Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action
Explore the big ideas and breakthroughs happening at Vanderbilt Health
All Episodes
Equity Blooms Through Hard Work: Shifting Systems Toward Inclusion
Muscles that don’t get used, lose strength. Building a culture of belonging to foster inventive forward-looking research and robust retention requires the consistency and tenacity of a training program. Meet a nurse educator, a geriatrician, and a neurologist who are putting in the hours.
October 23, 2023
Blazing a New Pathway: A Bold Blueprint to Foster Upskilling, Reskilling and Future Colleagues
Companies around the U.S. and world are navigating a re-think about work and learning as shifting expectations and technological leaps upend the status quo. In this episode, discover how trailblazing initiatives at one of Tennessee’s largest employers are reshaping the healthcare landscape while addressing societal and economic pressures.
October 16, 2023
Unveiling the Future: Tech, Trust, and Healthcare Transformation in Nashville
Explore the dynamic intersection of consumer expectations, employer cost challenges, and scalability in healthcare. Discover how the future of healthcare could shape your world. Join us on a journey of transformative possibilities in this episode.
October 9, 2023
From an inkling to Iceland: The inventive path toward a genetic ‘Rosetta Stone’
Transformative change takes intergenerational vision, discipline and commitment. Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s CEO and leaders in genetic research explain how ideas stemming from the 1990s sparked a new global alliance that will help write the future of medicine.
October 2, 2023
Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action Season 4
Flashes of ideas can turn into guiding lights. Visionaries and trailblazers shape innovations of the future through passion projects. Season 4 explores how yesterday’s passion projects are changing the world for us today–and spotlights the people and ideas poised to make seismic shifts in the future.
September 25, 2023
GenAI, You, and Medicine: A long history with new opportunities and risks
A panel of nationally recognized experts in AI, machine learning, ethics and clinical applications talk about the long history of AI in medicine, and how ChatGPT and similars are changing how they think about trust, the public, and research
August 14, 2023
Equity, Energy, Action: The climate opportunity
In this excerpt from a Climate x Health Twitter Spaces live chat experts from Vanderbilt, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Philips take an expansive look at the disparities of climate change and its impact on health and well-being now and in the future. Listen in to hear how health and climate are fused and get ideas on how to find sustainability opportunities in medicine, research and business. This conversation was hosted live from the AAMC conference in Nashville.
January 16, 2023
Producer’s Cut: Nashville’s Opportunity: Eco-Action or Anxiety
In this excerpt from a Climate x Health Twitter Spaces live chat, experts from Vanderbilt, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and others discuss hope and want listeners to be energetic and reject “doomerism” while embracing reality and emphasizing teamwork without ego to accomplish individual and systemic goals. This conversation was hosted live from the AAMC conference in Nashville.
January 9, 2023
How To… DIY Climate Action
So you want to start infusing climate best practices into your workflow and ensure climate becomes a part of your protocol or criteria – but how?! Listen in as these Vanderbilt Health non-climate scientist leaders give hands-on, real world ideas that stem from how they pivoted their focus to take on climate change.
November 14, 2022
How To… Fill In The Knowledge Gap
The roots of climate change–human-made emissions–and effects of the shifting environment range from microscopic impacts to mega-storms. Physician scientists are assessing how transitions, such as fossil fuel-powered vehicles to EVs, impact health care costs and our health – and whether invisible particles around us have long-term links to cancer. Listen to a Vanderbilt Health pediatric trauma surgeon on how he preps for inevitable forces of nature – be it Mother Nature or human nature.
November 7, 2022
How To… Be A Climate Changemaker
Get inspired to forge creative ways to influence people around you, and get some ideas on how to increase your own climate literacy. Vanderbilt Health physicians at various stages of their career explain how they are leading the charge to fuse climate literacy and awareness into their specialties, their clinics and their patients’ lives.
October 31, 2022
What’s Next? New Pathways For Suicide Prevention
We don’t live our lives in healthcare systems. Listen to how three inspiring researchers are building new systems, leveraging technology and influencing policy to alleviate the toll of suicide.
September 26, 2022
Surviving vs. Thriving: Social Determinants of Wellness
Does your environment affect your health and wellbeing? Explore what prevents you from bringing your whole self to work, school and your personal relationships. Experts weigh in on the question: Can you thrive if your mental and physical health aren’t in sync?
September 19, 2022
Reading, Writing and Anxiety
Psychiatrists break down what children are experiencing, how they might be processing it, and what’s happening in a system unequipped to triage, treat, or prevent the ever-increasing prevalence of mental health diagnosis in children and adolescents.
September 12, 2022
Shapeshifters: Changing the Mental Health Story
Communities and culture affect everyone’s mental health. Experts from Vanderbilt Health explain why the mental health system needs a new shape – and why we’re all shapeshifters of sorts when it comes to our mental wellbeing.
September 5, 2022
Producer’s Cut: Mental Health x Teens
First step toward better collective mental wellbeing? Talking about mental health. So that’s what DNA did. This episode is a snippet of a ListenDNA live conversation on Twitter featuring experts from Vanderbilt Health and teens from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee discussing how to break through the stigma.
August 22, 2022
Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action Season 3
Season 3 is bursting with new elements to spark collaboration and conversation. Check out gold moments from the first four episodes that explore why mental wellness is a pursuit, not a destination, and how it’s influenced by the people and environment around us.
August 8, 2022
Where do broken hearts go?
Modern medicine doesn't have a tonic for lovesick hearts, but an astounding number of people get heart transplantations in Nashville, TN. The path to transplantation is as much of an emotional rollercoaster as an exhibit of advances, courage and despair. Hear what it takes to make sure hearts keep beating well into the future.
October 25, 2021
‘Think Deeply:’ What Matters To You?
The ultimate goal is to live confidently and enjoy life on our terms. Let’s make sure we’re leaving on the same note. It’s a script flip: this episode isn’t morbid; it’s a sign to prioritize your values and wishes. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
October 18, 2021
Mutant Ninjas: How Researchers Are Conquering Viruses
While most of us hunkered down as COVID-19 swept the U.S., these experts stepped up to examine the latest chapter of the age-old human-pathogen relationship. Dive into what fuels them, what keeps them up at night and why it’s vital to keep up the chase to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses, such as influenza.
October 11, 2021
Climate Is Us
Climate change is the ultimate social determinant of health so let’s amplify its impact on our wellbeing and our ecosystems, and make it a variable in decision-making. We’re all neighbors on this planet: research, health and prosperity depend on action.
October 4, 2021
Step It Up
Clinical trials are the workhorse of research that move all types of care forward. But it’s a Herculean task to get people enrolled. Hear what needs to change as research learns from the COVID-19 sprint — and why we should be rolling up the proverbial sleeve.
September 27, 2021
Throw out the Textbook
There is no return to a pre-COVID routine. Healthcare industry is undergoing a seismic transformation amid COVID-19, and these Vanderbilt experts are at the heart of it all. Learn how amplifying teamwork, representation, and research are central to battling misinformation and saving more lives.
September 20, 2021
Y’all Means All
Communities are powered by people—and the variety of lives, jobs, schedules, and skills keep cities buzzing. Providing care means healthcare has to show up for "y’all" no matter the gender identity, work schedule, or preferred language.
September 13, 2021
Go Boldly: Stigma, the gut, and young adult colon cancer
Get loud about what happens in the bathroom. You might find this awkward, but these 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.
September 6, 2021
I See You: Humanizing Critical Care
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.
August 30, 2021
Blueprint for a 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.
August 23, 2021
Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action Season 2
Explore trust, authenticity and inclusivity in the era of COVID-19 on Season 2 – as well as climate change, evolving ICU care, health equity, why hard conversations matter, and why the rise in young adult colon cancer rates means it's time to bust the stigma (and more!). New episodes drop every week starting Aug. 23. Enjoy this sneak peek.
August 16, 2021
Local Heroes: REDCap’s Innovation Nation
The “big science” fueling health and medicine discoveries is often powered by REDCap, which has 1.4 million global users—and counting as COVID-19 studies pop up. Its creator explores how local heroes are mission critical to versatility and its popularity.
October 12, 2020
Everybody Thrive Now: Why Health Policy Matters
From treating babies with opioid withdrawal to setting prices for life-saving treatments and medications, health care policy decisions have a direct impact on our quality of life.
October 5, 2020
Dr. Superman: Diversity and Inclusion
2020 is a pivotal moment as society and institutions confront racism, bias and inclusion in health care and the U.S. A cardiologist, a pediatric trauma surgeon and a director of innovation explain why change is requisite for health, well-being and children.
September 28, 2020
The Genome Files: How #bigdata Tailors Treatment
Precision (personalized) medicine takes the guesswork out of treatment, and it all begins with a single data point. Studying one to understand all.
September 21, 2020
Ripple Effect: COVID-19 Upends Health & Society
COVID-19, a newcomer to the human menagerie, is unleashing tectonic shifts and magnifying cracks in society and health care. Vanderbilt Health physicians guiding us through this era pinpoint what needs to change and how far this pandemic will reverberate.
September 14, 2020
Shadow Influence: Imposter Syndrome
Inhibitions from imposter syndrome, while not a disorder, can amplify the fear of phoniness and spoil achievements. Delve into possible roots of imposter syndrome, the neurology of anxiety, and how your origin story may be a germ.
September 7, 2020
Being Human: Neurosurgeons on the Unknown
We’re realizing the brain is more of a collection of cities linked by highways rather than isolated regions. Neurosurgeons explore how fully mapping the interplay could give insight into who we are – and how long it might take to do it.
August 31, 2020
The Lenses We Wear: Unconscious Bias
If you’re alive you have bias: Our brains process 11 million bits a second so those that surface are the lens through which we see. The problem arises that lens becomes a compass. Reflect on how cracking our lens helps us see clearer.
August 24, 2020
Vaccines: Pandemics vs Prosperity
Start here: how did the social good and necessity of vaccines get up for debate? Then hear why diseases are hopscotching around the world faster than ever, how tech is evolving, and how leading physician-scientists want us to talk about vaccines.
August 17, 2020
The Futurist: Your Life, Your Genes, Your Care
When the global pandemic arrived in Nashville, a telehealth sprint launched to keep people in sync with their medical care. Now, look into the future with Vanderbilt Health leaders to imagine a system that fuses genes, life and care for better health.
August 10, 2020
Introducing Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action
Vanderbilt Health DNA brings you the big ideas and breakthroughs in science, tech and medicine from Vanderbilt Health. New episodes will drop here every week – sharing insights on COVID-19, neurosurgery, vaccines, imposter syndrome and more. Enjoy this sneak peak, before the first episode drops August 10.
July 17, 2020
About Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action
Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action explores the big ideas and breakthroughs in COVID-19, neurosurgery, vaccine research, imposter syndrome and more – all happening at Vanderbilt Health. Our drive to discover, care, learn and share is in our DNA. It defines who we are, just as your DNA defines you.
Never miss Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action
Join Our NewsletterWe gratefully acknowledge the many organizations that have generously supported our podcasts and platform.
Network Sponsors and Advertisers
Event and Media Partners
