ThinkResearch: Recent Episodes
Harvard Catalyst
Launched in 2014, the Football Players Health Study is the largest study of living former NFL players, with more than 4,800 participants. In this episode, Alicia Whittington, PhD, assistant director of engagement and health equity research, joins us to discus her work on the study, including a family initiative and resources for former NFL players. Transcript: http://bit.ly/47iyKpX
How does growing up with two NFL football players spark a career in research? In this re-airing of our May 2022 interview with Alicia Whittington, PhD, of the Football Players Health Study, Whittington shares how her upbringing helped lead her to her current work in health equity and community-engaged research.Transcript: http://bit.ly/3J1wlpb
In this follow up to our 2019 interview, Alex Lin, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital shares updates on his research investigating brain injuries. In this episode, Lin discusses his research over the past six years, including his work studying the impact of hormones on the brain and gender differences in concussion. Transcript: http://bit.ly/4k54AJn
In case you missed it: Back in 2019, we interviewed Alex Lin, PhD, director of the Center for Clinical Spectroscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital. In this episode, he discusses his research investigating traumatic brain injuries and how he measures brain chemistry using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ZwKaRY
Bioadhesive materials have the potential to support patient care in a number of ways, from wound healing to repairing the dura to assisting with leaks of cerebral spinal fluid. In this follow-up to our 2022 interview, Ben Freedman, PhD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, shares technological advancements and discoveries made by his team over the past three years.Transcript: https://bit.ly/42btErk
In case you missed it: Adhesive biomaterials are used in orthopedic and cardiovascular surgery, as well as neurosurgery, to improve patient care. In this episode from 2022, Ben Freedman, PhD, of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, discusses his research on the design and synthesis of these biomaterials.Transcript: https://bit.ly/4mIujKn
In part one of this two-part special, we take a look back at some of our interviews from 2024. In this episode, hear from Jason Vassy, MD, MPH, of Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, on how patient DNA might be used to improve healthcare and prevent disease. Also hear from Mayank Chugh, PhD, of William & Mary, as he shares how social inequity dimensions such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and citizenship impact STEM education; and Meg Simione, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, as she discusses her research examining the determinants and impacts of pediatric disorders and ways to improve access to care. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ZD5fcS
"Translational science is really general principles for how we take scientific discoveries and basic scientific information and translate that into implementable, viable, feasible health solutions for both the patient and the provider to be able to utilize," says Michael Kurilla, MD, PhD, of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). In this episode, Kurilla discusses his work as the director of the Division of Clinical Innovation at NCATS, and the role translational research and science plays in healthcare. Harvard Catalyst is a member of the NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program.Transcript: https://bit.ly/3OeJta1
"Growing up in Fiji, I witnessed firsthand the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on small island communities," says Nile Nair, PhD, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In our latest episode, Nair shares his research studying the effects of climate change and the accelerated nutrition transition on Indigenous populations.Transcript: https://bit.ly/3YeDzu3
It’s well known that mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, but research shows they can also offer new insights into how cells maintain their metabolic balance, potentially leading to novel therapeutic strategies to help fight diseases. Marjana Ndoci MSc, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, shares her research on this topic.Transcript: https://bit.ly/4d6Ep1i
Sharing data in the context of community-engaged research involves specialized practices and considerations. Our latest episode, hosted by Karen Emmons, PhD, faculty lead for Harvard Catalyst's Community Engagement program, discusses critical aspects of data sharing and privacy that researchers need to know with Susan Adams, PMP, and Cheryl Clark, MD, ScD, of Massachusetts League of Community Health.Transcript: bit.ly/46yawp2
"[Health equity] is a term that we often listen to, but it involves so many things," says Frans Serpa, MD, Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology. On this podcast, Serpa discusses his innovative work at the intersection of cardiology, health equity, and health economics. Tune in to learn more about how common heart conditions and outcomes are evaluated through epidemiology and cost analysis.Transcript: https://bit.ly/4d6mmJ0
"Suicide is not simply a mental health issue, it's a public health issue," says Sara Kohlbeck, director of the Division of Suicide Research and Healing at the Medical College of Wisconsin. In this episode, Kohlbeck shares her research, which focuses on understanding suicide among disproportionately affected populations, including farmers, veterans, and youth of color.Transcript: https://bit.ly/4a05v91
"We need to better meet the needs of children and families by understanding what their needs are and addressing that in the care we deliver," says Meg Simione, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital. In this episode, Simione shares her research examining the determinants and impacts of pediatric disorders and ways to improve access to care through implementation science.Transcript: https://bit.ly/448dZtk
How do social inequity dimensions such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and citizenship impact STEM education? In our latest episode, Mayank Chugh, PhD, of Harvard Medical School discusses his research.Transcript:
What role can genomics play in improving healthcare? Jason Vassy, MD, MPH, MS, of Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System and Brigham and Women’s Hospital shares his research on how patient DNA might be used to improve healthcare and prevent disease.Transcript: https://bit.ly/3SjtTwF
“The more diverse that we are, the better off we are for the health, safety, and success of the human race,” says Kris King, founder and executive director of the Trans+ Community Celebration at Harvard University. In this episode, King discusses the importance of embracing neurodiversity to create a more compassionate and inclusive world. Isabel Castanho of The MIND Project serves as guest host.Transcript: https://bit.ly/4837eJU
"Without the input of the people in the community, I don't think we would be essentially where we are," says Ruth-Alma Turkson-Ocran, PhD. In this episode, Turkson-Ocran and Stephen Juraschek, PhD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discuss their research study entitled "Groceries for Black Residents of Boston to Stop Hypertension". The conversation focuses on how they've engaged the local community in their research as well as their work with Harvard Catalyst's Community Coalition for Equity in Research.Transcript: https://bit.ly/3MGe4g9
Neurodiversity is a concept that recognizes the natural diversity of neurological traits and conditions of human beings. Guests Georgios Ntolkeras, Walid Yassine, and Anuksha Wickramasinghe from The MIND Project join us to explore this topic and their work in this area. Isabel Castanho of The MIND Project serves as guest host. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ZrEeZb
How can researchers reflect the diversity of community voices in their work? Community Coalition for Equity in Research members, Rosa Alemán, BA, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, and Mark Kennedy, MBA, of the Boston Public Health Commission, discuss the importance of building relationships within communities. Transcript: https://bit.ly/437CiqePromoted Course link: hvrdct.me/50y
Join members of our Community Coalition for Equity in Research for the first of two conversations on their work, which is to serve as a trusted communication channel between researchers and community stakeholders, providing input on research proposals, among other tasks. Guests: Rosa Alemán, BA, American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, and Mark Kennedy, MBA, Boston Public Health Commission.Transcript:
Does our body image influence eating behaviors or parenting around food behaviors? Jhordan Wynne, MPH, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, discusses her research investigating body image in adolescents. Transcript:
In this third segment of 2022 episode highlights, researchers discuss health equity, neurotechnology to treat brain disorders, and mental health considerations for biomedical trainees and students.Transcript: https://bit.ly/3woroxb
In this second podcast highlighting segments of the past year, researchers discuss utilizing health and economic data to generate interesting questions, assessing penicillin allergies, tackling healthcare costs in America, the importance of mentorship, and educating homeless youth in LA about HIV preventionTranscript: https://bit.ly/3CjHVpvCourse: https://catalyst.harvard.edu/courses/fyr-industry/
In the first episode of our series highlighting previous podcasts, we return to insightful conversations with researchers who have taken unconventional paths to form their academic and research careers.Transcript: https://bit.ly/3iXNza0
What does work-life balance look like for those in academia and industry? In the first episode of our new series, Teresa Evans, PhD, principal consultant for TiER1 Performance, provides guidance on this topic.Transcript: http://bit.ly/3VSS2JBFundamentals & Applications of Clinical and Translational Research: https://catalyst.harvard.edu/courses/fundamentalct/
Identifying the various funding sources available to researchers is key to obtaining grants. Caterina Stamoulis, PhD, Boston Children's Hospital, serves as course director for our Non-NIH Government Funding Agencies course and our Grant Funding for Researchers Certificate. In this episode, she discusses her personal experience obtaining funding and provides guidance for researchers.
Transcript:
What impact does research culture have on mental health and diversity in STEM? Zoe Ayres, PhD, and Juanita Limas, PhD, discuss their recent paper on this subject and share their experiences in both academia and industry.
Transcript: bit.ly/3WjuoH6
Introduction to Designing & Conducting Mixed Methods Research: hvrdct.me/pxj
This episode addresses the importance of mental health and work/life balance with guest Teresa Evans, PhD, principal consultant at TiER1 Performance, who shares findings on the mental health crisis in graduate education.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3CF7i4F
Access the Biostatistics Essentials: Video Subscription: hvrdct.me/dq6
"I realized there had not yet been a systematic review and meta-analysis looking at depression in residents. So I thought, all right, I'm going to write one. And so I set out to do that," says Douglas Mata, MD, MPH, Foundation Medicine, about the inspiration behind his research, which focuses on mental health among medical students and residents.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3C2kmAK
Our new four-part series, in partnership with the MIND Project at Harvard University, focuses on mental health in science and medicine today. In part one, guests Isabel Castanho, PhD, head of communications for the the Mind Project, and Heather Burrell Ward, MD, psychiatrist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discuss mental health issues currently affecting physicians, graduate students, postdocs, and medical trainees.
Additional reading:
Report of the task force on managing student mental health 2020 from Harvard University https://provost.harvard.edu/files/provost/files/report_of_the_task_force_on_managing_student_mental_health.pdf
“Mental health in academia: Hacks for cultivating and sustaining wellbeing” (Johnson and Lester, 2021) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajhb.23664
“Mental Health in Academia: Shedding light on those who provide support” (Loissel, 2020) https://elifesciences.org/articles/64739
“Mental Health in Academia: The Role of Workplace Relationships” (Moulin, 2020) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562457/full
“Facing depression in medical residency” https://acpinternist.org/archives/2016/04/depression.htm
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline phone number 988
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3S3pIm9
Register for "Introduction to 'Omics: Applying 'Omics to Your Research:" hvrdct.me/exf
Advances in neurotechnology are leading to new developments in brain implants which can be used to treat neurological disorders. Paul Le Floch, PhD, discusses his work as CEO and co-founder of Axoft, which is working on soft brain implants.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3KX1Hub
Is there an innovative solution to treating chronic, non-healing wounds? Wendy Slone, PhD, founder and CEO of bTECH, discusses her work developing the innovative Halcyon SMART Patch, a new approach that promotes tissue healing.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3AovVT2
Implementation science plays a critical role in supporting communities and health equity. Gina Kruse, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital, a faculty member in our Community Engagement program and lab director of the Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses her work in this area.
What is it like to work as an entrepreneur in medical technology? IIsa Webeck, MBA, MedTech Strategies director and founder, discusses her career in medical technology and shares her experience working as course director for the Harvard Catalyst course TRANSCEND.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3uVQUd2
What is the importance of health equity in medicine? James Jacques Carter, MD, MPH, FACP, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses his work promoting health equity in prostate cancer screening and education. He is joined by Alicia Whittington, PhD, MPH, Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, to discuss their efforts as board members of the Augustus A. White III Institute for Healthcare Equity.
Transcripts: https://bit.ly/3AsRUJh
Working to address healthcare inequalities in minority and underserved populations, Adjoa Anyane-Yeboa, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses her research in gastrointestinal disorders to improve healthcare access for all.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3zRVRGU
How is informatics supporting the present and future of healthcare? Andrew Marshall, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, brings together emergency medicine and informatics to make healthcare safer and more equitable.
Hardeep Ranu, Translational Innovator project manager at Harvard Catalyst and guest host, is joined by our Harvard Catalyst Communications team, Leslie Lawler, communication specialist, Angela Rakauskas, communications manager, and Lori Shridhare, communications director. They discuss the science of communication and what it takes to clearly communicate the work of all of Harvard Catalyst’s programs and initiatives, plus the work across Harvard and 19 academic healthcare centers, with thousands of researchers across disciplines and the general public.
Alicia Whittington, PhD, assistant director of engagement and health equity research for the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, discusses her work in health equity and community-engaged research.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3PghTse
How researchers illustrate their data is critical to communicating their research. Jess Cohen-Tanugi, MS, discusses her role as a visualization specialist at Harvard University’s library, including guidance on formatting tables, charts, and other graphics.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3rRROWg
A discussion on research that investigates the factors that underlie low participation and early dropout in the Massachusetts Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program. Guests: Eric Rimm, PhD, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Rachel Colchamiro, MPH, RD, LDN, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Cristina Gago, MPH, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Ruslan Nikitin, PhD, health policy analyst for our Community Engagement program, serves as a guest host.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/373sN3b
Ben Freedman, PhD, Wyss Institute at Harvard University, discusses his research on the design and synthesis of adhesive biomaterials for applications in orthopedic and cardiovascular surgery, as well as neurosurgery.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/36r4OKQ
Elliott Antman, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, reflects on his career in cardiovascular medicine and discusses his work with our Education program to train and support the next generation of the biomedical workforce.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3KzPFpj
"Diagnostics is an art. It's a science independent of the rest of biotech or medicine," says Mara Aspinall, MBA, president and CEO of Health Catalysts. In this podcast, Aspinall discusses the importance of the field of diagnostics, especially during the pandemic.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3HkP3Sm
Erica Shenoy, MD, PhD, associate chief of the Infection Control Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses her work to create the software tool COvid Risk cALculator (CORAL), which helps clinicians assess patients who develop COVID-19 symptoms.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3hfRvPl
Keith Romano, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and engineers Jim Richards and Tyler Dailey discuss their collaboration to create a low-cost ventilator during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3GzwOIj
Anna Young, PhD, Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses her team's research investigating hormone-disrupting chemicals found in offices and their effect on human health. Young is part of a team who received pilot funding in 2021 for projects focused on environmental toxins.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3pVZQNt
Kate Jeffrey, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, shares how the grant she received from Harvard Catalyst furthered her work in immunology, allowing her to study the human virome.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3qMhUZA
Sudeshna Fisch, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, describes the path that led her to become associate director of the Cardiovascular Physiology Core at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3pXcpqH
"The pathogen c.diff recurs in approximately 25% of patients within two months," says Georg Gerber, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital. In this podcast, Gerber reflects on the impact funding received from Harvard Catalyst has had on his research which focuses on recurring infections.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3pkMI2K
Onyinyechi Eke, MD, director of global ultrasound at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses point-of-care ultrasound technology and education, including her newly funded study to create a tele-ultrasound platform.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3rsVSNy
Elena Aikawa, MD, PhD, co-director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Sciences, and her collaborator Mark Blaser, PhD, research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital, reflect on how the pilot funding they received from Harvard Catalyst has helped them create a 3D-bioprinted model to study calcific aortic valve disease. Hardeep Ranu, PhD, project manager of our Translational Innovator program, serves as host.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3mD0ZaV
Anna Etchin, PhD, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders, discusses her research on the impact of trauma on veterans and how trauma-informed care can benefit this population.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3mgujnB
In this upcoming three-episode series, recipients of Harvard Catalyst pilot awards reflect on how the funding they received has impacted their research and careers. This introductory episode features Hardeep Ranu, PhD, project manager of our Translational Innovator program, who discusses the content of this special podcast series.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3EEMQjN
Melissa Dell, PhD, professor of economics at Harvard University, discusses developing technology that can detect complex text layouts using deep learning to create a database of newspaper data that is accessible to the visually impaired.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3z2IjVb
"The mission of The MIND Project is to tackle the challenges of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders," says Walid Yassine, DMSc, MMSc, founder of the project and fellow at McLean Hospital. As part of the Harvard Brain Science Initiative (HBI), this working group of postdocs collaborate across Harvard University and its affiliated academic healthcare centers.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3nxJGJj
This special podcast will focus on a partnership to successfully deliver community testing and vaccination for marginalized communities in Massachusetts most impacted by COVID-19. Guests: Gina Kruse, MD, program faculty for our Community Engagement program, speaks with Eddie Taborda, MS, senior clinical research coordinator at Mass General Hospital, Rosa Torres, patient service coordinator at Mass General Hospital - Everett, and Daniel Cortez, community engagement specialist for the Chelsea Police Department.
Ishita Basu, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati Department of Neurosurgery, discusses her research investigating deep brain stimulation as a promising treatment for psychiatric disorders and other conditions.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3kdl9af
Subha Ramani, MBBS, MPH, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, discusses her research on how feedback can be used to improve medical education..
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3xFXfIG
Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly identified Dr. Ramani as Assistant Professor of Medicine.
"One way to unlock the potential of AI is to enable AI researchers to find the problems where they could have an impact," says Milind Tambe, PhD, Google Research India. Tambe discusses his work using artificial intelligence (AI) for social good, including his past research using AI to promote HIV prevention among homeless youth.
Mark Siedner, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases at MGH, discusses his research in Uganda and South Africa working to improve health and quality of life for those living with HIV.
Senthil Muthuswamy, PhD, director of the Cell Biology Program at the Cancer Center at BIDMC, discusses his use of organoid models to grow 3D cancer tumor cells and his current clinical trial "Harnessing Organoids for Personalized Treatment" (HOPE).
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ckagz7
Samirah Musah, PhD, stem cell biologist and bioengineer, discusses her lab's research and work to create a functional model of the kidney using "organ on a chip” technology.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/2Rnm3p3
Ayesha Cammaerts, MBA, Boston Children’s Hospital Office of Community Health, and Hae In Kim, MPH, former intern in our Community Engagement program student practice placement initiative, discuss Kim's experience as an intern working under the guidance of Cammaerts and what makes student practical placements successful. Rebekka Lee, ScD, our Community Engagement program director, serves as guest host.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3yWvQU9
"We're surrounded everyday with the realization that patients and their diseases can teach us something," says David Sykes, principal investigator of Sykes Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. Sykes discusses a system he's developed to transfuse neutrophil progenitors for patients and a new disease he discovered called TEMPI.
Junaid Nabi, MD, MPH, a senior researcher at Harvard Business School, shares his research investigating healthcare access and quality of care.
Jorge Chavarro, MD, ScD, ScM, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses his research studying the impact of nutrition on fertility.
Gyongi Szabo, MD, PhD, Hon. ScD, chief academic officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses her research on the effects of alcohol on the liver.
Neurologist Samuel Frank, MD, discusses his work studying Huntington's disease, dystonia, and Parkinson's disease, as well as his involvement in clinical research studies to help better diagnose and treat patients with these movement disorders.
"42.4% of U.S. adults have the disease of obesity," says Fatima Cody Stanford, obesity medicine physician scientist, educator, and policy maker at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Stanford discusses her research and policy work on obesity and weight discrimination laws.
"External scientific review gives us a better chance of identifying proposals that might have a big impact on the wellbeing of our community," says Margaret Schneider, director of the Pilot Studies program at the University of California Irvine. Schneider discusses her role in the creation of the CTSA External Reviewer Exchange Consortium (CEREC), which coordinates scientific review for funding applications submitted to centers that are part of the national NIH-funded CTSA consortium, which includes Harvard Catalyst.
Florian Eichler, MD, discusses his work studying childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a progressive demyelinating disease of the brain. Eichler is director of the Center for Rare Neurological Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, and part of a team that recently received pilot funding from us to improve early detection of this disease.
"Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world," says David Friedman, director of the glaucoma service at Mass Eye and Ear. Friedman discusses his current Harvard Catalyst pilot grant to improve glaucoma treatment by studying a contact lens that can deliver medication.
"Hallucinations are often associated with greater delusions, which leads to poor performance in processing visual information, " says Paulo Lizano, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Lizano discusses his recent Harvard Catalyst pilot grant to improve visual processing in patients with schizophrenia and other psychoses using non-invasive brain stimulation.
"For vision-impaired people, visual aids are very important and can be lifesaving," says Gang Luo, PhD, Schepens Eye Research Institute. Luo discusses the expense of these aids for patients – more than $15,000 – and his Harvard Catalyst pilot grant to develop a free smartphone app to detect myopia.
Special guest host Karen Emmons, PhD, faculty lead for our Community Engagement program, interviews Sheila Dillon, chief of Housing and director of Neighborhood Development for the City of Boston, and Jessie Gaeta, chief medical officer for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Dillon and Gaeta discuss their combined efforts to help protect Boston's homeless population from COVID-19. This episode was produced in partnership with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Initiative on Health and Homelessness.
“It is always about the patient's safety first,” says Alexa Kimball, MD, MPH, CEO and president of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Kimball discusses how COVID-19 has affected her work as a both a dermatology researcher and CEO and challenges associated.
"Phase 1 clinical trial is the first step when you're translating a discovery in the lab to humans," says Katy Stephenson, MD, MPH, director of the Center of Virology and Vaccine Research Clinical Trials Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Stephenson discusses her past work in clinical trials and her team's current involvement in a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine.
"There are still mysteries out there that we need to understand," says Yonatan Grad, MD, PhD, assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, on his work addressing the spread of COVID-19 and possible interventions to help combat this pandemic.
"There is no drug therapy to prevent or treat calcific aortic valve disease, " says Elena Aikawa, director of the Vascular Biology Program at the Center for Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Science. Aikawa discusses her research on developing new therapies to treat this disease.
"Team science is more important than it ever has been, and we’re trying to make a difference in this really challenging time,” says Jane Wilkinson, senior director of the Genomics Platform in alliance and project management at the Broad Institute. Wilkinson discusses her career studying genomics and the Broad's work to aid in COVID-19 research and testing.
"Virtual reality is very effective because we can create these scenarios that simulate real world situations,"" says Lotfi Merabet, OD, PhD, MPH, of Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Lotfi discusses his recent pilot grant from Harvard Catalyst to improve outcomes for patients with cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (cALD) and work using virtual reality and brain imaging techniques to improve detection. "
"Can we use improving sleep to improve blood pressure?" asks Janet Mullington, program director of the Clinical Research Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Mullington discusses her work evaluating whether sleep behavioral interventions help reduce blood pressure and the effects of COVID-19 on her research.
"We need to empower not just future physicians, but all individuals in our society to understand that we can use our voice to make a change," says Isaiah Cochran, MD, of Halifax Health. Cochran discusses his past experience as a Harvard Catalyst intern, describes his work in health policy and politics, and shares his career aspirations as he begins his residency in family medicine.
"The aim is to give opportunities to students who normally wouldn't have these kinds of opportunities," explains Alex Lin, PhD, director of the Center for Clinical Spectroscopy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Lin discusses his role as a mentor in the Harvard Catalyst Visiting Research Internship Program (VRIP) and the importance of mentor-mentee relationships.
"I treat pancreatic cancer and only 1% of those patients respond and the rest don't," says Osama Rahma, principal investigator at the Center for Immuno-Oncology and Gastroenterology Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Rahma discusses his research in cancer immunotherapy and his development of novel immunotherapy drugs.
"Microbes are amazing chemists,” says Emily Balskus, PhD, of Harvard University. Balskus discusses her research on the chemistry of microorganisms, including the microbiome, and how they affect human health and disease.
COVID-19 has affected all of us. How has it affected your research? Using the voice memo app on your smartphone, record yourself telling us how the pandemic has changed the way you're working.
Send the file to: onlineeducation@catalyst.harvard.edu and we may use your voice in an upcoming episode. Please try to keep your submissions to around 2 minutes. Thank you!
Food in the U.S. is cheap. It's very accessible; it's very unhealthy. And it's strongly marketed to us," says Sara Bleich, professor of public health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Bleich discusses her research evaluating policies related to obesity and diet in vulnerable populations in our latest podcast.
"It's astonishing to understand how little we know about how people become pregnant," says Caroline Mitchell, MD, MPH, director of the Vulvovaginal Disorders Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. In our latest podcast, Mitchell discusses her research with IVF patients to identify how the vaginal microbiome impacts fertility.
"There are about 15,000 deaths a year from C. diff.," says Georg Gerber, MD, PhD, MPH, co-director of the Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center. In our latest podcast, Gerber discusses his research on predicting recurring C. difficile infections in patients by utilizing precision medicine, microbiome data, and machine learning.
What are the factors driving antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea? Yonatan Grad, MD, PhD, Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discusses his lab's work exploring antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea and the methods employed to tackle this problem.
“Large wounds have the same risk of infection as small wounds," explains Victor Neel, PhD, director of Massachusetts General Hospital's Dermatologic Surgery Unit. In this podcast, Neel discusses his research examining the interplay between skin bacteria and infection post-surgery.
"Our experience as physicians and patients is kind of getting lost in this web of the healthcare system," says Michael Barnett, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital. In this podcast, Barnett discusses his research analyzing patient sharing networks and their associated cost of care, as well as his work evaluating policies aimed at reducing opioid use disorder.
Jeff Karp, PhD, Brigham and Women's hospital, discusses the concept of radical simplicity, which he describes as “breaking down the problem into simple terms that you can test.” Karp explains how he used this approach in stem cell therapy research to inform the translational and commercialization process.
"I think some of the most exciting areas have been where there are no guideposts,” says Martha Shenton of Brigham and Women's Hospital. In this podcast, Shenton reflects on her career in neuroimaging, discusses her research looking at schizophrenia, and gives advice to aspiring researchers.
"Sexual orientation and gender identity demographics are not routinely and uniformly collected in electronic health records," says Harry Reyes, MAS, a doctoral candidate at Columbia University. In the fourth episode of this series, Reyes and Li Zhou, MD, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discuss their research using machine learning and natural language processing to improve data collection of LGBTQ patients.
"In South Africa, about 40% of the population living with HIV are not in care," says Ingrid Katz, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital. Katz discusses her research on HIV/AIDS treatment in South Africa, the importance of feedback from target populations, and the future of HIV research.
S. Bryn Austin of Boston Children's Hospital, Rahsaan Hall of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, and Janson Wu of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAAD), will share insights about the health and economic impacts of state laws on gender minorities and the development of a policy database.
“Keep on reminding yourself that research is delayed gratification. You're going to do things that are not going to work out, but that doesn't mean that it might not necessarily work in the future,” says David Sanchez, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital. In this podcast, Sanchez discusses his participation in the Harvard Catalyst Visiting Research Internship program, and offers advice for those who may be interested in embarking on a career in c/t research.
"There are approximately five billion people who don't have access to surgery because of barriers of affordability, timeliness, safety, and availability," says Mark Shrime, MD, MPH, PhD, FACS, director of the Center for Global Surgery Evaluation at Mass Eye & Ear. In this podcast, Shrime discusses the impact and ramifications of a lack of access to surgical care.
It’s estimated that at least 500,000 people in the U.S. are living with pulmonary fibrosis,” says David Lagares, PhD, director of the matrix and mechanobiology program at MGH Fibrosis Research Center. His lab is investigating tissue regeneration and fibrosis after lung injury and developing therapeutic strategies to promote the regeneration of chronically damaged organs.
Ana Progovac, PhD, Cambridge Health Alliance, and Mason Dunn, who leads strategic efforts for Keshet, an organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality in Jewish life, discuss their research using data sets to identify suicide outcomes in transgender populations, the importance of partnering with community groups, and how findings can inform better policy and care.
Peter Steinberg, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses his research analyzing factors that can determine how likely it is a patient will show up for an appointment and strategies he recommends to reduce no-show rates in hospitals.
"82% of the folks in our study reported being bullied." Sari Reisner, ScD, Boston Children's Hospital, and members of his research team discuss the tool they’ve developed, with funding support from Harvard Catalyst, to help combat LGBTQ bullying in schools. Tune into episode one of our new series “Community Engaged,” highlighting Harvard Catalyst’s Community Engagement program via our ThinkResearch podcast.
"It's a little bit like doing CSI, but for infectious diseases." Bill Hanage, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is developing a new method of sequence typing DNA. Learn more about how it’s achieving quicker results.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/2U93whk
Ben Sommers, MD, PhD, professor of health policy and economics in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses his research which examines Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion models and their associated impacts on healthcare.
Click here to read the transcript: https://bit.ly/3hjpfLj
What's the value of healthcare? Ankur Pandya, PhD, assistant professor of health decision science in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses his work using cost-effectiveness analysis to define value in healthcare services and the implications of this method on developing health policy.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3hkPTDK
Corrie Painter, PhD, associate director of operations and scientific outreach in the Cancer Program of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, discusses how her diagnosis with a rare cancer, angiosarcoma, led her to develop patient-driven cancer research initiatives, including the nonprofit Count Me In.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3625P8v
Stroke occurs in about 800,000 U.S. patients each year. Taylor Kimberly, MD, PhD, MGH, discusses his work running a phase 3 clinical trial investigating brain swelling in stroke patients and the challenges associated with running a multisite clinical trial.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3qBPD7n
Is it possible to preserve tissues in a patient who has sustained a traumatic injury? Giorgio Giatsidis, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, discusses his innovative work in tissue preservation and regeneration.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3drQBxW
Peggy Lai, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses her research on the effects of solar lighting on indoor air pollution in Uganda, and the importance of engaging study staff and the local population.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3w2c4E5
Ten percent of people claim they have an allergy to penicillin, but 90 percent are actually not allergic. Once labeled as penicillin-allergic, patients end up with higher medical costs, longer hospital stays, are more likely to be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and develop drug-resistant bacterial infections. Kim Blumenthal, MD, MSc, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses this problem and potential solutions.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3hlEDXB
Alex Lin, PhD, director of the Center for Clinical Spectroscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the Department of Radiology, discusses his traumatic brain injury research. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Lin’s work focuses on measuring brain chemistry
JoAnn Manson, MD, MPH, DrPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and co-director of the VITAL Study, returns to her findings from this national clinical trial on benefits of Vitamin D and Omega-3s.
Large databases are often used to analyze questions in healthcare, but what are the potential ways we can use that data, and how can researchers come up with interesting questions for analysis? Anupam Jena, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital returns to discuss his recent research in the field of health and policy economics.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3w4Cq8h
Next month we'll sit down with Dr. Anupam Jena again to discuss his latest work. This week we are re-releasing our first conversation with him from 2017.
Dr. Anupam Jena, of Massachusetts General Hospital, explains the intersection of economics and medicine, including why some physicians are more likely to purchase larger homes and how “defensive medicine” can drive the decision-making process during diagnosis and treatment.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3juO89O
Vitamin D is known for promoting bone health, and now Dr. JoAnn Manson believes it could also reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Hear how she started a nationwide clinical trial with nearly 26,000 participants to determine the additional benefits of vitamin D and omega-3s.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3AkR8LG
What are the latest technologies in medical imaging to guide surgeons? Nobuhiko Hata, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, discusses his innovate work using image fusion, navigation, and robotics in image-guided surgery.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3qGUggM
Wearable technology and robotics are two rehabilitation methods used to help those with limited mobility regain movement. Paolo Bonato, PhD, director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, discusses the role of innovative technology in rehabilitation.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/39t13Dg
Donor-dependent, platelets are in short supply. To stop bleeding and repair tissues, they are essential for patients with cancer and those undergoing surgery. Jonathan Thon, PhD, co-founder of Platelet BioGenesis, discusses his organization's work to create platelets that can be used to treat these patients and deliver cancer-fighting drugs.
Clinical research plays a critical role in developing healthcare innovations that can be made available quickly to serve the needs of patients. Lina Williamson, DVM, PhD, director of the Translational Accelerator at Brigham and Women's Hospital, discusses her entrepreneurial program’s role in supporting both the investigator and patient communities in these efforts.
What if you could avoid the hospital and receive care in your own home? David Levine, MD, MPH, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital discusses this innovative new model, including the social and economic benefits.
Today, many individuals are at risk for cancer due to heredity factors. Megan Underhill, PhD, RN, AOCNS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses her work in genetic testing and the importance family, perceptions and knowledge play in supporting those at risk.
Dr. Richardson (see October 10 episode) returns to discuss the theories and systems that currently shape how we understand public health, including how these perceptions can be problematic to our progress.
Gene Richardson, MD, PhD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discusses how his background in anthropology, philosophy, Buddhism, and medicine led him to a deeper understanding of public health challenges – including inequality -- throughout the world.
Panic and anxiety disorders affect two to four percent of Americans. However, those afflicted often know little about these conditions and suffer from a lack of treatment options. In her work at Massachusetts General Hospital, Amanda Baker, PhD, is striving to develop an improved -- and personalized -- standard of care.
John Quackenbush, PhD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses his research on networks within the genome that impact the functionality of cells.
Due to a deep societal stigma around HIV, many individuals in Southern India do not seek care. Brian Chan of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, explains how mixed methods approach to combating these obstacles.
This week on ThinkResearch, Raj Gupta of MGH, explains how his team, along with his engineering background, is working to advance the future of clinical imaging to improve efficiency and accessibility.
Oren Ganor, MD of Boston Children’s Hospital discusses the important challenges and considerations in providing safe and ethical resources to transgender individuals.
Dr. Anne Thorndike of Massachusetts General Hospital, explains how choice architecture and improved food labeling can change our eating choices.
Caterina Stamoulis, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital, discusses the next generation of neuroscience experiments that use noisy, big data collected in unsupervised settings.
Although interventions to help individuals suffering from bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia exist, they tend to focus solely on mitigating the illness. Roscoe Brady, PhD, of McLean Hospital, and his team are advancing promising research to determine the neurological basis for the symptoms of these illnesses. Their goal: to understand the neurological differences in brains afflicted with these conditions in comparison with healthy brains
When the first line of epileptic drugs fail to control seizures in young children, doctors turn to resective surgery. Christos Papadelis, PhD, of Children’s Hospital, explains to us the noninvasive imaging he is developing to improve these surgical outcomes.
This week on ThinkResearch, Dr. Roland Carlstedt of McLean Hospital shares the dynamics behind athletes’ peak moments, or their worst frailties. Hear how he hopes to improve the field of sport psychology for the betterment of treating players.
Michael Super, PhD, of the Wyss Institute, shares his story of how the spread of infectious disease throughout South Africa and London inspired him to pursue human health and combat disease.
Nick Menzies, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was originally a dentist from New Zealand before he decided to pursue a broader career in public health. Tune in now to hear the importance and difficulty of mathematical modeling in treating infectious disease.
This week on ThinkResearch we conclude our conversation with Jonathan Beckwith of Harvard Medical School. Hear how Dr. Beckwith used his laboratory studies to educate others about wrongful genetic discrimination while combating the misinformation that transcended the late 20th century.
Last time on ThinkResearch, we learned of the social climate that shaped Dr. Jonathan Beckwith's science. This week, hear about the studies Beckwith undertook to find out just what genetic engineering was capable of.
This week, Dr. Jonathan Beckwith of Harvard Medical School explains his experience at the intersection of science and social activism during the 1960s and 70s that shaped his career as a chemist and bacterial geneticist.
This week on ThinkResearch, Dr. Carmen Priolo of Brigham and Women, walks us down her own path of metabolic pathway imaging in tumor cells. By studying different enzymatic reactions, the goal is to better treat various metabolic features in patients.
When angiosarcoma left Dr. Corrie Painter with a grim prognosis and limited information, she turned to online social communities, and found a wealth of resources and knowledge. Dr. Painter then worked to create her own online, direct-to-patient resource for metastatic cancer patients. This week we re-air Dr. Painter's inspiring story to celebrate the launch of her third initiative, the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Project. Learn more at mpcproject.org.
To ring in the New Year, we are featuring a replay of ThinkResearch’s “Let’s Get Clinical” episode to help you get the most out of your workout resolutions. Dr. I-Min Lee, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explains the importance of physical activity to improve overall wellbeing long beyond January 1.
We are winding down 2017 with an exciting encore of our premiere episode featuring Dr. Elliott Antman’s explanation of Coumadin’s complex history. From farm cows and sweet clover hay to a rat poison antidote, learn the interesting chain of events that gave modern day medicine one of its most commonly prescribed blood thinners.
This month, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics Brian Healy, PhD gives insight into the future of clinical trials and model building in biostatistics. At the crux of study design innovation and new prediction model building, researchers should take advantage of this unique time in research and technology to do their best work.
Alexander Lin, PhD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, joins us to discuss the important research his lab is undertaking: using technology to perform a virtual biopsy of a brain that has been exposed to a traumatic injury.
We are joined by Giorgio Giatsidis, MD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to discuss the field of plastic surgery. In our talk, Dr. Giatsidis talks about the common misconceptions related to the field and how his lab is working to develop new ways to reconstruct soft tissues.
We are joined by Taylor Kimberly, MD, PhD from Massachusetts General Hospital to talk about the important research his lab is doing regarding strokes and secondary brain injuries that occur after the initial trauma.
We are joined by Niroshana Anandasabapathy, MD, PhD from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to discuss how her career path evolved from studying art history to today, a successful dermatologist who is studying why your immune system fails to see cancer.
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed, there has been a lot of debate about the pros and cons of the bill. Ben Sommers, MD, PhD from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, joins us as to talk about his work in health care reform and the national debate regarding the ACA.
We are joined by Tamarra James Todd, PhD from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who will talk to us about how chemicals can lead to the development of chronic disease as well as the racial and ethnic disparities in environmental chemical exposures.
Hear from Mark Shrime, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, on the challenges and hidden costs of making surgery available in low-income countries, despite overwhelming demand.
Bill Hanage, PhD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses efforts to predict when and how certain types of bacteria may become resistant to treatment.
Conor Evans, PhD, and Haley Marks, PhD, both from Massachusetts General Hospital, join us to talk about the S.M.A.R.T. bandage project. They describe how a visit to a military hospital in Texas led to the development of a product that would ultimately allow doctors to use a smart phone app to see how a wound or burn is healing.
Cell phones assist in the fight against malaria. In the next podcast, hear Caroline Buckee, D.Phil, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explain how her team is using cell phone data to make predictions about how malaria is transmitted through different areas of a country.
Air quality is the degree to which the ambient air is pollution-free. In countries such as Uganda, cooking and certain lighting sources can make the indoor air quality worse than it is outdoors. Later this month, Peggy Lai, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses her work on improving air quality inside homes in Uganda.
The DNA blue print of the human body is a complex system that is under assault every moment of the day. Zac Nagel, PhD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, joins us to talk about his efforts to study DNA repair to ultimately prevent, anticipate, and treat diseases like cancer.
Sara Bleich, PhD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, joins us to discuss her career in obesity prevention and control. Hear about the range of public health issues she has tackled throughout her career, including her efforts to reduce children’s consumption of sugary drinks, and her time as senior policy advisor to the former First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative.
South Africa has the largest prevalence of people living with HIV but only about half are seeking treatment. Dr. Ingrid Katz, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has been working since 2008 to understand the reasons behind this disparity. She joins us to talk about her work and how a peer support program that she piloted has led to more people starting and staying in treatment.
We talk with Dr. Ankur Pandya, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, whose research centers on the decision-making process behind the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Hear how asking the right questions can lead to more cost-effective and effective medical decisions.
Shortly before she was supposed to receive her PhD, Dr. Corrie Painter, of the Broad Institute, was diagnosed with a little known and aggressive form of cancer that would ultimately change not only her life, but her career. In the latest ThinkResearch podcast, she explains how she turned a devastating health crisis into an opportunity to raise awareness about and improve the treatment of two rare forms of cancer.
Dr. Anupam Jena, of Mass General Hospital, explains the intersection of economics and medicine, including why some physicians are more likely to purchase larger homes and how the inequalities that exist in health care could impact the treatment of patients.
The headlines are everywhere: sedentary behavior can be a health risk. On the next episode of ThinkResearch, Dr. I-Min Lee, professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses what recent studies actually reveal and how scientists are working to increase physical activity, not just in the U.S. but all over the world.
Dr. Rebekka Lee, ScD, and the Harvard Prevention Research Center aim to find community-based solutions to obesity through interventions around nutrition and physical activity with local children in after-school programs.
In the latest episode of ThinkResearch, BWH senior epidemiologist Dr. Julie Buring, ScD, explains the techniques behind using clinical trials to determine the efficacy of health treatments and provide potentially life-saving answers to research questions.
Vitamin D is known for promoting bone health, and now Dr. JoAnn Manson believes it could also reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Hear how she started a nationwide clinical trial with nearly 26,000 participants to determine the additional benefits of vitamin D and omega-3s.
What do discoveries made by the German aircraft industry have to do with the treatment of kidney stones? Dr. Peter Steinberg explains the connection and how kidney stones impact the economy on the next episode of ThinkResearch.
Join us as we talk with Dr. Jeffrey Karp, a top medical innovator, who draws on his engineering training and nature’s own ingenuity to create products and devices that improve human health. This is his story.
You can find the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud and our website www.catalyst.harvard.edu/thinkresearch
Join us as we discuss with Dr. Laura Riley, the “ins and outs” of a growing international epidemic, Zika virus. How is it transmitted? If I get the virus, what information is available about the short and long term effects?
Dr. Charles Deutsch, Director of the Population Health Research Program of Harvard Catalyst, recounts his journey through academia and how he created success in the research world.
Dr. Enrico Cagliero discusses his journey in the field of Diabetics Research. Dr. Cagliero is a Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital; Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; and the Director of the Harvard Catalyst Research Subject Advocacy Program. You can find the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud and our website www.catalyst.harvard.edu/thinkresearch
In our first episode Dr. Elliott Antman, Associate Dean of Clinical and Translational Research at Harvard Medical School, shares the fascinating story of how medical issues in cows led to the discovery of one of the most widely used drugs in America today. For more information please visit our site: http://catalyst.harvard.edu/services/thinkresearch/