University of California Video Podcasts (Video)

Authentic autism representation begins with listening to autistic people and including them in stories about their lives. Seth Bakke, producer, writer and director of The Rescue, explains how his autistic cousin Aaron and a poem by autistic typer Peter Tran inspired the film. Bakke describes working with Aaron on screen, consulting the Tran family and adapting the set to support his needs. Autistic typers Otto Lana and Peter Tran, joined by Steven Tran, a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego, discuss where the film reflects their experiences, where it simplifies communication through typing and why creative freedom must remain grounded in lived experience. They address presuming competence, the difference between hearing and listening, and the need for autistic actors and advisers. Their participation challenges stereotypes and helps audiences see they should be full participants in their own stories. Series: "Autism Tree Project Annual Neuroscience Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 41175]

Scientific progress depends on curiosity, investment and the freedom to take risks. Nobel Laureate and UC San Diego alumnus Fred Ramsdell traces his path from community college to biotechnology and a discovery that reshaped understanding of immune regulation. He explains how decades of publicly funded research made that breakthrough possible and why failed experiments are essential steps toward discovery. Ramsdell discusses threats to federal research funding, the private sector’s limited tolerance for risk and the need for scientists to communicate clearly. Rebuilding trust, he argues, starts with listening, finding shared values and explaining how basic research leads to new treatments, economic value and national security. Sustained support for science matters because no one can predict where the next major breakthrough will begin. Series: "Deep Look Public Speaker Series" [Science] [Show ID: 41113]

Climate and environmental change affect reproductive health and pregnancy in important ways. Dr. Marya Zlatnik explains how petrochemicals, climate change, and everyday chemical exposures can shape reproductive resilience and pregnancy outcomes. Zlatnik helps clarify how people can protect reproductive well-being in a changing climate with informed, resilience-building choices. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41547]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Althea Robinson Shelton, Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses sleep in children with neurodevelopmental differences. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41466]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, moderator Judy Mark and panelists Elizabeth Barrios Gomez, Mulugeta Tadele, Kyungshil Choi discuss the challenges and solutions for serving immigrant clients. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41467]

What is a decision, and why does decision-making matter in politics, history, war, and public life? This panel examines how decisions differ from choices, when decisions become political, and how theories of rational choice, game theory, cognitive bias, neuroscience, and emotion shape our understanding of judgment. They explore how constitutional, legal, cultural, and social frameworks influence government decision-making, with special attention to decisions for or against war. And they trace how history uses moments of decision to explain sovereignty, leadership, democracy, authoritarianism, and crises such as climate change. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 41450]

Rome survived for 2,000 years. Edward Watts explores the long history of the Roman state and the lessons it offers for the modern world. From its beginnings as a small Italian city-state to its transformation into a Christian empire centered in Constantinople, Rome maintained a remarkable sense of political continuity across centuries of cultural and religious change. Watts examines how Roman institutions adapted over time and how the Fourth Crusade and capture of Constantinople ultimately destroyed the foundations that sustained the state for generations. Watts highlights the importance of resilient institutions and the dangers of disrupting the systems that preserve political stability and continuity. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41602]

Hard optimization problems often look impossible through worst-case analysis, but real-world problems can contain structure that helps algorithms work faster. Ellen Vitercik, Ph.D., of Stanford University explains how machine learning can improve algorithm design for NP-hard optimization problems while preserving the formal guarantees that make solvers useful. She discusses beyond worst-case analysis, problem-specific heuristics, and the gap between tools that perform well in practice and methods that prove optimality. Vitercik also describes research on LLM reasoning using data structure tasks, where answers can be checked programmatically and failures reveal when models rely on pattern matching rather than true generalization. Her work helps clarify how AI may support stronger algorithms, more useful benchmarks, and more reliable reasoning systems. Series: "Data Science Channel" [Science] [Show ID: 41179]

Heart regeneration faces two connected challenges: replacing lost muscle and keeping transplanted cells safe and accepted by the body. Charles Murry, M.D., Ph.D., of USC explains why the adult heart heals major cardiomyocyte loss with scar tissue rather than new muscle, leading to progressive heart failure. Murry describes how stem cell derived cardiomyocytes can be manufactured at scale, transplanted into injured hearts, and tested for function in animal models. He also examines major barriers, including graft related arrhythmias, calcium handling stress, immune rejection, and the need for practical immunosuppression or immune edited cells. By connecting cell manufacturing, electrophysiology, immunology, and clinical trial planning, this research shows why heart regeneration is difficult and why careful translation matters for patients with severe heart injury. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40853]

In an age obsessed with expertise, certainty, and endless self-optimization, author and journalist Simone Stolzoff invites audiences to rediscover the power of curiosity, humility, and not having all the answers. His new book, How to Not Know, challenges the cultural pressure to define ourselves by what we do or what we know—and instead celebrates the richness of uncertainty as a pathway to creativity, empathy, and authentic connection. [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41267]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Paul Glassman, Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Community Engagement, College of Dental Medicine, California Northstate University, discusses dental care for people with developmental disabilities. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41462]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Kavitha Murthi,Assistant Professor, Rutgers University, discusses occupational therapy for autistic people. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41463]

Hematopoietic stem cells make blood across the lifespan, but they do not all behave the same way. Stephanie Xie, Ph.D., Scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, examines how these rare cells self-renew, differentiate, and respond to inflammatory stress, asking whether differences in the stem cell pool help explain why aging affects people so differently. Xie identifies two hematopoietic stem cell subsets, including one that retains inflammatory memory after stress recovery, and connects this state to aging, clonal hematopoiesis, sickle cell disease, post-COVID recovery, and mortality risk markers in blood. Her research also raises questions about whether targeting the inflammatory environment, including through GLP-1 receptor agonists or metformin, could help mitigate clonal hematopoiesis. Understanding these patterns could clarify how inflammation shapes blood production, cancer risk, and immune health over time. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 41406]

Adolescent health affects the well-being of teen girls in important ways. Dr. Jenifer Matthews and Dr. David Becker explain how hormonal change and emerging technology shape physical and mental health. Matthews examines acne, PMS, and menstrual cycle irregularities, and offers integrative approaches to supporting teen hormonal balance, including key nutritional strategies and simple, safe herbal medicine options. Becker considers social media, AI companions, and integrative mental health care, helping clarify how teens can be supported through rapid change. This work helps explain common adolescent challenges and points toward practical, whole-person strategies. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41545]

What does it mean to rethink religion from the ground up? University of Colorado's religious studies professor Sam Gill draws on biology, philosophy, and decades of research and dance practice to argue that we are moving, whole organisms before we are divided into mind and body. Gill proposes that humans possess a biologically enabled capacity to hold together what we know to be different as if it were the same—a dynamic that underlies the powers of metaphor, masking, dancing, ritual action, symbol, and language. Through vivid examples from Hopi initiation, Javanese shadow puppetry and dance, and Navajo prayer ceremonials, Gill shows how religious actions create worlds, identities, and enduring cultural coherence. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41541]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Stacey Kenfield, ScD, discusses diet and exercise. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41555]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Will Chen discusses PET-directed radiation for Oligometastatic Disease. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41559]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Arpita Desai discusses metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41560]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Robin Wilson-Beattie, Disability and Sexual and Reproductive Health Educator, discusses sexual health. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41469]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Ivan de Kouchkovsky discusses radioligand therapy. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41561]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Julian Hong discusses radiation therapy. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41551]

Space healthcare depends on connected health data that can follow people wherever care happens. Peter DeVault, Epic, explains how electronic health record tools built for hospitals, labs, and patients can also support healthcare in space. DeVault describes patient-facing tools like MyChart, interoperability across health systems, structured genomics and pharmacogenomics in the patient record, and Cosmos, Epic’s patient data aggregation platform with about 300 million longitudinal records. He also examines AI capabilities that can generate possible future health scenarios and expand to telemetry and molecular data collected before, during, and after a mission. This work helps explain how records, data sharing, and predictive tools could support astronaut health and resilience and why those capabilities may be necessary for the future of space medicine. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 41481]

Understanding the causes of autism matters for families, public health, and public trust in science. Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D., UC San Diego, explains what research actually shows about the causes of autism and how scientists separate strong evidence from misleading correlations. Sebat examines genetics, de novo mutations, twin studies, developmental regression, and the interplay of genes and environment, helping clarify why autism cannot be reduced to a single trigger. He also addresses why rising diagnoses do not necessarily reflect a simple rise in symptoms and why better research design is essential when studying environmental influences. This work helps explain what science does and does not support and points toward a more rigorous understanding of autism. Series: "Autism Tree Project Annual Neuroscience Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41177]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Samuel Washington discusses active surveillance of prostate cancer. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41549]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, the UCSF Patient Services Committee and California Prostate Cancer Coalition present a panel discussion on resources. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41554]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Peter Carroll discusses biochemical recurrence. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41556]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Hari Srinivasan, Rishi Jena, and Héctor Manuel Ramírez discuss mental health and self advocacy. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41456]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Carissa Chu discusses surgery for prostate cancer. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41550]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Terence Friedlander discusses optimizing bone health. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41540]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. I-Chow (Joe) Hsu discusses brachytherapy. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41552]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Matthew Cooperberg discusses focal therapy. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41553]

Autism research affects how autistic people and families receive support, care, and opportunities to participate in daily life. A panel with autistic, family, clinical, and research perspectives discusses the world of autism research and how it can better serve the people it is meant to support. The program examines quality of life priorities, co-occurring conditions, accessible study design, community trust, fair compensation, and the need to include people often left out of research. Panelists also consider how researchers can communicate more clearly, involve autistic people and families earlier, and move beyond theory toward work with real-world value. Their perspectives help clarify why autism research must be shaped by the needs, experiences, and priorities of autistic people and families. Series: "Autism Tree Project Annual Neuroscience Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41176]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Benjamin Breyer discusses sexual wellness. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41537]

Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben has helped shape how the world understands climate change. In this conversation with Marco Werman, host of The World, McKibben offers a clear-eyed look at the climate crisis and the solutions that could help reduce the damage of a warming planet. As part of the Burke Lectureship at UC San Diego, McKibben also explores the moral and spiritual questions at the heart of climate change. More than three decades after The End of Nature brought climate change to a broad audience, his work continues to connect science, ethics, and grassroots action, including the global climate campaign 350.org and the fossil fuel divestment movement. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41265]

How does global warming connect to the extreme weather people experience close to home? Drawing on the work of the Weather Extremes and Climate Impacts Analytics group, Sasha Gershunov of Scripps Institution of Oceanography outlines the accelerating warming trend, the role of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide, and the greenhouse effect, and how it relates to extreme weather. He also traces key milestones in climate science, including the long-term carbon dioxide measurements begun by Charles David Keeling. The discussion then turns to how climate change may affect heat waves, floods, droughts, storms, wildfires, and sea level rise. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 41412]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Cornelia Ding what to look for on the prostate cancer biopsy report. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41533]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, UCSF's Dr. Joan Jeung discusses trauma informed care. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41457]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Javid Moslehi discusses managing the cardiovascular effects of ADT. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41539]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Lindsay Hampson discusses managing lower urinary tract symptoms. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41536]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Michael Rabow discusses how to manage ADT-related adverse effects. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41538]

Microgravity can change biological systems in ways that may open new paths for biomedical research and commercialization in space. Twyman Clements, Space Tango, explains how “middleware” helps connect research use cases with space infrastructure by adapting terrestrial processes and supply chains for a spaceflight environment. Clements examines how long-duration microgravity creates different physical conditions, how Space Tango packages experiments into flight-ready lab systems, and how commercial space stations and reentry systems could help increase scale, throughput, and production value. He also points to more robotic systems that could support on-orbit sampling, imaging, and experiment assembly. This work helps explain how space-based biomedical research could move beyond small experimental missions and toward more practical, scalable platforms for discovery and development Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Science] [Show ID: 41480]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Matthew R. Cooperberg discusses when and how to biospsy for prostate cancer. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41532]

As part of the 2026 UCSF Patient Conference on Prostate Cancer, Dr. Matthew R. Cooperberg discusses the latest on prostate cancer. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41531]

Stem cell health in space matters for astronaut health and cancer research. Jessica Pham, UC San Diego, explains how spaceflight shapes normal hematopoietic stem cells and cancer stem cells through nano bioreactor studies, astronaut blood analysis, and tumor organoid work in low-Earth orbit. Pham examines increased cycling and reduced dormancy in space, reduced self-renewal after return, and ongoing research on cancer stem cells and their microenvironment, helping clarify how stem cells respond to spaceflight. This work helps explain how space conditions may change stem cell fitness over time and points toward a better understanding of astronaut health, long-duration missions, and cancer stem cell behavior. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 41477]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Dean Blumberg, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, discusses vaccine skepticism and public policy. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41461]

Privacy-preserving computation can help hospitals and researchers use sensitive health data without exposing it. Farinaz Koushanfar, Ph.D., UC San Diego, explains how secure computation and distributed learning make it possible to collaborate on medical data while protecting patient privacy. Koushanfar examines secure multi-party computation, zero-knowledge proofs, and federated and split learning, helping clarify how health systems can work together despite data silos, incompatibility, security threats, and re-identification risk. This work helps explain how medical AI can learn from private data more safely and points toward more secure, robust, and trustworthy healthcare systems. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 41367]

In this excerpt, Dr. Natalie Marshall focuses on high intensity interval training, or HIIT. Dr. Marshall discusses the health benefits of HIIT which can be achieved in a short amount of time. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41186]

Dr. Lindsay Hampson discusses urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction following prostate cancer treatment, emphasizing that both are common and treatable. She explains the different types of incontinence—stress, urge, mixed, and overflow—and outlines how understanding the cause helps guide treatment. Options include pelvic floor physical therapy, medications, surgical interventions like slings or artificial sphincters, and supportive devices. Dr. Hampson also reviews effective strategies for managing erectile dysfunction, such as oral medications, vacuum devices, injections, and penile implants. She highlights the importance of shared decision-making and reassures patients that even small symptoms can significantly affect quality of life and deserve attention. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40814]

Neurosurgeons at UCSF, led by Drs. Edward Chang and Anthony Lee, present a “contactless” microvascular decompression (MVD) approach for trigeminal neuralgia using a pericranium sling. This technique repositions the offending blood vessel with the patient’s own pericranial tissue, avoiding synthetic materials like Teflon. By eliminating foreign implants, it reduces risks of inflammation, granuloma formation, persistent nerve compression, and implant movement. These doctors report that transposition techniques using either pericranium or Teflon slings may provide more durable pain relief than interposition methods. However, all MVD approaches studied significantly reduced pain for patients with this debilitating condition, offering safer and potentially longer-lasting outcomes. Series: "UC San Francisco News" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41038]

Radiologist Dr. Julian Hong plains how stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is used to treat oligometastatic prostate cancer—cases where cancer has spread but only to a few limited sites. This approach targets small clusters of metastases with high-dose, image-guided radiation in five or fewer sessions. Hong reviews clinical trial evidence showing that adding focal radiation can improve outcomes, especially when all visible metastases are treated. He highlights the value of modern imaging, like PET scans, in identifying lesions and shaping personalized treatment plans. Studies suggest SBRT offers effective disease control with low toxicity and minimal impact on quality of life, making it a promising option for patients with limited metastatic spread. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40807]