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Dr. Shebani Sethi is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and founder of the first academic Metabolic Psychiatry program. Board-certified in both Psychiatry and Obesity Medicine, she bridges the gap between mental health and metabolic health—an approach she calls Metabolic Psychiatry. Dr. Sethi trained at Stanford, Duke, and Johns Hopkins, with expertise in eating disorders, nutrition, and obesity. Her groundbreaking research explores ketogenic and metabolic interventions for serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A recipient of multiple national awards, Dr. Sethi is a leading voice in rethinking how we treat the mind and body—together. In this episode, Drs. Tro, Laura, and Shebani talk about… (00:00) Intro (03:01) What Metabolic Psychiatry is (03:50) Recent research studying the links between diet and mental health (07:01) The state of food addiction research (12:57) How we can help others understand and accept the reality of food addiction (19:23) The modern processed food epidemic (23:42) The data from recent studies on how the keto diet reduces binge eating and food addiction symptoms (24:53) The latest paper worked on by Dr. Tro, Dr. Laura, and Dr. Shebani looking at the impact of various dietary approaches on binge eating and food addiction symptoms (29:40) How important social support is in reducing food addiction symptoms (33:18) In what sense food can be considered an addictive substance (36:02) Dr. Shebani's personal diet (37:22) Parting words of wisdom for anyones struggling with food addiction or obesity (39:07) Which interventions Dr. Shebani has found most effective for For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening! Links: Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/ Our new peer-reviewed study on food addiction and binge eating was just published! CHECK IT OUT: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1612551/full Dr. Shebani Sethi: X: https://x.com/shebanimd?lang=en Dr. Brian Lenzkes: Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author Dr. Tro Kalayjian: Website: https://www.doctortro.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/ Toward Health App Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together. Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more. Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888 Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US Learn more: https://doctortro.com/community/
For Dr. Priya, the autopsy is just the beginning. What happens next can change everything for the families left behind. In this episode, Dr. Priya Banerjee joins Sheryl McCollum, to examine a side of autopsies that rarely makes headlines: the profound responsibility of communicating with families. Dr. Priya reflects on the power of empathy in the autopsy suite, the deep importance of walking families through trauma with care, and the surprising ways postmortem findings can protect the living. She shares raw personal experiences—from the loss of her own parents to advocating for grieving families left behind during COVID—and the critical role of cultural awareness, front-line staff, and honest conversations. Listeners will also learn how autopsies sometimes uncover hereditary conditions that can lead to lifesaving interventions for surviving loved ones. This is forensic pathology not just as a science, but as a service. Highlights: (0:00) The emotional weight of entering the medical examiner’s office (1:30) Debunking the ‘grim reaper’ myth of pathology (3:00) Personal loss and professional insight: How Dr. Priya’s grief reshaped her work (5:45) The unsung heroes of the ME office—investigators and admin staff (6:45) Why Dr. Priya insists on calling families directly (9:00) Launching a private autopsy service in response to COVID-era needs (13:00) Managing expectations: What autopsies reveal and what they can’t (15:00) Working with families and finding closure (16:30) Cultural and religious barriers to autopsy (24:00) Why refusing an autopsy can hurt future legal or health outcomes (27:00) The hidden legacy of genetic disease (30:00) Dr. Priya’s pet and power of early intervention About the Hosts Dr. Priya Banerjee is a board-certified forensic pathologist with extensive experience in death investigation, clinical forensics, and courtroom testimony. A graduate of Johns Hopkins, she served for over a decade as Rhode Island’s state medical examiner and now runs a private forensic pathology practice. Her work includes military deaths, NSA cases, and high-profile investigations. Dr. Priya has also been featured as a forensic expert on platforms such as CrimeOnline and Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. She is a dedicated educator, animal lover, and proud mom. Website: anchorforensicpathology.comTwitter/X: @Autopsy_MD Sheryl McCollum is an Emmy Award–winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, and the Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. She works as a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department and is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI), a nationally recognized nonprofit that brings together universities, law enforcement, and experts to help solve unsolved homicides, missing persons cases, and kidnappings. Email: coldcase2004@gmail.comTwitter/X: @ColdCaseTipsFacebook: @sheryl.mccollumInstagram: @officialzone7podcast
Mira Yaache, MHA, MBA, Interim Administrator of Neurosciences and Administrator of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, shares her perspective on the growing influence of private equity in healthcare and its impact on the anesthesia market. She explores concerns about the future of private equity in the sector, highlighting the implications for providers and organizations. Yaache also addresses the ongoing challenges surrounding declining reimbursements and what they could mean for long-term sustainability.
Today we have our good friend and colleague Dr. Andrew Koutnik on the show. Andrew is a research scientist who studies the influence of nutrition and metabolism on health, disease and performance. He specializes in Type 1 diabetes and works with a wide range of people to improve their metabolic health and athletic performance. Andrew is a visiting research scientist at IHMC and has worked with Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NASA, and the Department of Defense to develop evidence-based strategies for overcoming complex health challenges. He is a graduate of Florida State University and earned his Ph.D. in medical sciences at the University of South Florida, where he worked with another good friend of ours, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, who has been a previous STEM-Talk guest. Show notes: [00:02:50] Dawn welcomes Andrew to the show and asks him about his website, andrewkoutnik.com, the quote on the site's homepage “Demystifying complex science to help you thrive in your health journey,” and the tagline “Challenging the status quo of metabolic health, human performance, and the management of type1 diabetes.” [00:05:31] Ken asks Andrew how old he was when he first learned he had Type 1 diabetes. [00:08:32] Dawn asks why Andrew believes his Type 1 diabetes is one of his life's ultimate assets? [00:12:51] Ken mentions that Andrew grew up in Tallahassee and that despite suffering from childhood obesity, he was relatively athletic as a child. Ken asks Andrew to talk about his childhood. [00:14:20] Dawn asks Andrew to talk about the weight-loss journey he underwent as a teenager. [00:17:25] Dawn shifts gears to ask Andrew about how he got into science, mentioning that when he was younger, he never saw himself becoming a scientist. [00:20:19] Dawn asks if it is true that Andrew was the sort of kid who would constantly asked questions. [00:22:11] Dawn asks Andrew if it is true that after enrolling at Tallahassee Community College, it took him a while to decide on his major. [00:22:58] Ken asks Andrew to talk about the impact that his undergraduate anatomy and physiology class and professor had on his journey. [00:24:44] Ken mentions that after graduating from FSU, Andrew went to the University of South Florida where he worked with Dominic D'Agostino, who is both a previous STEM-Talk guest and a current colleague of Andrew's. Ken asks Andrew how he met Dom. [00:27:46] Dawn asks Andrew how he came to work in Dom's lab. [00:29:00] Dawn asks Andrew if his wife is still in touch with her former roommate, who connected Andrew and Dom. [00:29:21] Ken asks Andrew to touch on some of the research he did with Dom while he was pursuing his Ph.D. [00:31:49] Dawn shifts gears to talk about Andrew's work in metabolic health and Type 1 diabetes. Dawn explains that a study published by the University of North Carolina found only 12 percent of Americans were metabolically healthy. Additionally, researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found in 2022 that only 6.8 percent of Americans had good cardiometabolic health. Dawn asks Andrew how he works with people who want to improve their metabolic health. [00:34:19] Ken asks Andrew for his thoughts on the sentiment that a ketogenic diet is hard to sustain. [00:36:55] Ken mentions that Andrew was part of a review that looked at carbohydrate restriction for diabetes, which is a practice that had been in use since the 1700s. It fell out of favor once insulin was discovered in the 1920s. Ken goes on to explain that carbohydrate restrictive diets, like the ketogenic diet, have regained popularity for the treatment and management of diabetes, weight-loss and a range of other health issues such as migraines, cancer and depression. Ken asks Andrew to first explain the history of carb-restrictive diets as a treatment of diabetes. [00:39:43] Ken asks Andrew to talk more about the aforementioned 2021 review and its argument...
Dominic Pietramala is a standout collegiate lacrosse player who made a major impact during the 2025 season. He was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, recognizing him as one of the nation's elite players. Pietramala earned All-ACC honors and was named an Honorable Mention All-American by both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse, while also being selected to the USA Lacrosse Second Team All-America. He led the ACC in goals this past season, showcasing his scoring ability and leadership on the field. Before his collegiate success, Pietramala was one of the top high school players in the country—winning the prestigious C. Markland Kelly Award as Maryland's top high school player and being named the Mid-Atlantic Boys Player of the Year during his senior season. As a younger player, Dom was initially motivated to be the best version of himself to gain his father's approval, but once he learned to be the best for himself, his game went to another level. When so many players want to be like their role models, he grew up wanting to be different. When others try to overcome their perceived limitations, he utilizes them to excel even further. When others have the ultimate dream of winning awards and championships, Dom's dream was always to play for his dad alongside his brother. In storybook fashion, last season his dream came true during a breakout game against Johns Hopkins, on the same field where his father left an irreplaceable legacy! @dompietramala
Welcome to Pathology with Dr. Priya | A Zone 7 Series, a forensic deep-dive led by board-certified pathologist Dr. Priya Banerjee. Each Monday, Dr. Priya teams up with Emmy Award–winning CSI Sheryl “Mac” McCollum to explore the silent testimony of the dead and the science behind suspicious deaths. From the autopsy suite to the courtroom, they uncover the truth in tissues, expose investigative missteps, and give voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves. Whether you're a seasoned detective, true crime obsessive, or just curious about what the body can really reveal—this is your front-row seat to forensic pathology in action. In this debut episode, Dr. Priya reflects on her approach to autopsies, what the body can reveal that others can’t, and why collaboration between law enforcement and medical examiners is essential to justice. With more than 3,000 autopsies to her name—including the high-profile Breonna Taylor case and work with the NSA—Dr. Priya brings both precision and heart to this science. She and Sheryl McCollum break down the John O’Keefe case and walk listeners through what a well-executed forensic process should look like. You’ll also meet Slice—the puppy with a badge and a calming presence in even the most intense training rooms—and get a glimpse into Dr. Priya’s personal world, where compassion, curiosity, and hard-earned experience converge. Highlights: (0:00) Welcome to Pathology with Dr. Priya | A Zone 7 Series (1:00) Who is Dr. Priya? Johns Hopkins, 3,000 autopsies, and an adopted puppy (3:30) Inside the case: crime scenes, teamwork, and the John O’Keefe breakdown (11:00) What the autopsy can (and can’t) say (15:00) Working with families and finding closure (22:15) Training detectives—with help from Slice, the puppy with a badge About the Show Pathology with Dr. Priya | A Zone 7 Series explores the powerful role forensic pathology plays in uncovering the truth. Each week, Dr. Priya joins Sheryl McCollum to discuss real cases, surprising conclusions, and the science behind suspicious deaths. From overlooked trauma to undiagnosed conditions, the goal is always the same: justice through evidence, and closure through clarity. If you’ve ever wondered what a body can tell you—this is the show. About the Hosts Dr. Priya Banerjee is a board-certified forensic pathologist with extensive experience in death investigation, clinical forensics, and courtroom testimony. A graduate of Johns Hopkins, she served for over a decade as Rhode Island’s state medical examiner and now runs a private forensic pathology practice. Her work includes military deaths, NSA cases, and high-profile investigations. Dr. Priya has also been featured as a forensic expert on platforms such as CrimeOnline and Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. She is a dedicated educator, animal lover, and proud mom. Website: anchorforensicpathology.comTwitter/X: @Autopsy_MD Sheryl McCollum is an Emmy Award–winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, and the Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. She works as a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department and is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI), a nationally recognized nonprofit that brings together universities, law enforcement, and experts to help solve unsolved homicides, missing persons cases, and kidnappings. Email: coldcase2004@gmail.comTwitter/X: @149zone7Facebook: @sheryl.mccollumInstagram: @officialzone7podcast
Professor Felipe Campante of Johns Hopkins sees little room for success in negotiations between Brazil and the US, as only the former is following the rule of law. Subscribe to Explaining Brazil Plus on Apple Podcasts for the full episode or go to The Brazilian Report and subscribe to get all of our content. Support the show
Listen to the full episode here (https://podcast.modernclassrooms.org/53) Toni Rose is joined by Emily Dia to talk about using a Unit Zero to introduce the model, and they go on to describe a day in the life of a Modern Classroom once students have internalized the routines. Show Notes Toni Rose's Unit 0 Calendar (https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/18bwBGdE0Mfv5bXgOKi1EiTDgfCcNa5zY0z1sSryUAsU/edit) Keeping up with the Modern Classrooms: Episode #1: Unit 0 (https://youtu.be/DOBepbKk_Is) Marissa's Classroom (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PSLVCDFJN5_vn6vAhcIb-oW0UX7LVL2k/view?usp=sharing) Johns Hopkins research data on MCP (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eHVDlBCRuObRCJixpz-FaXiec-0QlwGf/view) Unit 0 One pager (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y4Dzk3WAnq6WpklllbyRQykt9z_gFISI4BZlUE8vZqo/edit?usp=sharing) Family intro email (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1utfOMecEPm9BTV7Cn9NxdDWvgF_xyQxcYE1Wh1Nwijc/edit?usp=sharing) Unit 0 Reflection (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdt1Yq1InBJCd0s8gxxasuyBCkzg6ALoCyqsL186Nr1Ib7d8Q/viewform?usp=sf_link) Unit 0, Lesson 1 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CxGkwPtwEgmEXtlwd0qD-2R63fE0pvzHGheANcSCL7Q/edit?usp=sharing) Family Communication Toolkit (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gXhKgdvi1QfDR8m8Ow0YVpdBq2y8RQ589GUOqOEsDp8/edit?usp=sharing) Icebreaker Ideas (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HiJs4x32ndpVQHFhjxiUZvtb1mZPKM25zBPuuHLU4bg/edit#slide=id.p): * Follow the Directions Activity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wTJomsZe8DfWU_Dwrybof-k9Ace-bZT9cwxHp5T3Qe0/edit?usp=sharing) * I am From Poem (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1830ckWM3bKuFuhE3bmfyDZS6HyHskiN8IhMnsC0cY-4/edit) Unit 0: Slide Development Template (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gyLx3VYItficSqsKle9JHArLtiQiz1hDCpPFHv7aAnc/edit?usp=sharing) Adding ten minutes of reading time dramatically changes levels of print exposure (https://www.scilearn.com/wp-content/uploads/add-ten-minutes-of-reading.pdf) Follow us online and learn more: Modern Classrooms: @modernclassproj (https://twitter.com/modernclassproj) on Twitter and facebook.com/modernclassproj (https://www.facebook.com/modernclassproj) Kareem: @kareemfarah23 (https://twitter.com/kareemfarah23) on Twitter Kate: @gaskill_teacher (https://twitter.com/gaskill_teacher) on Twitter Toni rose: @classroomflex on Twitter (https://twitter.com/classroomflex) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/classroomflex/?hl=en) The Modern Classroom Project (https://www.modernclassrooms.org) Modern Classrooms Online Course (https://www.learn.modernclassrooms.org) Take our free online course, or sign up for our mentorship program to receive personalized guidance from a Modern Classrooms mentor as you implement your own modern classroom! The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond (https://twitter.com/zpdiamond) on Twitter and Learning to Teach (https://www.learningtoteach.co/)
It's a Feel Good Friday packed with flavor and fun!
Subscribe to one of the paid tiers on the PPM Patreon to access "AmerIsraeli Yarvin of Lead" in its entirety: patreon.com/ParaPowerMappingPicking our AmerIsraeli Years of Lead & PayPal Mafia Occupied Gov't investigation back up, we begin by synopsizing some of the basics of Curtis Yarvin's Neoreactionary (NRx) politics. We then move into an incomplete parapower mapping of his influence on the current Trump administration and their PayPal Mafia benefactors, illustrating how Elon's DOGE is the direct successor of Yarvin's RAGE concept. We detail how his Thiel backed distributed message board software Urbit is basically a repackaging of Usenet. We then shift gears into into the ironic psychodrama of Yarvin's advocacy for a government bureaucracy-purging coup by virtue of his father Herbert's multi-decade "Foreign Service" career. This brings us to one of the primary fulcrums of this investigation, the reasonable-but-thus-far unverifiable suspicion that Herbert Yarvin may have actually been a CIA officer/agent or analyst under diplomatic cover, and the reality that, either way, Curtis Yarvin is a kind of spooky deep state nepo-baby, context that should reorient perspectives when it comes to his pseud career as a theorist of “Cathedral” disruption.We then gloss some evidence supporting Herbert-Yarvin-as-Company-man by way of his Brown University Philosophy program peer Arnold Cusmariu, who worked as an philosophical analyst for the agency for more than 3 decades, much of which overlapped with Yarvin's Foreign Service career. We layout how a PoliSci faculty member named Lyman Kirkpatrick, who happened to be former top brass at the CIA and a onetime DCI hopeful, attempted to recruit Arnold Cusmariu in the ‘70s, showing that there is a high probability that Curtis Yarvin's Dad and Arnold knew each other by way of their shared thesis faculty advisor Ernest Sosa, increasing the chances they may have been part of the same Company cohort (we also hint at the void of evidence supporting Curtis' Mom's purported State career, which could be suspicious in its own right).We then discuss how both Curtis and his brother Norman were “gifted & talented” students and the recipients of scholarships from the State Department and that Curtis even partook in this groundbreaking longitudinal Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth at Johns Hopkins as a preteen, which was administered by the Godfather of the nationwide gifted ed programs of the late ‘80s, ‘90s, and early ‘00s... Which is intriguing considering some of Yarvin's fellow alumni Precocious Math study alumni are Epstein affiliate Sergey Brin (2 months younger than Curtis) and Mark Zuckerberg. We also examine his child prodigy escapades through the prism of online rumors that GATE was basically a covert CIA mind control talent search. We draw some loose deep politics comparisons to figures like Michael Riconosciuto, Ted Kaczynski, Jack Sarfatti, and the strategy of tension theorists. View the full episode liner notes on the Patreon.Tracks and Clips:| Spirit Hz - "Scanner" https://spirithz.bandcamp.com/album/there-is-only-one-thing | | Curtis Yarvin spewing anticommunist bullshit on "Based Camp" hosted by the weird, uber-breeder, coke bottle lenses eugenics couple | | J.D. Vance inspired by Yarvin and "Claimed We Should Eliminate Administrative State" | | Curtis Yarvin with Michael Anton - "American Caesar" | | News clip - "More than 1,300 State Dept. employees fired Friday in latest purge under Trump | | Matt Akers - "Soldier of Fortune" https://matthewakers.bandcamp.com/album/whitest-hunters-blackest-hearts|
Childhood-onset hydrocephalus encompasses a wide range of disorders with varying clinical implications. There are numerous causes of symptomatic hydrocephalus in neonates, infants, and children, and each predicts the typical clinical course across the lifespan. Etiology and age of onset impact the lifelong management of individuals living with childhood-onset hydrocephalus. In this episode, Casey Albin, MD, speaks with Shenandoah Robinson, MD, FAANS, FAAP, FACS, author of the article “Childhood-onset Hydrocephalus” in the Continuum® June 2025 Disorders of CSF Dynamics issue. Dr. Albin is a Continuum® Audio interviewer, associate editor of media engagement, and an assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Robinson is a professor of neurosurgery, neurology, and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Additional Resources Read the article: Childhood-onset Hydrocephalus Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @caseyalbin Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about earning CME, subscribing to the journal, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Albin: Hi, this is Dr Casey Albin. Today I'm interviewing Dr Shenandoah Robinson about her article on childhood onset hydrocephalus, which appears in the June 2025 Continuum issue on disorders of CSF dynamics. Dr Robinson, thank you so much for being here. Welcome to the podcast. I'd love to start by just having you briefly introduce yourself to our audience. Dr Robinson: I'm a pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins, and I'm very fortunate to care for kids and children from the neonatal intensive care unit all the way up through young adulthood. And I have a strong interest in developing better treatments for hydrocephalus. Dr Albin: Absolutely. And this was a great article because I really do think that understanding how children with hydrocephalus are treated really does inform how we can care for them throughout the continuum of their lifespan. You know, I was shocked in reading your article about the scope of the problem for childhood onset hydrocephalus. Can you walk our listeners through what are the most common reasons why CSF diversion is needed in the pediatric population? Dr Robinson: For the United States, and Canada too, the most common reasons are spina bifida---so, a baby that's born with a myelomeningocele and then develops associated hydrocephalus---and then about equally as common is posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity, congenital causes such as from aquaductal stenosis, and other genetic causes are less common. And then we also have kids that develop hydrocephalus after trauma or meningitis or tumors or other sort of acquired problems during childhood. Dr Albin: So, it's a really diverse and sort of heterogeneous causes that across sort of the, you know, the neonatal period all the way to, you know, young adulthood. And I'm sure that those etiologies really shift based on sort of the subgroup population that you're talking about. Dr Robinson: Yes, they definitely shift over time. Fortunately for our kids that are born with problems that raise concerns, such as myelomeningocele or if they're born preterm, they sort of declare themselves by the time they're a year old. So, if you're an adult provider, they should have defined themselves and it's unlikely that they will suddenly develop hydrocephalus as a teenager or older adult. Dr Albin: Totally makes sense. I think many of the listeners to this podcast are adult neurologists who are probably very familiar with external ventriculostomies for temporary CSF diversion, and with the more permanent ventricular peritoneal shines or ventricular atrial or plural shines that are needed when there's the need for permanent diversion. But you described in your article two procedures that provide temporary CSF diversion that I think many of our listeners are probably not as familiar with, which is the ventricular access devices and ventriculosubgaleal shunts. Can you briefly describe what those procedures provide? Who are the candidates for them? And then what complications neurologists may need to think about if they're consulted for comanagement in one of these complex patients? Dr Robinson: Well, the good thing is that if as an adult neurologist you encounter someone with, you know, residual tubing from one of these procedures, you are unlikely to need to do anything about it. So, we put in ventricular access device or ventriculosubgaleal shunts, usually in newborns or infants. And sometimes when they no longer need the device, we just leave it in because that saves them an extra surgery. So, if you encounter one later on, it's most likely you won't need to do anything. Often if the baby goes on to show that they need a permanent shunt, we go ahead and put in that permanent shunt. We may or may not go back and take out the reservoir or the subgaleal shunt. The reservoir and subgaleal shunts are often put in the frontal location. Sometimes we'll put the permanent shunt in the occipital location and just leave the residual tubing there. So, you're very unlikely to need to intervene with a reservoir or subgaleal shunt if you encounter an older child or adult with that left in. We use these in the small babies because the external ventricular drains that we're very familiar with have a very high complication rate in this population. In the adult ICU, you often see these, and maybe there's, you know, a few percent risk of infection. It actually heads into 20 to 25% in our preterm infants and other newborns that require one of these devices for drainage. So, we try not to use external ventricular drains like we use in older patients. We use the internalized device: either the ventricular reservoir with a little area for us to tap every day, every other day; or the ventriculosubgaleal shunt, which diverts the spinal fluid to a pocket in the scalp. So, we use these in preterm infants that are too tiny for a permanent shunt. And for some of our babies that are born, for example, with an omphalocele, that we can't use their peritoneal cavity and so we need some temporizing device to manage their CSF. Dr Albin: Totally makes sense. And so just to clarify, I mean, this is a tube that's placed into the ventricles of the brain and then it's tunneled into the subgaleal space and the collection, the CSF, just builds up there, like? Dr Robinson: Yeah. Dr Albin: And over time either, you know, the baby will learn how to account for that extra CSF, and then I guess it's just reabsorbed? Dr Robinson: Yeah. When it's present, though, it looks like maybe, I don't know if you're familiar with like a tissue expander. There is this bubble of fluid under the scalp, but it's prominent, it can be several centimeters in diameter. Dr Albin: Wow, that's just absolutely fascinating. And I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to see this in clinical practice. I've really learned quite a bit about this. I assume that these children are going to go on to get some sort of permanent diversion. And then, you know, over time, those permanent shunts do create a lot of problems. And so, I was hoping you could kind of walk us through, you know, what are some of the things that you're seeing that you're concerned about? And then if you've just inherited a patient who had a shunt placed at, say, a different institution, how do you go about figuring out what kind of shunt it is and if they're still dependent on it? Dr Robinson: There's a few things that, fortunately, technology is helping with. So, it is much easier now for patients to get their images uploaded to image-sharing software, and then we can download their images into our institutional software, which is very helpful. Another option is that we are strongly encouraging our families to use a app such as HydroAssist that's available from the Hydrocephalus Association. So that's an app that goes on your phone, and you can upload the images from an MRI or a CT scan or x-rays from a shunt series. And then that you can take if you're traveling and you have to go to emergency department or you're establishing care with a new provider, you can have your information right there and not be under stress to remember it. It also has areas so you can record the type of valve. And all of our valves have pluses and minuses, they all tend to malfunction a little bit. And they can be particularly helpful with different types of hydrocephalus. I really doubt that we're going to narrow down from the fifteen or so valves we have access to now. And so, recording your valve type, the manufacturer as well as the setting, is very helpful when you're transferring care or if you're traveling and then have to, unfortunately, stop in the emergency department. Dr Albin: Yeah, I thought that was a really great pearl that, like, families now are empowered to sort of take control of understanding sort of the devices that they have, the settings that they're using. And what an incredible thing for providers who are going to care for these patients who, you know, unfortunately do end up in centers that are not their primary center. The other challenge that I find… I practice as a neurointensivist, and sometimes patients come in and they have a history of being shunt dependent and they present with a neurologic change. And I think that we as neurologists can be a little quick to blame the shunt and want the shunt to be tapped. And I was really struck in reading this article about the complexity of shunt taps. And I was hoping, you know, can you kind of walk us through what's involved and maybe why we should have a little bit of a higher threshold before just saying, ah, just have the neurosurgeons tap the shunt. Like, it's not that straightforward. Dr Robinson: And it may depend on the population you're caring for. So, when I was at a different institution, we actually published that there's about a 5% complication rate from shunt taps. And that may be- that was in pediatric patients. And again, that may be population dependent, but you can introduce infection to a perfectly clean shunt by doing a shunt tap. You can also cause an acute shunt malfunction. So that's why we tend to prefer that only neurosurgeons are doing shunt taps for evaluation of a shunt malfunction. There are times that, for example, our patients who are getting intrathecal chemotherapy or something have a CSF access device like an Ommaya reservoir, and other providers may tap that reservoir to instill medicine. But that's different than an evaluation, like, you're talking about somebody with a neurological change. And so, it is possible that if somebody has small ventricles or something, if you tap that shunt, you can take a marginally functioning shunt and turn it into an acute proximal malfunction, which is an emergency. Dr Albin: Absolutely. I think that's a fantastic pearl for us to take away from this. It's just that heightened level. And kind of on the flip side of that, you know, and I really- I do feel for us when we're trying to kind of, you know, make a case that it's, it's not the shunt. Many of our shunted patients also have a lot of neurologic complexity, which I think you really talked upon in this article. I mean, these are patients who have developmental cognitive delays and that they have epilepsy and that they're at risk for, you know, complications from prematurity, since that's a very common reason that patients are getting shunts. But from your experience as a neurosurgeon, what are some of the features that make you particularly concerned about shnut malfunction? And how do you sort of evaluate these patients when they come in with that altered mental status? Dr Robinson: It is challenging, especially for our patients that have, you know, some intellectual delay or other difficulties that make it hard for them to give an accurate history. Problem is, if they're sick and lethargic, they may not remember the symptoms that they had when they were sick. But sometimes there's hopefully there's a family member present that does remember and can say, oh, no, this is what they look like when they have a viral illness. And this is different from when they have the shot malfunction, which was projectile emesis, not associated with a fever. It's rare to have a fever with a shunt malfunction, although shunt infection often presents with malfunction. So, it's not completely exclusionary. We often look at the imaging, but it's taking the whole picture together. Some of the common other diagnoses we see are severe constipation that can decrease the drainage from the shunt and even cause papilledema in some people. So, we look at that as well on the shunt series. It's very important to have the shunt series if you're concerned about shunt malfunction or- the shunt tubing is good. It tends to last maybe 20to 25 years before it starts to degrade. And so, you may have had a functioning shunt for decades and it worked well and you're very dependent on it, and then it breaks and you become ill. But on the flip side, we have patients that have had a broken shunt for years, they just didn't know about it. And we don't want to jump in and operate on them and then cause complexities. And so, it is a challenge to sort out. The simplest thing is obviously if they come in and their ventricles are significantly larger, and that goes along with a several-hour or a couple-day deterioration, that's a little more clear-cut. Dr Albin: Absolutely. And you talked about this shunt series. What other imaging- and, sort of maybe walk us through, what's involved in a shunt series, what are you looking at? And then what other imaging is sort of your preferred method for evaluating these patients? Dr Robinson: In adult patients, the shunt series is the x-ray from the entire shunt. And so, if they have an atrial shunt, that would be skull x-ray plus a chest x-ray; or the shunt ends in the perineal cavity, it goes to the perineum. And we're looking for continuity. We're looking for the- sometimes as people grow and age, the ventricular catheter can pull out of the ventricle. So, we're looking to make sure that the ventricular catheter is in an optimal position relative to the skull. We can also look at the valve setting to see the type of valve. So, that can also be helpful as well. And then in terms of additional imaging, a CT scan or an MRI is helpful. If you don't know what type of valve they have, they should not, ideally, go in the MRI scanner. We like to know what their setting is before they go in the MRI because we're going to have to reset the valve after they come out of the MRI if it's a programmable valve. Dr Albin: This is fantastic. I've heard several pearls. So, one is that with the shunt series, which, am I correct in understanding those are just plain X-rays? Dr Robinson: Yes. Dr Albin: Right. Then we can look for constipation, and that might be actually something really serious in a pediatric patient that could clue us in that they could actually be developing hydrocephalus or increased ICP just because of the abdominal pressure. And then that we need to be mindful of what are the stunt settings before we expose anyone to the MRI machine. Is that two good takeaways from all of this? Dr Robinson: Yes. And it's very rare that there'll be an MRI tech that will allow a patient with a valve in the MRI without knowing what it is. So, they have their job security that way. But yeah, if you're not sure, just go ahead and get the CT. Obviously, in our younger kids, we're trying to avoid CT scans. But if you're weighing off trying to decide if somebody has a shunt malfunction versus, you know, waiting 12 or 24 hours for an MRI, go ahead and get the CT. Dr Albin: Absolutely. I love it. Those are things I'm going to take with me for this. I have one more question about these shunts. So, every now and then, and I think you started to touch on this, we will get a shunt series and we'll see that the catheter is fractured. Do the patients develop little- like, a tract that continues to allow diversion even though the catheter is fractured? Dr Robinson: Yes. So, they can develop scar tissue around, and some people have more scar tissue than others. You'll even see that sometimes, say, the catheter has fractured and we'll take out that old fractured tubing and put in new tubing on the other side. But if you go and palpate their neck or chest, you'll still feel that tract is there because it calcifies along the tract. Some patients drain through that calcified tract for weeks or months without symptoms, and then it can occlude off. So, we don't consider it a reliable pathway. It's also not a reliable pathway if you're positioned prone in the OR. So some of our orthopedic colleagues, for example, if they go to do a spine fusion, we like to confirm that the shunt is working before you undergo that long anesthesia, but also that you're going to be positioned prone and you could potentially- you know, the pressure could occlude that track that normally is open. Dr Albin: This is fantastic. I feel like I've gotten everything I've ever wanted to know about shunts and all of their complications in this, which is, you know, this is really difficult. And I think that because we are not trained to put these in, sometimes we see them and we just say, oh, it's fractured that must be a malfunction. But it's good to know that sometimes those patients can drain through, you know, a sort of scarred-down tract, but that it may not be nearly as reliable as when they have the tubing in place. Another really good thing that I'm going to put in my back pocket for the next time I see a patient with a potential shunt malfunction. Dr Robinson: And we do have some patients that the tubing is fractured years ago and they don't need it repaired, and that totally can be challenging when they then transfer to your practice for follow-up care. We tend to follow those patients very closely, both our clinic visits as well as having them seen by ophthalmology. So, there are teenagers and young adults out there that have… their own system has recovered and they are no longer shunt-dependent; and they may have a broken shunt and not actually be using that track, but they usually have had fairly intensive follow up to prove that they're not shunt-dependent. And we still have a healthy respect there that, you know, if they start to get a headache, we're going to take that quite seriously as opposed to, you know, some of our shunt patients, about 10 to 20%, have chronic headaches that are not shunt-related. So, not everybody who has a headache and has a shunt has a shunt malfunction. It's tough. Dr Albin: This is really tough. That actually brings me to sort of the last clinical scenario that I was hoping we could get your perspective on. And I think this would be of great interest to neurologists, especially in the context that these children may develop headaches that have nothing to do with the shunt. I'd like to sort of give you this hypothetical case that I'm a neurologist seeing a patient in clinic and it's a teenager, maybe a young adult, and they had a shunt placed early in childhood. They've done really well. And they've come to me for management of a new headache. And, you know, as part of this workup, their primary care provider had ordered an MRI. And, you know, I look at the MRI, and I don't think that the ventricles look really enlarged. They don't look overdrained. Is having an MRI that looks pretty okay, is that enough to exonerate the shunt in this situation? Dr Robinson: In most cases it is. The one time that we don't see a substantial change in the ventricles is if we have a pseudocyst in the abdomen. The ventricles cannot enlarge initially, and then later on they might enlarge. So, we see that sometimes that somebody will come in and their ventricles will be stable in size, but we're still a little bit suspicious. They've got this persistent headache. They may have, you know, some emesis or loss of appetite, loss of activity, and a slower presentation than you would get with an acute proximal malfunction. We can check an abdominal ultrasound for them. And sometimes, even though the ventricles haven't changed in size, they still have a malfunction because they have that distal pseudocyst. One of the questions that we ask our patients when we're establishing care, in addition to what valve type they have and what sort of their shunt history or other interventions such as endoscopic third ventriculostomy, is to ask if their ventricles enlarge when they have a shunt malfunction. There is a small fraction where they do not. They kind of have a stiff brain, if you will. And so, it's good to know that. That's one of the key factors is asking somebody, do the ventricles enlarge when they have a malfunction? If they have enlarged in the past, they're likely to enlarge again if they have a malfunction. But again, it's not 100%. So, in peds, 20% of the time the ventricles don't enlarge. So, in adults, I'm not that- you know, I don't know what percentage it is, but it's something to consider that you can have a stable ventricular size and still have a shunt malfunction. So, if your clinical judgment, you're just kind of, like, still uneasy, you know, respect that and maybe do a little more workup. That's why we so much want patients to establish care with somebody, whether it's a neurologist or a neurosurgeon or other provider in some areas that have fewer neurospecialists, but to establish care so that you all know what a change is for that patient. That's really important. Dr Albin: That's fantastic. So, to summarize that, it's really important to understand the patient's baseline and how they presented with prior shunt complications, if they've had some. That if they're coming in with a new headache that we don't have a baseline, so, we should just have a heightened level of awareness that, like, the shunt has a start and it has an end. And even if the start of the shunt in the brain looks okay, there still could be the potential for complications in the abdomen. And maybe the third thing I heard from that is that we should look for GI symptoms and sort of be aware of when there could be a complication in the abdomen as well. Does that all sound about right? Dr Robinson: And especially for our kids with spina bifida and for posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus are now adults, because the preterm infants are prone to necrotizing enterocolitis. And they may not have had surgery for it, but they still may have adhesions and other things that predispose them to develop pseudocysts over time. And then our individuals with spina bifida often have various abdominal surgeries and other procedures to help them manage their bowel and bladder function. And so that can also create adhesions that then predisposes to pseudocysts. So, we do have a healthy respect for that. In addition, it used to be---because we have gotten a little better with shunts over time---it used to be, like, when I was in training that you heard, you know, if you haven't had a shunt malfunction for 10 or 15 years, you must- you may no longer be dependent. And that's not really true. There are some people who outgrow their need for shunt dependence, but not everyone does outgrow it. And so, you can be 15, 20 years without a shunt revision and still be shunt-dependent. Dr Albin: Those are fantastic pearls. I think most of them, walking away with this, like, a very healthy respect for the fact that these are complex patients, which the shunt is one component of sort of the things that can go wrong and that we have to have a really healthy respect and really detailed investigation and sort of take the big picture. I really like that. Dr Robinson: Yeah, I know. I think it's- there's a very strong push amongst pediatric neurosurgery and a lot of the related, our colleagues in other areas, to develop multidisciplinary transition clinics and lifespan programs for these patients to help keep everything else optimized so that they're not coming in, for example, with seizures. But then you have to figure out if this is a seizure or a shunt; you know, if we can keep them on track, if we can keep them healthy in all their other dimensions, it makes it safer for them in terms of their shunt malfunction. Dr Albin: Absolutely. I love that, and just the multidisciplinary preventative aspect of trying to keep these patients well. So important. Dr Robinson, I really would like to thank you for your time. We're getting towards the end of our time together. Are there any other points about the article that you just are anxious that leave the readers with, or should I just direct them back to the fantastic review that you've put together on this topic? Dr Robinson: No, I think that we covered a lot of the high points. I think one of the really exciting things for hydrocephalus is that there's a lot of investigations into other options besides shunts for certain populations. We are seeing less hydrocephalus now with the fetal repair of the myelomeningocele, which is great. And we're trying to make inroads into posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus as well. So, there are a lot of great things on the horizon and, you know, hopefully someday we won't have the need to have these discussions so much for shunts. Dr Albin: I love it. I think that's really important. And all of those points were touched on the article. And so, I really invite our listeners to go and check out the article, where you can see sort of, like, how this is evolving in real time. Thank you, Dr Robinson. Please go and check out the childhood-onset hydrocephalus article, which appears in the most recent issue of Continuum on the disorders of CSF dynamics. And be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues. Thank you again to our listeners for joining us today. And thank you, Dr Robinson. Dr Robinson: Thanks for having me. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.
Can forgiveness truly heal the body as well as the soul? In this episode, Dr. Tom Rogers sits down with Dr. Robert Russell—philosopher, minister, and fellow pickleball enthusiast—to explore the powerful link between forgiveness, trauma, and physical health.Drawing from personal experiences, clinical insights, and compelling research from Johns Hopkins, Dr. Russell shares how holding onto unforgiveness can manifest as chronic stress, illness, and even autoimmune disease. The conversation dives deep into the roots of bitterness, the challenge of self-forgiveness, and practical steps for finding freedom after trauma. Whether you're struggling with old wounds or interested in holistic health, this episode offers wisdom, empathy, and hope for healing.Plus, get a few laughs as Dr. Rogers and Dr. Russell debate who'll win their post-podcast pickleball match!Key Topics: - The surprising health costs of unforgiveness - Why self-forgiveness is so difficult—and how to approach it - The critical first step in the forgiveness journey - Healing from trauma: real stories and practical advice - The role of faith, friendship, and professional help in emotional healthIf you or someone you love is seeking deeper healing, don't miss this thought-provoking episode. Please share with anyone who needs encouragement on their journey.Note: The advice in this episode is not a substitute for professional medical care. Please consult a licensed provider for personal health or emotional concerns.What did you think of this episode of the podcast? Let us know by leaving a review!Connect with Performance Medicine!Check out our new online vitamin store:https://performancemedicine.net/shop/Sign up for our weekly newsletter: https://performancemedicine.net/doctors-note-sign-up/Facebook: @PMedicineInstagram: @PerformancemedicineTNYouTube: Performance Medicine
I'm thrilled to share the latest episode of our podcast, featuring the incredible Tahira Dosani. Tahira is not only the founder of Resilience VC but also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown University. Her journey from management consulting at Bain to transforming Afghanistan's telecommunications and fintech landscape is nothing short of inspiring.Here are some key takeaways and intriguing insights from our conversation:
Dr. Fred Rosenberg interviews Dr. Reezwana Chowdhury, a gastroenterologist at Johns Hopkins specializing in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and Tina Aswani-Omprakash, executive director of the South Asian IBD Alliance. The South Asian IBD Alliance creates resources, research, and education for IBD patients of South Asian origin and healthcare providers - to minimize disparities, dispel stigma, promote early diagnosis, and improve access to treatment. Join Dr. Rosenberg, Dr. Chowdhury, and Ms. Aswani‑Omprakash as they explore how physicians independent GI practices can use these tools to provide culturally competent, personalized care, improving outcomes for South Asians living with IBD. Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis Gastro Broadcast, Episode 80, presented by TissueCypher from Castle Biosciences
With President Trump's signature, the Genius Act is now law—marking a historic step toward regulated, dollar-backed stablecoins and a potential turning point in America's digital financial future. But is this legislation a framework for innovation or a gateway for centralized control? In this power-packed interview, Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke and Hard Asset Management CEO Christian Briggs offer sharp, divergent takes. Briggs defends the Genius Act as a vital safeguard against an overreaching Federal Reserve and an international CBDC agenda, while Hanke warns of political profiteering and crypto's slippery slope toward state-backed surveillance. Together, they dig into the risks, rewards, and global stakes of programmable money, the anti-CBDC movement, and the future of financial privacy. It's a critical conversation that reveals what's really at play beneath the surface of bipartisan support—and why this moment could define the next century of American money.
✅ Subscribe now for more episodes MPF Discussion with Dr Ford BrewerI Thought I Was Healthy—Then This Test Changed EverythingGet your Free Download & insights from Dr Brewer & this episodehttps://gamma.app/docs/How-to-Protect-Your-Heart-and-Live-a-Healthier-Life-lglng0rvvu6xsx7?mode=docAbout Dr. Ford BrewerDr. Ford Brewer, MD, MPH is a board-certified expert in preventive and occupational medicine, best known for his work in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and chronic disease. Formerly head of the Preventive Medicine Department at Johns Hopkins, he now leads PrevMed, where he helps patients improve their health by addressing metabolic dysfunction—the root cause of most chronic illness.A pioneer in online medical education, Dr. Brewer has created thousands of free YouTube videos and offers telemedicine care and health coaching to thousands worldwide. His mission is to make evidence-based prevention accessible to all and transform how we think about health. I Thought I Was Healthy—Then This Test Changed EverythingWhat happens when a leading doctor in preventive medicine discovers he has heart disease—despite running marathons, eating clean, and following all the rules?In this powerful episode, Dr. Ford Brewer shares the shocking results of one simple test that changed everything he thought he knew about health—and how it set him on a mission to help the rest of us catch the silent killers before it's too late.We dive into the biggest myths around fitness and heart health, why most of us are unknowingly at risk, and what you can do right now to protect yourself and those you love.This conversation is a must-listen for anyone who thinks “it won't happen to me.” Link to Dr Brewer· Website: https://drfordbrewermd.com/· PrevMed: https://prevmedhealth.com/ - Book a free consultation· Dr Brewer YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrevMedHealth · Contact Number: +1 859-721-1414 - Book a free consultation Paul: Contact Details Work with me: paul@myperfectfailure.com MPF Website: https://www.myperfectfailure.com/ Paul Padmore Website: https://stan.store/Paul_P Subscribe to MPF YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@paulpadmore8275 Support the showEvery setback has a valuable lesson.
Watch every episode ad-free & uncensored on Patreon: https://patreon.com/dannyjones Andrew Gallimore is a neurobiologist, pharmacologist, and chemist based in Tokyo, Japan, where he writes about and researches psychedelics as molecular technologies for interfacing with alternate realities and the intelligent beings that reside therein. SPONSORS https://trueclassic.com/danny - Upgrade your wardrobe & save on True Classic. https://whiterabbitenergy.com/?ref=DJP - Use code DJP for 20% off EPISODE LINKS Andrew's new book: https://a.co/d/gDJ9WBP https://x.com/alieninsect https://noonautics.org FOLLOW DANNY JONES https://www.instagram.com/dannyjones https://twitter.com/jonesdanny OUTLINE 00:00 - Death by astonishment 03:47 - extended-state DMT research 13:18 - brain scans of DMT users 21:27 - epilepsy brain research 33:09 - how the brain dreams & hallucinates 41:17 - how psychedelics re-wire the brain 48:27 - the mystery of how our brains generate DMT worlds 01:01:35 - why can't we find consciousness in the brain? 01:11:57 - how Alexander Shulgin created psychedelic molecules from scratch 01:22:58 - gain of function research w/ psychedelics 01:27:34 - AI and the loss of humanity 01:46:52 - what drives humanity beyond reproduction? 02:03:29 - why everyone sees elves on DMT 02:12:25 - how DMT was first discovered 02:26:31 - DMT is a technology - not a drug 02:39:36 - seeing "code" on DMT 02:58:22 - the church of psilomethoxin 03:11:30 - how would DMT affect children? 03:17:56 - banned Johns Hopkins study on psychedelics & religion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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ICE gains access to Medicaid data in a chilling new agreement, the DOJ seeks only one day in prison for Breonna Taylor's killer, Trump's health raises fresh concerns, and disturbing new Epstein revelations include a letter signed by Trump. ICE Gets Access to Medicaid -via AP News, Journal of American Medical Association, and Georgetown Breonna Taylor's Killer-via NY Times Votes-via NBC News and CBS News Trump Diagnosis-via BBC, Johns Hopkins, ABC News Epstein-via NBC News, Politico, Axios, NY Times, TwitterTake the pledge to be a voter at raisingvoters.org/beavoterdecember. - on AmazonSubscribe to the Substack: kimmoffat.substack.comAll episodes can be found at: kimmoffat.com/thenewsAs always, you can findme on Instagram/Twitter/Bluesky @kimmoffat and TikTok @kimmoffatishere
Emma Unson Rotor took leave from her job as a math teacher in the Philippines to study physics at Johns Hopkins University in 1941. Her plans were disrupted when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded and occupied the Philippines. Unable to access her Philippine government scholarship to attend Johns Hopkins, she joined the Ordnance Development Division at the National Bureau of Standards. It was here that she did groundbreaking research on the proximity fuze, the “world's first ‘smart' weapon,” in the words of physicist Frank Belknap Baldwin, who also helped develop the technology. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Emma Unson Rotor se tomó un permiso de su trabajo como profesora de matemáticas en Filipinas para estudiar física en la Universidad Johns Hopkins en 1941. Sus planes se vieron interrumpidos cuando el Ejército Imperial Japonés invadió y ocupó Filipinas. Incapaz de acceder a la beca que le había brindado el gobierno filipino para asistir a Johns Hopkins, se unió a la División de Desarrollo de Artillería del Buró Nacional de Estándares. Fue allí donde realizó investigaciones pioneras sobre la espoleta de proximidad, considerada “la primera arma ‘inteligente' del mundo”, en palabras del físico Frank Belknap Baldwin, quien también colaboró en el desarrollo de dicha tecnología. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Lara Devgan, MD, MPH, discuss the following articles from the July 2025 issue: “Use of Text-to-Image Artificial Intelligence Model in Preoperative Counseling for Lip-Lift Procedures” by Huang, Balas, Yan, and Wulc. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/TexttoImageAiLip Special guest, Lara Devgan, MD, MPH is an internationally known aesthetic plastic surgeon practicing aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body as well as facial injectables in New York City. She attended Yale for her undergraduate education followed by Johns Hopkins for medical school and the Columbia/Cornell program for plastic surgery residency. She is the founder and CEO of the medical-grade skincare line Dr. Devgan Scientific Beauty, serves as a medical expert for ABC News, is an editorial consultant for the Lancet, and lectures internationally on aesthetic plastic surgery. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCJuly25Collection The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of ASPS.
In this week's Digital Health Roundup, MedTech Insight's Marion Webb discusses her interview with Johns Hopkins researcher Axel Krieger who published study findings on autonomous surgery. Brian Bossetta highlights new FDA cybersecurity guidance and Medtronic's partnership with IRCAD to train surgeons on robots. Shubham Singh highlights his interviews with OpenWater on stroke and EnsoData on sleep. Natasha Barrow discusses FDA approval challenges with Flow Neuroscience's CEO. Tags: robotics, robotic surgery, FDA, cybersecurity, cardiology, neurology, leadership interviews, neurostimulation, commercial, medtech.
In this episode of Hashtag Trending, hosted by Jim Love, NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang announces that the US will lift the ban on selling AI chips to China following a meeting with President Trump, potentially recovering significant lost sales. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's XAI secures part of an $800 million Pentagon contract despite recent controversies and setbacks. Autonomous robot surgery makes strides as a Johns Hopkins-developed robot successfully performs gallbladder removal independently. Additionally, a shift from large language models to smaller focused AI models is noted among enterprises seeking more explainability and data governance. The episode concludes with a surprising moment where a robot autonomously instructs others to cease work, highlighting unexpected AI behavior. 00:00 Introduction and Host Welcome 00:26 NVIDIA's Stunning Win on Chinese Sales 02:33 Grok Wins Pentagon Contract Despite Controversies 04:35 Autonomous Robot Surgery: A Leap Forward 06:10 Shift to Smaller Language Models in Enterprises 07:55 AI-Driven Robot Commands: A Surprising Development 09:01 Conclusion and Listener Appreciation
Our guest this week is Brian Selmo. Brian is a portfolio manager and research director at First Pacific Advisors. Since 2013, he has comanaged the FPA Crescent Fund with Steve Romick and Mark Landecker, and in 2021, he became comanager of the FPA Global Equity ETF. Both strategies are highly regarded by Morningstar's Manager Research Team. Before joining FPA in 2008, Brian worked as an analyst at Third Avenue Management and at Rothschild, and was founder and portfolio manager of Eagle Lake Capital. Brian holds a degree from Johns Hopkins.Show NotesBackgroundBioLinkedInFPAFPA Crescent FundSteve Romick: ‘We Think Defensively', The Long View podcast, Aug. 25, 2020.Morningstar Awards for Investing ExcellenceReferencesIn an Uncertain World: Tough Choices From Wall Street to Washington, by Robert E. Rubin and Jacob Weisberg
In this episode, Joe Moore speaks with award-winning science journalist Erica Rex about her personal experience participating in psychedelic research, her upcoming book Seeing What Is There: My Search for Sanity in the Psychedelic Era, and the complex story behind the recently published Religious Leader Psilocybin Study from Johns Hopkins and NYU. They examine: Erica's firsthand experience as a participant in the original 2012 study that helped launch Roland Griffiths' prominence in psychedelic science. The goals and outcomes of the Religious Leader Study, which sought to explore how psilocybin might impact religious leaders' effectiveness and connection to their communities. The methodological and ethical problems that plagued the study. The influence of perennialist frameworks and the limitations of measures like the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ). Broader concerns about the infiltration of religious ideology and lack of rigor in psychedelic science. A deep critique of the institutional systems that allowed flawed research processes to go unchecked — and how these patterns risk repeating the mistakes of the 1960s psychedelic wave. Joe and Erica also dive into how modern psychedelic science struggles to reconcile subjective experience, spirituality, and the reductionist standards of academic research. They discuss Matt Johnson's paper critiquing “psychedelic consciousness” framing and explore whether our current scientific tools are capable of capturing the depth of psychedelic experience. Erica's forthcoming book, slated for release in January 2026, blends memoir, neuroscience, and social critique. It offers a critical insider's view of the psychedelic renaissance—its promise, pitfalls, and the ways it mirrors broader systemic issues in science and culture.
It's summer, and that means more time outside—and for me, that means time with trees. In this episode, I dive deep into how trees, those quiet giants of our world, can actually help us and our kids develop healthier minds and deeper self-awareness. I unpack some fascinating science behind what nature, especially time spent among trees, does for our brains, our stress levels, and even our test scores.Inspired by Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees, I explore not just the hidden life of trees, but the hidden life in trees—and what it can teach us about connection, cooperation, and the power of downtime. Whether you're a fellow tree-lover, a parent looking for ways to support your child's mental health, or just someone who needs a reason to unplug and take a walk, this episode is for you. Episode Highlights:[0:00] - Why we fall back into old habits and the launch of our new workbook, The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child [1:20] - Introducing the episode theme: my love for trees and what they offer us mentally and emotionally [3:14] - What Peter Wohlleben teaches us about trees' communication, cooperation, and support systems [5:55] - Why intergenerational connections matter—and how forests model this beautifully [7:03] - Green spaces and mental health: insights from Denmark and beyond [9:02] - Understanding the default mode network and why downtime is vital for brain development [12:25] - How nature improves test performance: the Johns Hopkins study and real-life results [14:30] - A personal story of helping a student prep for the ACT with a walk in the woods [16:08] - The danger of overscheduling our kids and the need for daily unstructured time [17:40] - My son's dreamy daydreaming as a child and how it shaped his path as a composer [18:50] - How to gently support kids in managing phone use and embracing digital downtime [19:46] - Final reflections and a call to get out in nature and enjoy a moment of peace and connection Links & Resources:The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben: https://www.peterwohllebenbooks.com/ · Article: "Rest Is Not Idleness" by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26168472/ If this episode has helped you, remember to rate, follow, and share the Self-Driven Child Podcast. Your support helps us reach more people and create more content that makes a difference. If you have a high school aged student and would like to talk about putting a tutoring or college plan together, reach out to Ned's company, PrepMatters at www.prepmatters.com
Most people have heard of statins, drugs that lower cholesterol and consequent cardiovascular disease risk. Caleb Alexander, a drug safety and efficacy expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues, have looked at just how many people who should be taking such … How many people aren't taking needed medicines to reduce cardiovascular risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Not taking medicines to lower cholesterol when you clearly need them increases your risk for heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events. Yet a study by Caleb Alexander, a drug safety and efficacy expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues, shows … Just how much does it cost our healthcare system when people don't take needed medicines to reduce cardiovascular risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
The adaptability of fungi to warmer temperatures is an obvious consequence of climate change. Perhaps less obvious is the role climate change has played on fungal pathogens emerging as a global health concern. While humans are mostly protected from fungal infections by our immune system and body temperature, a warming global climate could subvert the status quo. Some fungi are already adapted to warmer temperatures and causing invasive acute infections in humans: Candidozyma auris, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus, to name a few. In this episode of Communicable, Angela Huttner and Josh Nosanchuk invite Arturo Casadevall, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins and this year's recipient of ESCMID's Excellence in Science Award, to discuss the world of fungi and their pathogenic potential in a warming world. Other topics include how to prepare for their emergence as a health threat, how fungi can be harnessed for applications that can benefit us, and ultimately answering the question Casadevall himself posed in the title of his recently published book, What if fungi win?This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer reviewed by Robin Aerts of University Hospital Antwerp, Belgium. References1. Casadevall, A with Desmon S. What if fungi win? Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024.2. Smith DFG, et al. Environmental fungi from cool and warm neighborhoods in the urban heat island of Baltimore City show differences in thermal susceptibility and pigmentation. BioRxiv 2025. DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.10.566554 3. Casadevall A and Pirofski L. Benefits and Costs of Animal Virulence for Microbes. mBio 2019. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00863-194. Cordero RJB et al. Radiation protection and structural stability of fungal melanin polylactic acid biocomposites in low Earth orbit. PNAS 2025. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.24271181225. Dadachova E, et al. The radioprotective properties of fungal melanin are a function of its chemical composition, stable radical presence and spatial arrangement. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2008. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-148X.2007.00430.x6. Cordero RJB et al. The hypothermic nature of fungi. PNAS 2022. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221996120
Eric Topol (00:06):Hello, this is Eric Topol from Ground Truths, and I'm delighted to welcome Owen Tripp, who is a CEO of Included Health. And Owen, I'd like to start off if you would, with the story from 2016, because really what I'm interested in is patients and how to get the right doctor. So can you tell us about when you lost your hearing in your right ear back, what, nine years ago or so?Owen Tripp (00:38):Yeah, it's amazing to say nine years, Eric, but obviously as your listeners will soon understand a pretty vivid memory in my past. So I had been working as I do and noticed a loss of hearing in my right ear. I had never experienced any hearing loss before, and I went twice actually to a sort of national primary care chain that now owned by Amazon actually. And they described it as eustachian tube dysfunction, which is a pretty benign common thing that basically meant that my tubes were blocked and that I needed to have some drainage. They recommended Sudafed to no effect. And it was only a couple weeks later where I was walking some of the senior medical team at my company down to the San Francisco Giants game. And I was describing this experience of hearing loss and I said I was also losing a little bit of sensation in the right side of my face. And they said, that is not eustachian tube dysfunction. And well, I can let the story unfold from there. But basically my colleagues helped me quickly put together a plan to get this properly diagnosed and treated. The underlying condition is called vestibular schwannoma, even more commonly known as an acoustic neuroma. So a pretty rare benign brain tumor that exists on the vestibular nerve, and it would've cost my life had it not been treated.Eric Topol (02:28):So from what I gather, you saw an ENT physician, but that ENT physician was not really well versed in this condition, which is I guess a bit surprising. And then eventually you got to the right ENT physician in San Francisco. Is that right?Owen Tripp (02:49):Well, the first doctor was probably an internal medicine doctor, and I think it's fair to say that he had probably not seen many, if any cases. By the time I reached an ENT, they were interested in working me up for what's known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), which is basically a fancy term for you lose hearing for a variety of possible pathologies and reasons, but you go through a process of differential diagnosis to understand what's actually going on. By the time that I reached that ENT, the audio tests had showed that I had significant hearing loss in my right ear. And what an MRI would confirm was this mass that I just described to you, which was quite large. It was already about a centimeter large and growing into the inner ear canal.Eric Topol (03:49):Yeah, so I read that your Stanford brain scan suggested it was about size of a plum and that you then got the call that you had this mass in your brainstem tumor. So obviously that's a delicate operation to undergo. So the first thing was getting a diagnosis and then the next thing was getting the right surgeon to work on your brain to resect this. So how did you figure out who was the right person? Because there's only a few thousand of these operations done every year, as I understand.Owen Tripp (04:27):That's exactly right. Yeah, very few. And without putting your listeners to sleep too early in our discussion, what I'll say is that there are a lot of ways that you can actually do this. There are very few cases, any approach really requires either shrinking or removing that tumor entirely. My size of tumor meant it was really only going to be a surgical approach, and there I had to decide amongst multiple potential approaches. And this is what's interesting, Eric, you started saying you wanted to talk about the patient experience. You have to understand that I'm somebody, while not a doctor, I lead a very large healthcare company. We provide millions of visits and services per year on very complex medical diagnoses down to more standard day-to-day fare. And so, being in the world of medical complexity was not daunting on the basics, but then I'm the patient and now I have to make a surgical treatment decision amongst many possible choices, and I was able to get multiple opinions.Owen Tripp (05:42):I got an opinion from the House clinic, which is closer to you in LA. This is really the place where they invented the surgical approach to treating these things. I also got an approach shared with me from the Mayo Clinic and one from UCSF and one from Stanford, and ultimately, I picked the Stanford team. And these are fascinating and delicate structures as you know that you're dealing with in the brain, but the surgery is a long surgery performed by multiple surgeons. It's such an exhausting surgery that as you're sort of peeling away that tumor that you need relief. And so, after a 13 hour surgery, multiple nights in the hospital and some significant training to learn how to walk and move and not lose my balance, I am as you see me today, but it was possible under one of the surgical approaches that I would've lost the use of the right side of my face, which obviously was not an option given what I given what I do.Eric Topol (06:51):Yeah, well, I know there had to be a tough rehab and so glad that you recovered well, and I guess you still don't have hearing in that one ear, right?Owen Tripp:That's right.Eric Topol:But otherwise, you're walking well, and you've completely recovered from what could have been a very disastrous type of, not just the tumor itself, but also the way it would be operated on. 13 hours is a long time to be in the operating room as a patient.Owen Tripp (07:22):You've got a whole team in there. You've got people testing nerve function, you've got people obviously managing the anesthesiology, which is sufficiently complex given what's involved. You've got a specialized ENT called a neurotologist. You've got the neurosurgeon who creates access. So it's quite a team that does these things.Eric Topol (07:40):Yeah, wow. Now, the reason I wanted to delve into this from your past is because I get a call or email or whatever contact every week at least one, is can you help me find the right doctor for such and such? And this has been going on throughout my career. I mean, when I was back in 20 years ago at Cleveland Clinic, the people on the board, I said, well, I wrote about it in one of my books. Why did you become a trustee on the board? And he said, so I could get access to the right doctor. And so, this is amazing. We live in an information era supposedly where people can get information about this being the most precious part, which is they want to get the right diagnosis, they want to get the right treatment or prevention, whatever, and they can't get it. And I'm finding this just extraordinary given that we can do deep research through several different AI models and get reports generated on whatever you want, but you can't get the right doctor. So now let's go over to what you're working on. This company Included Health. When did you start that?Owen Tripp (08:59):Well, I started the company that was known as Grand Rounds in 2011. And Grand Rounds still to this day, we've rebranded as Included Health had a very simple but powerful idea, one you just obliquely referred to, which is if we get people to higher quality medicine by helping them find the right level and quality of care, that two good things would happen. One, the sort of obvious one, patients would get better, they'd move on with their lives, they'd return to health. But two and critically that we would actually help the system overall with the cost burden of unnecessary, inappropriate and low quality care because the coda to the example you gave of people calling you looking for a physician referral, and you and I both know this, my guess is you've probably had to clean plenty of it up in your career is if you go to the wrong doctor, you don't get out of the problem. The problem just persists. And that patient is likely to bounce around like a ping pong ball until they find what they actually need. And that costs the payers of healthcare in this country a lot of money. So I started the company in 2011 to try to solve that problem.Eric Topol (10:14):Yeah, one example, a patient of mine who I've looked after for some 35 years contacted me and said, a very close friend of mine lives in the Palm Springs region and he has this horrible skin condition and he's tortured and he's been to six centers, UCSF, Stanford, Oregon Health Science, Eisenhower, UCLA, and he had a full workup and he can't sleep because he's itching all the time. His whole skin is exfoliating and cellulitis and he had biopsies everywhere. He's put on all kinds of drugs, monoclonal antibodies. And I said to this patient of mine I said, I don't know, this is way out of my area. I checked at Scripps and turns out there was this kind of the Columbo of dermatology, he can solve any mystery. And the patient went to see him, and he was diagnosed within about a minute that he had scabies, and he was treated and completely recovered after having thousands and thousands of dollars of all these workups at these leading medical centers that you would expect could make a diagnosis of scabies.Owen Tripp (11:38):That's a pretty common diagnosis.Eric Topol (11:40):Yeah. I mean you might expect it more in somebody who was homeless perhaps, but that doesn't mean it can't happen in anyone. And within the first few minutes he did a scrape and showed the patient under the microscope and made a definitive diagnosis and the patient to this day is still trying to pay all his bills for all these biopsies and drugs and whatnot, and very upset that he went through all this for over a year and he thought he wanted to die, it was so bad. Now, I had never heard of Included Health and you have now links with a third of the Fortune 100 companies. So what do you do with these companies?Owen Tripp (12:22):Yeah, it's pretty cool. These companies, so very large organizations like Walmart and JPMorgan Chase and the rest of the big pioneers of American industry and business put us in as a benefit to help their employees have the same experience that I described to provide almost Eric Topol like guidance service to help people find access to high quality care, which might be referring them into the community or to an academic medical center, but often is also us providing care delivery ourselves through on-demand primary care, urgent care, behavioral health. And now just last year we introduced a couple of our first specialty lines. And the idea, Eric, is that these companies buy this because they know their employees will love it and they do. It is often one of, if not the most highly rated benefits available. But also because in getting their employees better care faster, the employees come back to work, they feel more connected to the company, they're able to do better and safer and higher quality work. And they get more mileage out of their health benefits. And you have to remember that the costs of health benefits in this country are inflating even in this time of hyperinflation. They're inflating faster than anything else, and this is one of most companies, number one pain points for how they are going to control their overall budget. So this is a solution that both give them visibility to controlling cost and can deliver them an excellent patient experience that is not an offer that they've been able to get from the traditional managed care operators.Eric Topol (14:11):So I guess there's a kind of multidimensional approach that you're describing. For one, you can help find a doctor that's the right doctor for the right patient. And you're also actually providing medical services too, right?Owen Tripp (14:27):That's right.Eric Topol (14:30):Are these physicians who are employed by Included Health?Owen Tripp (14:34):They are, and we feel very strongly about that. We think that in our model, we want to train people, hire people in a specific way, prepare them for the kind of work that we do. And there's a lot we could spend time talking about there, but one of the key features of that is teamwork. We want people to work in a collaborative model where they understand that while they may be expert in one specific thing that is connected to a service line, they're working in a much broader team in support of the member, in support of that patient. And we talk about the patients being very first here, and you and I had a laugh on this in the past, so many hospitals will say we're patient first. So many managed care companies will say they're patient first, but it is actually hard the way that the system is designed to truly be patient first. At Included Health, we measure whether patients will come back to us, whether they tell their friends about us, whether they have high quality member satisfaction and are they living more healthy days. So everybody gets surveyed for patient reported outcomes, which is highly unusual as you know, to have both the clinical outcomes and the patient reported outcomes as well.Eric Topol (15:41):Is that all through virtual visits or are there physical visits as well?Owen Tripp (15:47):Today that is all through virtual visits. So we provide 24/7/365 access to urgent care, primary care, behavioral health, the start of the specialty clinic, which we launched last year. And then we provide support for patients who have questions about how these things are going to be billed, what other benefits they have access to. And where appropriate, we send them out to care. So obviously we can't provide all the exams virtually. We can't provide everything that a comprehensive physical would today, but as you and I know that is also changing rapidly. And so, we can do things to put sensors and other observational devices in people's homes to collect that data positively.Eric Topol (16:32):Now, how is that different than Teladoc and all these other telehealth based companies? I mean because trying to understand on the one hand you have a service that you can provide that can be extremely helpful and seems to be relatively unique. Whereas the other seems to be shared with other companies that started in this telehealth space.Owen Tripp (16:57):I think the easiest way to think about the difference here is how a traditional telemedicine company is paid and how we're paid because I think it'll give you some clue as to why we've designed it the way we've designed it. So the traditional telehealth model is you put a quarter in the jukebox, you listen to a song when the song's over, you got to get out and move on with the rest of your life. And quite literally what I mean is that you're going to see one doctor, one time, you will never see that same doctor again. You are not going to have a connected experience across your visits. I mean, you might have an underlying chart, but there's not going to be a continuity of care and follow up there as you would in an integrated setting. Now by comparison, and that's all derived from the fact that those telehealth companies are paid by the drink, they're paid by the visit.Owen Tripp (17:49):In our model, we are committing to a set of experience goals and a set of outcomes to the companies that you refer to that pay our bill. And so, the visits that our members enjoy are all connected. So if you have a primary care visit, that is connected to your behavioral health visit, which is great and is as it should be. If you have a primary care appointment where you identify the need for follow-up cardiology for example. That patient can be followed through that cardiology visit that we circle back, that we make sure that the patient is educated, that he or she has all their questions answered. That's because we know that if the patient actually isn't confident in what they heard and they don't follow through on the plan, then it's all for naught. It's not going to work. And it's a simple sort of observation, but it's how we get paid and why we think it's a really important way to think about medicine.Eric Topol (18:44):So these companies, and they're pretty big companies like Google and AT&T and as you said, JPMorgan and the list goes on and on. Any one of the employees can get this. Is that how it works?Owen Tripp (18:56):That's right, that's right. And even better, most of what I've described to you today is at a low or zero cost to them. So this is a very affordable, easy way to access care. Thinking about one of our very large airline clients the other day, we're often dealing with their flight crews and ramp agents at very strange hours in very strange places away from home, so that they don't have to wait to get access to care. And you can understand that at a basic humanitarian level why that's great, but you can also understand it from a safety perspective that if there is something that is impeding that person's ability to be functioning at work, that becomes an issue for the corporation itself.Eric Topol (19:39):Yeah, so it's interesting you call it included because most of us in the country are excluded. That is, they don't have any way to turn through to get help for a really good referral. Everything's out of network if they are covered and they're not one of the fortunate to be in these companies that you're providing the service for. So do you have any peers or are there any others that are going to come into this space to help a lot of these people that are in a tough situation where they don't really have anyone to turn to?Owen Tripp (20:21):Well, I hope so. Because like you, I've dedicated my career to trying to use information and use science and use in my own right to bring along the model. At Included Health, we talk about raising the standard of care for everybody, and what we mean by that is, we actually hope that this becomes a model that others can follow. The same way the Cleveland Clinic did, the same way the Mayo Clinic did. They brought a model into the world that others soon try to replicate, and that was a good thing. So we'd like to see more attempt to do this. The reality is we have not seen that because unfortunately the old system has a lot of incentives in place to function exactly the way that it is designed. The health system is going to maximize the number of patients that correspond to the highest paying procedures and tests, et cetera. The managed care company is going to try to process the highest number of claims, work the most efficient utilization management and prior authorization, but left out in the middle of all of that is the patient. And so, we really wanted to build that model with the patient at the center, and when I started this company now over a decade ago, that was just a dream that we could do that. Now serving over 10 million members, this feels like it's possible and it feels like a model others could follow.Eric Topol (21:50):Yeah, well that was what struck me is here you're reaching 10 million people. I'd never heard of it. I was like, wow. I thought I try to keep up with things. But now the other thing I wanted to get into you with is AI. Obviously, that has a lot of promise in many different ways. As you know, there are some 12 million diagnostic serious errors a year in the US. I mean you were one, I've been part of them. Most people have been roughed up one way or another. Then there's 800,000 Americans who have disability or die from these errors a year, according to Johns Hopkins relatively recent study. So one of the ways that AI could help is accuracy. But of course, there's many other ways it can help make the lives of both patients helping to integrate their data and physicians to go through a patient's records and set points of their labs and all sorts of other things. Where do you see AI fitting into the model that you've built?Owen Tripp (22:58):Well, I'll give you two that I'm really excited about, that I don't think I hear other people talking about. And again, I'm going to start with that patient, with that member and what he or she wants and needs. One and Eric, bear with me, this is going to sound very banal, but one is just making sense of these very complicated plan documents and explanations of benefits. I'm aware of how well-trained you are and how much you've written. I believe you are the most published in your field. I believe that is a fact. And yet if I showed you a plan description document and an explanation of benefit and I asked you, Eric, could you tell me how much it's going to cost to have an MRI at this facility? I don't think you would've any way of figuring that out. And that is something that people confront every single day in this country. And a lot of people are not like you and me, in that we could probably tolerate a big cost range for that MRI. For some people that might actually be the difference between whether they eat or not, or get their kids prescription or not.Owen Tripp (24:05):And so, we want to make the questions about what your benefits cover and how you understand what's available to you in your plan. We want to make that really easy and we want to make it so that you don't have to have a PhD in insurance language to be able to ask the properly formatted question. As you know, the foundation models are terrific at that problem. So that's one.Eric Topol (24:27):And that's a good one, that's very practical and very much needed. Yeah.Owen Tripp (24:32):The second one I'm really excited about, and I think this will also be near and dear to your heart, is AI has this ability to be sort of nonjudgmental in the best possible way. And so, if we have a patient on a plan to manage hypertension or to manage weight or to manage other elements of a healthy lifestyle. And here we're not talking about deep science, we're just talking about what we've known to work for a long period of time. AI as a coach to help follow through on those goals and passively take data on how you're progressing, but have behind it the world's greatest medical team to be able to jump in when things become more acute or more complex. That's an awesome tool that I think every person needs to be carrying around, so that if my care plan or if my goal is about sleeping better, if my goal is about getting pregnant, if my goal is about reducing my blood pressure, that I can do that in a way that I can have a conversation where I don't feel as a patient that I'm screwing up or letting somebody down, and I can be honest with that AI.Owen Tripp (25:39):So I'm really excited about the potential for the AI as an adjunct coach and care team manager to continue to proceed along with that member with medical support behind that when necessary.Eric Topol (25:55):Yeah, I mean there's a couple of things I'd say about that. Firstly, the fact that you're thinking it from the patient perspective where most working in AI is thinking it from the clinician perspective, so that's really important. The next is that we get notifications, and you need to not sit every hour or something like that from a ring or from a smartwatch or whatever. That isn't particularly intelligent, although it may be needed. The point is we don't get notifications like, what was your blood pressure? Or can you send a PDF of your heart rhythm or this sort of thing. Now the problem too is that people are generating lots of data just by wearing a smartwatch or a fitness band. You've got your activity, your sleep, your heart rate, and all sorts of things that are derivatives of that. No less, you could have other sensors like a glucose monitoring and on and on. No less your electronic health record, and there's no integration of any of this.Eric Topol (27:00):So this idea that we could have a really intelligent AI virtual coach for the patient, which as you said could have connects with a physician as needed, bringing in the data or bringing in some type of issue that the doctor needs to attend to, but it doesn't seem like anything is getting done. We have the AI capabilities, but nothing's getting done. It's frustrating because I wrote about this in 2019 in the Deep Medicine book, and it's just like some of the most sophisticated companies you would think Apple, for the ring Oura and so many others. They have the data, but they don't integrate anything, and they don't really set up notifications for patients. How are we going to get out of this rut?Owen Tripp (27:51):We are producing oil tankers of data around personal experience and not actually turning that into positive energy for what patients can do. But I do want to be optimistic on this point because I actually think, and I shared this with you when we last saw each other. Your thinking was ahead of the time, but foundational for people like me to say, we need to go actually make that real. And let me explain to you what I mean by making it real. We need to bring together the insight that you have an elevated heart rate or that your step count is down, or that your sleep schedule is off. We need to bring that together with the possibility of connecting with a medical professional, which these devices do not have the ability to do that today, and nor do those companies really want to get in that business. And also make that context of what you can afford as a patient.Owen Tripp (28:51):So we have data that's suggestive of an underlying issue. We have a medical team that's prepared to actually help you on that issue. And then we have financial security to know that whatever is identified actually will be paid for. Now, that's not a hard triangle conceptually, but no one of those companies is actually interested in all the points of the triangle, and you have to be because otherwise it's not going to work for the patient. If your business is in selling devices. Really all I'm thinking about is how do I sell devices and subscriptions. If my business is exclusively in providing care, that's really all I'm thinking about. If my business is in managing risk and writing insurance policies, that's really all I'm thinking about. You have to do all those three things in concert.Eric Topol (29:34):Yeah, I mean in many ways it goes back to what we were talking about earlier, which is we're in this phenomenal era of information to the fifth power. But here we are, we have a lot of data from multiple sources, and it doesn't get integrated. So for example, a person has a problem and they don't know what is the root cause of it. Let's say it's poor sleep, or it could be that they're having stress, which would be manifest through their heart rate or heart rate variability or all sorts of other metrics. And there's no intelligence provided for them to interpret their data because it's all siloed and we're just not really doing that for patients. I hope that'll happen. Hopefully, Included Health could be a lead in that. Maybe you can show the way. Anyway, this has been a fun conversation, Owen. It's rare that I've talked in Ground Truths with any person running a company, but I thought yours.Eric Topol (30:36):Firstly, I didn't know anything about it and it's big. And secondly, that it's a kind of a unique model that really I'm hoping that others will get involved in and that someday we'll all be included. Maybe not with Included Health, but with better healthcare in this country, which is certainly not the norm, not the routine. And also, as you aptly pointed out at terrible costs with all sorts of waste, unnecessary tests and that sort of thing. So thanks for what you're doing and I'll be following your future efforts and hopefully we can keep making some strides.Owen Tripp (31:15):We will. And I wanted to say thanks for the conversation too and for your thinking on these topics. And look, I want to leave you just with a quick dose of optimism, and you and I both know this. The American system at its best is an extraordinary system, unrivaled in the world, in my opinion. But we do have to have more people included. All the services need to be included in one place. When we get there, we're going to really see what's possible here.Eric Topol (31:40):I do want to agree with you that if you can get to the right doctor and if you can afford it, that is ideally covered by your insurance. It is a phenomenal system, but getting there, that's the hard part. And every day people are confronted. I'm sure, thousands and thousands with serious condition either to get the diagnosis or the treatment, and they have a really rough time. So anyway, so thank you and I really appreciate your taking the time to meet with me today.****************************************************************Thanks for listening, watching, reading and subscribing to Ground Truths.An update on Super Agers:It is ranked #5 on the New York Times bestseller list (on the list for 4th time)https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/advice-how-to-and-miscellaneous/New podcastsPBS Walter Isaacson, Amanpour&Co Factually, With Adam ConoverPeter Lee, Microsoft Researchhttps://x.com/MSFTResearch/status/1943460270824714414If you found this interesting PLEASE share it!That makes the work involved in putting these together especially worthwhile.Thanks to Scripps Research, and my producer, Jessica Nguyen, and Sinjun Balabanoff for video/audio support.All content on Ground Truths—its newsletters, analyses, and podcasts, are free, open-access.Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don't hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered.Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe
As the summer rolls on, Ithaca Football gets closer and closer to Week One against Johns Hopkins. This week, WICB reporters Devon Jarvis and Colin Martin sit down with Ithaca running back Ahmad Taylor to talk about his offseason training and his readiness to get back on the field.
For this "Summer Friday" we've put together some of our favorite conversations this year:Natalie Wynn, creator of the YouTube channel Contrapoints, discusses her work including her latest video titled "CONSPIRACY" in which she delves into the history of conspiracies in American politics, the allure of conspiratorial thinking, and how this way of thought negatively impacts democracy.James Sanders, architect, author, filmmaker, and co-writer with Ric Burns of the PBS series: New York: A Documentary Film and its companion volume, New York: An Illustrated History (Knopf, 2021) and the author of Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies (Knopf, 2001), talks about the New York seen in films since the beginning of movie-making, as part of our centennial series.Each year the news division hosts the WNYC Health Convening with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as an opportunity for health care experts and practitioners to inform WNYC's health reporting. This year, as part of our centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Paul Goldberg, editor and publisher of The Cancer Letter, co-editor of The Cancer History Project, and author of The Dissident (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2023), discusses the century of cancer treatment advancements and how the U.S. government played a major part in funding the science for treatment, early detection and prevention.The WNYC Health Convening with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation continues with a look at the current state of cancer research in the United States.Sudip Parikh, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals;Otis Brawley, professor of oncology at The Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkin and co-editor of The Cancer History Project; andJulie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast; discuss what the impacts of the Trump administration's funding cuts to the National Health Institute have meant to clinical trials—and what a future without government funding to find a cure might look like should the science continue to be underfunded. These interviews were lightly edited for time and clarity and the original web versions are available here:Contrapoints' Natalie Wynn Deep Dives into the Philosophy of Conspiracies (May 29, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: New York Films (May 19, 2025)100 Years of 100 Things: Cancer Research (Jun 3, 2025)A Roundtable on the Current State of U.S. Cancer Research (Jun 3, 2025)
What if artificial intelligence could help save your erections during prostate cancer surgery?In this groundbreaking episode of the Dr. Geo Prostate Podcast, Dr. Geo sits down with world-renowned urologist and sexual health pioneer Dr. Arthur "Bud" Burnett from Johns Hopkins. Together, they discuss an exciting new frontier in men's health: using AI and intraoperative neuromonitoring to preserve erectile function during prostate cancer surgery.Dr. Burnett shares his four decades of experience and explains how advanced techniques — including real-time nerve mapping and AI-guided signals during surgery — are transforming outcomes for men. Imagine a future where surgeons can “see” and protect the exact nerves critical for erections, like having a GPS guiding them in real time.They also dive into:✅ The evolution of erectile dysfunction treatments — from Yohimbine to Viagra and beyond✅ The history and future of penile implants, including the possibility of app-controlled devices✅ Why nerve-sparing techniques alone may not be enough to preserve function after prostatectomy✅ How AI and precision medicine are changing surgical outcomes and offering men more hopePlus, Dr. Burnett discusses upcoming clinical trials and how men can potentially participate today at Johns Hopkins.
In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Lara Devgan, MD, MPH, discuss the following articles from the July 2025 issue: “A Prospective Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcomes after Facial Laser Resurfacing” by Arias, Gala, Stetz, et al. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/FacialLzrPROs Special guest, Lara Devgan, MD, MPH is an internationally known aesthetic plastic surgeon practicing aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body as well as facial injectables in New York City. She attended Yale for her undergraduate education followed by Johns Hopkins for medical school and the Columbia/Cornell program for plastic surgery residency. She is the founder and CEO of the medical-grade skincare line Dr. Devgan Scientific Beauty, serves as a medical expert for ABC News, is an editorial consultant for the Lancet, and lectures internationally on aesthetic plastic surgery. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCJuly25Collection The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of ASPS.
From suburban swimming pools and SUVs to White Lives Matter rallies, the Johns Hopkins anthropologist Anand Pandian has been exploring the everyday walls of American life. In his new book, Something Between Us, Pandian travels across the United States in his search to both climb and overcome these walls. What he finds is a nation tragically at war with itself. Through intimate portraits of communities divided by race, class, and ideology, Pandian reveals how ordinary public spaces have become literal battlegrounds for identity and belonging. From gated suburban neighborhoods in Florida to online echo chambers, his ethnographic journey exposes the invisible barriers that shape American social life. But he concludes with a degree of optimism. We can overcome those walls, he says, with the kind of collective political action that brings people of different ideological persuasions together.1. Anthropological Method Reveals America's Hidden Divisions"Ethnographic research is based on the idea that the best way of understanding the life of people in a particular social, cultural, historical situation is to immerse [in] the day-to-day circumstances of those people as much as possible, to imagine what it's like to live in those environments... and to try to see what the world would look like from that concrete point of view."Pandian applies traditional anthropological methods—typically used to study distant cultures—to examine contemporary American society, revealing how divisions operate in everyday spaces.2. Personal Experience Sparked Academic Investigation"My own father was yelled at one day when he was walking down the road in Santa Monica, California, go back to your own country. I recount in the book an incident that my own son faced that fall of 2016 at the swimming pool where he was learning how to swim at the age of eight."The 2016 election cycle and personal encounters with racism motivated Pandian to turn his anthropological lens on America, particularly after his son faced racial taunts at a historically segregated Baltimore pool.3. Understanding Radicalization Through Everyday Logic"I think it's really important to try to figure out how it is that radical positions, sometimes even monstrous positions, can grow out of really everyday banal circumstances... that gentleman in particular, I remember him making sense of this idea of the ethnostate by talking about how it is that when you're on an airplane, you're always advised to put your own mask on before you take care of anyone else."Rather than dismissing white nationalists, Pandian seeks to understand how ordinary reasoning can lead to extremist positions.4. Walls Are Both Physical and Mental"I talk about circumstances that are really difficult. I talk the fact that a fifth of all Americans who live in residential communities now live in communities that are gated. I talk about what the 80 percent market share that SUVs and light trucks now enjoy in the American automotive market represents with regard to the zenith of certain ideas of protecting oneself at any cost."The book examines how physical barriers (gated communities, SUVs) combine with mental walls (social media echo chambers) to deepen American divisions.5. Unlikely Coalitions Offer Hope for Change"I focus on... The certain kind of paradox that we might see, how do we make sense of the fact that in the same years that we saw the tightening of restrictions on reproductive rights in a state like Ohio, we saw a rollback of this particular measure [the pink tax], which advocates argued was discriminatory... that political opening grew out of some pretty unlikely coalitions that formed between people on the right and the left."Despite deep polarization, Pandian finds examples of successful cross-partisan organizing around specific issues, suggesting possibilities for bridging divides through shared concerns rather than comprehensive ideological agreement.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
FOLLOW RICHARD Website: https://www.strangeplanet.ca YouTube: @strangeplanetradio Instagram: @richardsyrettstrangeplanet EP. #1224 Decoding the Divine: The Sacred Science of Creation Is the universe a cosmic accident or a divine masterpiece? Dr. William H. West joins Richard to explore Sacred Science, revealing how cosmology, DNA, and consciousness point to a purposeful intelligent design. From quantum blueprints to the mystery of near-death experiences, West argues science confirms a divine Creator, not chaos. Can faith and reason reunite to decode the sacred math behind existence? Join us for a mind-bending journey into a universe engineered with divine intention—a message written in the stars, genes, and soul. GUEST: Dr. William H. West, a Harvard and Johns Hopkins-trained oncologist, founded a leading cancer clinic, pioneering stem cell and immunotherapy treatments. A devout Methodist, he's lectured for over 40 years on harmonizing science and faith. His book, Sacred Science, bridges cosmology, genetics, and theology, arguing modern discoveries affirm divine creation. WEBSITE/LINKS: https://sacred.science/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drbillwest/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbillwest/ BOOK: Sacred Science: Understanding Divine Creation SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! BUTCHERBOX ButcherBox delivers better meat and seafood straight to your door – including 100% grass-fed beef,free-range organic chicken, pork raised crate-free, and wild-caught seafood. Right now, ButcherBox is offering our listeners $20 off their first box and free protein for a year. Go to ButcherBox.com/strange to get this limited time offer and free shipping always. Don't forget to use our link so they know we sent you. HIMS - Making Healthy and Happy Easy to Achieve Sexual Health, Hair Loss, Mental Health, Weight Management START YOUR FREE ONLINE VISIT TODAY - HIMS dot com slash STRANGE https://www.HIMS.com/strange RingBoost The largest provider of custom phone numbers since 2003 https://www.ringboost.com If you're ready to sound like the business people want to call, head over to https://www.ringboost.com and use promo code STRANGE for an exclusive discount. QUINCE BEDDING Cool, Relaxed Bedding. Woven from 100% European flax linen. Visit QUINCE BEDDING to get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. BECOME A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER!!! https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm Three monthly subscriptions to choose from. Commercial Free Listening, Bonus Episodes and a Subscription to my monthly newsletter, InnerSanctum. Visit https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm Use the discount code "Planet" to receive one month off the first subscription. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm/
For the first time CAR-T cells, a highly activated type of immune cell, have been used with some success to treat stomach cancer, a so-called solid tumor. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, says solid … Why has it been so hard to use CAR-T cells to treat solid tumors? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
The Mindful Healers Podcast with Dr. Jessie Mahoney and Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang
How many conversations in medicine today focus on how hard and how broken things are? This episode is a hopeful and grounded counterpoint. Enjoy a rich and thoughtful conversation with Dr. Jed Wolpaw, an anesthesiologist, critical care physician, educator, and host of the beloved medical education podcast ACRAC (Anesthesia and Critical Care Reviews and Commentary) Jed and I first connected at a speaker's dinner at the Holiday Seminars Anesthesia Conference in Aspen this winter. We bonded over our shared experiences as physician educators, parents, and advocates for cultivating wellness in medicine. Dr. Wolpaw is the residency program director for anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins. His grounded optimism and lived wisdom offer a refreshing and insightful look at what true wellness can look like during medical training. He also shares wise words about cultivating meaningful and sustainable careers in academic medicine and beyond. We dive deep into how training can be fulfilling, why leadership matters, and what it takes to build teams and systems that support thriving, not just surviving. Pearls of Wisdom: Wellness in medicine doesn't require perfection, but it does require intention, connection, and focusing on what truly matters. Meaning and fulfillment are protective. Doing something hard (like residency) can be energizing if we're supported, connected, and focused on the purpose behind the work. Training systems can and must evolve. Offering flexibility, encouraging open dialogue, and creating a culture where people feel safe and seen matters deeply. Judging less and building more—especially in leadership roles—is how we create teams people want to be a part of. Mindset, expectations, and energy management matter more than time management. Focusing on what energizes you is often the most resilient path forward. Reflection Questions: What gives you energy during your day, and how might you shift more attention toward that? What kind of team member are you, and how are you contributing to the culture you want to be a part of? If you're in a leadership role, how are you creating safe spaces for people to be honest, grow, and feel supported? If you're ready to create your own sustainable path in medicine, I invite you to work with me. Whether 1:1 or as part of a small group, you will learn tools to bring intention, compassion, and creativity to leadership, doctoring, and life. Learn more at: https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching You're also warmly invited to one of my signature restorative retreats, designed specifically for physicians seeking to reconnect, recalibrate, and realign. Find upcoming retreats at: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats If you're a medical leader or educator and would like to bring me to speak or lead a workshop for your institution, team, or conference, reach out via www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking . Connect with Dr. Wolpaw through his podcast at www.acrac.com. Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.
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In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, Lara Devgan, MD, MPH, discuss the following articles from the July 2025 issue: “Improvement in Temple Hollowing with VYC-20L Hyaluronic Acid Filler: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of Safety and Effectiveness” by Montes, Hooper, Jones, et al. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/TemplHollVYC-20L Special guest, Lara Devgan, MD, MPH is an internationally known aesthetic plastic surgeon practicing aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body as well as facial injectables in New York City. She attended Yale for her undergraduate education followed by Johns Hopkins for medical school and the Columbia/Cornell program for plastic surgery residency. She is the founder and CEO of the medical-grade skincare line Dr. Devgan Scientific Beauty, serves as a medical expert for ABC News, is an editorial consultant for the Lancet, and lectures internationally on aesthetic plastic surgery. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCJuly25Collection The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of ASPS.
Smart college applicants know not to let artificial intelligence agents write their entire personal statement but might shudder at the idea of ignoring these tools entirely. How much is too much? Amy and Mike invited educator Razi Hecker to explore how much AI is just right in the college essay. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Should students avoid AI entirely when writing their college application essays? At what points in the writing process can AI be most helpful? What tasks can be AI-assisted and which ones should never be? Is there a danger that use of AI might be detected by essay readers? Why is a main thesis so critical for effective college essays? MEET OUR GUEST Razi Hecker is a Harvard graduate (Cum Laude, B.A. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations) and a creative writer whose work appears in literary journals, news outlets, and the most recent edition of 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays. With over 2,000 hours of college essay coaching and 10+ years in education and creative writing, Razi helps students transform personal experiences into powerful, memorable admissions narratives. His students have been accepted to every Ivy League school, as well as Stanford, MIT, and Caltech. This past year alone, over 70% of Razi's top retainer students were admitted to at least one Ivy. Those who didn't landed spots at other elite institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, and Washington University. Find Razi at League Bound Consulting. LINKS Common App Fraud Policy Can prospective students use generative AI to help with their application to Cornell? AI Is Taking Over College Admissions RELATED EPISODES COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MAKING YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYS COUNT WRITING RHETORICALLY IN ADMISSIONS ESSAYS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
About this episode: Since the 1950s, companies have been using PFAS—or “forever chemicals”—to manufacture everyday household items from waterproof mascara to shaving cream to Bandaids. Research and advocacy have not only linked these chemicals to certain cancers, liver disease, and fertility issues, but they have also posited that 97% of Americans have traces of PFAS in their blood. In this episode: guest host Tom Burke talks with writer Rachel Frazin about her new book outlining the dark history of PFAS in American manufacturing, the communities across the country demanding accountability and regulation, and the near future of regulation of drinking water. Guest: Rachel Frazin covers energy and environmental policy for The Hill and is the co-author of the book Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America. Host: Dr. Tom Burke is an emeritus professor at Johns Hopkins and a former top official with the Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration. Show links and related content: Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America (book)—Island Press Exposure to “forever chemicals” before birth may raise blood pressure during teen years–American Heart Association Trump Administration to Uphold Some PFAS Limits but Eliminate Others—The New York Times What You Need to Know About PFAS, Or “Forever Chemicals”—Public Health On Call (April 2024) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell is a Practicing Psychiatrist, Expert on Autism and Savant Syndrome, Award-Winning Clinician, Author, Public Speaker, and Independent Researcher.Dr. Diane Hennessy is also a key expert interviewed in "The Telepathy Tapes" podcast. The podcast, hosted by Ky Dickens, explores the idea of telepathic communication in non-speaking individuals with autism. Dr. Hennacy, a Johns Hopkins-trained neuropsychiatrist and researcher in extraordinary states of consciousness, is featured as an expert who provides scientific and theoretical backing for the phenomena discussed.Her research focuses on the neuroscience behind psychic phenomena, telepathy, and the abilities of autistic savants. She is the author of "The ESP Enigma: The Scientific Case for Psychic Phenomena" and advocates for considering extrasensory perception (ESP) as a savant skill.Essentially, Dr. Diane Hennessy lends her expertise and research to "The Telepathy Tapes" podcast to explore and discuss the potential for telepathy, particularly in the context of non-speaking autistic children.DR. DIANE HENNACY:WEBSITE: https://drdianehennacy.com/Books: https://drdianehennacy.com/books/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianehennacy/ Telepathy Tapes: https://thetelepathytapes.com/THE RIPPLE EFFECT PODCAST:WEBSITE: http://TheRippleEffectPodcast.comSUPPORT:PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/TheRippleEffectPodcastPayPal: https://www.PayPal.com/paypalme/RvTheory6VENMO: https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3625073915201071418&created=1663262894MERCH Store: http://www.TheRippleEffectPodcastMerch.comMUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-ripple-effect-ep/1057436436SPONSORS:OPUS A.I. Clip Creator: https://www.opus.pro/?via=RickyVarandasUniversity of Reason-Autonomy: https://www.universityofreason.com/a/2147825829/ouiRXFoLWATCH:OFFICIAL YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRippleEffectPodcastOFFICIALYOUTUBE CLIPS CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@RickyVarandasRUMBLE: https://rumble.com/c/therippleeffectpodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ricky.varandasLISTEN:SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lpFhHI6CqdZKW0QDyOicJiTUNES: http://apple.co/1xjWmlFCONNECT:X: https://x.com/RvTheory6IG: https://www.instagram.com/rvtheory6/THE UNION OF THE UNWANTED: https://linktr.ee/TheUnionOfTheUnwanted
Dr. Christopher Smith is a Board-Certified practicing physician who completed his residency and fellowship at the world-renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Smith currently lives in Pennsylvania and is a partner with Quantum Imaging and Therapeutic Associates. He dedicates time and resources to raising awareness of homeless children and finding solutions to help them overcome their situation. “Around the age of four, there was a big turning point in my life. My father lost his job at the steel mill. After that my parents struggled financially for the rest of my teenage years. We really had difficulty maintaining housing and lived for months at a time without basic utilities like heat or electricity. “By the time I was 16, my family and I had moved at least a couple dozen times. That year my family got evicted one more time and we had nowhere to go. It was my senior year of high school. My parents and 6 of my siblings stayed in a small motel room. I slept in the truck the entire year, and this was in Utah. It was so cold in winter that sometimes my hair would actually freeze at night. “But I had decided that there was no shortcut in life. I had to work through it and through all these difficult circumstances. I was willing to take risks. I made mistakes. I failed. But that was okay. I kept trying. That's part of the experience, the process and the idea of not quitting when you fail. "A lot of years of my life were very difficult, but I always tried to maintain a positive outlook on my life. I still always try to see potential, the good in the world now. “The statistical odds of me going from sleeping in a truck as a teenager to completing my medical degree at Johns Hopkins Hospital are so astronomically high that I personally think there was some intervention in my life, somebody looking out for me with the purpose of helping me view my past in a different light and of being able to share that with other people, inspiring them to learn from my past. That was my ultimate reason for writing the book Homeless to Hopkins and a children's version because children in poverty are often the most invisible homeless people of all.”
Today on the program, the US entered the conflict between Israel and Iran by striking three of its key nuclear sites. Fareed speaks with head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi about the damage caused by the attack. Then, why did President Trump decide to enter the conflict? Fareed speaks to CFR President Emeritus Richard Haas and retired Admiral James Stavridis. Finally, how are leaders in Iran and Israel changing their strategies moving forward and will these strikes usher in a new era in the Middle East? Fareed is joined by Johns Hopkins' Vali Nasr and Columbia University's Nadav Eyal. GUESTS: Rafael Grossi (@rafaelmgrossi), James Stavridis (@stavridisj), Richard Haass (@RichardHaass), Vali Nasr (@vali_nasr), Nadav Eyal (@Nadav_Eyal) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today on the show, guest anchor Bianna Golodryga speaks with The New York Times' David Sanger after a weekend of strikes between Iran and Israel. They discuss this escalating conflict and what it means for the future of US-Iran nuclear negotiations. Next, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar joins the show to tell Bianna what his country is hoping to achieve by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities. Then, Johns Hopkins professor Vali Nasr and The New Yorker's Susan Glasser speak to Bianna about how the US will respond to the conflict between Iran and Israel, as well as the significance of President Trump's military parade. Finally, retired Major General James ‘Spider' Marks joins to discuss the military dynamics at play between Iran and Israel and what the two countries' defense capabilities might mean for the future of the conflict. GUESTS: David Sanger (@SangerNYT), Gideon Sa'ar (@gidonsaar), Susan Glasser (@sbg1), Vali Nasr (@vali_nasr), James "Spider" Marks (@RangerSpider) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices