The Minor Consult
Stanford Medicine
The Minor Consult explores leadership with innovators, changemakers, and risk-takers.
Hosted by Stanford School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, the podcast convenes top minds from across fields to share their perspectives, impart lessons from their careers, and discuss the complex challenges leaders face today. Through their conversations, Dr. Minor unearths the qualities and skills that leaders need to succeed in turbulent times.
Dr. Minor has served as Dean since 2012 and is also a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine. Under his leadership, Stanford Medicine has emerged as a leader in the Precision Health revolution, which emphasizes preventive, personalized health care and leverages advances in biomedicine to treat and cure complex diseases. With more than 160 published articles and chapters, Dr. Minor is an expert in balance and inner ear disorders. In 2012, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Disclaimer: Lloyd Minor has no financial interests in or formal relationships with the organizations of his guests.
Hosted by Stanford School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, the podcast convenes top minds from across fields to share their perspectives, impart lessons from their careers, and discuss the complex challenges leaders face today. Through their conversations, Dr. Minor unearths the qualities and skills that leaders need to succeed in turbulent times.
Dr. Minor has served as Dean since 2012 and is also a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine. Under his leadership, Stanford Medicine has emerged as a leader in the Precision Health revolution, which emphasizes preventive, personalized health care and leverages advances in biomedicine to treat and cure complex diseases. With more than 160 published articles and chapters, Dr. Minor is an expert in balance and inner ear disorders. In 2012, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Disclaimer: Lloyd Minor has no financial interests in or formal relationships with the organizations of his guests.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 18, 2026 • 26min
S9 Ep5: Physician-Journalist Dhruv Khullar on How AI Is Rewriting the Clinician and Patient Experience
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Dhruv Khullar, MD, contributing writer to The New Yorker and associate professor at the Weill Cornell School of Medicine, for a conversation about AI’s evolving role in health care. They discuss its potential to enhance diagnosis, reduce administrative burden, improve the patient experience, and accelerate drug discovery, while also examining the risks of overreliance and clinician de-skilling. They also explore how AI will reshape medical education, and why communication, trust, and the enduring practice of healing will remain central to the future of medicine.
Jan 14, 2026 • 36min
S9 Ep4: Lucy Shapiro’s Big Idea: Using Cell Biology to Fight Superbugs
In this episode of the Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Lucy Shapiro, PhD, for a conversation about how her unconventional thinking unlocked new insights about how bacterial cells behave, fundamentally changing how scientists understand cells and laying the groundwork for systems biology. They explore how her research informed new approaches to treating infections and other diseases, and how these advances opened new paths for developing antibacterial and antifungal drugs to fight superbugs. They also discuss the biological threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and ways that the global community can prepare for the next pandemic.
Dec 10, 2025 • 39min
S9 Ep3: Stanford Graduate School of Business Dean Sarah Soule on What Makes a Great Leader
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Sarah Soule, Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, for a conversation about how leaders, organizations, and the GSB itself are evolving in a rapidly changing world. During the GSB’s centennial year, they explore the school’s leadership model — emphasizing self-awareness, perspective taking, communication, and deep listening — and how its entrepreneurial culture has inspired alumni whose bold ideas became transformative companies. They also discuss the future or organizational behavior and her vision for the school’s next chapter, including new initiatives in investing, leadership development, and the future of work and AI.
Nov 12, 2025 • 31min
S9 Ep2: Eric Topol’s Big Idea: Controlling How Well We Age
In this episode of the Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Eric Topol, MD, author of Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity, for a conversation about why immune health may be more important than genetics in promoting healthy aging. They explore how lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, and exercise strengthen the body’s defenses, shaping longevity beyond our genes. They also discuss how emerging technologies, from wearable sensors to genetic risk tools, could make personalized prevention a reality for all.
Oct 15, 2025 • 41min
S9 Ep1: Karl Deisseroth’s Big Idea: Decoding Brain Circuits to Understand the Human Mind
In an episode of his Big Idea series, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Stanford neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, for a conversation about how his groundbreaking research is reshaping our understanding of the brain and the experiences that define us as human. They delve into the origins of optogenetics — a revolutionary technology Deisseroth pioneered using light to map how the brain drives emotion and behavior — and they explore his vision for Stanford Medicine’s Human Neural Circuitry research program. Deisseroth also reflects on the beauty of scientific discovery, the role of humility in research, and how advances in brain science are opening new avenues for understanding and treating mental illness.
Sep 16, 2025 • 40min
S8 Ep7: Fortune AI Editor Jeremy Kahn on How AI Is Rewiring Our Lives
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Jeremy Kahn, award-winning journalist and AI Editor at Fortune, for a conversation about the transformative potential and societal risks of artificial intelligence. They discuss opportunities for AI to accelerate medical breakthroughs and personalize education, as well as the threat of overreliance on AI to critical thinking, writing, and social skills. They also explore how AI is reshaping jobs and business models, the role of regulation in balancing innovation with safety, and the geopolitical stakes as global competition in AI intensifies.
Aug 13, 2025 • 37min
S8 Ep6: Wellcome Leap CEO Regina Dugan on Practicing Innovation as a Discipline
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Regina Dugan, CEO of Wellcome Leap, for a conversation about how to tackle complex global challenges through bold innovation. They discuss why emotional engagement is essential to achieving scientific progress, how high-risk, high-reward models can translate to health research, and the importance of addressing underfunded areas, such as women’s health. They also explore strategies for removing barriers to innovation and how redefining failure can lead to more meaningful progress.
Jul 16, 2025 • 42min
S8 Ep5: JPMorganChase Vice Chairman Peter Scher on How Corporate Responsibility is Good for Business
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes JPMorganChase Vice Chairman Peter Scher for a conversation about the evolving role of corporate responsibility and its intersection with business strategy. They discuss Scher’s leadership in JPMorganChase’s $200 million investment to revitalize the city of Detroit, as well as the firm’s work in other urban environments supporting business and growing communities. They also explore his work with Morgan Health, the firm’s business unit focused on improving the quality and delivery of employer-based health care, and how AI, data, and innovation are reshaping health care.
May 14, 2025 • 35min
S8 Ep4: Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington on Behavioral Changes that Transform Health
Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington for a conversation about the connection between mental health and physical health and how tiny changes to behavior can have a profound impact. They discuss the transformative moment that led to Arianna’s pivot to wellness in 2016, and they explore the potential for AI to democratize personalized health coaching and make a meaningful difference across communities.
Apr 9, 2025 • 33min
S8 Ep3: Stanford Women's Basketball Legend Tara VanDerveer on Lessons Learned through Coaching
In a special episode recorded in front of a live audience, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Stanford’s legendary women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer for a discussion about her extraordinary 40-year career. They discuss the coaching philosophy that led her teams to three NCAA Championship titles and an Olympic gold medal, along with her approach to developing talent and fostering resilience. They also explore the art of making half-time adjustments, learning as a leader, and the future of women’s athletics.
