

UCLA LiveWell
Dr. Wendy Slusser
Dr. Wendy Slusser of UCLA's Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center interviews leading experts about new perspectives on health and wellbeing. LiveWell champions an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to health equity-- from food and climate, to social justice and emotional wellbeing. With guests like Evan Kleiman, Peter Sellars, and Bob Thurman, we've set out to explore the many facets of what it means to live well. Stop by our website to offer feedback or guest ideas, plus more to explore: https://www.healthy.ucla.edu/media/livewellpodcast/
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 18, 2023 • 20min
#64: Part 2 of Why Can Preventive Health Services Be Covered by Health Insurance? with Dr. Carol Mangione
Why can preventive health services be covered by health insurance? Why should we be prioritizing research and screenings that close the evidence gaps in health research? And who can help shift these priorities? That’s the US Preventive Services Task Force. Today, our guest, past appointed chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and UCLA professor and physician, guides us through getting onboarded, choosing recommendations, bridging evidence to make preventive services more accessible for everyone. Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: US Preventive Services Task ForceUCLA Health Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Oct 11, 2023 • 22min
#63: Part 1 of Why Can Preventive Health Services Be Covered by Health Insurance? with Dr. Carol Mangione
Why can preventive health services be covered by health insurance? Why should we be prioritizing research and screenings that close the evidence gaps in health research? And who can help shift these priorities? That’s the US Preventive Services Task Force. Today, our guest, Dr. Carol Mangione, past appointed chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and UCLA professor and physician, guides us through onboarding, choosing recommendations, and bridging evidence to make preventive services more accessible for everyone. Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: US Preventive Services Task ForceUCLA Health Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Sep 13, 2023 • 29min
#62: Finding the Path Back to Meaning & Joy with Dr. Brenda Bursch (Re-release)
What are the little things we can do to create ritual, reflection, and reduce stress as we navigate new transitions? As we enter into this upcoming school year and a new season, this re-released episode with Dr. Brenda Bursch will walk us through resilience tools -- from setting boundaries to putting plants in your office -- to navigate change with a bit more calm. Dr. Bursch, an expert in mental health and resilience, is a professor and clinical psychologist in the UCLA Departments Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and Pediatrics. This re-released episode was originally our 36th episode in September 2021. Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: Part 1: Finding the Path Back to Meaning and JoyPart 2: Finding the Path Back to Meaning and JoyMindful Awareness Research Center Find Transcripts under each episode page on our website. Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Aug 18, 2023 • 36min
#61: The Fresh Food Farmacy and Preventive Care with Dr. Andrea Feinberg
Join us today for a deep dive into how social determinants of health, the non-medical influences that contribute to someone’s health outcomes, can be addressed with a preventive, population-based approach, like Geisinger’s Fresh Food Farmacy. Dr. Andrea Feinberg guides us through this topic, outlining her work as a critical care ICU doctor, a population health leader, and as the lead doctor addressing chronic diabetes and food insecurity in Pennsylvania's communities through free meal programs and food education. The subsequent diabetes control results are striking, and serve as an example for further community-based approaches to healthcare. Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: Harvard Business Review Article Geisinger Health Fresh Food Farmacy Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Jul 26, 2023 • 38min
#60: Eco-Conscious Teaching, Living, and Community Building with Tamar Christensen
Join us today for a lesson in environmental storytelling with Tamar Christensen. Everything about Tamar’s story is fascinating-- she is a writing instructor at UCLA, a Veteran, a composter, a chicken mom, and a zero-waste lifestyle icon. We hear about how she sold her car after a transformative trip to Europe, how she gave food nonprofit Nourish LA a home at UCLA, and how she structures her creative writing classes around navigating eco-anxiety and knowing one’s place in the climate crisis. Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: Nourish LA Daily Bruin Article Tamar Christensen Writing Programs Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Jun 14, 2023 • 39min
#59 Special Episode: Behind the Mic with Dr. Wendy Slusser
In this special “Behind the Mic” episode, podcast producer Kayleigh Ruller interviews Dr. Wendy Slusser to learn more about her career, her inspirations, her mentors, and how the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center came to be. Dr. Wendy Slusser has been leading the Semel HCI center for nearly a decade to advance health research, host summits, gather leaders, and embed health equity across campus. Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: Venice Family ClinicEatwell Pod School Salad Bar Research Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Jun 2, 2023 • 34min
#58: Student Advocacy as the Conscience with Matt St.Clair
Today, Wendy chats with Matt St.Clair to learn about his advocacy work, starting with the ground-breaking UC Go Solar Campaign in 2003 to his current position as the UC’s Chief Sustainability officer. We learn about cross-department collaboration, effective communication for change, and staying grounded in mission. Enjoy!Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: UC Go Solar CampaignLEED CertificationSustainability Action Research Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

May 26, 2023 • 2min
Special Announcement: Join us at our Annual Celebration!
Hi listeners! We want to extend to you an invitation to our annual Semel HCI Celebration: Cultivating Community. Please RSVP (free) here. There will be food, music, performances, speeches, teaching demonstrations, and more. We will be honoring Louie Schwartzberg with the Eudaimonia Lifetime Achievement Award. Come join us for an evening of gathering and celebration! Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

May 17, 2023 • 33min
#57: Where Food Meets Performance with Elizabeth Schiffler
You don’t want to miss today’s episode--mainly because Wendy and Elizabeth reveal their reigning favorite salt! How’d we get there? Because Elizabeth shares how she guides her students through a mindful salt tasting--an exercise that embodies her research at the intersection of food and performance. A PhD candidate at UCLA in Theater and Performance Studies with a graduate certificate in Food Studies, Elizabeth discusses how she approaches food experiences and food justice through an artistic research lens. Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Episode Resources + Mentions: Elizabeth’s Recent Newsroom article Sustainable LA Grand ChallengeDonna Haraway, Staying with the TroubleUCLA REC Teaching Kitchen Common Threads Non-Profit Black Panther Movement + Breakfast ProgramToday’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

May 3, 2023 • 31min
#56: Making Music and Working from the Heart with Jeremy Barrett
If you have ever visited UCLA, you have likely seen and heard piano melodies around campus. We have today’s guest, Jeremy Barrett, to thank for that. In this conversation, we hear how Jeremy’s Piano Project was sparked by a desire for community engagement. We learn how he pitched the concept to UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, and how eventually, he landed a job with music legend Quincy Jones. All of his outward success is guided by preparation, courage, and a desire to connect through the universal language of music.Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla


