University of California Video Podcasts (Video)

Filmmakers Natasha Merkulova and Alexey Chupov join moderator Sasha Razor (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) to discuss their film Captain Volkonogov Escaped. Merkulova and Chupov share how they work as a film making team, how they researched the period of Stalinist purges in the 1930s, and how they sought to make the period of the film feel contemporary. They go on to discuss their experience working with lead actor Yura Borisov, who gained wider recognition for the 2024 film Anora.

Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40925]

Heather E. Whitson, MD, MHS explores how resilience—the ability to recover and adapt after stress or illness—changes across the lifespan. She explains that bounce back slows with age and that people age at different rates, influenced by biology, lifestyle, and environment. Studies connect lower inflammation, stronger cellular health, and emotional well-being to better recovery, such as regaining mobility after hip fracture or coping with persistent pain. Whitson also highlights how changes in the brain, like the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins, begin years before memory problems, underscoring the importance of early prevention. She points to practical steps that support resilience at any age: staying active, eating a Mediterranean style diet, managing blood pressure and blood sugar, protecting vision, engaging socially and mentally, prioritizing sleep, avoiding harmful exposures, and preventing injuries. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40959]

Scott A. Armstrong, M.D., Ph.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, studies how certain aggressive forms of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) develop and survive. His work centers on a protein called menin, which helps leukemia cells keep cancer-promoting genes switched on. Armstrong’s team has found that blocking menin with specially designed drugs can shut down these gene programs, push leukemia cells to mature, and slow or stop the disease in lab models and patients. While some leukemias adapt by developing mutations in menin or finding other ways to survive, his research is revealing why certain genes are especially dependent on menin and how to target them more effectively. These discoveries are now shaping new treatments, drug combinations, and potential strategies for other cancers that rely on similar mechanisms. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40875]

What is it like to train at one of the top neurosurgery residency programs in the world? Follow three UCSF neurosurgery residents as they take you behind the scenes—from morning rounds and complex surgeries to cutting-edge research and life in the city. Series: "UC San Francisco News" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41037]

For many people, a personal connection to the ocean ties into bigger issues like conservation and climate change. As the biodiversity of marine life along the coast at La Jolla Shores has declined, divers and researchers discuss why simply knowing about environmental problems isn’t enough. They emphasize the importance of conservation psychology, storytelling, and inspiration to encourage action. This video was created by graduate students in Marine Biodiversity & Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. [Science] [Show ID: 41072]

Eric Faden (Bucknell University) discusses his work on the Japanese Paper Film Project, a project that has been preserving paper films made in Japan in the 1930s. Koto player Yoko Reikano Kimura and cellist Hikaru Tamaki (Duo Yumeno) joins Faden and moderator Alex Lilburn (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) to talk about how the preservation work was carried out and their experiences presenting the digitized films with live musical accompaniment. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40924]

Danielle K. Glorioso, LCSW, explores the complex nature of grief, emphasizing that it is a lifelong, evolving response to loss rather than something to “get over.” She explains the differences between acute grief, integrated grief, and prolonged grief disorder, highlighting how factors like attachment, personal history, and circumstances of death can influence the grieving process. Glorioso outlines how prolonged grief can impair daily functioning and discusses effective treatments, including a structured therapy program that facilitates adaptation. She also examines resilience as a skill that can be strengthened through emotion regulation, cognitive flexibility, social support, and meaning-making. Drawing on both professional expertise and personal loss, Glorioso offers practical strategies for coping, supporting others, and finding hope while honoring the memory of loved ones. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40332]

What’s the best way to get college students interested in nature? By getting them outside and teaching them valuable skills in wildlife conservation and habitat restoration. Associate Professor Laci Gerhart’s popular “Wild Davis” course does just that, and students who complete the course can earn California Naturalist Certification. Series: "UC Davis News" [Science] [Show ID: 41070]

Dr. Lindsay Hampson discusses urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction following prostate cancer treatment, emphasizing that both are common and treatable. She explains the different types of incontinence—stress, urge, mixed, and overflow—and outlines how understanding the cause helps guide treatment. Options include pelvic floor physical therapy, medications, surgical interventions like slings or artificial sphincters, and supportive devices. Dr. Hampson also reviews effective strategies for managing erectile dysfunction, such as oral medications, vacuum devices, injections, and penile implants. She highlights the importance of shared decision-making and reassures patients that even small symptoms can significantly affect quality of life and deserve attention. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40814]

How do you find hope in a deeply fractured and polarized world? In this timely and powerful conversation, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nicholas Kristof pulls from decades of reporting from global conflict zones and overlooked American communities to bring a deeply human perspective to today’s most urgent moral and civic challenges. In an era marked by division and misinformation, this program explores how truth, empathy and ethical courage can shape a more just and compassionate world. This program is presented by the Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society, and moderated by The World's Marco Werman and UC San Diego Theater professor Allan Havis. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 40914]