Welcome back to Social Rounds, the podcast where your two favorite Surgeon Dropouts, Tony and Frances Mei, give their unsolicited opinions on medicine, pop culture, and the world at large.

In Episode 9, Frances Mei is back from her sabbatical in Europe with tales of foreign travel and a mysterious new hat! Tony then delivers a fascinating deep dive into the winners of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, breaking down the revolutionary discovery of Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) and the key role they play in autoimmune diseases and cancer treatment. They also discuss their own personal ambitions for a Nobel Prize (Peace vs. Literature).

Finally, the gloves come off in a rapid-fire pop culture segment as Frances Mei delivers her brutally honest take on Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Show Girl! Did the superstar break her own mythology? Tune in to find out!

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: https://www.instagram.com/wheyouat/

Frances Mei Hardin: https://www.instagram.com/francesmeimd/

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

00:00

Intro and Welcome to Social Rounds

00:48

Frances Mei is Back!Sabbatical Reflections and the Story Behind the Hat

02:48

Shoutouts to Devoted Listeners and Guest Hosts (Ryan Montoya, Joan Chan, Janet McMordie)

05:02

The Machiavellian Threat to Guest Hosts: "You come for the king you best not miss."

06:41

Sabbatical Takeaways: Travel, Culture, and the Value of Time Alone

10:36

Looking Ahead to the Social Rounds Halloween Episode

10:48

News Segment: The Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine

10:59

The 2025 Nobel Laureates: Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi

11:15

Tony's Science Corner: The Immune System as an Army (Helper T's, Killer T's, and the Thymus Boot Camp)

13:25

The Discovery of Regulatory T Cells (Tregs) and the FoxP3 Gene

14:38

The Impact: Treating Autoimmune Disease, Preventing Organ Rejection, and Fighting Cancer

15:20

The Big Question: If You Won a Nobel Prize, Which Field Would It Be In? (Frances Mei: Peace, Tony: Literature)

25:09

Pop Culture Segment: Taylor Swift's New Album

25:31

The Global Phenomenon and Frances Mei's Critique of The life of a show girl

26:40

Taylor Swift "Broke Her Own Mythology" and the Joe Alwyn/Jack Antonoff Dynamic

28:49

The "No One is Telling Her No" Theory and Director Christopher Nolan

29:13

Discussion of the Song "Wood" (The Travis Kelce/Redwood Penis Analogy)

33:04

The "Writing for Travis's Reading Level" Theory

35:28

Frances Mei's Defense of the Song "Father Figure" (George Michael Sample)

36:31

Is This the Start of the Taylor Swift Fall Off?

39:30

Social Rounds Segment: Predatory Relationships in Medicine

40:49

What Training Level Difference Makes a Relationship "Officially Predatory?"

43:20

Frances Mei's "Five-Year Differential" Rule

43:51

The Med Student/Senior Resident Scenario and the Power Dynamic

47:17

The Importance of Perceived Power (Interns as "Superstars")

49:30

The Advice Paradox: Just Get Out Now (But You'll Do It Anyway)

51:43

Tony's Advice: Look Past the Status and Ask Deeper Questions

53:21

The Litmus Test: "Would I date this person if they weren't a doctor?"

54:50

Wrap-up and Outro (Next Week: Halloween Episode)