Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine

Neural connections rapidly develop in early childhood, but the brain continues to grow and refine these connections throughout our lives, even into older adulthood. That's why enriching experiences — such as traveling, socializing, education, and exercise — are particularly impactful for the brain and need to keep happening throughout our lives. Staying engaged is the topic of discussion this week on Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine. Elizabeth Rhodus, Ph.D., is an occupational therapist and assistant professor in UK's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

Each semester, emergency medicine residents at UK HealthCare participate in Wilderness Medical Day. It's a day dedicated to learning and practicing skills that are needed in a wilderness emergency. Dr. Greg talks with Dr. Blake Davidson, UK College of Medicine assistant program director, emergency medicine residency about the unique challenges emergency personnel face in remote locations where time is of the essence.

May is mental health awareness month in which we highlight the importance of mental well-being and help break the stigma around mental health issues. Dr. Greg has a frank discussion with Doctor Teresa Gevedon, a faculty member at the University of Kentucky and acting chair of the UK Department of Psychiatry.

The eyes of the world have been on Kentucky these last few weeks with the buildup to the Kentucky Derby. Much has been made of the million dollar four-legged athletes, but what about the other component of the duo; the rider? The University of Kentucky Sports Medicine Research Institute (SMRI) is specifically aiming to find what, where and who needs their targeted interventions that can be designed to help improve safety. Dr. Greg talks with Kimberly Tumlin, Ph.D., UK College of Health Sciences assistant professor and research director of the Equestrian Athlete Initiative.

Imagine a world where every individual plays an active role in preventing violence — where simple actions lead to a profound impact on creating a more safe and supportive community. This is the vision behind the “Green Dot” program — a nationwide strategy aimed at reducing interpersonal violence through everyday actions. Dr. Greg talks with Lenzi Dodgen, acting director of UK's Violence Intervention Prevention Center. Housed in the Office for Student Success, VIP is working, through the “Green Dot” program, to empower students, faculty and staff to recognize and intervene in situations that could lead to violence.

It's springtime in the Commonwealth, and one of the things many of us do is get outside into our garden, in the woods and on hikes. But as we all know we aren't doing these things alone, and according to UK extension entomologist Jonathan Larson, there's one type of insect in particular we all need to keep an eye out for.

April is National Dog Bite Prevention Awareness month and Dr. Greg's guest has seen his share of them. Doctor Roger Humphries is chair of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He says most dog attacks are preventable if people, especially kids, heed the warning signs.

The UK College of Dentistry's 2023 Kentucky early learners oral health surveillance project found that dental decay rates for Kentucky children aged two to five are significantly higher than the national average. Dr. Greg talks with Dr. Pamela Stein, professor in the division of public health dentistry in the UK College of Dentistry about what can be done to improve on the numbers.

It is estimated that more than 14,000 women in the United States suffer from cervical cancer each year. Kentucky has a higher cervical cancer burden than most states, with an incidence rate of 9.6 cases per 100,000 women. Many of those cases were preventable, according to this week's guest, Charles S. Dietrich III, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist at the UK Markey Cancer Center.

We've heard a lot in recent weeks about proposed federal cuts to research in science and health. Dr. Greg's guest today talks about potential impacts to us all. Doctor Sudip Parikh is chief executive officer and executive publisher of the American Association for the Advancement of Science based in Arlington, Virginia. He also appeared recently on NPR's Science Friday.

This week on Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine we examine the increase in cases of measles across the country. More than two decades ago, measles — a highly contagious and potentially deadly childhood disease — was declared eliminated in the United States. So far in 2025, multiple measles outbreaks have been identified across the country, a child in Texas has died from the disease and in late February, Kentucky recorded its first measles case in two years. Dr. Greg talks with Nicholas Van Sickels, M.D., medical director for Infection Prevention and Control at UK HealthCare.

The department of behavioral science at the University of Kentucky has created a fellowship called the health disparities research training fellowship in order to enhance medical students' understanding of health and health care disparities experienced by disadvantaged and underserved populations. Doctor Raven Piercy, faculty member in the UK department of behavioral sciences in the College of Medicine, talks about it with our Dr. Greg.

Bringing a baby into the world is often portrayed as one of life's happiest moments. While this is true for many, it's also normal to feel overwhelmed during the postpartum period. Mental health conditions are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth and affect 1 in 5 mothers/childbearing people (800,000 people) annually in the United States. This week Dr. Greg talks post partum mental health with Brittney Gray, Psy.D., assistant professor of pediatric psychology in the UK College of Medicine and psychologist with Kentucky Children's Hospital.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky are part of a groundbreaking clinical trial exploring the use of medical marijuana in managing symptoms of late-stage dementia. Greg Jicha, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist and director of clinical trials at UK's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging,talks with Dr. Greg about the National Institutes of Health-funded and Food and Drug Administration-approved LiBBY Study examining the potential benefits of cannabis-derived treatments for addressing agitation and discomfort in patients with advanced dementia, a population with limited palliative care options.

February is American Heart Health Month. There's no better time to revisit this interview with Allison Bailey; a cardiologist with UK's Gill Heart Institute.

Since opening its doors July 30, 2024, UK HealthCare's Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing unit (EmPATH) at Eastern State Hospital, has already helped more than 1,800 people get the help they need. Dr. Greg talks with Lindsey Jasinski, Ph.D., chief administrative officer at ESH about the mission and goals of the facility.

Data shows that about 1 in 26 individuals will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime, and Kentucky has about 50,000 active cases of epilepsy. Dr. Greg's guest talks about a new program addressing the care of those individuals. Sukriti Kapoor is a senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington and is the president of the student technology leadership program. She also founded a new program called Seizure Smart to equip not only teachers but students with the tools to handle epileptic-related emergencies.

The Kentucky Cancer Action Plan (KY CAP) is the state's blueprint for cancer prevention and control by 2030. It was developed with the input of over 100 Kentucky Cancer Consortium (KCC) partners from across the Commonwealth. The KY CAP gives partners and communities a voice, provides evidence-based strategies, and can be used to inform policy change. It communicates the shared vision for all Kentuckians to have the ability to reduce their cancer risk, detect cancer early, access quality treatment and support for survivors and caregivers. Dr. Greg talks one-on-one with Elaine Russell, Coordinator of the Kentucky Cancer Consortium about the first update the program has seen for 10 years.

In this week's edition of Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine, Lindsay Ragsdale, M.D., chief medical officer for Kentucky Children's Hospital, discusses the importance of bringing your child in for regular well-child visits and keeping them up to date with vaccinations.

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to handle stress better in 2025, we're revisiting this recent interview Dr. Greg did with Jackie Carroll – health coach for UK Health & Wellness about acute and chronic stress reduction.

The holiday season, while joyful, can sometimes be a time of stress, meltdowns and disappointments. As parents, it can sometimes feel like we are spinning in circles trying to create the best holiday experience for our kids, family and self. Dr. Greg talks with Dr. Caitlin Allen, a licensed clinical psychologist who works with children and their families in Developmental Pediatrics at Kentucky Children's Hospital Richmond Road Specialty Clinics. She addresses a few challenges that many kids and families face during the holidays, and shares some tips for how to help children cope with the holiday season.

Second helpings of sinful food, over-scheduling and the all-too-often awkward conversations with friends and family; these are but a few examples of holiday stressers and trigger points. Dr. Greg talks with Amy Rodquist-Kodet, a holistic health coach and wellness specialist for UK Health and wellness. She has several tips to help you get through situations that threaten to steal your holiday joy.

In this week's episode of Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine, Michaela Keener, Ph.D., discusses her work in developing an interactive digital health system designed to enhance access to care for equestrians. Keener is an assistant professor of athletic training and clinical nutrition in the UK College of Health Sciences. She has received research funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and University of Cincinnati.

The Our Healthy Kentucky Home campaign is a Team Kentucky initiative with the Kentucky Department for Public Health to engage and inspire Kentuckians on a personal journey of achievable health and wellness improvements through increased physical activity, improved nutritional health, and decreased social isolation through targeted interventions. Dr. Greg talks with Kentucky Health Commissioner Steven Stack on how you can get involved.

In the ever-evolving field of Alzheimer's disease research, the development of disease-modifying therapies has sparked both excitement and debate. Two new publications from University of Kentucky researchers highlight critical advancements and their intersection with other fields that are considered more successful in advances to date. The collaborative papers were led by Greg Jicha, M.D., Ph.D., and Pete Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., both with UK's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. The work showcases the profound impact of partnerships across UK — in this case between the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the UK Markey Cancer Center. Dr. Greg talks with Nelson about this team approach to tackling this vexing disease.

Lawmakers in Frankfort are again floating the idea of ending the requirement for fluoridated drinking water in Kentucky communities with some opponents calling it 'forced medication.' Dr. Emily Winfrey, associate dean of academic and student affairs at UK Dentistry, says that conclusion is not based in science. She talks with Dr. Greg about the 70 plus years of evidence to the contrary.

A University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) study researching Appalachian culture and its impact on food insecurity has won Health Education & Behavior's “Paper of the Year” Award for 2023. The paper, titled “Exploring Food-Based Cultural Practices to Address Food Insecurity in Rural Appalachia,” emphasizes how significant culturally entrenched food practices are in enabling communities from Appalachia to fight food insecurity. The study was led by Lauren Batey and co-authored by Emily DeWitt, Dawn Brewer, Kathryn Cardarelli and Heather Norman-Burgdolf. Batey is the guest this week on Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine.

University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center expert Nathan Vanderford, Ph.D., recently contributed to a critical national discussion on sustaining and supporting the cancer workforce. As he explains in this week's Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine, Vanderford, an associate professor in the UK College of Medicine's Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, director of Markey Cancer Center's Appalachian Career Training in Oncology Program and assistant director of Markey's Pathway Programs and Student Success, addressed challenges faced by early-career researchers, issues of diversity in cancer research training and opportunities for supporting researchers' career paths.

According to the US Census Bureau by the year 2034 more Americans will be over the age of 65 (numbering some 77-million people), than under the age of 18. That will be a first for our nation and it underscores the importance of communities enhancing the quality and volume of senior-oriented support services. Dr. Greg talks with Kristy Stambaugh - director of Aging and Disability Services for the city of Lexington. She tells us all about the programs on offer at the city's four senior centers (Life Lane, Bell Court, Charles Young and Black & Williams Cultural Center) and shares more details on a brand new one coming to Shillito Park in 2026.

The UK PREVENT Alliance aims to improve the health of the Commonwealth of Kentucky using a community-engaged, evidence-informed prevention approach. One of its collaborators on the #IChampion Health Initiative is Operation Making A Change, a non-profit organization focused on violence prevention and intervention. This week Dr. Greg speaks with #IChampionHealth program director Jakob Hester and OAC founder Gerald “GEO” Gibson.

What's it like to navigate Lexington without a car? How do you get to work, do your shopping, get the kids to soccer practice? The Week Without Driving campaign September 30 – October 6, 2024 aims to encourage those who drive regularly to consider the barriers and challenges that non-drivers (up to a third of each community!) face on a daily basis and encourage people to try different modes of transportation during the week. Dr. Greg talks with local bike and pedestrian advocates Alice Hilton and Linda Froehlich about the campaign and how you can sign up to participate.

September is Prostate Health Awareness month and Dr. Greg talks with local urologist Patrick Hensley about for some, is an uncomfortable subject. He says it's time to have a candid and frank conversation in an effort to save more lives from prostate cancer.

Healthy brain aging is a concern for all of us. It's normal to struggle with small things such as recalling names — and we all experience some slowing of the thought processes with advanced age — but everyone hopes to avoid serious cognitive impairment. Dr. Greg Jicha with the Sanders - Brown Center on Aging shares tips with Dr. Greg on how to maintain good brain health.

This week Dr. Greg talks with Theresa Brown, RN; the New York Times best-selling author of Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient and The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives. She recently penned an article for Cancer Nursing Today asking the question – Who Broke American Health Care?

As an undergraduate student and English major at UK during the 1990s, Roger Brown spent his summer breaks working as a counselor at the Life Adventure Camp. The center was founded by a small group of UK graduate students, two of whom are Brown's parents. It provided five-day wilderness living experiences to low-income and special needs youth at a forested property in Estill County. Fast forward to today where the now UK alum and current faculty member uses his close ties to LAC to help foster resilience in individuals affected by trauma. He talks about it in this week's Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine.

Dr. Greg talks with Emily L. Weis, MD, MS, with the University of Rochester, who recently was featured in an article in Healio about how physicians are dealing with a rise in difficult patient encounters and what may be behind the uptick.

This week, as a new school year gets under way, Dr. Greg talks with Griffin Nemeth, a student at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and coordinator for the #iCANendthetrend Youth Advisory Board; a group of 10 high school advocates from across Kentucky, fostering a generation of changemakers dedicated to educating peers, community members and policymakers about the negative health outcomes of vaping and tobacco use. A key element of Nemeth's work is the comprehensive yearlong training program he helps coordinate for younger Kentuckians. Every summer, new members of the Youth Advisory Board gather at UK for an in-person training session, followed by bimonthly virtual meetings throughout the year. This training includes online modules, skill-building opportunities and sessions led by near peers who are part of #iCANendthetrend.

"Low vision" is a term that commonly means partial sight, or sight that isn't fully correctable with glasses, contact lenses, surgery or medications. Low vision can affect people of all ages, but the risk increases as you get older. This week Dr. Greg talks with Christian Meyer, O.D., ophthalmology and visual sciences on low vision and how to prevent it.

This week on Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine we talk to a researcher who tirelessly works to understand the human sleep cycle. Lauren Whitehurst, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences and assistant director of the UNITE Research Priority Area, studies how sleep is affected by our genetics and living environments. Whitehurst's current research is looking at precipitating factors that could be creating a sleep disparity in Black Americans. She is also the principal investigator on a five-year $2.4 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) exploring how sex and sex hormones influence the effects of alcohol on sleep quality.

Dr. Greg Davis brings us another cancer-journey update from friend and WUKY colleague Karyn Czar who received a bone marrow transplant as part of her treatment for multiple myeloma eight months ago. In this particular conversation, Karyn details some of the ongoing mental and emotional challenges of her recovery.

When John “JB” Bradley was a young boy growing up in Beattyville, Kentucky, he dreamed of being a doctor. Inspired by his small town's family physician, he imagined taking care of families just like his own one day. After retiring from Kentucky State Police he is realizing that dream. He talks about his journey with Dr. Greg.

Prior to his retirement as UK's Chef in Residence Bob Perry chatted with Dr. Greg about lessons he's learned and passed down regarding local ingredients, the culinary arts, and feeding astronauts in space.

This week on Dr. Greg Davis on Medicine Dr. Pete Nelson with UK's Sanders Brown Center on Aging talks about this rare form of dementia

Whether you're planning a beach vacation, gardening, or watching your kids' baseball games, make sure you take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from skin cancer. We again offer this very important conversation with John D'Orazio, M.D., chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the UK Department of Pediatrics.

National Stop the Bleed Day is May 23. The goal of this day is to better prepare the public to save lives by raising awareness of basic actions to stop life-threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies and man-made and natural disasters. Dr. Greg talks with UK HealthCare Trauma Coordinator Amie Peel.