Master Minds

Today we sat down with Dr. Charles Rice, the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Professor in Virology at Rockefeller University. Dr. Rice is an expert in RNA viruses, viruses that use RNA as opposed to DNA in their genome, and studies the body’s innate immune response to infection. However, he is most known for his work on Hepatitis C Virus, which causes liver disease and cirrhosis if untreated. Dr. Rice was the first to achieve a successful cell culture of Hepatitis C, create a functional clone of the virus, and prove that the virus causes the disease. This work led to the first effective treatments for Hepatitis C, saving millions of lives worldwide and earning Dr. Rice and his collaborators the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Today, we sat down with Dr. David H. Perlmutter, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of Washington University School of Medicine, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. Dean Perlmutter leads one of the largest medical schools in the country, currently ranked #2 in NIH funding among US medical schools nationwide. He is also a pediatric gastroenterologist who is internationally known for his research on autophagy and on alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency or ATD, the latter of which is a genetic disorder resulting in liver damage. We hope you enjoy this episode with Dean David Perlmutter.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

In this episode, we’re talking to the “father of cardiac arrhythmia surgery”, Dr. James Cox. The former Division Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery here at WashU Med, Dr. Cox developed surgical procedures for multiple cardiac arrhythmias, including the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia, automatic atrial tachycardias, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. He is best known for developing the Cox-Maze procedure, the first cure for atrial fibrillation, which he performed for the first time at Barnes Jewish Hospital in 1987. Dr. Cox’s contributions and developments forever changed the field of cardiac surgery and have saved countless lives. We hope you enjoy our fascinating discussion with Dr. Cox as much as we did!

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Today, I sat down with Dr. Brian Kobilka, Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Kobilka is an expert on a class of receptors called G protein-coupled receports, or GPCRs, that are essential in a majority of biological processes including light, flavor, and odor perception and in the activity of adrenalin, dopamine, and serotonin. In fact, currently approximately half of all pharmaceuticals on the market target GPCRs. In the mid 1980s Dr. Kobilka and his colleagues from the Robert Lefkowitz lab were the first to clone the gene for an important GPCR called the beta2-adrenergic receptor, and later he and his collaborators were the first to determine its molecular structure, which served as the basis for understanding all subsequent GPCRs and creating drugs to target them. This work proved to be revolutionary in many areas of science and medicine, such that in 2012, Kobilka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to understanding GPCRs. In this interview, we talk about these amazing findings and the recent advances in understanding this important class of receptors.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Today, we sat down with Professor Mark Alford, theoretical physicist and former chair of the Department of Physics at Washington University. Prof. Alford researches the physics of ultra-high density matter, such as in the core of a neutron star to get insights on how particles behave in situations that we do not encounter on Earth. He has also done important work on characterizing Quantum Chromodynamics, or QCD, which describes the strong interactions between quarks that make up larger particles like protons and neutrons. In this episode, we talk about some of the basics of quantum mechanics and how they are applied in studying astrophysical phenomena. We also touch on some important philosophical questions regarding how to use physics in understanding the nature of reality. We think the episode boils down many complex topics in physics so that anyone with a basic level of understanding will learn a lot.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Today were talking to Dr. Sharon Deem, Director of the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine. Prior to this, Dr. Deem worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Smithsonian National Zoo. A veterinarian and epidemiologist by trade, she is also the current president of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Dr. Deem has conducted conservation and research projects in over 30 countries around the world, many of which are in Africa and South America.  In this episode, we’re going to cover her focus on how disease and environmental changes affect wildlife populations, and her work with endangered species, such as lemurs and turtles.

Today we're talking to Prof. Jonathan Losos, William H. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Biology here at Washington University. Professor Losos is an internationally renowned scholar in the field of evolutionary biology. He also serves as the Director of the Living Earth Collaborative, an academic partnership between WashU, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the St. Louis Zoo to advance the study of biodiversity. His field work has taken him to various islands in the Caribbean and Central America. Currently, his lab at WashU studies the behavioral and evolutionary ecology of lizards, and how wild species adapt to changing urban environments. Their main focus is the Caribbean Anolis lizard, and the behavioral, ecological, functional morphological, and phylogenetic data to study their adaptive radiation.

Dr. Deanna Barch is a psychologist and Vice Dean of Research for the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington University. She is the George B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and former Chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences as well as Professor of Radiology. Dr. Barch is known for her work using neuroimaging to characterize cognitive deficits in patients with mental illness such as schizophrenia. She is one of the principal investigators for the Human Connectome Project, a multi-institutional effort to map connectivity in the healthy human brain to improve our understanding of how it is altered by disease and development. In this interview, we talk about schizophrenia and its treatment and risk factors, how brain connectivity develops, and tools to improve mental health, among other fascinating topics. Dr. Barch is an expert on the brain and was generous to share much of the results of her very productive career, so we hope you enjoy this episode.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Prof. W.E. Moerner is the Harry S. Mosher Professor of Chemistry, Professor, by courtesy, of Applied Physics at Stanford University, and WashU alum! Professor Moerner is a physical chemist, a scientist that studies chemical processes using physics. In 1989, he and his postdoc developed a method that accomplished the first ever optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule, something that was previously thought to be impossible. Single molecule spectroscopy laid the groundwork for using fluorescence in individual molecules to study processes inside living cells. This technique, called super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, was revolutionary because it enabled scientists to attain high resolution images of the nanoworld that was previously invisible to us. For this work, Professor Moerner was jointly awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the highest honor for any scientist in the world. The Moerner Lab continues to develop single molecule microscopy by developing methods for 2D and 3D super resolution imaging of cells. Some of their current projects include measuring amyloid aggregation in neurons, studying protein localization patterns in bacteria, and quantifying dynamics of photosynthetic proteins.

Professor Moerner’s work has contributed to many areas of physics, chemistry, and biology, so it is important to understand exactly how the study of single molecules is possible. Not only is he a brilliant scientist, but he is a fantastic communicator of his work, and we learned a lot from this interview so we hope you enjoy this episode.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Dr. Albert H. Kim is the August A. Busch Jr. Professor of Neurological Surgery, Senior Vice-Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Professor of Genetics, Neurology, and Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine. He is also the inaugural Director of the Washington University Brain Tumor Center and Surgical Director of the Pituitary Center. Dr. Kim is an expert in glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. His laboratory studies the ways that glioblastoma arises as well as ways to treat it through targeting genetics, metabolism, and the immune system in addition to the use of high powered lasers to thermally ablate tumors. As one of the researchers in his lab, I can attest to Dr. Kim’s true brilliance as a physician and scientist, so I hope you enjoy this episode.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Background music: En Plein Air by L'Esprit d'Sfign

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode.en

Dr. Ali Ellebedy is the Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, of Medicine, and of Molecular Biology at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Ellebedy’s research surrounds B cell immune responses and he has made outstanding contributions to studying the COVID-19 virus. His work on the influenza virus informed initial vaccine development efforts, and his lab was instrumental in detailing responses to Moderna and Pfizer vaccine trials. In the height of the pandemic, his team published 41 manuscripts, and his work has been acknowledged by leading scientists around the world. This one was an honor...and a blast!

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Dr. Michael Diamond is an infectious diseases specialist and the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Diamond is widely recognized for his research on RNA viruses, particularly West Nile virus and Zika virus, contributing much to their molecular basis and immunity. His work as Associate Director of the Bursky Center for Human Immunology has led to the development of many antiviral therapies for these viruses. Recently, his lab has studied the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and led the development of the first nasal vaccine against COVID-19. For his work, Dr. Diamond has received immense recognition including the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award and elections to the National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Medicine, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Microbiology. Dr. Diamond has been hugely influential in the field of virology and I learned a lot from this interview, so I hope you enjoy this episode.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Today, we are taking a deep dive into the brain to learn about psychology of memories. We sat down with Dr. Henry Roediger, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences here at WashU and co author of the book, “Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning”. Dr. Roediger has been a pioneer in studying memory accessibility and retrieval, particularly false memories. Our conversation spanned topics from improving the Navy SEAL’s training to testing the reliability of eyewitness accounts in court.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

In this episode of the podcast, we’re taking a slight detour from our usual guest, and I couldn’t be more excited. Professor Rebecca Messbarger wears many hats, among them, Professor of Art History and Global Studies, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Italian, and Co-founder and Director of Medical Humanities here at WashU. This episode is a fascinating dive into how literature and art, both ancient and new, inform modern medicine. We talk about medieval history and Boccacio’s Decameron and Frankenstein, and a lot more. And who knows, maybe after hearing Professor Messbarger talk, you too will find yourself, a pious pre-med, making room in your schedule to dabble in the humanities.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

We were so excited to have the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Michael Kinch: author, scientist, and Associate Vice Chancellor at WashU. Dr. Kinch has a scientific background in cancer and immunological and infectious diseases. He founded and currently directs the Centers for Research Innovation in Biotechnology and Drug Development here at WashU. In this episode, we’ll discuss Dr. Kinch’s contributions to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, his research on drug discovery and rollout, and his analysis on price increases in the pharmaceutical industry.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

We are so excited to have had the opportunity to sit down with Chancellor Emeritus of Washington University in St. Louis, Mark Wrighton. Over the course of twenty four years, he oversaw the establishment of the East End and several important endowed professorships, which brought renowned faculty members to Washington University. But what many don't know is that Wrighton made a name for himself in the world of chemistry by making major contributions to photochemistry and energy research that have grand implications for climate change mitigation. Listen now to hear about the former Chancellor’s career in chemistry, his leading role in Washington University’s rise over the last twenty years, and why his colleagues at MIT knew him as 'Magic Mark'.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox is the co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy at the Institute of Public Health here at WashU. By trade, she is both a Duke/Harvard-trained physician and health policy researcher. She now focuses on how to best improve healthcare administration—Where should hospitals funnel the most money into? What is the most equitable payment model? How do we make care more accessible across vulnerable populations? If you have ever asked any of these questions, but like me, have also been too turned off by American politics to research this stuff yourself, this episode is so for you.

You're listening to Master Minds.

Dr. Nupur Ghoshal is a physician-scientist and associate professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the WashU School of Medicine. She primarily treats patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Her research focuses on the tau protein, a molecule that forms neurofibrillary tangles in the brain and has shown to be a promising biomarker for Alzheimer’s. Dr. G is also a committed medical educator, holding many teaching positions throughout WashU at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels. In this episode, we discuss the exciting “final frontier”-like aspect of neuroscience and how doctors and researchers at WashU are revolutionizing care for patients with neurological diseases.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Dr. Green is a physician and scientist in the Department of Pediatrics at the WashU School of Medicine. Her practice and research focus on the etiology of genome instability in pediatric cancers and the resulting genome-protective responses, also called DNA damage responses, that are central to them. She spent her residency and fellowship at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and is double board certified in infectious diseases and hematology-oncology. Her journey to get where she is today is both exciting and impressive, and started at the mere age of 7 years old. In this episode, we discuss everything from how leukemia is diagnosed to how COVID-19 is affecting patient care.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Today, I’m talking to Dr. Julia Lopez—public health researcher, licensed social worker, and instructor at the Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Lopez focuses her work on addressing gaps in research and clinical care in the areas of sexual and gender minority health, racial disparities, HIV care, and women’s health. Her goal is to provide a platform for these populations through practice, research and community collaboration.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Technology is heavily ingrained in the process of voting. From presidential polling to biased news sources and the media, the advent of digital communication has co-opted the process of informing ourselves and choosing the candidates we want to support. It seems that we are in need of a trusty third-party to hand us the facts. So today I’m talking with Terry Crandall—economics professor, realtor, entrepreneur, and founder of VotingSmarter, an unbiased, apolitical voting resource and app. Remember: “No more blind votes! No more election-night stands!”

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Today I’m talking to Dr. Pankaj Vij, wellness physician, speaker, and author of the book Turbo Metabolism. Dr. Vij is passionate about preventing and reversing metabolic diseases by treating their root causes. He is a Director of the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance and the Chief Architect of Crack the Wellness Code - a global community platform for health promotion. Personally, I’m interested in his extremely successful holistic approach to medicine.

Title music: World Is Holding Hands by WinnieTheMoog

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode