Illuminating Health

Americans with serious mental illness — such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia — have a life expectancy that is 10 to 25-years shorter than the general public, meaning that “senior age” for this group is just 55 years old. Kate Melino , associate professor and a  2026 Macy Faculty Scholar , is an expert in the mental health care of older adults and adults with serious mental illness. On this ep...

Americans living in rural areas are more likely to die early from cancer, heart disease, and stroke, than those living in urban areas. A key reason for this difference? Limited access to health care. On this episode of Illuminating Health, associate professor Elizabeth Castillo shares how her childhood in California’s San Joaquin Valley shaped her understanding of health care access, inspiring her...

Associate Professor Cherry Leung and Professor Sandra Weiss are nurse scientists who lead research on the gut microbiome, investigating not only how it impacts human health, but how an understanding of the microbiome can help us treat or even prevent certain health conditions.  On this episode of Illuminating Health, Leung and Weiss discuss their research and its implications for patient care. Thi...

About one in 10 Americans have diabetes, a chronic condition that can lead to circulatory, renal and nervous system disorders. The Hispanic population in the United States is disproportionately impacted by diabetes, with Hispanic individuals being 1.5 times more likely to die from diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Leticia (Lety) Wilke and Kathleen (Katie) Judge, current students in UCSF’s Post Ma...

Artificial intelligence, remote health monitoring, virtual nursing – the potential for technology to enhance patient care and the delivery of services is limitless.  Few people know this better than Kay Burke , UCSF Health’s chief nursing informatics officer and a current student in the School of Nursing’s Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice pathway . In this episode, Burke shares engaging, r...

Despite medical advances, the United States continues to have the highest rate of maternal deaths of any high-income nation. Additionally, many of our nation’s pregnant individuals and their infants, especially those from low-income and underrepresented groups, do not have access to quality health care during the perinatal period. With an interprofessional team, Andrea Kuster, associate clinical p...

During the perinatal period, one in five women in the United States experience a mental health issue such as postpartum depression or anxiety. But accessing mental health support can be difficult, particularly as a new parent. Kara Birch , a dual board-certified family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, designed and launched a telehealth-based integrated mental he...

Many of us know from personal experience that music positively impacts our well-being. But a growing body of research demonstrates music’s impact on our physical health, including brain health. How does music support healthy aging? Why does playing and listening to music reduce stress?  Julene Johnson, a cognitive neuroscientist and co-director of the Sound Health Network, who studies how music im...

If you had one minute to address your future health care leaders, what advice would you give them? In honor of commencement season, we invite you to listen to messages shared with UCSF School of Nursing graduates that serve as important reminders for all of us engaged in the essential work of improving health and health care for our communities.

In the early days of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, nurses played a crucial role in caring for patients and forever transformed health care. Cliff Morrison, the nurse who launched the country's first in-patient AIDS unit in 1983, and Carol Dawson-Rose, an early leader in international patient-centered AIDS prevention and care, share their experiences about providing care at the height of the AIDS...

What does it take to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment, especially during times of change and uncertainty? Mica Estrada, associate dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Outreach and a social psychologist, and Emebet Aklilu, director of operations for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Outreach, discuss what is needed and what each of us as individuals can do to help create and sustain an...

About 38 million people in the United States have diabetes, and one in five of them don’t even know they have it.  In this episode of Illuminating Health, professor Carolina Noya discusses what’s contributing to the rise in type 2 diabetes in the United States, what groups are most impacted and a pilot program she is leading that is showing promising results for patients struggling with managing d...

“Nurses are born advocates,” alumnus and nurse Jason Bloomer said. “It’s one of the most fundamental things that makes a nurse a nurse, beyond keeping our patients safe.” In the third episode of Illuminating Health, professor Stella Bialous and Bloomer share their experience shaping health policy and discuss why nurses are uniquely positioned to lead change. The guest host for this episode is Erin...

Nearly 600,000 people across the U.S. are experiencing homelessness. What kind of health issues do people who are unhoused face, and how does that affect the health care system? What practical solutions are needed to improve care for people experiencing homelessness? In the second episode of Illuminating Health, professor Heather Leutwyler and Taylor Cuffaro, a doctoral student and co-founder of t...

Across the U.S., more than 40 percent of college graduates are the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree. What does it mean to be a first-gen student? Why is it so important to have first-gen nurses engaged in improving health and health care? In the inaugural episode of Illuminating Health, Christina Keny , a first-gen graduate and doctoral candidate at the UCSF School of Nursing, a...