Harvard Medical Labcast

Amy Wagers, professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard and Joslin Diabetes Center, is motivated by both the prospect of treating disease and the thrill of discovery. Watch for the Winter 2013 issue of Harvard Medicine magazine for a Q&A with her.

Plastic surgeon Sumner Slavin has pioneered methods of tissue reconstruction for patients—including women with breast cancer—to restore body parts to a more usual appearance. After spending time in the Middle East, he also started a fellowship program to teach plastic surgeons from the region advanced techniques and procedures. Slavin is an HMS associate clinical professor of surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and serves in a number of leadership roles.

Jonathan and Christine Seidman —both professors at Harvard Medical School—run a household and a lab together. They’ve been collaborating for decades to explore the causes of hereditary heart disease, especially hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and their skills in this area complement each other perfectly. Jonathan Seidman is a PhD and geneticist while Christine Seidman—who also has an appointment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital—is an MD and cardiologist.

Medical innovations build upon basic, curiosity-driven research—that is, research done in yeast and flies and other organisms without a specific application in mind. In this podcast, four scientists argue that it is essential for labs to continue exploring how life works. After listening to the podcast, read the related feature story.

Robert Truog—an HMS professor and a senior associate in critical care medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston—reflects on the evolving patient-doctor relationship. He recently authored a perspective piece on the topic in the New England Journal of Medicine. In addition to being a practicing physician, Truog has a master’s degree in philosophy, and he holds a leadership role in the HMS Division of Medical Ethics.