Season 2 of Vanderbilt Health DNA Podcast Launches

Season 2 of the award-winning Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action podcast—designed to spark conversations about medicine, health and society—is now up and ready for download.

The first season launched in August 2020 and has been downloaded tens of thousands of times in more than 80 countries. In its first season, more than 30 experts talked candidly about the impact of COVID-19, unconscious bias, health equity, impostor syndrome, neurosurgery and vaccine hesitancy. It was named the Healthcare Podcast of the Year at the 2021 Healthcare and IT Marketing Community (HITMC) Awards.

New episodes are dropping every week starting Mon., Aug. 23. Follow and subscribe to the series, "Vanderbilt Health DNA," anywhere you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyStitcher and Pandora.  

Don't miss the new trailer, and here's a preview of each episode's topic:

  • Episode 1, Aug. 23: Pandemic Ready Society
    The next pathogen is inevitable. The good news: the human immune system is a dynamic information system that can be boosted and educated. Getting ready, and staying ready, means shifting how the global “we” talk about, and plan for, survival. 
    Guests: Dr. James Crowe, Dr. Rob Carnahan, Dr. Keipp Talbot
     
  • Episode 2, Aug. 30: How COVID-19 Changed Perception and the ICU
    The pandemic introduced critical care, or the ICU, to millions of people who worried about ventilators and hospital beds. Find out why an ICU stay is unlike other in-patient admissions and why the specialty exists. Critical care doctors talk about their COVID-19 experience and explain why it’s vital to make sure patients keep their dignity.
    Guests: Dr. Wes Ely, Dr. Carla Sevin, Dr. Shawniqua Williams-Roberson
     
  • Episode 3, Sept. 6: Go Boldly: Stigma, the Gut, and Young Adult Colon Cancer
    Get loud about what happens in the bathroom. You might find this awkward, but our four experts don’t because there’s a rise in young adult colon cancer. Find out why you need to be cognizant of what you flush, and explore research on the gut’s microbiome.
    Guests: Dr. Mariana Byndloss, Dr. Cathy Eng, Dr. Andreana Holowatyj, Dr. Reid Ness
     
  • Episode 4, Sept. 13: Y'all Means All: Giving Everyone the Chance to Be Healthy
    A conversation on trust, representation, diversity, equity and inclusion.
    Guests: Dr. Jarod Parrish, Dr. Consuelo Wilkins, Del Ray Zimmerman
     
  • Episode 5, Sept. 20: Throw Out the Textbook: Trust and Health Amid Misinformation in the COVID Age
    Guests: Dr. Laveil Allen, Shon Dwyer, Dr. Kimryn Rathmell
     
  • Episode 6, Sept. 27: Step It Up: We Need Clinical Trials—And They Need Us
    Guests: Lisa Bastarache, Dr. Jane Freedman, Dr. Karen Winkfield
     
  • Episode 7, Oct. 4: Climate Is Us: Why Climate Change is Healthcare’s Lane
    Guests: Dr. Reed Omary, Dr. Louise Rollins-Smith, Carol Zeigler, MSN
     
  • Episode 8, Oct. 11: Mutant Ninjas: How Researchers Are Conquering Viruses
    Guests: Dr. Natasha Halasa, Dr. Andrea Pruijssers, Dr. Seth Zost
     
  • Episode 9, Oct. 18: Think Deeply: What Matters to You? Dare to Have Tough Conversations
    Reframing conversations about end-of-life care: Instead of focusing on dying, ask instead, "What goals do you want to achieve?"
    Guests: Dr. Uchenna Anani, Dr. Jeff Balser, Dr. Mariu Duggan
     
  • Episode 10, Oct. 25: And the Beat Goes On: Heart Transplants
    Guests: Dr. Lesley Omary, Dr. Kelly Schlendorf, Dr. Ashish Shah

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