the NUANCE by Medicine Explained.

Stefan Wheat, MD is an emergency physician and faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington, practicing at both Harborview Medical Center and UWMC—Northwest Hospital emergency departments. With the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE) at the University of Washington, Dr. Wheat works to understand the scope of the health threats posed by climate change, promote healthcare system adaptation and emergency preparedness, and inform policies to keep people safe in a rapidly changing world. He completed a fellowship in Climate & Health Science Policy at the University of Colorado where he worked as a Physician-Fellow at the Department of Health and Human Services in their Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) and as an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University's Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education.His work has included founding ClimateRx, a seamless tool designed to help health professionals to connect with patients and colleagues on how we can respond to the health risks of climate change, and the development of Climate Resources for Health Education (CRHE), a global health professional-led initiative that aims to provide free, publicly accessible, evidence-based resources to accelerate the incorporation of climate change and planetary health information into educational curricula.Link to ClimateRx:https://www.climaterx.org/Funded Climate and Health Research opportunity for WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region researchers and community partners:https://deohs.washington.edu/change/implementation-and-evaluation-fellowship-climate-change-and-healthClimate Change and Health Bootcamp (intensive 3-day certificate based course hosted by Columbia University (open to all health professionals):https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/academics/non-degree-special-programs/professional-non-degree-programs/skills-health-research-professionals-sharp-training/trainings/climate-change-health

Shaneeta Johnson, MD, is an Associate Professor of Surgery, Director of Minimally Invasive, Robotic, and Bariatric Surgery, and Program Director, General Surgery Residency Program at Morehouse School of Medicine and Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also a Senior Fellow of Global Health Equity in the Satcher Health Leadership Institute. She is an experienced surgeon, clinician, educator, philanthropist, and researcher. Shaneeta received her education and surgical training at Johns Hopkins University, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Howard University Hospital, The Cleveland Clinic and Brandeis. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons, and the International College of Surgeons. She is board certified in both General Surgery and Obesity Medicine. She has been appointed to leadership positions within state, national, and international organizations and committees.Shaneeta is passionate about furthering health equity and eliminating disparities. She has been involved and/or spearheaded national and international initiatives to improve health equity. She is a sought-after speaker whose expertise has afforded her invitations to speak both nationally and internationally. She is a recipient of the NMA Emerging Leader Trailblazer Award, American College of Surgeons Claude Organ Traveling Fellowship, Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 under 40 award, 2020 Women who Mean Business Award, and the 2019 Outstanding Atlanta award. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, running, and water sports.

Pat McCabe (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining) is a Diné (Navajo) mother, grandmother, activist, artist, writer, ceremonial leader, and international speaker. She is a voice for global peace, and her paintings are created as tools for individual, earth and global healing. She draws upon the Indigenous sciences of Thriving Life to reframe questions about sustainability and balance, and she is devoted to supporting the next generations, Women's Nation and Men's Nation, in being functional members of the “Hoop of Life” and upholding the honor of being human.For context, this podcast episode was recorded on 1/22/2025

Brianna VanNoy is a public health scholar interested in environmental chemical exposures and reproductive health outcomes among Black women and other populations marginalized by social inequities.She earned her B.S. in Environmental Public Health from The Ohio State University and her M.P.H. in Environmental Health Science and Policy from George Washington University. She Is now a fourth year medical student applying to OBGYN residencies. 

Dr. Anne Marie Amies Oelschlager is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She founded, developed, and expanded the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Division at the University of Washington to provide care to patients across the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. Her clinical expertise is in contraception and hormone therapy, pubertal and menstrual disorders, congenital anomalies of reproductive organs, differences of sex development (intersex conditions), and reproductive health issues complicated by underlying physical or developmental disability or underlying medical conditions.  She also serves as Chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Clinical Consensus Gynecology Committee. She is a clinical instructor and lecturer on reproductive health care for the medical students at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. Links mentioned: bedsider.org

David Eisenman, MD, MSHS, is a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and has a joint appointment at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health where he directs the Center for Public Health and Disasters and is the Deputy Director for Community Partnerships at the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions. Dr. Eisenman is also an Associate Natural Scientist at RAND. Dr. Eisenman lives and surfs in Marina del Rey, California. His research is focused on public health and disasters, including wildfires, heat-waves, and climate change. 

Dr. Bernadette (Bernie) Lim, MD, MS is the Founder and Executive Director of the Freedom Community Clinic, a healing movement and clinic based in Oakland, CA that has brought Whole-Person Healing to 6000+ people in the Bay and beyond, prioritizing the healing of Black, Brown, and immigrant communities. She serves as the youngest faculty at San Francisco State's Institute for Holistic Health Studies. In addition, Dr. Bernie also is the creator of the Woke WOC Docs Podcast, Freedom School for Intersectional Medicine and Health Justice, and part of the founding team of the Institute for Healing and Justice in Medicine. Dr. Bernie graduated from UCSF School of Medicine and earned her Master's at UC Berkeley School of Public Health through the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. She graduated from Harvard University in 2016 with cum laude honors, and went on to be a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India. In her work, Dr. Lim also practices and/or teaches intuitive herbalism, energy healing, meditation, and hatha yoga. She is a classically trained pianist of 25+ years, a DJ, farmer, and hula and salsa dancer. For her work, Dr. Bernie has received numerous honors, see her bio for more detailed information: https://www.drbernielim.com/bio

Dr. Brian Lonquich is a primary care physician. He is triple board-certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Internal Medicine. A SoCal native, he was raised in the Santa Clarita Valley and went to UC Riverside for undergraduate studies in Spanish Literature and Biology. He then went onto graduate medical school from UCLA and completed an Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency at UCLA before moving to Baylor/Texas Children's in Houston, TX to complete a Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship. While in Houston he worked with physician-scientists at NASA to creatively use existing equipment on the International Space Station to help with planning missions to The Moon and Mars. He moved back to Southern California after training to be closer to family.  Dr. Lonquich is passionate about global health equity and access, and has worked extensively in Latin America and Africa. He is fluent in Spanish. He is an ardent supporter of medical education and came back to UCLA to help deliver academic, evidence-based medicine to the Central Coast. 

Christa Barfield is the CEO of FarmerJawn Agriculture.  Christa is a health-care professional turned farmer and lifelong Philadelphia resident. It was 10 years into her career in health-care administration when her life led her to pursuing health and happiness in a more sustainable way. After a solo trip abroad in January 2018, she returned home inspired to connect with the land, plant life, and social issues that heavily impact Black and brown communities and all people's perception of food. Her business is a reincarnation of her healthcare career with a focus on regeneration and nutrition security. Now with 128 acres across 3 counties in PA, she has built FarmerJawn with an equitable focus on Food is Medicine and she is leading conversations locally and internationally on how to take a Farm first approach to America's relationship with food and health.

Wawa Gatheru is a Kenyan-American climate activist and founder passionate about bringing empathetic and accessible climate communication to the mainstream. Harnessing her academic background as a Rhodes Scholar and her work as a youth climate activist, Wawa's life goal is to help create a climate movement made in the image of all of us.

Sonya Gabrielian, MD, MPH, is a psychiatrist and health services researcher at the VA Greater Los Angeles and an Assistant Professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. At the VA, she is an investigator with the Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, & Policy (CSHIIP) and the Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC). She is also an Affiliated Researcher at the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans and a current Fellow with the Implementation Research Institute at the Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Gabrielian's research interests focus on improving housing retention and community functioning among homeless adults; she has a VA Career Development Award to use implementation approaches to improve housing acquisition and retention for homeless Veterans with serious mental illness. She is also a practicing psychiatrist in the VA's homeless program.

In today's conversation we speak with Dr. Christopher Gardner, PhD is a nutrition scientist and Professor at Stanford, his research has been focused on investigating the potential health benefits of various dietary components or food patterns using randomized controlled trials. He has served on many committees for organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association and has conducted and published dozens of human nutrition intervention trials. His ongoing trials involve examining the impact of dietary changes on the gut microbiome and inflammation/immune function. Current research interests include collaborating with chefs and dining operators as research partners in an effort to identify strategies to optimize the intersection of taste, health, environmental sustainability, and social justice in institutional food settings (e.g., universities, hospitals, worksites). 

Dr Ashley McClure, is a Seattle native who has been practicing outpatient internal medicine in Oakland, California since 2016. After becoming a mom in 2018, followed by the infamous Paradise Fire that fall, she realized that for this moment in history being a doctor isn't enough. She felt compelled to reorient her life around doing everything possible to help catalyze the transition to clean renewable energy in order to protect her daughter's— and all our children's futures. Since her climate awakening, she's been collaborating with health colleagues to bring our trusted voices to climate solutions advocacy, including organizing in the medical community as a CMA and AMA alternate delegate and as a co-founder and now co-director of the California-based nonprofit Climate Health Now. She welcomes your reaching out if you're inspired to link arms in activism and advocacy-- and she hopes you do-- together we can be powerful. Brenda Nuyen, MD is a comprehensive ophthalmologist at a private practice in Los Angeles, CA. She is currently on the Climate Health Now Statewide Leadership Team. Brenda was first introduced to climate and advocacy work through Climate Reality Project in 2020. She then discovered Climate Health Now as a way to merge her interests in both climate and health. Brenda is also on the Editorial Board of EyeSustain, a global coalition of eye societies, organizations, and ophthalmologists collaborating to make ophthalmic care and surgery more sustainable. She recently was part of the Climate Advocacy Lab's inaugural Climate + Health Peer Learning Circle cohort. Climate Health Now: https://climatehealthnow.org/

Dr. Jiaying Zhao (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at University of British Columbia (UBC),  Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Sustainability, and UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar. She received her PhD in Cognitive Psychology at Princeton University. She uses psychological principles to design behavioral solutions to address financial and environmental sustainability challenges. Specifically, she designs effective behavioral interventions to alleviate poverty, promote actions to mitigate climate change, increase recycling and composting rates, and encourage biodiversity conservation actions. Sources: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2814253#:~:text=The%20recognition%20of%20climate%20change,of%20US%20greenhouse%20gas%20emissions. https://www.umanitoba.ca/media/Simpson_Mason_Godwin_2017.pdf Dr. Zhao lab: https://zhaolab.psych.ubc.ca/ TED TALK: https://www.ted.com/talks/jiaying_zhao_how_to_feng_shui_your_fridge_and_other_happy_climate_hacks

Dr. Manuel Pastor is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He currently directs the Equity Research Institute at USC. Dr. Pastor holds an economics Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is the inaugural holder of the Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change at USC. Dr. Pastor's research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. Pastor's research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. 2021 saw the publication of two new books, Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter (co-authored with Chris Benner) and South Central Dreams: Finding Home and Building Community in South L.A. (co-authored with Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo). His previous 2018 book, State of Resistance: What California's Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Means for America's Future was lauded in a New York Times review as “concise, clear and convincing.” To read more about Dr. Pastor and his work: https://dornsife.usc.edu/eri/manuel-pastor/

In todays conversation, we chat with cofounder and CEO of digdeep.org, George McGraw. George founded DigDeep to help those communities in America build and manage their own water systems. They've brought clean, running water to thousands of families on the Navajo Nation, Appalachia, and Texas border colonias. DigDeep also conducted groundbreaking research, empowers communities to advocate for their rights, and teaches  Americans to use our resources more intelligently. George received his Masters in International Law and Conflict Management from the United Nations University for Peace. He's a leading voice in social entrepreneurship, environmental justice, and water and co-authored the first national report on water access, Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States (2019). In this conversation, we talk about what the water access gap is, and why it is so important to have access to running water and sanitation. George explains how race and income impact communities' access to water. He explains the economic and health impact of the water access gap and how climate change is affecting access to water. He shares stories of how DigDeeps work is impacting people and how we can get involved in helping to ensure a fundamental human right for everyone, access to clean, running water. 

Jeff Krasno, CEO of Commune Media, an online educational platform focused on personal and societal well being. He hosts “The Commune Podcast” in which he explores the ideas, values and practices that bring us together and help us live a healthy and purpose-filled life. Jeff received his BA in 1993 from Columbia University. In 2008, Jeff created the concept for Wanderlust, a series of large-scale events for well being that incorporate things such as yoga and art. Wanderlust has hosted more than 65 events in 20 countries. Jeff serves as Chairman. Jeff is a contributor to the Huffington Post and Fast Company. He is the author of Wanderlust, 2015 and the Wanderlust cookbook, Find Your True Fork that released in 2017. In 2016, he was selected by Oprah Winfrey to be part of the SuperSoul100 as one of the nation's leading entrepreneurs. --- Sleep is important for physical health, it is part of the American Heart Association's "Life's Essential 8". https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/lifes-essential-8 One study, in JAMA highlighted the benefits of sauna on health. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2130724

Dr. Linda Eckert is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and an internationally recognized expert in immunizations and cervical cancer prevention. She has worked as a consultant with the World Health Organization on global cancer prevention for the last fifteen years, facilitating policy development for the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer screening. She is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology with an Infectious Disease Fellowship at University of Washington's Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Global Health. For over thirty years, Dr. Eckert has worked at Seattle's Harborview Hospital, the largest public hospital in the Pacific Northwest, serving people from all over the globe who represent a broad spectrum of economic means and disease symptoms. Dr. Eckert also serves on the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Expert Immunization Committee and was the obstetrics lead for the Global Alignment of Immunization Safety in Pregnancy Program. She was a research investigator for COVID-19 and RSV vaccines in pregnancy and HPV vaccines in individuals living with HIV. Her areas of clinical expertise include infections in women, vaccines, vulvar disease, cervical cancer screening, and cross-cultural medicine. She is the author of more than eighty peer-reviewed research articles appearing in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association. She recently wrote “Enough” Because We Can Stop Cervical Cancer.

Shilpi Chhotray (@shilpichhotray) she/her is a globally recognized communicator on the plastic pollution crisis with an expertise in strategic communications, organizing, and narrative change.  Currently she is the co-founder and executive director of People over Plastic, a BIPOC-led media platform dedicated to uplifting the intersectional stories behind environmental racism. People over Plastic devlops platforms and safe spaces for frontline leaders to share their lived experiences in an unfiltered context. You can hear Shilpi as the host of PoP's podcast series. Previously, Shilpi served as the Break Free From Plastic Global Communications Lead. Due to her experience on the issue and role as a media liaison, Shilpi is often a go-to source for journalists including the NY Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, BBC, Reuters, and Al Jazeera. Shilpi regularly speaks on plastic pollution, climate change, and intersectionality including Environmental Grantmakers Association, Grounded, and Bioneers. Throughout her career, Shilpi has worked for a number of environmental organizations including the Environmental Defense Fund and Mission Blue/Sylvia Earle Alliance where she guest authored for National Geographic.

Maya Shetreat, MD is a neurologist, herbalist, urban farmer, and author of The Dirt Cure. She has been featured in the New York Times, The Telegraph, NPR, Sky News, The Dr. Oz Show and more. Dr. Maya is the founder of the Terrain Institute, where she teaches earth-based programs for transformational healing, including training programs for psychedelic-assisted approaches. For many years, she works and studies with indigenous communities and healers from around the world, and is a lifelong student of ethnobotany, plant healing, and the sacred.

Dr. Renée Lertzman is a pioneer and leader at the intersection of psychology, climate and environment. She applies psychosocial insights to drive engagement and action on ecological issues.  She presented a Ted Talk titled “How to turn climate anxiety into action”, which has received over 2 million views. Dr. Lertzman founded Project Inside Out, a unique platform, online tool, and resource hub that brings together changemakers, activists, and clinical psychologists to drive sustainable behavior change for our planet. Dr. Lertzman translates psychology and social science best practices into tools, resources and guidance that unleash the potential for creativity and courage. She guides companies and organizations in strengthening engagement campaigns and boosting their ability to connect with stakeholders to inspire action, ingenuity and resilience in facing one of the biggest challenges of our time.

Lisa Patel MD, MESc received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. After college, she worked in Egypt, Brazil, and India on international development projects with community-based organizations and non-profits, focusing on conservation and development efforts. She then obtained her Master's in Environmental Sciences from the Yale School of the Environment and went on to be a Presidential Management Fellow for the Environmental Protection Agency, coordinating the US Government's efforts on clean air and safe drink ing water projects in South Asia in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Realizing the critical and inextricable links between children's health and environmental issues, she obtained her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and completed her residency in pediatrics at UCSF. She co-founded the Climate and Health task force for AAP-CA1, and sits on the Executive Committee for the AAP's national Council on Environmental Health. She is currently the Executive Director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and maintains a clinical practice as a pediatric hospitalist caring for newborns, premature infants, and children requiring hospitalization.

Dr. Sasha Hamdani is a Board Certified psychiatrist and ADHD specialist. In addition to her private practice, she has a robust social media following across multiple platforms where she provides accessible and accurate information about ADHD. She has been featured in Forbes, Washington Post, and Cosmopolitan and is currently launching a global mental health campaign through Maybelline. Her first book about self-care and mental health will be released this Winter through Simon and Schuster.

Akil Palanisamy, MD, is a Harvard-trained physician who practices integrative medicine, blending his conventional medical expertise with holistic approaches including functional medicine and Ayurveda. “Dr. Akil” attended Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in biochemical sciences. He earned an MD from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and completed family medicine residency training at Stanford University. He then graduated from a fellowship in integrative medicine with Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona, and received certification in mind-body medicine from the Georgetown University Center. Dr. Akil is the Department Chair for Integrative Medicine at the Sutter Health Institute for Health and Healing (IHH). He also serves as IHH Physician Director for Community Education and leads their educational initiatives and programs. Dr. Akil has been a consultant with the Medical Board of California for many years.  A widely known speaker and educator, he is the author of “The Tiger Protocol” (his latest book) and “The Paleovedic Diet: A Complete Program to Burn Fat, Increase Energy, and Reverse Disease”.  As he has done for two-plus decades, Dr. Akil sees patients and conducts clinical research studies in the San Francisco Bay Area. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Dr. Steven Lasee is a toxicologist with expertise in risk assessment, chemical fate and transport, exposure, and the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) chemical group. Dr. Lasee has advised and worked with several state and federal government agencies including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection on projects surrounding PFAS and PFAS contamination. Dr. Lasee has given several presentations on PFAS exposure to the EPA and at national Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry conferences. Dr. Lasee's focus is on understanding human and environmental exposure to toxicants. This has been accomplished by focusing on exposure and how chemicals move through the environment.

Dr. David Wiss became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in 2013 and founded Nutrition in Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in the treatment of eating and substance use disorders. He earned his Ph.D. in Public Health with a minor in Health Psychology from UCLA by investigating links between adverse childhood experiences and mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men. Dr. Wiss can be your nutrition and health consultant, functional medicine practitioner, recovery coach, or simply provide psychoeducation related to his areas of expertise. Learn more about the intersection of nutrition and mental health using his new app called Wise Mind Nutrition, and follow him on Instagram @wisemindnutrition

Dr. Marc Milstein, PhD is a scientist, speaker, and author. He received his PhD at UCLA. He specializes in taking the latest breakthrough research and presenting it in a way that empowers people to keep their brains healthy, boost productivity and maximize longevity.  His book “The Age-Proof Brain,” provides actionable tips to get the best out of your brain each day and lower the risk of dementia.

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a hormone expert, nutrition scientist, and thought leader in women's medicine. She is board certified in naturopathic endocrinology and trained in clinical sexology. Dr. Brighten is the author of Is This Normal, a non-judgemental guide to creating hormone balance, eliminating unwanted symptoms, and building the sexual desire you crave. A fierce patient advocate and completely dedicated to uncovering the root cause of hormonal imbalances, Dr. Brighten empowers women worldwide to take control of their health and their hormones through her website and social medical channels. Dr. Brighten is an international speaker, clinical educator, and medical advisor within the tech community.

Dr. Anthony Gustin DC, MS is a former sports rehab clinician turned entrepreneur, author, podcaster, investor, and amateur farmer. He's currently working on some new projects to help save our food system and scale regenerative agriculture. He last founded Perfect Keto (acquired) to help people with metabolic dysfunction & Equip Foods to provide people with whole food nutrition supplementation. He continues to explore how to live like a human on my podcast The Natural State Podcast and authors his newsletter The Feed. Listen to more episodes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nuance-podcast/id1586205682 https://open.spotify.com/show/7rvh79JbMtJJqX39KoKOv6

Gregory Scott Brown, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist, a contributing columnist for Men's Health magazine, and an affiliate faculty member at the University of Texas Dell Medical School. His first book, The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression, and Revitalizing Your Life was published in June 2022 for Harper Wave. Dr. Brown believes we can work together to fight mental health stigma by having open and honest conversations about mental health. He is an advocate for evidence-based integrative care that includes incorporating exercise, mindfulness, meditation, and nutrition with standard-of-care treatments for mental illness. Dr. Brown completed a fellowship in integrative medicine at the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, specialty training in general psychiatry at the University of Texas Dell Medical School, and received an M.D. from the McGovern Medical School in Houston. Prior to his transition to medicine, Dr. Brown studied music at The Juilliard School in New York. Follow Dr. Brown on social media @gregorysbrownmd. ------ Today, we talk about the state of mental health today and how he has seen it change during his practice. We talk about the 5 pillars of self care. We discuss the importance of purpose, balance, and contentment. Dr. Brown's book The Self-Healing Mind is such an important read, giving us tools to help prevent and address our anxiety and depression on a daily basis.

Dr. Taylor Sittler is Head of Research at Levels. He is a physician and entrepreneur, his career has focused on personalizing medicine, starting companies in genetics and women's health, including co-founding Color Health where he was Chief Science Officer. Prior to that, he completed his residency in clinical pathology at UCSF and started a genetics research group in the computer science department at UC Berkeley with David Patterson. Taylor received a Howard Hughes Medical training grant and scholarship during medical school at University of Massachusetts and UCSD. He has published papers on pathogen detection and characterization, genetic sequence analysis and algorithms, and several other topics related to systems biology. He is an avid skier and hiker, and enjoys all things outdoors. levelshealth.com

Rob Hopkins is a cofounderTransition Network, and the author of The Transition Handbook, and most recently, From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. He hosts the wonderful podcast series ‘From What If to What Next‘ which invites listeners to send in their “what if” questions and then explores how to make them a reality. In 2012, he was voted one of the Independent's top 100 environmentalists and was on Nesta and the Observer's list of Britain's 50 New Radicals. Rob is an inspiring speaker, who has spoken at TEDGlobal and three TEDx events. His ideas and perspective on imagination are crucial today in order to solve our most pressing issues, like climate change. He is thoughtful, open-minded, and imaginative. He blogs at transtionnetwork.org and robhopkins.net and tweets at @robintransition. Follow us on TikTok @medicineexplained and IG @medicine.explained. If you want to search our entire library of video explainers - go to our Youtube @MedicineExplained

Christopher Palmer, MD received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine. He did his internship and psychiatry residency at McLean Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He is currently the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For the past 25 years, he has been an academic physician with administrative, research, educational, and clinical roles. Dr. Palmer has been involved in psychiatric research for over 23 years. He has served as a research physician in the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory and the Sleep Research Laboratory, both at McLean Hospital, where he worked with teams pursuing wide-ranging research in the areas of addiction and sleep. Most recently, his research interests have turned to the areas of metabolism, metabolic disorders, and their connection to mental disorders. Interestingly, the connections are widespread and span across numerous mental and metabolic disorders. He is focused on combining and understanding epidemiological data, basic science research, and clinical studies in order to better understand what role metabolism plays in mental illness. Link to Dr. Palmer's book: https://www.chrispalmermd.com/

Monica Aggarwal, MD, is a board certified cardiologist and adjunct Associate Professor in the University of Florida's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine where she conducts research on the impact of nutrition in chronic illness. She also serves as the Chief Medical officer of the not-for-profit, 4Roots Farm which is looking at how to improve food quality to improve human health. Dr. Aggarwal's own path to understanding the impact of nutrition in illness started w/ her own journey, which she will share details about in this podcast. Through learning about the microbiome (gut), its impact on the immune system and the role of nutrition in affecting the gut, she was able to truly heal and became determined to change the face of medicine. Dr. Aggarwal gives talks around the community, country and internationally. She was named a “Next Generation Innovator” by Cardiology Today. She is the author of the book “Body on Fire: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It,” and Body on Fire Cookbook which provides whole food, healthy recipes to help implement change. This is not medical advice, this is intended for educational purposes only. For full privacy policy, please go to MedicineExplained.org.

Dr. Meredith Bull is a licensed naturopathic doctor with a private practice in Los Angeles. She received her medical degree from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA and chose naturopathic medicine for its patient-centered philosophy and sustainable healthcare model. While trained in the use of both conventional and nonconventional treatments, Dr. Bull believes true health is achieved when there is minimal intervention sustaining it. She has a growing focus on the intersection of emotional health and physical health and applies this understanding to the wide range of diagnoses and complaints she works with. Have a question? DM us on Instagram @medicine.explained Follow us on tiktok.com/@medicineexplained

Dr. Rose Goldman, MD, MPH is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is the founding Chief of Occupational; Environmental Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance, and currently Director of Faculty Affairs for the Department of Medicine. Her career has combined clinical occupational and environmental medicine (focus on toxicology) with public health and education, and has authored numerous publications.

Mary Purdy, MS, RDN is an award-winning Integrative Eco-Dietitian and nutrition educator with a Master's Degree from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington (USA) where she has been adjunct faculty since 2015. She teaches and lectures for numerous Universities, institutions and professional educational platforms and is a regular speaker at national and state conferences on both nutrition and sustainability. She has been in clinical practice for over 13 years using a personalized medicine and functional nutrition approach and is currently the Nutrition and Sustainability Adviser and Community Builder for Big Bold Health led by Dr. Jeffrey Bland. She is also the Director of Education for The Planetary Health Collective which serves to leverage the skillsets of nutrition professionals in the movement around the climate crisis. Additionally, she regularly moderates educational panels, hosts the podcasts “The Nutrition Show” and "The Good Clean Nutrition Podcast" and authored the books “Serving the Broccoli Gods" and "The Microbiome Diet Reset." She adores kale, chocolate and avocados.

Dr. Scott Stoll is the co-founder of The Plantrician Project, The International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention, and the Regenerative Health Institute, a unique collaborative project with the Rodale Institute that integrates a regenerative vision for human health, agriculture, and the environment. He is a member of the Google FoodLab, serves on the advisory board at Whole Foods for their healthcare clinics and served as a member of the Whole Foods Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. Every year, Dr. Stoll hosts the very popular one week health immersion, Dr. Stoll's Total Health Immersion and helps attendees restore and optimize their health, overcome addictions, and develop a sustainable regenerative lifestyle. Dr. Stoll has authored several books, scientific articles, and featured in numerous documentaries. As well as being a published author and member of the 1994 Olympic Bobsled Team, he is a highly sought-after international speaker. https://plantricianproject.org/

Greg Dalton founded Climate One at The Commonwealth Club in 2007 after traveling to the Russian Arctic on a global warming symposium with climate scientists and journalists. Today Climate One produces a weekly radio show broadcast on public stations in California and across the country in addition to a podcast that is heard around the world. Greg also hosts a monthly TV show on KRCB TV 22 on Comcast and DirecTV. Climate One is the only regular talk show that engages high-level leaders from business, policy, advocacy and academic circles in a conversation about building sustainable economies, resilient communities and a healthier future.

Ellen Vora, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, acupuncturist, and yoga teacher, and she is the author of The Anatomy of Anxiety. She takes a functional medicine approach to mental health—considering the whole person and addressing imbalance at the root. Dr. Vora received her B.A. from Yale University and her M.D. from Columbia University. We speak about the root causes of mental health and some interventions that we can take to prevent anxiety. We talk about the nuance of psychiatric medication and the holistic approach she takes to mental health. We talk about the mind body connection and how the mind is always informing physical health and our physical health from things like diet, toxicants, or sleep can affect our mental health.

Dr. Yuria Celidwen, PhD is a native of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent, born in Chiapas, Mexico. She received a Ph.D. and focuses on the intersection of Indigenous studies, cultural psychology, and contemplative science. From her work, she is uncovering Indigenous contemplative practices from the world, and finding their place in contemplative studies. She works at the United Nations to support international humanitarian efforts for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Her specific concentration is the advancement of Indigenous peoples' rights and the rights of the Earth. She also teaches Indigenous epistemologies and spirituality and her work pioneered the Indigenous contemplative experience within contemplative studies. Medicine Explained is 501(3)(c) organization dedicated to increasing health literacy - by meeting people where they're at on social media and podcasts. It's run by Dr. Daniel Villavecer MD, MS and Dr. Amanda d'Almeida MD, MPH. Please contact us if you would like to help us continue to produce free educational content for everyone.

Dr. Kinari Webb, MD graduated from Yale University's School of Medicine with honors and completed her residency in family medicine at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez, California. She then founded Health In Harmony an international nonprofit dedicated to reversing global heating, understanding that rainforests are essential for the survival of humanity. Based on information gleaned from a year spent traveling around Indonesia, Health In Harmony's project, ASRI, was sited in Sukadana, on the border of Gunung Palung, in 2007. The key focus of the work has always been radically listening to communities and responding to the needs they identify. She speaks regularly on topics ranging from the health and future of the forest, community involvement and social capital, healthcare in the global south and the link between human and environmental health. She is the author of the inspiring book Guardians of the Trees: A Journey of Hope Through Healing the Planet: A Memoir.

Jonas Attilus MD, MPH is a Psychiatry Resident at University of Minnesota and Brendan Johnson is a 3rd going on 4th year medical student University of Minnesota Medical School. They are both part of the Social Medicine On Air team,  a podcast where they explore the field of social medicine with healthcare practitioners, activists, and researchers. Social medicine hopes to work for a world of justice and health - especially for the most marginalized - and connects clinical care to the deeper causes of health and illness. Social medicine team: Jonas Attilus, Sebastian Fonseca, Raghav Goyal, Brendan Johnson, Leila Sabbagh, and Poetry Thomas. https://linktr.ee/jonasattilus?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=30bd906d-7bcf-4e64-8f7a-bef5edf4d1d7

Adrienne Katner is an Associate Professor in Environmental and Occupational Health at LSU-Health School of Public Health. Her research focuses on evaluating how effective federal drinking water regulations and prevailing public health guidelines are in reducing water contaminant exposures. Her efforts to evaluate New Orleans water lead levels, and to raise awareness of the issue of lead in water after pipe replacements garnered national media and government attention. Prior to entering academia, she conducted research at the National Cancer Institute's Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch. She has a broad background in public health, with specific training in exposure and risk assessment; and environmental public health policy. For the past few years Dr. Katner has been working extensively with various communities to investigate declining private, urban and rural drinking water systems. Dr. Katner has also investigated air pollution issues associated with highways in the New Orleans Treme community with the community group Claiborne Corridor Alliance; and air pollution issues associated with industry along the Industrial Corridor lining the Mississippi River in St. John and St. James Parishes.

Harleen Marwah, MD MS founded Medical Students for a Sustainable Future in 2019 to bring together medical students for a collaborative effort to act on climate. She is a pediatric resident. Marwah was selected as one of the 2021 Grist 50 Fixers and earned the 2020 Health Care Without Harm Emerging Physician Leader Award in recognition of her work founding and leading Medical Students for a Sustainable Future. Prior to medical school, Dr. Marwah collaborated with the United Nations on the Paris Climate Agreement, attending the COP20 in Lima, Peru and the COP21 in Paris, France. During medical school, she continued her active engagement at the intersection of health and climate change through research, curriculum reform, and advocacy.

In today's conversation we chat with Rhiannon Osborne, a student doctor, climate & health justice activist, and researcher in health inequalities. She leads local, national and international work on equitable access to vaccines, the intersection of planetary and human earth, and capitalism's health injustices. She speaks and writes on global health justice, energy transitions, and health systemss. Her work has been featured by the Financial Times, The Independent, The Guardian, NowThis, UN Women, and the World Health Organisation.

Dr. Nicholas Norwitz obtained his PhD at Oxford University and is now pursing his MD at Harvard Medical School. His research expertise is ketosis and brain aging; however, he has published scientific papers on topics ranging from neuroscience to heart disease to gastrointestinal health to genetics to bone health to diabetes. Nick's passion for Food as Medicine is founded in a personal history, which he shares with us in this conversation.

Andrew Goldstein MD, MPH (@AndrewMakeTweet) is an assistant professor at NYU who practices primary care at Bellevue, especially for those with high medical need and experiencing homelessness. His medical activism has focused on healthcare, immigration, climate, gun violence, and vaccine apartheid.

Dr. Anjali Niyogi completed her MD/MPH from Tulane University School of Medicine and School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She is a Hospitalist at University Hospital where she teaches medical students and residents. Dr. Niyogi serves as an adjunct professor at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine where she teaches topics in Health and Human Rights.Dr. Niyogi has continued her work in global health with clinical and educational experience in Ghana, Uganda, Jamaica, Ethiopia and most recently with Central American refugees in Mexico and Syrian, Iraqi, and Afghani refugees in Greece. Dr. Niyogi is one of the founders and co-directors of the Resident Initiative in Global Health at Tulane. In 2015, Dr. Niyogi founded the Formerly Incarcerated Transitions (FIT) Clinic, which provides continuity of care for acute and chronic medical conditions to persons recently released from incarceration. She is a trained member of the Physicians Human Rights' (PHR) Asylum Network and conducts evaluations for asylum seekers in Louisiana. She is co-founder of the Forensic Asylum Clinic in New Orleans.

Anne Rolfes began her career in Nigeria, collaborating with local communities to address oil companies' destruction of the Niger Delta. She returned to Louisiana in 2000 and collaborated with women along Cancer Alley to found the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. Anne was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana where many people made their fortunes from the oil industry. She has seen the wealth and the poverty created by oil production and seeks a phase out of fossil fuels in her lifetime.

Dr. Susan Clayton is a Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology and chair of Environmental Studies at the College of Wooster. Her PhD, in social psychology, is from Yale University. Dr. Clayton is a lead author in the major scientific report released on 28 February, 2022 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body of experts convened by the United Nations. Dr. Clayton was a lead author of the chapter titled, “Health, Wellbeing, and the Changing Structure of Communities”. Dr. Clayton explores the connections between people and nature. You can find the report here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/