HMS scientists tackle a variety of important questions, ranging from how your neurons work to which genes play a role in particular diseases. Our podcast gives you the scoop on some of this work, providing context and highlighting the latest trends in medical education and biomedical research.
Episode 27: Your Digital Phenotype
John Brownstein mines social media to track disease
• 15 minutes, 54 seconds
Episode 19: Supreme Court Considers Health Reform
Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act will shape policy for years to come. Gregory Curfman, an HMS assistant professor and executive editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, shares insight and analysis.
• 7 minutes, 17 seconds
Episode 30: Object Lessons
Inside the life of an anatomical museum curator
• 23 minutes, 40 seconds
Episode 11: Human genome turns 10
A draft sequence of the human genome was first published in 2001. Ten years later, David Altshuler, Harvard Medical School professor of genetics, discusses how the Human Genome Project has changed the landscape of biomedical research. Plus, a study by HMS professor of neurobiology Qiufu Ma sheds light on the relationship between itch and pain.
• 10 minutes, 19 seconds
Episode 7: Inside the brain's black box
Adrian Ivinson, director of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center, explains why researchers need to collaborate to tackle neurodegenerative diseases, and reporter Yvonna Reekie brings us the latest on autism spectrum disorders.
• 16 minutes, 54 seconds
Episode 4: And coverage for all?
HMS associate professor Stephanie Woolhandler shares her views on universal healthcare, and Yvonna Reekie takes you for a ride on the Family Van, which provides free education, counseling, support and healthcare to Boston’s economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
• 12 minutes, 37 seconds
Episode 3: The art of perception
HMS professor of neurobiology Margaret Livingstone uses art to understand how we perceive and process visual stimuli, and HMS professor of pediatrics Charles Nelson employs noninvasive techniques to measure the brain activity of children.
• 13 minutes, 48 seconds
Episode 2: The secrets of aging
HMS associate professor of pathology David Sinclair is getting under the hood of the molecular machinery that drives longevity, and HMS assistant professor of medicine Anne Fabiny is preparing students for an aging population.
• 13 minutes, 24 seconds
Episode 20: Evolution of the Patient-Doctor Relationship
A practicing physician with a leadership role in the HMS Division of Medical Ethics reflects on power shifts over the decades.
• 12 minutes, 25 seconds
Episode 25: The Future of Science
Young researchers call for change to make scientific careers sustainable
• 24 minutes, 58 seconds
Episode 39: From Harvard to Hollywood
Emmy-nominated alum combines medicine, media and storytelling
• 44 minutes, 5 seconds
Episode 23: Psychosocial Healing
A plastic surgeon finds new ways to soothe physical and emotional wounds.
• 10 minutes, 4 seconds
Episode 34: Culture Clash
Improving communication and reducing disparities at the doctor's office
• 17 minutes, 59 seconds
Episode 8: Working the system
HMS professor Peter Sorger shares his perspectives on the emerging field of systems biology, and we visit the lab of Roy Kishony, where researchers are using mathematical models to probe the evolution of drug resistant bacteria.
• 16 minutes, 57 seconds
Episode 13: Building a sustainable future
Harvard Medical School Professor of Systems Biology Pam Silver is engineering organisms that produce fuel and even food. Find out how she's working to build a sustainable future through synthetic biology. Plus, Nancy Keating, an HMS associate professor of health care policy, sheds light on one aspect of the debate over the rising costs of health care.
• 10 minutes, 55 seconds
Episode 5: Striving for global health
Nobel Laureate Eric Chivian discusses the connection between biodiversity and human disease, and Yvonna Reekie examines the emerging problem of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
• 17 minutes, 27 seconds
Episode 9: How to make a doctor
We ask some Bostonians to envision a doctor of the future and bring their questions about medical training to HMS Dean for Education Thomas Michel. We also speak with medical students who are learning that research isn’t easy.
• 16 minutes, 54 seconds
Episode 18: Origins of Life
Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak is working to build primitive cells in the laboratory.
• 7 minutes, 6 seconds
Episode 26: Digging into Ancient DNA
David Reich unravels prehistoric genetic code to explore human history
• 16 minutes, 37 seconds
Episode 12: Are you getting enough sleep?
According to research by Elizabeth Klerman, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, most adults should be getting 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Learn about her study and about the benefits of a good night's sleep. Plus, HMS Associate Professor of Medicine Julia Wang explores what causes the immune system to attack healthy cells and tissues by mistake.
• 8 minutes, 51 seconds
Episode 10: Powerful placebo
Find out why HMS Associate Professor of Medicine Ted Kaptchuk is trying to understand the magnitude, duration and boundaries of placebo effects. Plus, in the process of studying the genetic roots of a horrific disease, researchers discover a new way to create adult stem cells.
• 9 minutes, 23 seconds
Episode 6: Your genome, your future
HMS professor David Altshuler discusses the relationship between human genetic variation and disease, and HMS professor George Church explains the complexities of the Personal Genome Project.
• 18 minutes, 54 seconds
Episode 16: Metamorphosis of a Medical Student
Experiences in the clinic during the third year of medical school spur a remarkable transformation. For the first time, future MDs begin to feel like doctors.
• 16 minutes, 18 seconds
Episode 15: Transforming Drug Discovery
Marc Kirschner, head of the Harvard Medical School Department of Systems Biology, describes a new initiative that takes aim at the alarming slowdown in the development of new and lifesaving drugs. Plus, Professor of Genetics David Reich is studying DNA from an ancient finger bone to shed light on the dawn of humanity.
• 10 minutes, 6 seconds
Episode 32: The A-Word
Trying to catch Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear
• 18 minutes, 48 seconds
Episode 14: Under 6 and overweight
Elsie Taveras, an assistant professor of population medicine and of pediatrics at HMS, discusses a new Institute of Medicine report on early childhood obesity. Plus, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology Stephen Liberles explores how mice and rats sense predators.
• 11 minutes, 21 seconds
Episode 36: Challenging Common Knowledge
Inside the mind of physician-economist Bapu Jena
• 26 minutes, 53 seconds
Episode 37: Blunt Scrutiny
Tackling research gaps in marijuana use
• 23 minutes, 30 seconds
Episode 35: Connecting the Dots
Improving transgender health care by unifying efforts across HMS
• 21 minutes, 3 seconds
Episode 22: Heart Matters
A husband-wife team studies the genetics of cardiac disease.
• 10 minutes, 15 seconds
Episode 29: Rx Poetry
How doctors and patients can improve with the power of poems
• 26 minutes, 15 seconds
Episode 24: The Methodical Adventurer
Stem cell researcher Amy Wagers enjoys the thrill of discovery.
• 7 minutes, 21 seconds
Episode 1: The science of social networks
HMS professor of medical sociology Nicholas Christakis examines how social networks affect our health, and an HMS student relies on social networking websites to rally the Kenyan diaspora.
• 13 minutes, 9 seconds
Episode 28: Medicine and Morality
How do doctors resolve ethical dilemmas hidden in everyday patient care?
• 21 minutes, 19 seconds
Episode 21: The Case for Curiosity
Basic science lays the foundation for tomorrow's medical breakthroughs.
• 9 minutes, 22 seconds
Episode 38: Chew on This
Reintegrating dental and medical care
• 20 minutes, 36 seconds
Episode 31: Genetics of Sleep
Tour a lab that studies slumbering fruit flies
• 19 minutes, 16 seconds
Episode 33: Genetics in Space
Improving human health on and off the Earth's surface
• 24 minutes, 55 seconds
Episode 17: 3D Mammography Gains Momentum
A new imaging tool is poised to transform breast cancer screening. Plus, cancer researchers develop 3D tissue models and a radiologist shares her perspective.