Health Science Radio

On this episode, two leading women’s health researchers provide a wide-ranging discussion on menopause – from basic science concepts and historical perspectives to hormone therapies and other clinical implications. Our guests are Nanette Santoro, MD, professor and E. Stewart Taylor Chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (SOM), and Joshua Johnson, PhD, associate professor in the SOM’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

On this episode of Health Science Radio, Daniel Goldberg, associate professor and director of education in the Center for Bioethics and Humanities,  breaks down the importance of history and its place in a modern health sciences curriculum by examining the practical uses of thinking like a historian to better serve patients, inform research and build stronger bonds with the communities future health science leaders will serve.

On this episode, Fernando Holguin, MD, professor of medicine and 
pediatrics in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine 
at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, shares insights into the 
health risks posed by increasing levels of air pollution. Dr. Holguin talks 
about what happens when people are exposed to fine particulate matter, 
how socioeconomic disparities contribute to greater exposure to air 
pollution, coexisting conditions that put people at higher risk of being 
affected by air pollution, the relationship between the gut microbiome and 
lung health, and the ways climate change impacts cardiovascular and 
respiratory diseases.

This episode features a discussion about autoimmune neurological diseases, 
including the rare stiff person syndrome (SPS) that affects Canadian 
superstar Céline Dion. Our guest is Amanda Piquet, MD, associate professor 
of neurology and director of the autoimmune neurology program at the 
University of Colorado School of Medicine. Piquet, whose team is conducting 
groundbreaking research on autoimmune neurologic disorders, has treated 
Dion’s SPS for over two years at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. 
Piquet calls the $2 million philanthropic investment her team received from 
the Céline Dion Foundation a turning point in the understanding of SPS and 
other autoimmune neurologic diseases.

In the wake of a loss, how do we reconcile the Five Stages of Grief with feelings that shift day to day? In this episode of Health Science Radio, licensed professional counselor and assistant professor of psychiatry Mandy Doria walks through some common misconceptions about grief, loss and healing. 

Content warning: death and dying. 

This episode features a discussion about treating cancer through immunotherapy, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, or TIL, therapy. Our guest is Eduardo Davila, professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Davila’s team has devised a novel technique to enhance all forms of cellular immunology. The scientists rejuvenate T-cells and improve their durability as well as their ability to find and kill cancer cells. Davila’s team’s research offers more and better cancer treatment options, along with hope. 

This episode of Health Science Radio features a discussion about the fast-growing field of neurotechnology and what it means for patients with paralysis or neurodegenerative brain diseases including Parkinson’s and epilepsy. Our guest is Cristin Welle, associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine with joint appointments in the Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Welle is a systems neurophysiologist with expertise in the interaction between medical devices and the nervous system. Her lab uses advanced techniques to explore why neurotechnology works, including looking at ways in which devices can change structural and functional plasticity in the nervous system. The goal of her team’s work is to translate scientific breakthroughs to the clinic and improve the lives of patients.  

 This episode features a discussion about a groundbreaking effort to restore vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. Our guest is Valeria Canto-Soler, associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Canto-Soler shares the dreams behind her research and why she chose the CU Anschutz Medical Campus to develop retinal transplants. Her team is working toward one of the most ambitious goals in its field – transplanting cells that can regenerate both pigmented and photoreceptor cells in the retina and restore vision for the blind. 

This episode features a discussion about osteoarthritis, a painful degenerative disease that affects 32.5 million Americans. With no existing effective regenerative therapy, treatments are limited to anti-inflammatory injections and, ultimately, expensive joint replacement surgery. Our guest is Karin Payne, PhD, associate professor of orthopedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She talks about an ambitious project that received an award of up to $39 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and its aim to end osteoarthritis. The Colorado-based multidisciplinary team is on the forefront of developing a minimally invasive therapy that regenerates cartilage and bone cells – essentially allowing a joint to heal itself.

This episode features a discussion about the burnout crisis among physicians and other healthcare professionals. The Association of Medical Colleges estimates that the United States will face a shortage of between 38,000 and 124,000 physicians by 2034. Our guest is Dr. Lotte Dyrbye, senior associate dean of faculty and chief well-being officer at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a national thought leader in physician burnout. Dr. Dyrbye explains the magnitude of the problem, identifies the predictors of burnout, and shares ideas on reducing the stressors facing healthcare professionals.