University of California Video Podcasts (Video)

Chronic pain in older adults can affect mobility, mood, sleep, social connection, and independence. Una Makris, M.D., M.Sc., UC San Diego and VA San Diego Healthcare System, explains why musculoskeletal pain is common later in life and why medications or procedures alone may not meet the needs of many patients. Drawing on her work in rheumatology and geriatrics, Makris describes how pain and depression can reinforce each other, making it important to address both together. She highlights an age-friendly behavioral coaching approach that uses motivational interviewing, values-based goal setting, physical activity, and social support to help people reconnect with meaningful activities. By focusing on small, safe increases in movement, this research points to practical ways to support better function, quality of life, and healthy aging. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41172]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Corinne Melon, Managing Director, Phamaly Theatre Company, talks about accessible theater for people with disabilities. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41468]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Chantel Burkitt, Senior Clinical Scientist, and Todd Dalberg, Pediatrician and Palliative Medicine Physician, Gilette Children's Hospital, discuss how to assess and manage pain for people with developmental disabilities. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41471]

Authentic autism representation begins with listening to autistic people and including them in stories about their lives. Seth Bakke, producer, writer and director of The Rescue, explains how his autistic cousin Aaron and a poem by autistic typer Peter Tran inspired the film. Bakke describes working with Aaron on screen, consulting the Tran family and adapting the set to support his needs. Autistic typers Otto Lana and Peter Tran, joined by Steven Tran, a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego, discuss where the film reflects their experiences, where it simplifies communication through typing and why creative freedom must remain grounded in lived experience. They address presuming competence, the difference between hearing and listening, and the need for autistic actors and advisers. Their participation challenges stereotypes and helps audiences see they should be full participants in their own stories. Series: "Autism Tree Project Annual Neuroscience Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 41175]

Scientific progress depends on curiosity, investment and the freedom to take risks. Nobel Laureate and UC San Diego alumnus Fred Ramsdell traces his path from community college to biotechnology and a discovery that reshaped understanding of immune regulation. He explains how decades of publicly funded research made that breakthrough possible and why failed experiments are essential steps toward discovery. Ramsdell discusses threats to federal research funding, the private sector’s limited tolerance for risk and the need for scientists to communicate clearly. Rebuilding trust, he argues, starts with listening, finding shared values and explaining how basic research leads to new treatments, economic value and national security. Sustained support for science matters because no one can predict where the next major breakthrough will begin.

Series: "Deep Look Public Speaker Series" [Science] [Show ID: 41113]

Climate and environmental change affect reproductive health and pregnancy in important ways. Dr. Marya Zlatnik explains how petrochemicals, climate change, and everyday chemical exposures can shape reproductive resilience and pregnancy outcomes. Zlatnik helps clarify how people can protect reproductive well-being in a changing climate with informed, resilience-building choices. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41547]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Althea Robinson Shelton, Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses sleep in children with neurodevelopmental differences. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41466]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, moderator Judy Mark and panelists Elizabeth Barrios Gomez, Mulugeta Tadele, Kyungshil Choi discuss the challenges and solutions for serving immigrant clients. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41467]

What is a decision, and why does decision-making matter in politics, history, war, and public life? This panel examines how decisions differ from choices, when decisions become political, and how theories of rational choice, game theory, cognitive bias, neuroscience, and emotion shape our understanding of judgment. They explore how constitutional, legal, cultural, and social frameworks influence government decision-making, with special attention to decisions for or against war. And they trace how history uses moments of decision to explain sovereignty, leadership, democracy, authoritarianism, and crises such as climate change. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 41450]

Decision-making in history affects how societies understand power, responsibility, and change. Sir Christopher Clark, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, explains how narratives turn moments of decision into markers of sovereignty and political action. Clark examines real and ostensible decisions, deterministic political environments, and modern pressures from democracy, authoritarianism, and climate change, helping clarify why deciding can become harder over time. This work helps explain how historical narratives shape political judgment and points toward a more careful understanding of choice, power, and consequence. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 41449]