Podcast appearances and mentions of carol vassar

In 2010, when he was 15, Dr. Manuel "Manny" Gonzales was a sophomore in high school and a varsity cross-country runner when he received a stunning diagnosis: cancer. At that time, he underwent a grueling regimen to battle the disease: 10 rounds of chemotherapy, thirteen lumbar punctures, and countless hours spent in both the inpatient and outpatient settings of the hospital where he was being treated: Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware. His experience changed his life, creating a passion for becoming a pediatric oncologist.  Dr. Gonzales shared his story on Episode 56 of the podcast. We've invited him back to check in on his health and career path as he completes his pediatric residency at Nemours and heads into a hematology/oncology fellowship.  Dr. Gonzales was recently nominated as a Visionary of the Year Candidate for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is raising money to power innovative research for newer and safer therapies needed in pediatric oncology. Click here for more information on his campaign and to join his fundraising team. Carol Vassar, producer

The season of rebirth, renewal, and growth is here: Spring. And for many, it brings with it thoughts of putting our hands in the soil and planting seeds or transplanting seedlings in gardens. That's exactly what is happening right now on the Nemours Estate in Wilmington, Delaware. The Can Grow Garden is a collaboration between the estate and Nemours Children's Hospital Delaware to grow plants and provide a place for patient, family, and associate education and respite. The grown plants - mainly vegetables - provide food for the community to help alleviate food insecurity and teach healthy cooking and eating. Carol Vassar, producer View the Can Grow Garden video here.  For more information on the Can Grow Garden, contact Judy Lieberman

As the pandemic was settling in on the world in 2020, a Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando resident was pondering a way to take her work out of the hospital and into the community. Her vision of well beyond medicine: a mobile clinic providing health care (and so much more) to underinsured or uninsured children and families in Greater Orlando. A fortuitous encounter with a Nemours grant writer yielded the seed money to make this resident's dream a reality. Featuring Nemours Associates Dr. Laura Chilcutt, Dr. Branden Trandai, and Gabe Krivenko. Carol Vassar, producter

Ensuring the U.S. has a well-trained pediatric workforce is critical. Listen in as Dr. Larry Moss, President and CEO, Nemours Children's Health, and Amy Knight, President of the Children's Hospital Association, discuss Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education funding. They offer policy recommendations to address the current pediatric workforce shortage, including a call to Congress to increase CHGME funding, reauthorization of the program, and more. Carol Vassar, producer

On Mar. 2, 2023, the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation of Wilmington, Delaware donated $78 million to dramatically expand Nemours' capacity to provide clinical care for children with cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood disorders. Learn more about this donation, including how it happened, from William (Bill) Martin, President of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, and Mark Mumford, Chief Operating Officer for Nemours Children's Health.  Carol Vassar, producer

We're talking about how parents learn to become parents, focusing on a parent training management program launched last fall at Nemours Children's Hospital Floridie for parents whose children have been diagnosed with ADHD. Our guests on this episode developed it: Dr. Lisa Spector, division chief of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Nemours Children's, Florida, and her colleague Dr. Corinne Bria, a pediatric emergency medicine physician. Dr. Bria holds a master's of medical education with an emphasis on curriculum, implementation, and evaluation, which fits nicely with her role as interim program director for the Nemours Children's, Florida, pediatric residency program.  For more information on this parent training program, please email FLPrevention@nemours.org Carol Vassar, producer

Nemours' Director of Talent Services Dr. Allison Craft is an ardent advocate for associate engagement across the enterprise. In this podcast, she'll share high-level results of the most recent employee engagement survey. She'll also reveal the very personal reason why she's so passionate about employee engagement, which has its origins in an experience so profound that it led her to leave her dream job with NASA to join Nemours and further the engagement mission. Carol Vassar, producer

For more than forty years, Nemours has been leading the way in voice synthesis, voice banking and related assistive technology. This is thanks to the leadership of Dr. Tim Bunnell, Director of the Center for Pediatric Auditory and Speech Sciences at Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware. He also heads up Model Talker, a small group of Nemours scientists who helps create synthetic voices for people worldwide, applying the latest technology and research, including predictive analytics. They even allow people to bank their voices, if able, or for you to bank a voice for someone else who might need one.  Carol Vassar, producer. 

Strange as it may sound, spite was exactly why Child's Play was founded in 2003. Child's Play - based in the technology hub of Redmond, Washington, home to Microsoft and Nintendo in America - is a gamer-led charity driving the movement to bring video gaming to pediatric hospitals like Nemours and other non-profits that serve children across the nation and across the world.  Hear more about Child's Play - its background, mission, and partnership with Nemours in both Delaware and Florida - from Erick Blandin, Pediatric Gaming Technology Manager for Child's Play, and Nemours Gaming and Technology Specialist Scott Shaw, whose position is funded by a capacity building grant from Child's Play.  Carol Vassar, producer

It's our first episode of 2023, featuring the final episode in our occasional series on Precision Medicine at Nemours. Our topic is predictive analytics for the purpose of research. Collecting it, preparing it, analyzing it, and protecting it are the realm of the Nemours Biomedical Research Informatics Center (BRIC). BRIC provides consultation, training, and computational resources to biomedical research investigators across the enterprise and beyond. Our guests are BRIC Director Dr. Timothy Bunnell, and Daniel Eckrich, BRIC's Supervisor for Research Applications. Carol Vassar, producer Listen to other episodes in the Precision Medicine series: Episode 153: What is Precision Medicine (July 25, 2022) Episode 160: Changing Medicine through Pharmacogenomics Research (Sept. 12, 2022) Episode 161: Pharmacogenomics in Practice (Sept. 19, 2022) Episode 168: Biobanking at Nemours (Nov. 7, 2022) Episode 171: Genetic Medicine and Genetic Counseling for Kids (Nov. 28, 2022)  

Nemours Pediatric Psychologist Dr. Danika Perry reveals that her Nemours experience began when she was a high school volunteer - a volun-teen - at what is now the Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware.  For Dr. Perry, this and other volunteer opportunities would point her to her life's passion: a career as a pediatric psychologist. Carol Vassar, producer

Respiratory therapist L'Tanya Pierce talks about the Nemours Hair Care for Champions project she started in the Delaware Valley Region. It's aimed at providing hospitalized Nemours patients with clean, healthy-looking, and attractive hair as a matter of dignity and pride. It's also a grassroots, bedside example of how Nemours associates go beyond medicine daily.  Please be advised: There are two patient stories in this podcast. Certain details have been left out to ensure their privacy. Details that remain could be difficult or disturbing for some listeners. This is a REBROADCAST of Episode 129, originally released on February 7, 2022 Carol Vassar, producer

It's our year-end holiday remix, and at the center of this podcast episode is what's likely at the center of many traditional holiday celebrations: food. Whether its Ghanaian groundnut stew or Nigerian jollof rice for Kwanzaa, the traditional “seven fishes” served in many Italian-American homes on Christmas Eve, latkes for Chanukah, pork pie for boxing day, or buckwheat soba noodles served at midnight on New Year's Eve in many Japanese homes, traditional foods and holidays seem to go hand in hand.  But what happens if none of the aforementioned foods - or any other traditional holiday foods from across the world - don't fit with your disease state or diagnosed metabolic condition?  In this episode, we revisit the Killian family: Nemours associate and mom-of-two Lindsey and her husband, Tom, who, in November 2021, visited us on the podcast to outline the struggles and joys of being a PKU family. We'll look back on their story, the 2022 formula storage that affected them and get an update on how the family is today now that TJ is a kindergartener.  Carol Vassar, producer

On Nov. 29, 2022, The Nemours Community Relations team put together a webinar featuring Dr. Alexander along with board-certified pediatrician Dr. Maria Petrini from Nemours Children's Health Delaware and moderated by pediatrician Dr. Laura Chilcutt, a policy advisor to the external affairs team at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando. During the webinar, they opened the chat room to parents' pressing questions about each of the tripledemic viruses - for example, how they spread, how they are diagnosed, and how they're treated (or not treated). They also answered some general pediatric medicine questions, such as what constitutes a fever, when and for how long should a sick child stay home from school or daycare,  and the role adults play in prevention. Here today, we present highlights from that Q & A session.  Carol Vassar, producer

The word of the season -  you're hearing it everywhere - is tripledemic. What is it? How might it affect you and your family, especially your children, and, perhaps most importantly, what can you do to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy?  On Nov. 29th, The Nemours Community Relations team put together a webinar featuring Nemours experts in pediatrics and infectious diseases to provide information on the current tripledemic landscape and answer parents' questions about it. It's information so important we're highlighting it on the podcast this week and featuring our experts' answers to parents' questions posed in the webinar next week.  The voices you hear are those of Dr. Kenneth Alexander, board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in Infectious Diseases and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, and Dr. Maria Petrini. Dr. Petrini is a board-certified pediatrician at Nemours Children's Health, Delaware. She also serves as the medical director of the Delaware Children's Health Network.  Nemours pediatrician Dr. Laura Chilcutt serves as moderator. Dr. Chilcutt is a policy advisor with the external affairs team at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando.  Carol Vassar, producer

It's Thanksgiving week when families gather to celebrate that for which they are grateful. With the family together in one place, it's a rare opportunity for relatives to talk about and even record family history, including family health histories. That's one lesson that is being learned by teenagers across the nation whose teachers have chosen to avail themselves of a no-cost, evidence-based health education curriculum called "Navigating the Health Care System," developed here at Nemours. Today we are joined by the Nemours associates who created and have made available this curriculum and teachers from Delaware, Illinois, and Alabama to talk about how they have used or are using it in their classrooms.  Kate Blackburn and Denise Hughes from Nemours Children's Health, along with Anyana Starling, Program Manager, Health Literacy Program, Southeast Alabama Area Health Education Center; Christine DeGuzman, Health Education teacher, Brookside campus, Waukegan High School, Waukegan, Illinois and Katie Marianello, Delaware teacher and original curriculum pilot researcher.  Download the "Navigating the Health Care System" curriculum here.  Carol Vassar, producer

At the September 28, 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, a transformational vision and action plan for ending hunger and reducing diet-related disease by 2030 was introduced.  Achieving these goals that lie therein requires commitment and action across government, business, civic and nonprofit organizations, academia,  faith communities, healthcare, and the public at large. This conference showed that such commitment exists and that leaders across all sectors are ready to take up the challenge.  For its part, Nemours was well represented at the conference by Dr. Kara Walker, Executive Vice President and Nemours Chief Population health officer, and Daniella Gratale, Director of the Office of Child Health Policy. They join us in this podcast episode to talk about the conference and Nemours' ongoing commitments to ending hunger, improving health and reducing health disparities. Carol Vassar, producer

Dr. Roger Harrison joins us on this episode of the podcast, and together we'll delve into his work as a pediatric psychologist in the greater Wilmington Delaware area, a role he's had at Nemore for 19 years, and his longstanding passion for health equity and inclusion, which has led to his more recent role with the diversity, anti-racism, inclusion value, and health equity initiative called DRIVE.  Carol Vassar, producer  

Animals are healers. They've been proven to reduce pain, anxiety, and blood pressure, and release endorphins, and even bring joy to what can be a scary place: a hospital. So it's not a surprise for hospitals, health care systems, and long-term care facilities to have pet therapy teams who bring tested, certified, and well-tempered animals - mostly dogs - to comfort patients and families. Nemours has volunteer pet therapy teams at both NCH locations.  Recently, Nemours took the next step in pet therapy, and obtained a specially trained pet assistance, or in-residence, dog. Allie is a full-time Nemours associate who comes to work every day and is part of a child's treatment team. She can comfort children going through procedures, teach kids how to take pills, be there for their families, and even model a hospital gown.  Allie's handler, Child Life Specialist and Pet Therapy Coordinator Kelsey Cebula, joins us on the podcast to talk about her work with Allie at NCH Delaware and her vision for growing this program across the enterprise.  Carol Vassar, producer

We're honoring Hispanic Heritage Month by talking with associates of Hispanic background about their personal experiences with being Hispanic in America and at Nemours. In this episode, we'll talk with first-year pediatric residents Dr. Natalia Cordona and Dr. Gabriela Guadalupe-Rios from NCH-Florida.   Carol Vassar, producer

Dr. Stephen Dunn is the Chair of the Department of Surgery and Division Chief for the Nemours Solid Organ Transplant Program at Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware. We're talking with him about his international work, his background as a surgeon, as a public health service veteran, and his determination to bring training, technology, and treatment for children with liver and kidney disease to a wider world, starting at the place where the seeds of his interest in medicine were sewn: rural Indiana. Carol Vassar, producer

Under the broad umbrella of precision medicine falls pharmacogenomics, and within the field of pharamocogenomics, Nemours is involved with both researching and clinically applying pharacogenomics. In the second of two episodes on pharmacogenomics, we'll check in with pharmacists Dr. Benjamin Duong and Dr. Kelsey Cook about what's current in clinical pharmacogenomics, and what's on the horizon, too.  Carol Vassar, producer

Pharmacogenomics is a field of research that studies how a person's genes affect how an individual responds to medications. Its long-term goal is to help doctors select the drugs and doses best suited for each person. It's research that is happening within the walls of Nemours. We'll hear more about it from researcher Dr. Kathryn Blake, Director of the Center for Pharmacogenomics and Translational Research, and research scientist Dr. Ed Mougey.  Carol Vassar, producer

It's Labor Day, and we're talking labor and delivery within the Advanced Delivery Program (ADP) at the Nemours Children's Hospital (NCH) in Delaware. It's a two-and-a-half-year-old program that started as a partnership between ChristianaCare and Nemours Children's Health aimed at having mom's deliver at NCH Delaware if their child had been diagnosed with a fetal anomaly requiring treatment immediately following birth. Nemours is taking on this program solo starting this month, and here to tell us about it are Nemours associates Dr. Margaret Chou and Dr. Joanna Costa.  Carol Vassar, producer

Breastfeeding is not easy. It's a learning experience for moms and babies, especially the first time around. Nemours associate Lindsey Killian faced more barriers than most when it came to her first-time breastfeeding experience: her son was diagnosed with the metabolic disorder PKU when he was just four days old. This required the introduction of specially blended PKU formula to his breastfeeding routine - a staple of his diet (and that of his father, Tom, who also has PKU) to this day. This makes 2022 particularly worrisome, as the Killians, and many other families in the U.S., do their best to find the formula they need amid a nationwide shortage.  Carol Vassar, producer Listen to the Killian family's full PKU journey in these episodes of Champions for Children: Episode 124: What's That You're Eating? Episode 125: Becoming a PKU Family

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and in this episode, we'll explore some of the cultural aspects of breastfeeding with Dr. Tara Williams, Nemours General Academic Pediatrician and Breastfeeding Medicine Specialist based in Orlando, and Karina Charra, site coordinator in the Emergency Department of the Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware, and co-lead of the Adelante Associate Resource Group.  Carol Vassar, producer  

Since 2021, retired healthcare executive Elliot Joseph has been a member of the Nemours Foundation Board of Directors. Prior to his retirement in 2019, he was the CEO of Hartford HealthCare, a fully integrated, multi-specialty healthcare network serving the state of Connecticut. Mr. Joseph brings that expertise, experience, and leadership to Nemours. We'll talk about his Nemours journey,  the path that led him to the business side of healthcare, the function of a board of directors within a not-for-profit healthcare organization, and confirm the rumor that he has a particular passion for a band out of California band known for its eclectic music and dedicated enthusiasts, commonly known as Dead Heads. Carol Vassar, producer

Today we begin an occasional series within the podcast to highlight precision medicine and the associates here at Nemours who are researching and implementing these innovative approaches to medicine, specifically pediatric medicine.  Answering the basic question of "What is precision medicine" are two Nemours geneticists with 73 years of combined experience in genetics and at Nemours: Dr. Pamela Arn, Nemours Division Chief for Genetics, and Dr. Vicky Funanage, Nemours' Operational Vice President for Research. Carol Vassar, producer  

Dr. Wade Shrader has seen Cerebral Palsy (CP) from two important perspectives: that of a physician, a surgeon, and the Chief of the Division of Cerebral Palsy inside the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware, and as the father of four children, two of whom are young adults living with CP.  His perspective as both family member and provider has proved influential in his decision to specialize in CP.  Carol Vassar, producer  

We catch up with performer, singer, Nemours respiratory therapist, and optimist Mary Ann Douglas, who we first met on Episode 4 of the podcast from 2019. In a new interview recorded in July 2022, she provides an update on enduring the COVID-19 pandemic with her PICU team at NCH Orlando, providing stories of lessons learned and stresses born, along with patient stories from that time, which includes singing! Carol Vassar, producer

Nemours' Director of Talent Services Dr. Allison Craft is an ardent advocate for associate engagement across the enterprise. In this podcast, she'll share high-level results of the most recent employee engagement survey. She'll also reveal the very personal reason why she's so passionate about employee engagement, which has its origins in an experience so profound that it led her to leave her dream job with NASA to join Nemours and further the engagement mission. Carol Vassar, producer

Have you been hearing about the new federal holiday? In some parts of the nation, June 19th has long been a celebrated as Solidarity Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, or, most commonly, Juneteenth, which is the name of the new federal holiday. The co-leads of the Nemours African Heritage Associate Resource Group - Danielle David Evans and Kia Gaines -  are here to talk about the origin and history of Juneteenth in the U.S., and how it is being celebrated at Nemours this year.  Carol Vassar, producer

Nemours Pediatric Psychologist Dr. Danika Perry reveals that her Nemours experience began when she was a high school volunteer - a volun-teen - at what is now the Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware.  For Dr. Perry, this and other volunteer opportunities would point her to her life's passion: a career as a pediatric psychologist. Carol Vassar, producer

According to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, there is a serious mental health crisis happening among our children and youth in the U.S. It affects children, youth, families and communities across the communities Nemours serves. During May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we talk with Nemours associate Dr. Danika Perry about her perspective on the issue. Dr. Perry is the Behavioral Health Program Director of School-Based Wellness Centers in the elementary schools of the Colonial School District in New Castle, Delaware. Carol Vassar, producer

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and what better way to honor that than by letting you know about the newest Nemours Associate Resource Group (ARG), which encompasses those from this rich cultural background, and their allies. It's called the HealthCare alliance of Asian and Pacific Islanders (HAAPI). To talk about their work on this podcast are its executive sponsor Jane Mericle, Chief Nursing Executive and Patient Operations Officer in the Delaware Valley; Dr. Mary Lee, Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Lead for Educational Activities across the enterprise as well as physician in chief in the Delaware Valley; Steven Reader, a pediatric psychologist in the division of behavioral health; and Benjamin Duong, a pharmacist by training who is the Clinical Pharmacogenomics Service Manager for the enterprise. Ben also serves as co-leader for the HAPPI ARG.  Carol Vassar, producer  

Pastoral care is a model of emotional, social, and spiritual health. The term is considered inclusive of both non-religious forms of support and spirituality as well as support for people who are part of a particular religious community.  What is pastoral care at Nemours? Chaplains Tracy Herman and Ben White discuss the importance of the spiritual in the healthcare setting. (part 1 of 2) Carol Vassar, producer

The passage of a massive economic recovery act in 2009 marked a watershed year for the evolution of health information technology in the U.S. Paper medical records were on the way out, securely exchanged electronic medical records available to patients and authorized providers were on the way in.  Yet Nemours had been preparing for this since at least 1996, when Dr. David West became Nemours' first Chief Medical Informatics Officer. He stopped by recently to talk about the evolution of health information technology during that time, and where its headed next.  Carol Vassar, producer

When Dr. Bachrach joined Nemours in 1987, he became a witness to - and a driver of - the changes that would occur here that helped set the stage for "Well Beyond Medicine," including the transition from an orthopedic-only institution to a full-service pediatric hospital, the establishment of a world-renowned cerebral palsy center, the building of a new hospital in Orlando, and the evolution of Nemours Children's Health into a full-fledged pediatric healthcare system.    In this episode, Dr. Bachrach shares highlights of his distinguished Nemours career, memories of patients who inspired him, colleagues who have become his friends, and his perspective on change, retirement, and the Nemours culture that brought him here.    Carol Vassar, producer

As the executive sponsors of the Nemours Women at Work (W@W) Associate Resource Group (ARG), Dr. Mary Lee, Cindy Bo, Carrie Grant, and Christina Fleck came together recently to talk about why is it important to have a space specifically for women in the workplace, mentorship of women, by both women and men, and their very first (and vastly different) concert experiences. Carol Vassar, Producer

As we celebrate March as Women's HERStory Month in partnership with the Women@Work (W@W) Associate Resources Group (ARG), we brought together a panel of associates from across the enterprise to discuss women in the workplace at Nemours. Individually, these panelists have been with Nemours for between 8 months to 40 years, and bring forward experiences that are vastly different in some aspects, but remarkably similar in others.  Featuring Nemours associates Debbie Marchese, Martha Santoni, Teneasha Billingsley, and Janet Adams. Carol Vassar, producer BONUS PLAYLIST:  Truth Hurts by Lizzo (clean edit) I'm Every Woman by Chaka Kahn (Paid the Cost to Be) The Boss by James Brown Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys (clean edit) This One's for the Girls by Martina McBride The Schuyler Sisters by the original Broadway cast of Hamilton    

Dr. Maureen Leffler is Nemours' Chief Wellness Officer. She joins the conversation in this episode to talk about the overall well-being of Nemours associates, but individually and as a whole. She'll also share some of her personal struggles with change both in her career and in her personal life, and let us know how Nemours associates from across the enterprise have an opportunity to provide input on the Nemours well-being strategy moving forward.  Carol Vassar, producer

PedsAcademy is a unique, research-backed partnership between Nemours Children's Health and the University of Central Florida. It provides education to Nemours patients with chronic health conditions and complex medical needs. It also offers a formal internship program for teachers in training - the only such program of its kind in the nation. It gives future teachers deep insight and understanding into the educational and social-emotional needs of children coping with chronic illness -- training and experience that they carry with them to their classrooms and careers. Carol Vassar, producer RESOURCES: Visit PedsAcademy at Nemours Visit PedsAcademy at UCF An Exploration of the PedsAcademy Internship's Influence on Aspiring Educators' Preparation to Teach Children with Chronic Illnesses.

Nemours Executive Vice President and Enterprise Chief Communications Officer Gina Altieri shares her insights regarding the philosophy behind the new enterprise tagline, Well Beyond Medicine, and how these three words combined represent Nemours' new vision and strategy in a powerful and ingenious way. She'll also provide information on how every associate in the enterprise can weigh in on Well Beyond Medicine. Carol Vassar, producer

Nemours associate Lindsey Killian and her husband, Tom,  are the proud parents of two young sons: four-and-a-half-year-old T.J. and one-year-old Nicholas. T.J. and Tom were each diagnosed at birth with a metabolic condition known as PKU. In this second of two episodes, we'll delve into the extra work required for the Killians just to travel together, the struggles they've faced with health insurance coverage, and the reason Lindsey was determined to someday work at Nemours. Carol Vassar, producer

For Nemours associate Lindsey Killian and her husband, Tom, a typical evening meal with their two young children is anything but "typical." Hear how this family of four faced trials and triumphs following the diagnosis of a genetic condition affecting half of its members. It's a condition that impacts every aspect of their lives, from the food they eat to the places they choose to live, work and play, yet easily detected by a simple blood test required by law across the nation. Carol Vassar, producer

As we approached 2022, we look back on the history of Nemours, this time through the eyes of 40-year Nemours associate Ann Riley, who served from 1972 until 2012. We'll talk about the many changes she witnessed during her time with Nemours - and some of the core Nemours traditions, values, and beliefs that remain unchanged, even today.  Carol Vassar, producer

Five months ago, Adrienne Miller joined the Nemours Continuous Improvement Team as a Specialist. She did so after 16 years at Nemours as a pharmacist, most recently serving as Pharmacy Operations Manager in Delaware. It's a bit of a career swerve for Adrienne, who knew in high school that she wanted to work in healthcare but wasn't sure where. She talks about her entry into the field and her most recent career change.  Learn about the Nemours LEADER program here.  Carol Vassar, producer

Nemours Leadership Experience and Development Educational Program (LEADER) is a 90-plus hour education and development opportunity for current managers and associates who aspire to a management or leadership role. Nemours Associates Christina Savoy and Denise Hughes are recent LEADER graduates. They share the benefits they've derived from participating in LEADER and encourage other Nemours Associates to join them on the career development journey. Carol Vassar, producer

We’ve got lots for you this week. Fishermen clash with offshore wind developers, once-depleted bluefin tuna experience a resurgence, and 3D printing helps bring manufacturing back to Massachusetts. Meanwhile, off-road vehicles bring money and grumbles to White Mountain towns. Plus, the fascinating story of when “Live Free or Die” bumped heads with the First Amendment — and why it could prove relevant in an upcoming Supreme Court case.  Last, an appreciation of the sticky sweet snack of many a New England childhood. ATVs have become a frequent sight in New Hampshire’s Coos county. Photo by Chris Jensen for NHPR Up and Down the Coast The bluefin tuna can reach lengths of almost 10 feet. They can swim from the Bahamas to Norway in 54 days. Photo credit: NOAA Fishermen say it’s been decades since they’ve been able to catch so many Atlantic bluefin tuna so fast. Once severely depleted, populations of the prized sushi fish appear to be rebuilding. Now the industry and some scientists say the international commission that regulates the fishery can allow a much bigger catch. But some conservation groups disagree. From Portland, Maine Public Radio’s Fred Bever reports. Crew members sort through scallops and discard bycatch on a fishing boat in the Atlantic 14 miles from Long Island’s Montauk Point. Photo by Jon Kalish for NENC On the easternmost tip of Long Island, Montauk is the largest commercial fishing port in New York State. The nation’s first offshore wind farm is only a few miles away, off of Block Island, and many more such wind farms are in the works along the eastern seaboard. These plans have Montauk fisherman worried about the impact on their livelihoods. Independent producer Jon Kalish reports. Mike Twombly uses a sophisticated tool to precisely measure the diameter of a part that has been recently fabricated at Custom Machine Group in Woburn, Mass. Photo by Jesse Costa for WBUR Alexander Gomenik, Professor of Engineering at Indiana University plays a plastic fiddle produced from a 3D printer at the Digital Factory Conference at the MIT Media Lab . (Photo by Bruce Gellerman for WBUR) You don’t often see the label “Made in Massachusetts,” but manufacturing plays an outsized role in the economy of the Bay State. WBUR’s Bruce Gellerman takes us to factories on the front line of a new industrial revolution. It’s one that promises to transform how things are made, and the roles of workers. Read and listen to more from WBUR’s Future of Work series. Living Free Three year-old Everly Lavertu enjoys riding ATV trails with her parents. But leading health and safety groups say young children should not be riding in ATVs. Photo by Casey McDermott for NHPR These days in New Hampshire's North Country, it's not unusual to see caravans of all-terrain vehicles — or ATVs — all over. This region of the state has long been defined by the loss of its paper mill industry and high unemployment rate. But the surge in ATVs may be changing the North Country's image. While some see promise in this growing group of tourists, others worry that the region might be losing something else along the way. Others raise safety concerns. Reporters Casey McDermott and Todd Bookman looked into the  ATV phenomenon in a three-part series for New Hampshire Public Radio. Casey McDermott joins us to talk about what they learned. Below: take a virtual ride on an ATV trail in New Hampshire’s Jericho Mountain State Park. The adventurous off-road spirit is certainly in step with New Hampshire's celebrated motto: “Live Free or Die.” Image via Plateshack.com The slogan, taken from a 1809 toast given by Granite State Revolutionary War general John Stark, has been a part of the New Hampshire license plate since 1971. But not long after it became standard, a man made the case that the requirement to display the motto on his car violated his freedoms. And his case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Next month, the court will hear arguments in a controversial free speech case out of Colorado, where a baker refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The baker's attorneys say they're resting their arguments on a precedent set during the decades-old legal battle over “Live Free or Die.” NHPR's Lauren Chooljian  tells the story of one determined New Hampshire couple, and how their battle with state's famous motto continues to have an impact. Creepy and Sweet Left: A daguerreotype portrait of brain-injury survivor Phineas P. Gage, holding the tamping iron which injured him. Right: Gage’s skull on display at Harvard Medical School. Photos courtst of Jack and Beverly Wilgus/Wikimedia Commons A grisly construction accident in New England in 1848 left railroad worker Phineas Gage with severe brain damage — but gave scientists valuable clues about how the brain functions. Gage survived the metal spike that went clear through his head, and has since become an icon of both science and pop culture. His skull is on display at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. WSHU’s Davis Dunavin brings us the story from his new podcast Off the Path from New York to Boston. Festival founder Mimi Graney sells copies of her book “What the Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon” Autumn in New England is festival season. You can find fairs celebrating chrysanthemums, pumpkins, cranberries, or oysters. But the “What the Fluff” Festival in Somerville, Massachusetts is unique. Freelance reporter Carol Vassar paid a visit this year, and brings us an appreciation of a signature New England confection: Marshmallow Fluff. Do you have a question about New England you’d like NEXT to investigate? Tell us about it here. About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Fred Bever, John Kalish, Bruce Gellerman, Casey McDermott, Todd Bookman, Lauren Chooljian, David Dunavin, Carol Vassar Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon. Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, and photos of your own medical anomalies to next@wnpr.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we walk the US-Canada border with Border Patrol agents, and hear the concerns of civil rights lawyers who worry about their ability to stop people they suspect of living in the country without documentation. We’ll also hear the story of an unusual experiment proposed for Martha’s Vineyard, one that asks residents to trust a scientist who’s trying to stop the spread of Lyme disease. We meet a man who’s become a Boston institution while playing music in a bear suit. And we go to church on an uninhabited island. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brad Brant on the U.S. -Canada border in Highgate, Vt. Photo by Ryan Caron King for NENC South of the Border United States Border Patrol agents are dedicated to protecting the border 24 hours a day, monitoring for things like drug smuggling and human trafficking. Their jurisdiction also extends significantly inland. Within 100 miles of the border and the coastline they have broad authority to stop cars for immigration questions. Civil rights advocates say recent stops in New Hampshire and Vermont are concerning. Vermont Public Radio's Kathleen Masterson reports. Carlos Rafael’s fleet, nearly one fifth of the fishing fleet in New Bedford, Massachusetts, photographed on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016.  Photo by Tristan Spinksi for Mother Jones/FERN. Earlier this year we brought you the intriguing true crime story of Carlos Rafael, also know as “The Codfather.” Back in March, the New Bedford Massachusetts – based fishing magnate plead guilty to 28 counts of fraud. The Codfather grossly under-reported his catch – at the expense of smaller fishermen who lacked the permits to bring in more valuable fish. Last week, Rafael was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, plus a $200,000 fine. Because of his outsized influence, Rafael's imprisonment has the potential to reshape New England's groundfishing business. To learn more, we invited back Ben Goldfarb, a freelance journalist who’s covered the case of the Codfather for Mother Jones Magazine and the Food and Environment Reporting Network. Veteran Cindy McGuirk speaks up for women veterans at a town hall meeting addressing concerns about the Manchester VA on July 31, 2017. Photo by Peter Biello for NHPR NEXT  has also been keeping an eye on problems at the VA medical center in Manchester, New Hampshire. This past July, the Boston Globe Spotlight Team published an investigative report detaining unsanitary conditions and patient neglect at the VA – a facility that was given a four-star rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The next day, two top officials were removed. Two days after that, a pipe burst, flooding five floors at the hospital. One of those spaces was dedicated to women’s health. Now, as the Manchester VA rebuilds itself, some see an opportunity to improve the experience for women veterans. New Hampshire Public Radio's Peter Biello reports. Surrounded by Water Not only was Lyme Disease discovered here in New England, it's had a pretty profound effect. As we've reported, the Northeast has the biggest concentration of Lyme cases, and the problem seems to be getting worse. Public health officials have tried all sorts of efforts to cut down on the transmission of the disease, which is spread by deer ticks – after they are infected by rodent hosts. Geneticist Kevin Esvelt (right) takes questions from a Martha's Vineyard audience. in July 2016. Photo by Annie Minoff for Science Friday One of the places with the highest concentrations of Lyme cases is also one of New England’s most famous vacation destinations: Martha's Vineyard. That's where the podcast Undiscovered went to track a geneticist who's proposing a novel solution – releasing genetically modified mice on the island. Undiscovered co-host Annie Minoff joins us to talk about a science experiment that has as much to do with people and politics as mice and ticks. Margie Howe Emmons sits in the outdoor chapel on Chocurua Island on New Hampshire’s Squam Like. Photo by Sean Hurley for NHPR Every Sunday morning through the summer, a bell rings out three times from an island in the middle of Squam Lake. It’s a signal that boaters, kayakers, and even swimmers, should begin to make their way to the island – because church is about to start. With a granite boulder serving as an altar and music from a hand cranked organ, Chocurua Island has hosted religious services of all kinds for more than a hundred years. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Sean Hurley visited the island with one of its most devoted caretakers. Net Zero The all-concrete “Home Run House” in Warren, VT. Photo by Jon Kalish for NENC We've been bringing you stories of super-energy-efficient housing as part of our series, The Big Switch. Most of these dwellings use a combination of traditional building materials, some high tech advancements, and renewable energy sources like solar and geothermal to get to what's called “net zero” – meaning NO fossil fuels. Reporter Jon Kalish found another such building in the small town of Warren, Vermont. But the key to this house is its unconventional building material. Renderings show the “Home Run House” when complete. Image courtesy of Dave Sellers. Bostonians are not exactly known for the warm fuzzies, but in recent years a fuzzy, costumed street performer has won the affection of many in New England's largest city. The busker dresses in a bear suit, plays the keytar, and is known as Keytar Bear. Freelance reporter Carol Vassar wanted to know more about the bear, and the man inside the costume. She brings us this report. A post on the “We Love Keytar Bear” Facebook page after the performer was attacked by teenagers this June. Keytar Bear is not the hero we deserve but the hero we need. @KeytarBear pic.twitter.com/8wwLlbISit — Roomba (@TheRoomba) September 18, 2017 About NEXT NEXT is produced at WNPR. Host: John Dankosky Producer: Andrea Muraskin Executive Producer: Catie Talarski Contributors to this episode: Kathleen Masterson, Ben Goldfarb, Peter Biello, Annie Minoff, Sean Hurley, Jon Kalish, and Carol Vassar Music: Todd Merrell, “New England” by Goodnight Blue Moon Get all the NEXT episodes. We appreciate your feedback! Send praise, critique, suggestions, questions, and story leads next@wnpr.org. Tweet your Keytar Bear photos to us @NEXTNewEngland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.