To recognize the ongoing #BlackinPhysiology week (October 12-16, 2020), I'm re-releasing this interview with Dr. Austin Robinson.

-------

In this episode of Science & Chill, my guest is Dr. Austin Robinson from Auburn University. 

Dr. Robinson is an expert in blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and exercise. His main research interest focus on how blood pressure is influenced by lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and even race. We share a common research interest in the fact that Austin is also interested in studying blood vessel function, a topic we cover in detail during this episode. 

Along with these topics, we discuss endurance exercise performance and review a study he was a lead author on that profiled a 70-year old marathoner who holds the world record for his age group! 

I was really excited to have Austin on, and hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with a fantastic scientist and human being. 

 

Relevant links:

Follow Austin on Twitter: @AusRob_PhD

Austin's publications: Google Scholar

Auburn University Neurovascular Physiology Lab

Link to NEJM paper on 70-year old marathon WR holder: "Record Breaking Performance in a 70-Year Old Marathoner"

This episode was originally released on June 15, 2020, but I've decided to repost it in honor of "Black in Physiology" week (October 12-16, 2020).

-------

In episode 13 of Science and Chill, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. NiCole Keith, who recently took over as the 64th president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) -- becoming the first African American leader of the organization. 

In addition to her role as president, Dr. Keith is a professor in the department of kinesiology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis -- or IUPUI. She also holds positions as the associate dean of faculty affairs in the school of health and human sciences at IUPUI and is actively involved in research roles at the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and an investigator at the Regenstrief Institute -- a research organization centered around finding innovative strategies to improve human health and end disease. 

Dr. Keith’s research focuses on physical activity and health promotion. Specifically, she is interested in community-based physical activity research participation, health equity, and developing and implementing physical fitness standards for children, adult, and patient populations.

 

Relevant links:

Follow Dr. Keith on Twitter

Link to ACSM Website

Register for the ACSM virtual experience

Learn more about the Regenstrief Institute

 

Podcast links:

Watch this podcast and previous episodes on YouTube

Support Science & Chill on Patreon

Follow Science & Chill on Twitter

In this episode of Science & Chill, I have a conversation with my good friend Shivam Shah. Shivam and I graduated high school together back in 2012, and this was a great opportunity to catch up with him and learn about all of the awesome work he is involved in. 

 

Shivam is a 4th year medical student at the University of Toledo. He's involved in several projects focused on mental health of medical residents during COVID-19 along with multiple other clinical trials, which we talk about extensively in this episode. We discuss our nation's response to COVID and what we can learn from our current pandemic. Shivam also shares some powerful stories about his time working in the ER. 

 

Relevant links

Shivam has given 2 TED Talks:

A Lesson in Classical Music 

How to Go from Failure to Success

Follow Shivam on Twitter @shivamsshah

 

Podcast links

Listen to Science & Chill on iTunes and Spotify

Support Science & Chill by becoming a Patreon!

Signup for the Physiology Friday newsletter

In this episode of Science & Chill, I speak with Dr. Monica Aggarwal. Dr. Aggarwal is a cardiologist at the University of Florida, where she focuses on using lifestyle-based strategies, in particular plant-based diets, to improve patient health. She is a strong advocate for improving the quality of menus inside hospitals and is involved in several nationwide efforts to implement healthier food into our medical system.

Whether you're plant-based or omnivorous, you'll love this episode. 

 

Relevant links

- Follow Dr. Aggarwal on Twitter

- Dr. Aggarwal's personal website

- UF's plant-based menu video (ft. Dr. Aggarwal)

- Dr. Aggarwal's book "Body on Fire" on Amazon

- Dr. Aggarwal's publications

 

Podcast links

- Subscribe and listen on iTunes

- Listen on Spotify

- Become a podcast supporter on Patreon!

In this episode of Science & Chill, I speak with Dr. Jose Antonio.

Dr. Antonio is The CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), which he founded in 2003. The ISSN is a non-profit academic society dedicated to promoting the science and application of evidence-based sports nutrition and supplementation. They are the world lead in science-based sports nutrition and supplement information, hosting annual conferences and publishing the latest science in the foundation’s very own peer-reviewed journal: the journal of the international society of sports nutrition (JISSN).

 

Dr. Antonio is also the program director and  associate professor of exercise and sport science and Nova Southeastern University, where his areas of research focus on the role of sports nutrition in relation to athletic performance and body composition, the role of high-protein diets in health and body composition in bodybuilders and other athletes and more recently, how training and nutrition can affect performance in stand-up paddling athletes. 

 

Our conversation covers the history of the sports supplement industry, why science is so important to sports supplements, and bust some widely-believed myths about high-protein diets. We also discuss reasons for the "runners" high  and why coffee and rice are his go-to food choices. 

 

Relevant links:

- Follow Dr. Antonio on Twitter 

- The ISSN on Instagram and Facebook

- International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) web site

- Dr. Antonio's faculty page at Nova Southeastern

- Dr. Antonio's publications (Google Scholar)

- Link to High-Protein Diet study in bodybuilders that we discuss in this episode

- Dr. Antonio talking about "protein myths" and "fitness myths" with Bodybuilding.com

 

Podcast links:

- Science & Chill on Twitter

- Science & Chill YouTube page

- Become a supporter on Patreon

- iTunes link

In this week's installment of Physiology Friday, I review a study showing that short-term fasting combined with exercise may acutely impair immune system function. Link to study: Combined effects of moderate exercise and short-term fasting on markers of immune function in healthy human subjects Read about the study in this week's newsletter Podcast links:Become a Patreon SupporterSubscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts Science & Chill YouTube Channel

In this episode of Science & Chill, I speak with three researchers from Harvard University -- Dr. Dragana Rogulja, Dr. Alexandra Vaccaro, and Dr. Yosef Kaplan Dor -- on the evolutionary origins of sleep, what the function of sleep is, and how a lack of sleep can be fatal (at least in flies and mice). 

Their lab just published a study showing that sleep deprivation causes flies and mice to die after about 5-10 days, and provides a mechanism as to how this happens (hint...it involves the gut!). 

I was excited to have this conversation and learned so much, and I know you will too.

 

 

Relevant links:

Rogulja lab website

Link to study: "Sleep loss can cause death through accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the gut"

Study free full text

 

Podcast links:

Become a Patreon Supporter

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts 

Science & Chill YouTube Channel

In this episode of Physiology Friday, I discuss a new study on astronauts that shows what happens to cardiovascular structure and function during 180 days of low-earth orbit. Link to study: Arterial Structure and Function during and after Long-Duration Spaceflight Podcast links:Become a Patreon SupporterSubscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts Science & Chill YouTube Channel

In episode 13 of Science and Chill, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. NiCole Keith, who recently took over as the 64th president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) -- becoming the first African American leader of the organization. 

In addition to her role as president, Dr. Keith is a professor in the department of kinesiology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis -- or IUPUI. She also holds positions as the associate dean of faculty affairs in the school of health and human sciences at IUPUI and is actively involved in research roles at the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and an investigator at the Regenstrief Institute -- a research organization centered around finding innovative strategies to improve human health and end disease. 

Dr. Keith’s research focuses on physical activity and health promotion. Specifically, she is interested in community-based physical activity research participation, health equity, and developing and implementing physical fitness standards for children, adult, and patient populations.

 

Relevant links:

Follow Dr. Keith on Twitter

Link to ACSM Website

Register for the ACSM virtual experience

Learn more about the Regenstrief Institute

 

Podcast links:

Watch this podcast and previous episodes on YouTube

Support Science & Chill on Patreon

Follow Science & Chill on Twitter

In episode 12 of Science & Chill, I interview Dr. Kevin Folta.

Dr. Folta is a professor in the department of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida. 

He received his bachelors and master’s degrees in biology from northern illinois university and his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He’s received various awards throughout his career including the National Science Foundation Career Award in 2008, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Distinguished Mentor Award in 2007, and the Borlaug CAST communication award in 2016. 

Dr. Folta’s research focuses on the functional genomics of small fruit crops, the genetic basis of flavors, photomorphogenesis in controlled environments, and small molecule discovery. 

In addition to his scientific research, Dr. Folta is a fabulous science communicator; using workshops to teach scientists how to communicate their science effectively. He is also continuously active in public engagement and outreach, and can often be found voicing his personal and scientific opinions on Twitter, among other social media platforms. 

The journal Nature Biotechnology has described Dr. Folta as “a gifted communicator -- one of the rare scientists who has engaged the public, with over 12 years experience behind him. Not someone who merely discusses public engagement, but someone who actually communicates directly with non-expert audiences.”

Part of his science communication comes in the form of podcasting. Dr. Folta hosts a podcast called “Talking Biotech”, 5 years old and in the top 20 of downloaded life sciences podcasts, where he interviews a variety of scientists to discuss genetics and other issues in biotechnology (and lots of other science topics). This is actually how I became acquainted with you, Kevin, as I appeared on episode 180 of your podcast to briefly discuss science communication and participate in an interview with a researcher doing work on sleep and DNA damage in the brain. Thanks for that, by the way. 

Some may call Dr. Folta a controversial figure -- only in that he has been highly outspoken about his research in his attempts to clearly communicate science with the public.

This episode is wide ranging and very relevant to scientific and cultures issues of today. Hope you enjoy!

 

Relevant links

Follow Dr. Folta on Twitter

Dr. Folta's Research (Google Scholar)

Talking Biotech Podcast

Episode of Talking Biotech where I appeared (Episode 180)

Dr. Folta's Blog (Illumination 2.0)

 

Podcast links

Science & Chill on YouTube

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Support Science & Chill on Patreon