Health and Medicine (Audio)

A major ambition of artificial intelligence lies in translating patient data to successful therapies. Machine learning models face particular challenges in biomedicine, however, including handling of extreme data heterogeneity and lack of mechanistic insight into predictions. Trey Ideker, PhD argues for “visible” approaches that guide model structure with experimental biology. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Show ID: 35459]

What are the origins of hearing? What is the evolutionary benefit of music? And why do we get chills when we listen to certain songs? This episode of UCLA's LiveWell podcast features UCLA neuropsychology expert Bob Bilder about the neuroscience behind music and its benefit for our health and wellness. Series: "LiveWell" [Show ID: 35623]

We live in a society that is obsessed with weight loss and dieting. Weight stigma and fat-shaming pervade our everyday lives– turning eating into something that is no longer an enjoyable act, but one of scrutiny and stress. Driven by a love for food and a true foodie at heart, UCLA Associate Professor in Psychology Janet Tomiyama believes that there are ways to get healthy without ever mentioning weight. She runs the Dieting, Stress and Health or DiSH Lab at UCLA that focuses on two main drivers of why we eat (or don’t eat): stress and weight stigma. Series: "LiveWell" [Show ID: 35624]

Dr. Jonathan Fielding shares his insights and perspective on some of the most pressing public health issues our world faces today. He served as the Public Health Director and Health Officer for Los Angeles County for 16 years where he directed major improvement in preparedness for major public health threats, increased the use of evidence based policies and programs and oversaw the Los Angeles County Health Survey, which provided essential information on the health, health risks and health attitudes of different socio-demographic subpopulations. Series: "LiveWell" [Show ID: 35626]

D'Artagnan Scorza wears many hats - from lecturer in the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA to Founder and Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute, a non-profit organization that works to help communities achieve health and educational equity. D'Artagnan talks about his life journey and the meaningful work that he is doing in his own backyard and across the country to empower people and communities to thrive. Series: "LiveWell" [Show ID: 35690]

Dr. Peter Stock is Professor of Surgery at UCSF and heads up the solid organ pancreas transplant program as well as pancreatic islet cell program. He explores the pros and cons of pancreas transplant and discusses transplant islets, an alternative to whole organ transplants. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Show ID: 35236]

Liver cancer is the 5th most common cancer worldwide, and the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer. Dr. Neil Mehta explores the risk factors, diagnosis and staging, and treatment decisions including surgery. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Show ID: 35235]

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs when fat is deposited in the liver, without other causes of fatty liver identified. Dr. Danielle Brandman explores who is at risk, diagnosis, staging, complications and management. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Show ID: 35234]

The Honorable David Shulkin served as the 9th Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2017 to 2018. An experienced healthcare executive, Shulkin had been CEO of several hospitals and had served as the VA’s undersecretary. So he was entirely prepared for stepping into the role of leader of the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system (and was confirmed by the Senate 100-0). Yet, soon after he began, he realized that he was not fully prepared for the realities of the role in the Trump administration. A group of political appointees committed to privatizing the VA system began – subtly at first, more brazenly later – to undercut Shulkin’s authority, using back channels that have now become a familiar theme. Ultimately, he was fired by President Trump…by tweet. In this wide-ranging interview, he covers all of this, along with his experience as the “Lone Survivor” for the State of the Union Address and standing by the President’s side after the news of Charlottesville hit. Series: "A Life in Medicine: People Shaping Healthcare Today" [Show ID: 35508]

Bradley R. Cairns, PhD, discusses his lab's work creating a transcriptional cell atlas of the developing human testis during puberty, revealing dramatic developmental changes in both germ and somatic niche cell lineages. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Show ID: 35452]

Nationally, there are approximately 18,000 patients on the liver transplant list. Annually, about 6,000 patients receive a liver transplant. Because of the organ shortage, many patients waiting for liver transplants die on the list or become too sick to undergo transplant. Dr. John Roberts offers these solutions: expanded criteria donors, split livers and living donors. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Show ID: 35233]

Digital tools including mobile apps, wearable sensors, and social network platforms offer unprecedented opportunities in health research and healthcare. However, this rapidly emerging sector is outpacing existing regulatory structures and challenging norms for ethical practice. Camille Nebeker, EdD, MS, Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine & Public Health at the UC San Diego School of Medicine describes how technologies, including wearable sensors and artificial intelligence, are leveraged to capture personal health data and infer health status. Nebeker presents the ethical considerations specific to informed consent, risks of harm and potential benefits while underscoring the role that funding agencies, policy makers, researchers, ethicists, and editors have in creating the infrastructure needed to advance safe digital health research and practice. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Show ID: 35144]

How wisdom is defined and measured in the laboratory, the biology of wisdom, its dynamic relationship with culture, wisdom and aging, wisdom and health, and how we might build wiser societies. THis animation is based on "The New Science of Practical Wisdom" published by Johns Hopkins University Press in the journal Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Show ID: 35488]

The wait time for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor is many years. Dr. Brian Lee, Medical Director of the Living Kidney Donor Program at UCSF, discusses the risks and benefits of live donor kidney transplant, both for the donor and the recipient. He also talks about the importance of a crossmatch test and the National Kidney Registry and the Advanced Donor Program. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Show ID: 35232]

Catherine Lucey, MD is Vice Dean for Education and Executive Vice Dean for the UCSF School of Medicine. In her education role, she directs the undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education programs of the School of Medicine. In her role as Executive Vice Dean, she serves on the executive management team for the Schools Differences Matters Initiative and oversees other strategic initiatives for the medical school and the campus. At UCSF, she led a major revamp of the medical school curriculum, placing more emphasis on the skills needed for 21st century physicians and lifelong learners. Series: "Women in Science" [Show ID: 35444]