Empowered Patient Podcast

Elizabeth Blackburn PhD was trained as a molecular biologist and is currently the President of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. She is the winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking discovery of telomeres that protect the end of chromosomes and the enzyme telomerase that produces the telomeres' DNA.

Liz and her co-author Elissa Epel, PhD have translated this basic research into a book The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer that provides a way for the general consumer to understand the science of telomeres and genetics and how lifestyle choices can impact the health of the cells in the body.

Originally from Tasmania, Australia Liz also reflects on whether there is a genetic predisposition for becoming a scientist.

Salk.edu

The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer by Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD and Elissa Epel, PhD

Brian Pak Yan Leung, neuroscience PhD candidate in the neuroscience graduate program at the University of Southern California. He is also a PhD student at the University of Zurich in the Department of Experimental Immunology. Brian talks about how those with a variety of backgrounds are drawn to the USC interdisciplinary neuroscience program and the upside down approach that makes classes so exciting.

#neuroscience

NGP.USC.edu

Tony Ricci, PhD, Director of Neuroscience Graduate Training Program at the Stanford University School of Medicine talks about how most of their students are new to neuroscience and the program's emphasis on interaction and collaboration between students and teachers. He also reflects on how the field of neuroscience is getting broader and how the prefix 'neuro' could be put in front of just about any field.

@StanfordMed

Stanford Medicine

@SfNTweets

#SfN16

Michael Rowling, COO, ProtoKinetics explains that measuring and evaluating how someone is walking can be an early predictor for diseases. He notes that wearables are limited in their ability to measure differences in those who are slowing down. Gait mat technology and associated software evaluates gait and balance by directly measuring footsteps for better diagnosis of such conditions as Parkinson's and stroke and can be used to help prevent falls.

@Protokinetics

ProtoKinetics

Gait and Balance Academy

Dr. Jon Pierce-Shimomura, Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas Austin talks about their unique program that pairs neuroscience graduate students with those that suffer from neurological diseases to better understand the whole patient and provide opportunities for everyone to learn about treating the ill and disabled.

#neuroscience

@SfNTweets

#SfN16

University of Texas Austin Graduate School of Neuroscience

Renee Cockerham PhD is the Neuroscience Program Manager at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. I talked with Renee at the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience about how enthusiasm for science is hard to teach but other skills can be learned. She also emphasizes that diverse backgrounds are needed in the growing field of neuroscience as they prepare the next generation of scientists.

#neuroscience

@SfNTweets

#SfN16

Lifesciences.umaryland.edu/neuroscience

Greg Gage, CEO and Co-Founder, Backyard Brains talks about bringing affordable neuroscience tools to kids and classrooms to stimulate thinking about how our brain communicates with our senses. I met Greg at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience where his fun experiments were a stark contrast to the high tech expensive equipment on the show floor being sold for clinical research.

@BackyardBrains

#Neuroscience

@SfNtweets

#SfN16

Backyard Brains

Kim Walpole, co-founder and CEO, Trials.ai an EvoNexus portfolio company that is replacing paper based clinical trial systems with digital access to the hundreds of data points from participants, leveraging artificial intelligence to allow for more efficient trials, and providing transparency for patients and researchers.

@evonexus

Trials.ai

Robin Smith, CEO, Orig3n, a genomics company that is bringing personalized genetic analysis to consumers to inform about lifestyle choices and risks. With a broader mission to get a snapshot of humanity to support regenerative medicine efforts and find clues to rare diseases, they are collecting genetic material from cheek swabs and blood samples from a wide range of groups. My sample was collected at the recent Exponential Medicine conference and opened a door into a whole new kind of conversation about health and wellness.

@Orig3n_Inc

@ExponentialMed

#XMed

Orig3n.com

Arnon Zamir, Chief Change Maker, Tikkun Olam Makers talks about creating virtual and physical communities to address the neglected problems of the disabled. With a mission to use available technology and to openly share the results, volunteers come together with those with disabilities in Makeathons to come up with creative solutions. Arnon is most excited about 3-D printing which can empower people in remote places to replicate designs and add their own innovations.

#XMED

@ExponentialMed

TOMGlobal.org