year internal medicine resident at Oregon Health and Science University, and it has quietly become one of the most thoughtful medical podcasts around. This is not a clinical review show. It is a storytelling podcast about the history of medicine, and Rodman has a genuine gift for narrative. Each episode traces a specific thread through time, uncovering how some medical practice or idea came to exist, and why it matters now. The episodes are carefully researched and lean more toward long-form audio essays than interviews. Rodman does most of the talking, weaving together primary sources, historical context, and modern clinical relevance into stories that feel more like a favorite professor's office hours than a podcast. Past episodes have covered topics like appendectomies performed in extreme environments, the evolution of clinical reasoning, and the social forces that shaped how doctors think about disease. With around 87 episodes total, Bedside Rounds is not a high-volume show. Rodman takes his time with each installment, and it shows. The production quality and depth of research punch well above what you might expect from an independent medical podcast. He also includes shorter segments called #AdamAnswers, which are quick educational pieces that address specific questions. If you love medicine and have even a passing interest in history, this podcast will change how you think about the profession. It is the kind of show that makes you smarter and more curious at the same time.