A significant gap remains in effective mental health interventions for young people. Addressing this gap is crucial, and approaches like problem-solving therapy could offer a practical, accessible solution within educational settings. Alisha and Professor Vikram Patel discuss a school-based trial in India that’s exploring a new way forward: POD (Problem Identification, Option generation and Do it). It’s an intervention that combines cognitive and behavioural techniques to help young people develop the skills to address their problems directly. We hear from counsellor Bindiya Chodankar, who reflects on the impact problem-solving therapy has had on students in the trial, and speak to the researchers now adapting the model for university settings. It’s a powerful reminder that simple solutions can go a long way to solving complex problems. 

When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast

Vaccine breakthroughs dominated the news during the Covid-19 pandemic. But they weren’t the only scientific innovations changing how we understood the virus. Across Europe, a team of pathologists, technologists and imaging researchers saw a gap: we needed better technology to see what was really happening inside the lungs of individuals who died after contracting the virus. So they built one. Hierarchical Phase Contract Tomography (HiP-CT) is a new kind of imaging that lets us scan whole organs in 3D, in astonishing detail. Alisha is joined by four of the researchers behind this innovative approach to find out how it came to life during a global crisis, what it has revealed about Covid-19’s impact on the body, and where it could take us next. 

When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast

By the time we realise an outbreak is underway, the disease is already spreading, and the window to act is closing fast. But what if we could get ahead of it? Over the past decade, scientists and technologists have been developing powerful modelling tools that combine health and climate data to forecast where and when outbreaks might occur.

Alisha is joined by Dr Anna Ibarra Stewart to explore how early warning systems are being developed to help stay ahead of viruses like dengue and Zika and reduce the impact of outbreaks before they escalate. They also discuss the challenges of turning research into practical tools that can be used in the regions most affected by disease. We hear from HARMONIZE, a groundbreaking project in Brazil where scientists, governments and local communities are working side by side to turn predictive insights into real-world impact. 

When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast 

Navigating healthcare can be particularly challenging for autistic people. Reasons for this are complex, but for women and people assigned female at birth, the problem is compounded by a lack of representation in autism research, leaving healthcare services ill-equipped to meet their specific needs. Alisha speaks with Dr Aimee Grant about a groundbreaking study that’s working to change this. Led and delivered entirely by autistic people, Autism: from Menstruation to Menopause is gathering data across the reproductive life cycle to design tools that make healthcare more accessible and inclusive. We also meet three members of the project’s Community Council, who are co-designing the research and sharing what it means to work with a fully neurodivergent team. Together, they’re proving that inclusive research isn’t just better, it’s essential.  

When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast 

We know that singing, painting and other creative outlets can boost our mental health. But how do we harness the therapeutic power of the arts? Alisha speaks with UK researcher Professor Daisy Fancourt, whose work is helping to establish the arts as a key ingredient in conversations about mental wellbeing, alongside diet and exercise.

She also meets Vanessa, a mother in the UK who took part in a singing-based trial to reduce the effects of postpartum depression, and Kunle Adewale, an arts practitioner in Nigeria, whose own healing journey led him to empower others through arts engagement. It’s a powerful look at how creativity can shape healthier futures, backed by science and lived experience.

This episode features Breathe Melodies for Mums, a programme by Breathe Arts Health Research. Learn more at breatheahr.org/programmes/melodies-for-mums 

Video footage of the Melodies sessions was kindly provided by Breathe Arts Health Research. 

When Science Finds a Way is back! Join botanist-turned-Hollywood actor Alisha Wainright as she meets the scientists and communities turning bold ideas into real world impact. 

This season, you’ll hear about how new medical imaging tools are helping us see our bodies in ways we never could before, meet the team using climate data to predict and prevent disease outbreaks, and learn about how engaging with the arts can help improve our mental health. 

We’re going to be back with new episodes of When Science Finds a Way in the not too distant future so stay subscribed so you’re the first to hear them. In the meantime, we've got another show to fill your time with.

Outrage and Optimism is a climate podcast for anyone who is not ready to give up on creating a better world. They speak to the crucial decision makers at the intersection of climate science, policy and business to make sense of the latest headlines in one of the most urgent stories of our times.

We recommend you check out their episode on the urgent connection between climate and health, in conversation with Julia Gillard, former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Wellcome.

Follow the podcast on wherever you get your podcasts and learn more about it at: Climate Change Podcast | Outrage + Optimism

Thanks for enjoying season two of When Science Finds a Way. While we're off the air, we recommend getting stuck into this series all about the history of vaccination and disease control. You can find the rest of the series by searching for Our Big Shot wherever you're reading this.

Tuberculosis is often assumed to be a disease of the past, but it kills over 1 million people a year - a higher rate than malaria and HIV combined.

In this episode we visit a forgotten and critical turning point in vaccine development. 'The Black Angels'  were a group of black nurses who faced almost certain death to perform the world’s very first clinical trials using the drug that would become the gold standard for TB treatment today.  They helped cure tuberculosis in New York City's Sea View Hospital during the mid-20th century.  

We talk to New Yorker Maria Smilios about how she happened upon the tale of this incredible group of nurses in 2016. Astounded by the story from the City’s Sea View Hospital, and the incredible pioneers that changed the trajectory of the fight against tuberculosis, she knew she had to tell it to the world.  

When the pandemic hit half way through writing her book, Maria realised that many of the themes in her book around inequity and disease were alive and well in present day New York. She decided she needed to write a book about it before it was too late. Maria tells us the story of these incredible pioneers who faced racial adversity, braving almost certain death to perform the world’s very first clinical trials using the drug that would become the gold standard for TB treatment today.

Seema and Maria discuss the future, the challenges of distributing and treating TB worldwide and the hope there is for the future with gains already made in campaigning and the triumphant power of people working together.

Feature guest: - Maria Smilios - Science writer and author on her book ‘The Black Angels’ revisiting a forgotten passage in the fight against TB and what this story can teach us today.

 https://www.mariasmilios.com/ 

Hearing voices is a challenging symptom of psychosis that treatments have often failed to address effectively - until now. Introducing AVATAR therapy, a remarkable approach using digital technology to help patients engage with distressing voices and regain control. Alisha meets Dr Vaughan Bell to explore the therapy's potential, talk about findings from the latest clinical trial and hear a personal story of transformation. 

When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast 

Genomics has revolutionised cancer research, offering new hope for cancer diagnosis and treatment. But there are challenges ahead. Alisha is joined by Dr Peter Campbell and researchers Dr Solomon Rotimi and Sara Gómez Trillos to discuss the breakthroughs and the issue of ensuring fair access to advancements for patients worldwide. 

When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast