Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 18, 2019) – 

A lifelong fan of the University of Kentucky, DeBraun Thomas moved to Lexington from the San Francisco area several years ago to attend UK.

At UK, he continued to explore his love for music and radio. But he also expanded his interest in student and community activism. After completing his studies, he took a position at UK’s WUKY public radio station, while playing in, and promoting, local bands and the Lexington music scene.

Fueled by a passion for history and making community change possible,  he also began exploring the contradictions and challenges associated with statues at Cheapside Park in the heart of downtown Lexington. The site was home of one of the country’s largest slave markets prior to the Civil War. After the war, statues were erected of Confederate-era leaders.

Over the years, the statues periodically sparked dialogue and debate. But it wasn’t until Thomas and others forced the conversation, that change happened.

The co-founder of the group Take Back Cheapside, Thomas helped lead a community conversation over 18 months that culminated in the removal of the statues in 2017. They are now housed at the Lexington Cemetery.

“Lexington has showed the nation a path to a respectful resolution of a difficult issue, and DeBraun Thomas helped us every step of the way. He calmly and persistently helped our city do the right thing,” former Lexington Mayor Jim Gray told the Herald-Leader. “ DeBraun is the kind of leader our city needs.”

In this edition of Behind the Blue, Thomas discusses his time at UK and what he learned, the process that led to the removal of the statues, his passion for music and his continued interest in community activism and dialogue.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 4, 2019) – If you walk across the University of Kentucky campus and ask someone if they know Emmett Burnam, that person may get a puzzled look on his or her face and say ‘no.’ However, if you ask someone if they know “Buzz” Burnam, you’re likely to get a quick nod and a smile, followed by ‘I sure do!’

In the fall of 1969, Emmett “Buzz” Burnam traveled the short distance to the UK campus from his native Winchester, in Clark County, to enroll in classes and compete for the Wildcats on the football field. Half a century later, he is a longtime fixture in the Office of Enrollment Management, as Director for Diversity Undergraduate Student Recruitment.

For this edition of the Behind the Blue podcast, UKPR’s Carl Nathe sat down with Burnam to talk about what UK was like when he arrived 50 years ago, what things have changed for the better, and what hopes he has for the future of the university he loves so much. 

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2019) – The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) is the applied economic research branch of the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics. Its purpose is to disseminate economic information and provide economic and policy analysis to assist decision makers in Kentucky’s public and private sectors.

The current director of CBER is Jenny Minier (pronounced ma-near). Minier is Sturgill (pronounced stir-jill) Professor of Business and Public Policy and Professor of Economics in the Gatton College, and also teaches in UK’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration.

On this week’s episode of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR‘s Carl Nathe talks with Minier about the work of CBER, including helping to put together the 30th Annual Economic Outlook Conference, sponsored  by Central Bank, on February 13.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 22, 2019) – The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is training more physicians than ever these days. The college is also growing its faculty, its research, and its outreach and service to Kentuckians.

Dr. Robert DiPaola is the dean of the UK College of Medicine and vice president for clinical academic affairs for UK HealthCare.

On this week’s episode of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR‘s Carl Nathe talks with DiPaola about why he came to UK nearly three years ago and the positive momentum his college and the entire university are enjoying.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 14, 2019) – Working hard to help Kentuckians get on, and stay on, the road to better health. For the past 25 years, the University of Kentucky’s Ellen Hahn has been doing just that.

Hahn is the Marcia A. Dake Endowed Professor of Nursing in UK’s College of Nursing, and also has a joint appointment on the faculty of UK’s College of Public Health. She is director of BREATHE, and is a passionate advocate for disease prevention, including  lung cancer, emphysema, and other health maladies. 

On this week’s episode of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR‘s Carl Nathe talks with Hahn about her work and her mentorship of students.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 8, 2019) – If you need an example of how a broad-based college education can open up your mind to new challenges and opportunities, look no farther than University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Professor of Psychology Suzanne Segerstrom.

Segerstrom majored in music as an undergraduate and initially thought she would make a career in the field. She took an elective course in psychology and enjoyed it so much she took another, then another. Her curiosity developed into a passion and she decided to go to graduate school and focus on psychology. The rest, as they say, is history.

On this week’s episode of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR‘s Carl Nathe talks with Segerstrom about how she became part of the UK faculty and what excites her so much about her research and teaching.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, KY (Dec. 27, 2018) - The world of human genome editing was turned on its head last month when a scientist from China claimed – on YouTube, no less – to have created the first gene-edited babies. He Jiankui, an assistant professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, announced that he used a gene editing tool called CRISPR on two embryos in hopes of making them resistant to HIV.

With the birth of these twin girls (and an alleged third pregnancy underway), Jiankui flung the theoretical world of gene editing firmly into the middle of a bioethical firestorm, and the fallout from his actions are likely to affect how science is conducted and policed for generations to come. 

The "genes are out of the bottle," says Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D., professor and founding director of the University of Kentucky's Program for Bioethics. "Assuming that [Jiankui] is telling the truth – and we don't even know that yet, since we've seen no data – the implications of his actions for both the science community and for these girls and their offspring are profound."

In this episode of "Behind the Blue," Rosenthal discusses the controversy surrounding Jiankui’s claims and the implications when science gets ahead of ethical principles.

In addition to running UK’s Bioethics Program, Rosenthal also directs UK HealthCare's clinical ethics consultation service and the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science's Research Ethics Consultation Service, also known as "benchside ethics" consults.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 25, 2018) – (THIS EPISODE IS AN ENCORE EDITION) Drug addiction is rampant in the nation, with estimates of more than 70,000 people dying from drug overdoses in 2017, much of that fueled by opioid abuse.

To put it in relatable numbers, the United States suffered more deaths to drug abuse last year than the total number of U.S. soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. Or, put another way, at roughly 200 deaths per day, it’s the equivalent of a jumbo jet going down every 24 hours.

The problem has reached epidemic levels in Kentucky, with heroin and fentanyl abuse ravaging communities. On this week’s episode of Behind the Blue, Dr. Sharon Walsh, director of the University of Kentucky’s Center on Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR) and a distinguished professor in the UK College of Medicine, discusses the challenge Kentucky faces in battling the opioid epidemic.

That question – what do we do? – was the basis of a daylong meeting Dr. Walsh had with the UK Board of Trustees. As part of its annual retreat this year, UK President Eli Capilouto and Walsh framed an entire day of discussion and presentations around the opioid epidemic in the country and its specific impact on Kentucky.

As importantly, the discussion centered on how UK – along with partners at the state and federal levels – is positioning itself to stem the tide of drug addiction and abuse in the state and beyond those borders.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 19, 2018) – (THIS EPISODE IS AN ENCORE EDITION) The holidays offer the opportunity to reunite with seldom-seen relatives. Family gatherings often bring people together over traditional foods, activities, and recollections of the past. If you notice memory changes in your older family members, how do you know whether what you're seeing is just part of getting older or something more serious? 

According to Kelly Parsons of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky, there's a fine line between normal brain aging and dementia.

On this week’s episode of “Behind the Blue”, Parsons joins us to provide tips on warning signs and what to do when you worry that grandma or grandpa might have Alzheimer's, plus advice on making the holidays less stressful for everyone when someone with Alzheimer's is on the guest list.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue, “ email [email protected] (mail to: [email protected]) or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

LEXINGTON, KY. (Dec. 17, 2018) - One of the biggest barriers to accessing treatment for substance use disorders can be the time it takes to find an open space in a treatment facility. By the time a clinician, family member or patient can find the right facility for their needs and navigate the insurance process, the bed in question may have been filled or the window of opportunity for recovery may have passed.

During a visit with her own primary care physician, Terry Bunn, an associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and director of the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) heard that same sentiment repeated. As the leader of KIPRC, a bona fide agent of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Bunn knew there was a solution to this issue, that more people with substance use disorders could be helped and lives could be saved.

In February 2018, "Find Help Now KY" was launched. Kentucky is currently the only state with a near real-time treatment opening locator for substance use disorders. The locator guides individuals to available treatment openings. It takes into consideration the substance(s) being used, payment options including commercial and public insurance programs, gender identity, preference for in- or out-patient treatment and needed co-occurring treatments such as mental health care, plus 30 more criteria. The site provides daily availability information for treatment openings, to enable rapid admission to addiction programs.

On this week's episode of "Behind the Blue" hear about the development of "Find Help Now KY", the success the site has experienced and KIPRC's efforts to assist other states in the development of their own website to help those in active addiction.

Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.