LearnOn Podcast: Health Equity By Youth, For Everyone!

When a pharmaceutical company first develops a novel drug or therapeutic, it is protected by a patent. While this ensures that the company can profit off of their creation, it also creates a monopoly as the sole patent holder can charge higher prices without worrying about competition.  But this is being changed by the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a UK-based organization that has signed agreements...

We often hear the term "women's health" when discussing things such as breast cancer, menstruation, and pregnancy. But, can we only chalk it up to visits to the gynecologist? (Spoiler alert - definitely not.) Today, we're joined by Dr. Lori Frank, president of WHAM (Women's Health Access Matters), an organization dedicated to increasing awareness and funding for women's health. Tune in to hear abo...

Chronic illness affects an estimated 130 million people in the United States, and that number continues climbing with infectious diseases resulting in conditions such as long COVID. Today, we're specifically focusing on ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome), a genetically-linked chronic illness that isn't talked about enough. Join us with Jaime Seltzer, a researcher and advoc...

What would it be like to dedicate over 50 years of your life towards treating a disease? Today, we're finding out with Dr. Jerry Mendell, who has been working to help patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy since the 1960s. He also partnered with Sarepta Therapeutics to create a therapy that delivers healthy copies of the dystrophin gene for treating spinal muscular atrophy. Join us to hear Dr....

Pregnancy, though vital for sustaining human life, comes with its own unique set of challenges. From weight fluctuation to morning sickness, most people who have experienced pregnancy were no stranger to these symptoms. But what happens when it goes too far? Today, we're discussing hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a pregnancy complication that's often confused with the more milder versions of...

Throughout this podcast, we've explored many facets of what makes science and health so interdisciplinary. Today, we're adding one more factor to the mix: philosophy. Specifically, we'll be joined by Dr. Brennan Spiegel to learn about the future of virtual reality in new medical technologies and how it can be informed by a philosophical approach to tackle complex questions emerging fro...

Though there are many known issues with the American healthcare system, one of the most overlooked faults is that it's designed for people who stay in place. Care is often neglected or subpar for immigrants, citizens that regularly travel for work, and other people that frequently move around for various reasons. To understand why this is the case and how to fix it, we spoke with Kim Nolte, CE...

Tackling Alzheimer's disease has seemed to take up a lot of headlines lately - from drugs reducing the severity of symptoms to new research studies revolutionizing how we understand its causes, the media has been nothing short of enthralled by recent advances. However, the initial step of diagnosis is often overlooked despite being a key component of this story. Today, we're chatting with...

Many of us have heard about the issue of lead pipes contaminating our water supply. Though it's been well established that this could improve the health of millions of Americans, the challenge in moving forward is deciding whether the immense upfront costs of replacing pipes is worth it from a financial standpoint. To tackle this issue, we're discussing with Ronnie Levin, a Harvard profess...

Some of the greatest scientific advancements of all time were made completely on accident or weren't recognized until far after the discoverer's death. But how do you stay motivated as a scientist when things don't go according to plan? To tackle this topic, we're interviewing Dr. Karikó, a Nobel Prize winner who's had her fair share of ups and downs through decades of research...

One of the most important ways that we're inspired to discuss topics on this podcast is through science journalism: that is, reading the latest news in STEM fields to stay updated on new innovations! However, considering the sheer volume of science content available on the Internet, it's crucial to know how to navigate this scene. Today, we chatted with Max Levy to discuss key takeaways in...

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), though they may sound very futuristic, are now far from an imagined technology of the past. Integrations between computers and the nervous system are being used all around us to diagnose and treat many medical conditions. Today, we sat down to chat with Ofer Lidsky about his work in neurotechnology through Excellent Brain, a company using electroencephalography-ba...

Today, we're super excited to announce to launch of Season 6: Medical Marvels! This will be our biggest season yet as we hear from researchers, policy makers, and innovators working to make the future of medicine a reality. Join us to hear our thoughts on this upcoming season as well as a note about our recent rebrand! Tune in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as we publish new episodes for...

It's finally here: the finale of season 5! 20 episodes later, we've gone on an exciting exploration together through the depths of digital health, the twists and turns medical technology, and the pathways through artificial intelligence. To wrap up the season, we're chatting with Dr. Alan Lightman, an accomplished physicist, novelist, and essayist. He was the first professor at MIT to...

Today, we're joined by Dr. Alex Schepart, a pharmacist who is currently a Medical Director at the pharmaceutical company Shionogi Inc. Tune in to hear about the challenges of integrating AI into drug development and healthcare that you may not have considered, ways to stay most informed about the latest scientific discoveries, and the way to build a "board of directors" of effective...

We all know that improving health equity is an important topic, but a side to this battle that is commonly underappreciated is that of administrative and legislative details. Indeed, combining an entrepreneurial mindset with a patient-centered care approach is the best way to fight for this cause according to Dr. Jessica Schlicher. Dr. Schlicher is a Chief Medical Officer at the nonprofit organiza...

We've talked about many incredible organizations advancing health equity with their work, but today, we're going to be talking about a related career that deserves more recognition: healthcare consulting. This is an important job that combines knowledge of business and medicine to optimize patient care. But how does someone get started in this field? Tune in to hear from Alexis Anderson, a...

The accessibility of healthcare is certainly a major issue in the USA and around the world. One major component of this is affordability, but another key factor that often goes overlooked is actually being able to take advantage of the resources available to you. Whether we're thinking about a patient who is freshly an adult or a parent to a newborn child, many people were never educated about...

We've alluded to this question in many previous episodes, but today we're finally facing it head on! In the light of rapid advancements made in artificial intelligence, many have been worried about its potential in replacing complex jobs thanks to the capabilities of models like  GPT-4  and  DALL-E . However, we're here to assure you with the help of Dr. Dereck Paul, a physician and CE...

Today, we're going to be doing a deep dive into yet another crucial sector of healthcare: pharmacy! Joining us is Dr. Miranda Steinkopf,  a pharmacist passionate about health equity, pharmacy practice transformation, and academic innovation. Tune in to hear about the need for strong health equity education so that providers are equipped to serve patients of diverse backgrounds for better outco...

It is easy to talk about digital health as being mainly consisted of two separate facets: technology and medicine. However, instead of simply focusing on the specialization of these aspects, it is also crucial to recognize how clinical practice and technological expertise must be combined for the success of any digital health company. This is where the work of Ken Perez, a healthcare marketing, st...

Since the COVID pandemic hit, the healthcare industry seemed to share a sentiment as a whole about telemedicine: it was the best possible alternative when the patients couldn't come in for a physical, in person visit, the latter of which is the gold standard of care. But Dr. Ami Bhatt, Chief innovation Officer at the American College of Cardiology, is trying to change this sentiment. Join us i...

We've talked a lot about technological advancements in the medical field, but today, we're going to be examining them from a new lens to understand the possible downsides and how to fix it. Joining us to provide a fresh perspective is Dean Sittig, a professor at the UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics. Tune in to hear about a wide range of topics including how the electronic health r...

When you think about professions in healthcare, you probably imagine doctors, nurses, or other roles that require direct interaction with patients. And though this answer is certainly true, a major yet often overlooked career is that of a health lawyer, which is very important considering the many legal implications of practicing medicine. Today, we are joined by Matthew Fisher to talk about his c...

Silos, which block proper communication and coordination between important groups in healthcare, are a major roadblock that prevent optimized care and contribute to high costs with poor patient outcomes. This is where the European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance) comes in with its goals to connect, convene, amplify, and accelerate. Today, we are joined by Brian O'Connor, founder of ECHA...