A Woman’s Journey: Insights That Matter: Recent Episodes
Johns Hopkins A Womans Journey
Join physicians at Johns Hopkins Medicine for its women’s health podcast series, A Woman’s Journey: Insights That Matter, on the first Thursday of each month. Host Lillie Shockney, acclaimed humorist cancer survivor, and nurse, discusses Women and Heart Disease; Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore; Mindfulness; Sleep; The Microbiome; Advances in Breast Cancer Treatment; Brain Research; A-fib; Kidney Disease in Women of Color; and Memory with Johns Hopkins experts. Learn about medical advances and stay informed.
For access to more women’s health information or to learn more about A Woman’s Journey, please visit: hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney or call 410-955-8660
COVID first brought to global attention that our ability to smell could be affected by disease. In this month's podcast, moderator Lillie Shockney sits down with otolaryngologist and clinic director of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center – Green Spring Station, Dr. Nicholas Rowan, to discuss anosmia, which is the partial or complete loss of the sense of smell.
December is the start of the holiday season. The holiday season can be filled with love and laughter, but for some, it can also be stressful and overwhelming. In this month's podcast, moderator Lillie Shockney talks to clinical psychologist Dr. Neda Gould, who serves as director of the Mindfulness Program at Johns Hopkins and associate director of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Anxiety Disorders Clinic about techniques we can use to deal with holiday stress and interpersonal conflict.
With every fall, comes a new flu vaccine. As we age, vaccines become an increasingly important tool to keep us healthy and avoiding unnecessary illnesses. In this month's podcast, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by infectious disease expert, Dr. Anna Durbin, to discuss various different vaccines and the importance of vaccine compliance as we age.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation: 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2024, an estimated 310,720 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. An estimated 42,250 U.S. women will die from breast cancer in 2024.
In this month’s podcast, moderator, nurse and two-time breast cancer survivor, Lillie Shockney, sits down with medical oncologist Dr. Channing Paller, associate director of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, to discuss her study showing that natural compounds derived from soy and other plants can reduce breast cancer recurrence and improve survival.
As baby boomers grow older, the World Health Organization projects that by 2060, 95 million people will be age 65 or older.
This month, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by geriatrician and researcher Peter Abadir, an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to discuss aging well, especially the role that our DNA plays in the development of chronic inflammation.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the U.S. will see just over 2 million new cancer cases in 2024, as well as over 611,000 cancer deaths.
In this month’s podcast, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by medical oncologist and researcher Dr. Neeha Zaidi to discuss vague symptoms — such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, bleeding, GI problems and new lumps or masses — that can be among the signs of cancers.
An estimated 8 million Americans are affected by peripheral arterial disease, also known as peripheral artery disease (PAD). This condition can cause leg discomfort when walking or more serious problems such as pain in the foot at rest, toe ulcers, toe infections and gangrene.
In this month’s podcast, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by vascular surgeon Dr. Rebecca Marmor, an assistant professor who specializes in the open and endovascular treatment of a wide range of vascular conditions.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation: In the U.S., more than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. More than two people die of the disease every hour.
In this month’s podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by dermatologist Dr. Farah Succaria, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology. Her research interests focus on various cancers including melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
According to the CDC: Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 77 % of which are first-time or new strokes. Every 3 minutes and 14 seconds, someone dies of stroke.
In this month’s podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by neurologist, Dr. Argye Hillis, who is the Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute Professor of Acute Stroke Diagnoses and Management and also serves as the director of the Center of Excellence in Stroke Detection and Diagnosis, Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute.
Every woman will eventually go through menopause and while each woman's experience is unique, there is some unique experiences that unite women of color during perimenopause through post-menopause.
Special guest moderator for this podcast is psychiatrist Erica Richards, who serves as Chair and Medical Director in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Dr. Richards sits down to discuss what women of color need to know about menopause with associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics, Dr. Wen Shen, who serves as director of the Women's Wellness & Healthy Aging Program at Johns Hopkins.
Approximately 20 million people in the United States (344 million worldwide) have #dryeye disease. Dry eye is most common in people over age 50.
In this month’s podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Lauren Gormley, an optometrist at the Wilmer Eye Institute.
In the 2nd of 3 A Journey for Women of Color, reporter Ava-joye Burnett sits down to discuss what women of color need to know about multiple myeloma. Her guest is Johns Hopkins Medicine associate professor of oncology, Dr. Carol Ann Huff, whose major research interests focus on the development of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of multiple myeloma and other plasma cell dyscrasias.
Did you know that there is there a difference in aging concerns between Caucasian women and non-Caucasian women? In the 1st of three A Journey for Women of Color podcasts, reporter Ava-joye Burnett sits down with professor of otolaryngology Dr. Kofi Boahene, who serves as a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Join Johns Hopkins Medicine A Woman's Journey each month for the latest information on women's health from Johns Hopkins Medicine experts.
Join Johns Hopkins Medicine A Woman's Journey each month for up-to-date conversations on a variety of women's health topics all featuring Johns Hopkins Medicine experts.
Sleep disturbances affect a significant portion of the population. 50 to 70 million Americans have some type of sleep disorder. In this month’s podcast, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by psychiatrist Andrew Huhn, M.D. to discuss the impact of sleep on our overall health.
In 2023, approximately 153,020 individuals were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and an estimated 52,550 will die from the disease, including nearly 20,000 cases and 3750 deaths in individuals younger than 50 years.
In this month’s podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by colorectal surgeon, Dr. Ada Graham, assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She practices in the National Capital Region.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 6 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's disease, nearly three quarters of whom are age 75 or older. This means that about 1 in 9 people age 65 and older has Alzheimer's. Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer's are women.
In this month’s podcast, the first of the new year, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Halima Amjad, an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, whose clinical expertise focuses on individuals living with dementia.
Substance abuse and addiction kill 11.8 million people annually, more than all cancers combined.
This month's podcast features a discussion on the root of addictive behaviors and substance abuse disorders between moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney and Johns Hopkins Medicine internal medicine and public health physician, Dr. Michael Fingerhood, who serves as director of addiction medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The World Health Organization estimates that 537 million people globally are living with diabetes and by 2045, projections show this number rising to some 783 million diabetics globally. We frequently hear that obesity, a contributing factor to diabetes, has reach epidemic proportions in the U.S.
Today, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by Johns Hopkins Medicine endocrinologist Dr. Daisy Duan to discuss the highs and lows of managing diabetes.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, podcast moderator Lillie Shockney is joined breast surgeon Dr. Hanh-Tam Tran, clinical associate at the Sullivan Breast Center at the Sibley Memorial Hospital, whose clinical research focuses on identifying patients who could avoid having axillary surgery to discuss ductal carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) breast cancer, which accounts for about 20% of breast cancers.
In this podcast, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by gynecologist Dr. Wen Shen, who is an associate professor of gynecology and oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is also the clinical director of the Menopause Consultation service and Co-Director of the Women’s Wellness & Healthy Aging Program.
We all drink caffeine is some form or another. When we think of caffeine, we automatically think of coffee. According to the National Coffee Association: post-Covid coffee consumption is up nearly 14% since January 2021 and 66% of Americans now drink coffee each day, more than any other beverage including tap water. In this podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by addiction researcher Dr. Dustin Lee to discuss the upside and downside of caffeine and some myths surrounding caffeine consumption.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by medical dermatologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Itch Center, Dr. Shawn Kwatra. They discuss the various causes of chronic itch and the implication of untreated chronic itch.
Heart health is vital! Exercise can play an important role in the conditioning and even improving our hearts. Moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Kerry Stewart, director of Clinical and Research Exercise Physiology at Johns Hopkins Bayview to discuss the many benefits of regular exercise.
In the final installment of the three part Journey for Women of Color podcast series, special guest moderator Ava-joye Burnett is joined by Johns Hopkins Medicine endocrinologist Dr. Sudipa Sarkar, who serves as the Director of the Inpatient Diabetes Management Service at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
In this second installment, special guest moderator Ava-joye Burnett sits down with hematologist Dr. Robert Brodsky who serves as professor of medicine and director of the Division of Hematology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His area of clinical expertise is classical hematology and haploidentical bone marrow transplant for sickle cell disease and aplastic anemia.
Did you know that although their overall rate of developing breast cancer is lower than white women, African American women tend to have worse breast cancer outcomes? Black women seem to be more likely to have what is called triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for about 10% to 20% of all breast cancer cases. Special guest moderator and reporter Ava-joye Burnett is joined by breast cancer surgeon, Dr. Olutayo Sogunro, who serves as an assistant professor of surgery at The Center for Breast Health at Johns Hopkins Howard County General Hospital.
Join moderator, Dr. Lillie Shockey as she sits down with ophthalmologist Dr. Meghan Berkenstock from the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute to discuss how an eye examination can be used to diagnose other health conditions.
Probiotics are live bacteria that research suggests may have many health benefits (John Hopkins Medicine, 2022) They can be found in yogurt and other fermented foods, dietary supplements, and beauty products (NIH, 2023).
Moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by Johns Hopkins clinical dietitian Ashli Greenwald to discuss probiotics.
According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, which balances out to one person dying every 34 seconds in the United States. One cause of heart disease is valvular heart disease. Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by cardiac surgeon, Dr. James Gammie, who serves as surgical lead and co-director for the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute and cardiac surgeon-in-chief for the Johns Hopkins Health System.
Medicine is concerned with advancing effective methods to treat existing disease but also the proactive prevention of disease. New evidence is emerging about the value of a plant-based diet in preventing disease and enhancing wellbeing. In this podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by clinical dietitian Jaclyn Rose to discuss plant-based diets.
According to several sources: 80% of the US population will experience lower back pain in their lifetime. Women aged between 45 and 65 years old are most likely to suffer from back pain. Learn more with orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Lee Riley, III, professor of orthopaedic surgery at Johns Hopkins.
November 13-19 is Transgender Awareness Month followed by November 20, which is serves as a Day of Remembrance. To mark these dates, we bring you an introductory discussion on transgender health with three Johns Hopkins Medicine experts. In this podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by Paula Neira, the Program Director of LGBTQ+ Equity and Education at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity. Next, is internist Dr. Helene Hedian, who serves as director of Clinical Education at the Center for Transgender Health. Our final Johns Hopkins Medicine expert is clinical assistant professor in plastic surgery, Dr. Fan Liang, who serves as the Medical Director for the Center for Transgender Health.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by psychiatrist, Dr. Denis Antoine, who serves as the Director of the Center for Addiction and Pregnancy (CAP) and Director of the Addiction Treatment Services (ATS) at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center to have a frank discussion about when drinking alcohol becomes a problem.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by neurologist Dr. Alexander Pantelyat, who also serves as the director of the Atypical Parkinsonism Center at Johns Hopkins and is the co-founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine to discuss the potential role music can play within medicine to help heal and prevent some neurodegenerative diseases.
In the final podcast in the A Journey for Women of Color series, moderator Kelly Swoope explores the importance of heart disease prevention with cardiologist Sabra Lewsey, M.D. and cardiovascular nurse epidemiologist Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, Ph.D.
In the second podcast of the A Journey for Women of Color series, special guest moderator Kelly Swoope is joined by two Johns Hopkins Medicine experts to discuss the threat of colon cancer for women of color: colorectal surgeon, Dr. Alodia Gabre-Kidan and oncologist and Co-Director of Cancer Genetics and epigenetics, Dr. Nilofer Azad.
In the first of three special podcasts under the title "A Journey for Women of Color," special guest moderator, Kelly Swoope Anchor/Reporter for WMAR 2 News, discusses the importance of coping with stress and anxiety for women of color with psychiatrist and chair and medical director of the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital, Dr. Erica Richards.
It has been a hard two years for everyone! The COVID pandemic has been life altering and has changed how they interact in the world.
In this podcast, moderator Dr. Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Stuart Ray, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases within the Department of Medicine to talk about present and future issues in the case of pandemics.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by gastroenterologist Dr. Aline Charabaty, who is the clinical director of the Gastroenterology Division and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital for a conversation on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
This month, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Steven Frank, professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Frank serves as medical director for the Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program. He is also director of the Interdisciplinary Blood Management Program and of Perioperative Blood Management Services at Johns Hopkins for a discussion on the U.S. Blood Shortage and the role of Bloodless Medicine in combating this shortage.
In this episode, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by ophthalmologist Sharon Solomon, M.D., the Katharine M. Graham Professor of Ophthalmology to discuss common issues from dry eye to macular degeneration, which can develop in the eye as we age.
With over 100 autoimmune disease affecting 23.5 million Americans and nearly 80% of those being women, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Julie Paik, assistant professor of medicine and the director of Clinical Trials at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center to discuss autoimmune diseases in women.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by dermatologist Anna Chien, M.D., an associate professor of dermatology and the medical director of Johns Hopkins Dermatology at Howard County to talk about the different types of light we come in contact with on a daily basis, skin aging and photoprotection.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by cardiologist Dr. Ilan Wittstein, the foremost expert in “broken heart syndrome,” also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Dr. Wittstein and Professor Shockney talk about exactly what stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome is, its symptoms and how it differs from other heart issues.
In this episode, moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Gina Adrales, an associate professor of surgery and the director of the division of minimally invasive surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Dr. Adrales and Professor Shockney talk about various types of hernias and minimally invasive surgical options available to treat the hernias.
According to the American Sleep Association, 50-70 million US adults have a sleep disorder with insomnia as the most common specific sleep disorder. Short term issues were reported by about 30% of adults and chronic insomnia by 10%. Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by Dr. Rachel Salas, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a sleep specialist focusing on sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea and snoring disorders.
COVID has certainly brought to the forefront everyone's ability to adapt to uncertain times. This has never been more so in the case of businesses, who had to adapt to having their workforce remote. Healthcare is no different. For several years, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare as been a topic of interest. In this month's Insights that Matter, computer scientist Mathias Unberath discusses the role and potential of AI in the healthcare setting.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by Johns Hopkins Medicine plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Oluseyi Aliu to discuss the complexity of our lymphatic system and one particular condition resulting as a consequence of a damaged lymphatic system, lymphedema.
This has been a trying time for everyone, especially children who have seen their lives upended for the last 18 months. In the latest Insights that Matter podcast, pediatric psychiatrist and former public school teacher Hal Kronsberg, M.D., discusses the signs of anxiety that children may be feeling about returning to school after a tumultuous year of virtual learning. The discussion will address isolation, loneliness, apprehension, and depression, which has tripled among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, more than 2.9 million Americans age 40 and older have low vision, which is defined as best-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/40. Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by two guests discussing gaining independence in the presence of vision loss. First guest is optometrist, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Rehabilitation Medicine, and the director of the Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Judith Goldstein. Our second guest is Ms. Beth Glassman, a patient of Dr. Goldstein sharing how the Low Vision services helped improve her life.
Moderator Lillie Shockney sits down with epidemiologist and senior director of Infection Prevention for The Johns Hopkins Health System, Dr. Lisa Maragakis to discuss COVID variants such as Delta and why it is so important for individuals to get the COVID vaccine here in the U.S. and abroad.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by Harpal "Paul" Khanuja, M.D., an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, director of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Bayview, and is the director of adult reconstruction, hip and knee replacement surgery for Johns Hopkins Medicine. Discussed is the basic structure of the knee, common knee complaints and the difference between minimally invasive knee replacement and full knee surgery.
According to the CDC, every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke and stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of serious disability for adults. About 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year. Listen as moderator Lillie Shockney discusses diagnosis, symptoms and risk factors of stroke with stroke neurologist Dr. Mona Bahouth.
According to the National Uterine Fibroids Foundation, it is estimated that as many as 80% of all women have uterine fibroids. While the majority usually have no symptoms, 1 in 4 end up with symptoms severe enough to require treatment.
According to the National Institutes of Health: About 2 percent of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5 percent for adults aged 55 to 64. In the latest Insight that Matter podcast moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by otolaryngologist Frank Lin to discuss hearing loss and its possible connection to dementia.
Heart disease consistently remains the #1 killer of women! Listen to preventive cardiologist and women’s heart health expert Erin Michos review new findings on heart disease released at the most recent annual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.
Listen as moderator Lillie Shockney discusses Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) with psychiatrist Lindsay Standeven. Dr. Standeven discusses the typically signs and symptoms someone might experience with seasonal affective disorder, who is most likely to be affected and why, and how it differs from clinical depression or holiday blues.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by neuroscientist Mark Mattson to discuss intermittent fasting: what it is and the health impact of intermittent fasting on chronic health issues, the brain and certain neurologic diseases.
Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by Johns Hopkins Medicine neurosurgeon Ali Bydon to discuss spinal surgery to alleviate back and neck pain. Also discussed are various degenerative disorders of the spine, spinal tumors, and complex reconstruction and restoration of the spine.
No one can argue that the world the last six months has upended our lives. The disproportionate number of Black and Latino deaths caused by COVID-19 created an awareness of health disparities among these communities.
Lillie Shockney is joined by Cheri Wilson, Education and Training Manager for Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity. They discuss the role that unconscious bias may play in medicine.
The tragic early death of Chadwick Boseman has brought to everyone's attention colon and colorectal cancer. In this special podcast issue, moderator Lillie Shockney talks to oncologist Nilo Azad about colorectal cancer. Early warning signs of colon cancer are discussed along with health disparities.
The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology recently projected that the number of surgical patients for pelvic floor disorders will increase by 47%—from about 210,000 in 2010 to 310,000 by 2050. Moderator Lillie Shockney is joined by urologist and the Director of Women’s Health at the Brady Urological Institute, Dr. Marisa Clifton to discuss in detail pelvic floor disorders and what can be done to insure the best quality of life.
Gastroenterologist Olaya Brewer, clinical associate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and moderator Lillie Shockney discuss the causes and treatments for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease otherwise known as GERD.
Lillie Shockney is joined by Johns Hopkins gynecologist Wen Shen, an assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics and director of the Johns Hopkins Colposcopy Clinic. Discussed is the impact of estrogen loss on your health and how a woman's body changes as our bodies start producing less estrogen and moves closer to menopause.
A woman's sex drive changes throughout her lifetime. Sex therapist Kate Thomas discusses the various factors that can cause changes in the desire for sexual intimacy and what can be done to address this issue.
Endocrinologist and chief diversity officer Sherita Golden documents the number of elevated confirmed cases of COVID-19 among black and brown communities and explores the underlying social and historical issues placing underrepresented minorities at increased risk.
Director of Mindfulness Programs at Johns Hopkins, psychologist Neda Gould unleashes the power of mindfulness and meditation to help participants manage stress, anxiety, and the challenges of uncertainty during this time, and leads a guided meditation for participants.
Everyone’s world has changed since we first heard the word “coronavirus.” Hear the latest about the COVID19 pandemic from Johns Hopkins Medicine epidemiologist and Senior Director of Infection Prevention, Dr. Lisa Maragakis. Dr. Maragakis offers updates on what has been learned about the virus, how it invades a patients lungs, the potential of new treatments and a vaccine, and the threat of return.
Pediatrician Rachel Thornton reviews the vulnerability of children and symptoms of COVID-19 in children and adolescents and when parents should contact their doctor. In the second half of the webcast, pediatric psychiatrist, Hal Kronsberg, shares strategies to discuss COVID with children and adolescents and considers ways in which anxiety and stress may manifest in children.
A Woman’s Journey: Insights that Matter is devoting this time to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pleased to offer audio transcripts of a series of webcasts where Johns Hopkins experts focus on a number of pertinent topics.
What follows is the audio of the first of six webcasts featuring Johns Hopkins Medicine psychiatrist Karen Swartz who talks about coping with stress and social isolation during the pandemic.
Menopause is a monumental moment in a woman’s life that typically occurs around 50 years of age. Why would a woman decide to delay menopause? This month’s podcast features reproductive endocrinologist Mindy Christianson, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Fertility Center, and host Lillie Shockney discussing the various reasons why a woman might make that decision.
Low vision affects approximately 2.9 million Americans age 40 and older. This month’s guest is researcher Bonnielin Swenor, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute and an assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health discusses her personal experience and research that focuses on the impact of and eye disease such as age-related macular degeneration, on aging. She also shares her personal connection to her research.
Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death for women in the U.S. Preventative cardiologist Erin Michos discusses risk factors for women, cardiovascular prevention methods and finally, the 2019 primary prevention cardiovascular guidelines and topics such as Vitamin D, daily aspirin to prevent heart attack, hormone replacement and statin therapy.
In the United States alone, approximately 100,000 women are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer each year. Listen as GYN oncologist Anna Beavis, an assistant professor of gynecological cancer at The Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service in the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins discusses cervical cancer as well as ovarian and uterine cancer.
The practice of staying present in the moment benefits individuals by lowering chronic stress, anxiety, blood pressure and pain intensity while also improving focus, memory and even immune function. Listen as clinical psychologist and director of the mindfulness program at Johns Hopkins Dr. Neda Gould discusses the importance of a mindfulness practice.
November is pancreatic cancer awareness month. Alex Trebek has certainly brought the subject of pancreatic cancer into conversation this last year, but according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the U.S. Speaking in this month’s podcast is professor of surgery and director of the hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Christopher Wolfgang. Gain an understanding of the pancreas, the role and complexity of the pancreas, and the threat of pancreatic cancer.
The Johns Hopkins National Proton Therapy Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital opened its door the Fall of 2019. Proton therapy is an advanced and highly precise radiation treatment for tumors and compared to other methods, focuses more energy on the tumor itself with less radiation to surrounding healthy tissue.
Proton beams can be used to treat:
- Sarcomas, particularly those in the base of the skull, spine or the retroperitoneum
- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Rhabdomyosarcoma, melanoma and other cancers around the eye
- Lung cancer and other thoracic cancers such as lymphoma or thymoma
- Head and neck cancer
- Liver cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Benign tumors
Lillie Shockney interviews radiation oncologist Akila Viswanathan, who is the interim director for Johns Hopkins Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, the director for the National Capital Region for radiation oncology, and a professor of radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences for Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
According to breastcancer.org, about 12% of American women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. In 2019, it's estimated that about 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancer. About 85% of breast cancer diagnoses occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that can happen as a result of the aging process, rather than inherited mutations. In the latest Insights that Matter podcast, breast cancer researcher Vered Stearns discusses new science about breast cancer.
September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month. Atrial fibrillation (also called AFib or AF) is a quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. According to the American Heart Association, at least 2.7 million Americans are living with AFib.
Sleep is a vital part of our lives. Without quality sleep we have no energy and cannot perform 100%. With 50 to 70 million people in the US suffering from one or several sleep disorders and 30% of adult U.S. population suffering from insomnia and 10% from chronic insomnia, getting quality sleep is a topic no one can ignore.
The number of individuals being diagnosed with brain disorders is increasing: Alzheimer’s disease: 5.4M Americans and 24M globally; Parkinson’s: 630,000 Americans; Dementias: 46.8M globally; and Stroke: 795,000 Americans. Learn about new research shedding light onto the mysteries of the brain with Dr. Justin McArthur, neurologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology.
June is Alzheimer’s disease Awareness Month. In honor of the estimated 5.7M Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today and an estimated 14 million by 2050, Dr. Constantine Lyketsos, director of Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center and director of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Bayview discusses the difference between Alzheimer’s and other dementias, recent research to uncover the causes and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, efforts to intervene in the progression of changes in the brain, and progress in diagnosing Alzheimer’s earlier in life.
May is Bladder Cancer Month.
Did you know that bladder cancer is one of the most common genitourinary cancers in adults worldwide, and it is the fourth most common cancer in men? Women should be aware than although less common in women, women tend to have a worse prognosis if diagnosed.
The American Cancer Society’s estimates in 2019:
about 80,470 new cases of bladder cancer (about 61,700 in men and 18,770 in women) will be diagnosed and about 17,670 deaths from bladder cancer (about 12,870 in men and 4,800 in women) will occur.
Did you know that kidney disease is a serious disease affecting >30 million Americans and >700,000 have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)? Nephrologist and epidemiologist Deidra Crews provides background on who is at risk, the causes and treatment for kidney disease and what can be done to prevent developing kidney disease.
Colon cancer researcher Cynthia Sears defines what the microbiome is and how it contributes to disease, like heart, cancer, weight/obesity and mental health. Also discussed is the role of probiotics, yogurt, Kefir and fermented foods.
Lillie Shockney talks with gastroenterologist and director of the Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cyst Program at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Anne-Marie Lennon about general symptoms that women sometimes ignore that may indicate a potential underlying condition.