The Science of Fitness Podcast · Science of Fitness

Under the mask, lessons from Anaesthetist Dr Conrad Macrokanis

·1 hr 10 min·2 clips

75% of Australia is either obese or overweight, and obesity causes 15% of global cancers

Dr Conrad Makrokhanis comes on as an anaesthetist based at Greenslopes Hospital. He describes a working life that can jump from orthopaedics to bowel surgery to eye cases. The job suits him because anaesthesia touches so many different surgical specialties. His path into medicine was not the neat, straight one people often picture. He started in science as a field biologist. From there he moved through honours, undergrad medicine, and a rural scholarship. That took him out bush for work before he ended up in anaesthesia. From there, the conversation shifts into the social side of health. They talk about Indigenous communities and lower socioeconomic communities. The point lands that education alone does not solve those problems. Work matters too, because it can build self-confidence and motivation. He treats health as something multi-layered rather than a single lever you pull. There is a real sense that the picture is getting better, even if slowly. He does not pretend anyone has a neat answer. That honesty gives the episode some of its strength. The discussion returns to practical service through eye work in regional and Indigenous settings. He talks about going out to Longreach a couple of times a year for cataracts. He also describes Indigenous eye lists in Brisbane on Saturdays. A bus brings patients in from a wide stretch of southeast Queensland and takes them home at night. The episode also explains the ASA risk system in plain terms. He uses it to show how different the patient mix can look across settings. The tone stays relaxed and conversational throughout. It feels like two people thinking out loud, not delivering a scripted lecture. By the end, the episode has settled into a clear message about access, service, and the stubborn practical work of making care reach people who are easy to miss.

As heard by us

A grounded look at medicine, inequality, and the limits of easy fixes.

Dr. Conrad Makrokhanis is followed across anaesthesia work that spans orthopaedics, bowel surgery, eyes, and urology, with rural outreach to Longreach and Indigenous eye lists giving the piece real texture.

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Why you'd press play

You want a grounded, behind-the-scenes look at anaesthesia and the people it reaches.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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