Let’s Talk About That

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Mariam Khayretdinova , - neuroscientist, data scientist, founder of Brainify. AI, and author of ‘Decoding Despair: How AI Is Reshaping Psychiatry’ - about rethinking how we understand and treat depression —one of the most widespread and complex illnesses of our time. Mariam’s journey into mental health began with her own lived ex...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Stanford Professor Aaron Roodman , about some of the deepest mysteries in the universe: dark matter, dark energy, and the architecture of the cosmos . The conversation begins with a deceptively simple question: what is matter? From there, Aaron walks through the fundamental particles that make up the visible universe before stepp...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Dennis Selkoe , one of the scientists whose work helped define the modern understanding of Alzheimer’s disease —and laid the foundation for the first treatments that can alter its course. For decades, Alzheimer’s was viewed as an inexorable disease with no meaningful way to intervene. Dennis helped change that. The conversation t...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Gabriela “Gaby” Ochoa , an energetic and passionate marine conservation leader and founder of I lili , about what it really takes to protect sharks—and the coastal communities whose lives are intertwined with them. Gaby’s path began far from the ocean, growing up in Honduras with a love of animals and biology. What followed was a...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Sam Blackman —pediatric neuro-oncologist, biotech founder, and storyteller—about the patients who shaped his life’s work and his search for a cure for children with brain cancer. As a physician caring for children with brain tumors, Sam witnessed firsthand the limits of existing treatments—and the urgency felt by families facing...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Tracy Dixon-Salazar —neuroscientist, geneticist, and one of the most powerful advocates working to transform how we understand severe childhood epilepsy. Tracy’s journey began as a mother. When her daughter Savannah was two and a half, she began having unexplained seizures that eventually developed into Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (L...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Arya Singh , a rare disease advocate, researcher, and policy leader whose life story intersects with one of the most remarkable transformations in modern genetic medicine. Arya was diagnosed at 18 months with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) —a devastating neuromuscular disease that, until recently, was the leading genetic cause of...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh sits down with Rafi Silver —actor, writer, and mindfulness teacher—for a wide-ranging conversation about performance, presence, and what it truly means to be “in the moment.” Many will recognize Rafi from Amazon’s Fallout and roles in shows such as Law & Order: Organized Crime and FBI: Most Wanted . But beyond being an actor, he is the f...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Frank Bennett , Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, and a founding architect of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics—one of the technologies that launched modern genetic medicine. For more than three decades, Frank has worked to turn the idea of targeting RNA into real medicines...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Garen Staglin , a leader who has brought together personal experience, philanthropy, and investment to fundamentally change how we approach mental health. Garen’s journey into brain health advocacy began in 1990, after his son Brandon experienced a psychotic break and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. What followed was not withdr...

In this episode of Let’sTalk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Jason Coloma , CEO of Maze Therapeutics , about what it really takes to build a biotech company at the intersection of human genetics, precision medicine, and long-term value creation. Jason brings a rare end-to-end perspective—spanning big pharma, venture creation, and public company leadership. The conversation traces how Maze w...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Monica Coenraads , a transformative leader in the raredisease community whose work has reshaped the field of Rett syndrome, a severe neurodevelopmental disorder. Monica’s journey began as a parent, after her daughter Chelsea was diagnosed with Rett syndrome at a time when little was known about the disease and the causative gene,...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh is joined by Gilmore O’Neill, President and CEO of Editas Medicine, for an in-depth conversation at the frontier of genetic medicine, neuroscience, and biotech leadership. Gilmore traces his journey from clinical neurology at Mass General to a career in biopharma driven by frustration with the lack of effective treatments for devastating neu...

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That , Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Andreas Wallnoefer, whose career spans the full arc of drug development—from early clinical research to senior R&D leadership at Roche, and later to venture investing and biotech board roles. Andreas reflects on more than 25 years in big pharma, where he helped shape early translational medicine and confronted one of the fiel...

Host Anirvan Ghosh reflects on Season 1 of 'Let's Talk About That', highlighting themes around leadership, science and society, and our shared experiences as a nation of immigrants

Dr. Carla Shatz is one of the most influential neuroscientists of our time, whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of brain development and plasticity. She is the Sapp Family Provostial Professor of Biology and Neurobiology at Stanford University, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and recipient of the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. In this episode, Carla sits down with Ani...

Scott Illingworth is a director, educator, and creative force who bridges theatre and social engagement. Much of his work focuses on new and adapted works that bring urgent human stories to the stage. In this conversation, Scott sits down with Anirvan to discuss his work in capturing immigrant stories through the Verbatim Salon, a monthly event in New York City where actors perform real stories fr...

In this episode, Dr. Arshad Khanani sits down with Anirvan Ghosh to talk about vision loss and what we can do to slow or alter the course of disease. Dr. Khanani, is one of the world’s leading innovators in retinal disease research and treatment. He is Managing Partner and Director of Clinical Research at Sierra Eye Associates, as well as a Clinical Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno Scho...

Liz Terrazas is teacher who has recently become engaged in issues of community safety, immigrant rights, and grassroots activism. She grew up in a Mexican-American family in Colorado—her father is from Chihuahua, Mexico, and her mother from Durango, Colorado. After earning her BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University in 2015, Liz returned...

Dr. Elora López-Nandam is a young evolutionary biologist and a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, whose work spans the ecology, evolution, and conservation of marine ecosystems. Her work has ranged from studying the sustainability of sea cucumber fisheries in Fiji, to the mysteries of coral bleaching in American Samoa, and how we can restore coral populations. Now, at the California Academy of Sciences,...

Dr. Randy Schekman is a Nobel Laureate and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Schekman's discoveries on the mechanisms by which proteins are trafficked to different parts of the cell are in every cell and molecular biology textbook and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or M...

Dr. D. Sangeeta is the founder and CEO of Gotara, a global business and leadership accelerator that is redefining how individuals in corporate settings can increase their impact and transform their careers. Her platform now serves more than 33,000 members across the globe, offering confidential,24/7 guidance from experienced leaders—and is helping companies understand the value of talent developme...

Dr. Sophie Kornowski is a BioPharma leader, strategist, and global dealmaker whose career spans senior leadership positions at Merck and Roche, a healthcare investor with Gurnet PointCapital, and CEO at Boston Pharmaceuticals. She has helped shape the partnerships behind some of the most successful therapies in recent years. Here she sits down with Anirvan Ghosh to discuss her leadership journey a...

Dr. Sandeep “Bob” Datta is a Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School whose work blends neuroscience, behavior, and machine learning to decode how the brain controls behavior. Here he sits down with Anirvan Ghosh to discuss the fascinating series of discoveries that led to the identification of MS4A6D as a critical protein that regulates the spread of Tau pathology, a major driver of Al...

Remy Reya is a young Jewish-Indian-American leader who is passionate about social justice. Here he sits down with Anirvan to talk about his Jewish and Indian ancestry and how that has informed his identity and sense of belonging. Remy shares his views on the importance of approaching disparate complex challenges such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and homelessness in American cities with empa...