Stanford Medicine Health Compass

In the first segment of a two-part episode, Michael Greicius, MD, MPH, professor of adult neurology, begins by discussing his research in understanding the genetic and molecular roots of Alzheimer’s disease and shares insights into the convoluted landscape of emerging treatments and whether they work.

When Bryant Lin, MD, physician and faculty member at Stanford Medicine, was diagnosed with stage 4 never-smoker lung cancer, he took it as an opportunity to do what he does best: teach. Lin launched a class diving into a variety of topics around cancer care, grappling with tough conversations, and the difficult choices that come with navigating drastic changes in one's health. In a conversation with Maya Adam, Lin shares his outlook and personal motivations to turn a daunting diagnosis into an opportunity to learn. Together they explore how, even amid a time of tumult, Lin finds meaning and hope through engaging young students in lessons of how to support and care for people facing similar diagnoses.

Maya Adam, MD, and her guests Victor Carrion, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, and Laura Roberts, MD, professor and chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, shine a spotlight on the global mental health crisis and share how research at Stanford Medicine is giving new hope to patients seeking clearer diagnoses and better treatments. Carrion explores the impact of trauma on young people, discusses how to help build resilience, and shares practical tools that help youth support their own mental health. Later, Roberts speaks to the state of the world’s mental health, including how the pandemic left lingering impacts on us all, how to restore mental balance, and why digital health could be a boon to broader accessibility to mental health tools.Website: https://med.stanford.edu/health-compass-podcast/mental-health-crisis.html

Maya Adam hosts Howard Chang, a Stanford professor specializing in dermatology and genetics, and Diana Dou, an immunology assistant professor at Duke University with a focus on autoimmune diseases. They discuss why women are disproportionately affected by autoimmune conditions, sharing insights on genetic factors like X chromosomes and regulatory RNAs. Personal experiences from their medical journeys reveal the critical need for deeper research into gender disparities in immunity, alongside the importance of mentorship and collaboration in science.

This episode discusses suicide and may be distressing for some listeners. If help is needed, the U.S. national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988 or by chatting at 988lifeline.org.Maya Adam and Leanne Williams, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, talk about tackling the stigma surrounding mental health challenges, a burden that still too often prevents those who need help the most from reaching out. In this episode, Williams shares her own searingly personal story about the loss of her partner, an ER physician who died by suicide, and how it motivated her work to prevent more tragedies. She underscores the need to identify the root causes of mental illness in the brain and explores the potential for bio-typing to bring precision and personalization to the field. She also emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes to improve outcomes, the need to make technological advances more widely available and how, together, we can all help erase the shame around getting treatment.Website: https://med.stanford.edu/health-compass-podcast/mental-health-stigma.html

With life expectancy globally continuing to climb, Maya Adam, MD, and David Rehkopf, ScD, associate professor of epidemiology and population health and of medicine, talk about the lessons we might all draw from “blue zones,” the places where residents' enjoy extraordinarily long lifespans. Rehkopf discusses the importance of social connections, diet and everyday activity as keys to health aging. He emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping health behaviors, shares insights from his research on biological markers of aging, and gives practical advice on how to create healthier lifestyles that support longevity.Website: https://med.stanford.edu/health-compass-podcast/longevity-blue-zones.html

Jonathan Chen, an assistant professor at Stanford specializing in biomedical data sciences, joins Michael Pfeffer, the Chief Information Officer of Stanford Health Care, to discuss the integration of AI in medicine. They explore how AI is transforming doctor-patient relationships and enhancing diagnostics. The duo also addresses the balance between urgency and safety in implementing these technologies, alongside the ethical implications and skepticism surrounding AI’s role in healthcare. Their insights shed light on the exciting potential and challenges of AI in improving patient care.

Join Maya Adam, MD, as she navigates health’s biggest questions with leading experts featured in Stanford Medicine magazine