Pitt Medcast

Clifford Brangwynne, a Princeton bioengineer, is the 2023 recipient of the Dickson Prize in Medicine, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's highest honor. He found that biomolecules like proteins can condense into droplets inside of cells, much like oil separating into droplets in water. Scientists are now figuring out how these biomolecular condensates play a role in cell function—which could open new avenues for treating diseases like Alzheimer's and ALS. You can find an excerpt of this conversation in the fall 2023 issue of Pitt Med Magazine. Andrew Doerfler conducted the interview and edited the episode. Our executive producer is Erica Lloyd. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Pitt Med Magazine is published by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Mr. Yuk, the poster child for poisoning prevention, debuted in 1971. On the occasion of his 50th birthday, we caught up with Mr. Yuk’s creator, Dr. Richard Moriarty (MD ’66), a Pitt School of Medicine alumnus and longtime associate professor of pediatrics.   This episode was based on a 2003 Pitt Med magazine story, “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” written by Sally Ann Flecker, and adapted and produced by Elaine Vitone. Our executive producer is Erica Lloyd. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Pitt Med magazine is published by the University of Pittsburgh Office of University Communications and Marketing and the School of Medicine.

Like Daughter, Like Mother Mothers harbor cells from their children decades after pregnancy—and throughout their bodies. These shared cells from pregnancy, do they help or harm women? In February 2020, we sat down with Dr. R. Swati Shree (Res ’14), a Pitt alum who is an expert in this fascinating yet little-known quirk of our biology, known as microchimerism. Our interview was recorded live from the Sci-Mic Podcast Stage at the annual meeting of the world's largest general scientific society, AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). The print version of this interview appears in Pitt Med magazine, which you can find on our website, pittmed.health.pitt.edu. This episode was written and produced by Elaine Vitone, with Maya Best. Our music is by Blue Dot Sessions. Pitt Med magazine is published by the University of Pittsburgh Office of University Communications and Marketing and the School of Medicine.

Episode Notes Evolutionary biology is at the center of some of the most vexing public health challenges of our time: cancer, antibiotic resistance and disease outbreaks. Pitt's Vaughn Cooper has been studying evolution in action for more than a decade. To his amazement, he’s beginning to think it may be possible to predict evolution. In Dec. 2020, we sat down with Cooper to discuss how the emerging field of evolutionary medicine is helping to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode was inspired by these stories in our magazine, Pitt Med: “What Bug’s in You?,” Winter 2021 “Untangling Darwin,” Fall 2017  Written and produced by Elaine Vitone. Our executive producer is Erica Lloyd. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Shekhar on what it takes to be a great teacher and a great leader, and what he’s learned about supporting flourishing partnerships. And then, in a second interview recorded remotely in May 2020, he shares his thoughts on the road ahead in the time of COVID-19.

In Part 2 of our series on Dr. Anantha Shekhar, he talks of the hope and promise of the future of medicine.

In this special three-part series, Pitt Medcast introduces Anantha Shekhar—Pitt’s new senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine. In February 2020, we sat down with him in Pitt Studios to get to know him and hear his insights on the future of medicine and Pitt’s place in it. Then, in May, we called him to talk again, remotely, about the road ahead for Pitt in the post-COVID-19 world. In this episode, Part 1, the MD/PhD and nationally recognized educator, researcher, entrepreneur and leader in medicine, shares his story, his inspiration for pursuing medicine in the first place, and his thoughts on medicine’s most transformative developments in recent years.

Sunday, April 12, 2020, is the 65th anniversary of the announcement that the killed-virus polio vaccine--developed here at the University of Pittsburgh--was safe and effective. To mark the occasion, we bring you the perspective and advice of someone who has faced two frightening disease outbreaks up close. Meet David Harding, a Pitt instructor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. VIDEO SLIDESHOW: https://vimeo.com/406209306

TOUGH QUESTION | How can the medical community help women who are experiencing intimate partner violence? There’s a common assumption that domestic violence must involve broken bones or bruises. But much of intimate partner violence is in the emotionally controlling behaviors and psychological abuse. In this episode, women’s health experts discuss other ways they’re learning that abuse happens. For instance, a partner might trash his girlfriend’s medications, sabotage the car before a doctor’s appointment or use substances to control her. Our guest physicians discuss new strategies that are helping to prevent women from falling through the cracks. Warning: This episode discusses sexual assault and other violence that some listeners might find troubling. Our guests: The University of Pittsburgh’s Judy Chang is an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and of medicine. Elizabeth Miller is the division director of Adolescent-Young Adult Medicine at UPMC Children's Hospital

What was life like before childhood vaccines? In this episode, hear from people who grew up in the shadow of a crippling disease—among them, “polio pioneers,” schoolkids from the clinical trials of Jonas Salk’s killed-virus vaccine. Their accounts tell the story of how ordinary people helped win the struggle against one of the most crippling diseases in history. This Pitt Medcast was inspired by “Among My Souvenirs,” a story from the August 2005 issue of Pitt Med magazine. Written by Elaine Vitone. Production by Janine Faust, Margaret Palko, and Elaine Vitone with additional research by Elaina Zachos and Luisa Garbowit. Executive produced by Erica Lloyd. Sound effects by freesound.org. Special thanks to Pitt alumna Cassie Nespor, curator of the Melnick Medical Museum and University Archives at Youngstown State University, for firing up their refurbished Emerson iron lung for this podcast. Archival audio from Old Time Radio Downloads and Old Radio World. Contemporary news clips by NPR’s All Things Considered.