podcast

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #34 Stephan Guyenet, PhD – Childhood Obesity Part IV – Neuroscience of Food Choice

This week, I sit down with Dr. Stephan J. Guyenet, a neuroscientist, thinker and educator.  After earning a BS in biochemistry at the University of Virginia, he completed a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Washington, then went on to study the neuroscience of obesity and eating behavior as a postdoctoral fellow.  He has over 12 years of history in the neuroscience research world studying neurodegenerative disease and the neuroscience of body fatness.  His mission is to advance science and public health as a researcher, science consultant, and science communicator.  Publishing a book, The Hungry Brain, in 2017, he laid out the framework for understanding how our brains work with food. It was named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly and called “essential” by the New York Times Book Review.

Finally, he is the founder and director of Red Pen Reviews, which publishes the most informative, consistent, and unbiased popular health and nutrition book reviews available.

This hour long conversation is very stimulating as we dive headlong into the upstream targets of food choice and body outcome.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #33 David Allison, PhD – Childhood Obesity Part III

This weeks guest is Dr. David B. Allison. Dr. Allison is the third guest to tackle the topic of childhood obesity for us. He received his Ph.D. from Hofstra University in 1990. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a second post-doctoral fellowship at the NIH-funded New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Center. He became Dean and Provost Professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington in 2017.
He has authored more than 660 scientific publications and received many awards over his distinguished career. Dean Allison has provided regular service to the National Academies, including the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
His research interests include obesity and nutrition, quantitative genetics, clinical trials, statistical and research methodology, and research rigor and integrity.
“Dr. Allison coined “It’s about knowing” as the tagline for the School of Public Health Indiana University Bloomington for which serves as Dean, and the extended moto “It’s about knowing. Because conjecture is good, but knowing is better.” He conceived a book by the title “It’s About Knowing” written principally by Susan Brackney and co-authored by Dr. Allison. More information about the book is available here.”
This week we tackle the difficulty of performing meaningful research in the Obesity landscape. This is a conversation primarily about the study process and the difficulties in teasing out the variables.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #32 David Katz, MD – Childhood Obesity Part II

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #32 – David Katz, MD – Childhood Obesity Part II
David L. Katz, MD, MPH is a specialist in Preventive Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, with particular expertise in nutrition.
He earned his BA at Dartmouth College (1984); his MD at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1988); and his MPH from the Yale University School of Public Health (1993). He completed sequential residency training and board certification in Internal Medicine (1991) and Preventive Medicine/Public Health (1993). Katz is the founder and former director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (1998-2019); Past President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; President and Founder of the non-profit True Health Initiative; and Founder and CEO of Diet ID, Inc. The recipient of numerous awards for teaching, writing, and contributions to public health, Katz was a 2019 James Beard Foundation Award nominee in health journalism, has been a widely supported nominee for the position of U.S. Surgeon General, and has received three honorary doctorates. Katz has served as a nutrition columnist for O, the Oprah Magazine; an on-air contributor for ABC News/Good Morning America, and with appearances on most major news programs and contributions to most major magazines and leading newspapers, including OpEds in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
His most recent book, How to Eat, co-authored with Mark Bittman, is a 2021 IACP Awards finalist and is worth your time. I have had the pleasure of hearing him speak many times over the years and he is an amazing orator and I am blessed to have this hour with him.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #31 – Dr. Sandra Hassink – Childhood Obesity

This weeks guest is Dr. Sandra Hassink, an expert in pediatric obesity.
Dr. Hassink has spent her career looking into the pathophysiology and social determinants of childhood obesity. Her career began at the Univeristy of Deleware where she studied Chemistry before heading off to Vanderbilt University to study medicine. After completing her training in Pediatrics at St Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Dr. Hassink began a long trailblazing road to treating childhood obesity, starting a weight management clinic in 1988 at Alfred I. duPont Children’s Hospital in Delaware well before most pediatricians even realized there was an issue to address.
She is now internationally recognized as an expert in childhood obesity prevention, testifying before Congress and serving as chair of the Delaware Governor’s council on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and directing the AAP Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight. She has served as the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, chaired the AAP Obesity Leadership Workgroup, the AAP Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight Advisory Committee, and the AAP Strategic Planning Committee. Dr.  Hassink is the chair of the Institute for Medicaid Innovation Child and Adolescent Subcommittee and a member of the  National Advisory Board. She authored numerous articles for parents and pediatricians and two books: “Pediatric Obesity: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment Strategies for Primary Care” and “A Clinical Guide to Pediatric Weight Management.”
In a word, she is a teacher.
Today, we have the privilege of learning.
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #30 – Jamie Manirakiza – The Partnership to End human Trafficking

Jamie Manirakiza is the Executive Director at the Partnership to End Human Trafficking (PEHT). She is a Licensed and Masters level social worker who studied at the University of Pennsylvania before embarking on a career to shine a bright spotlight on human trafficking while helping those caught and released from that dangerous net. Partnership to End Human Trafficking (PEHT) is a nonprofit organization that provides individuals with a pathway toward healing and independence through community outreach, residential recovery, and economic empowerment.

In this episode, we discuss the realities of human trafficking, what can be done about it and the work to help the survivors.

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #29 – Dr. Tieraona Low Dog – Mother’s Health

A mother, wife, herbalist, educator, author, researcher, and medical doctor, Tieraona has trained hundreds of medical professionals as the Fellowship Director at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, chaired dietary supplement expert panels for the United States Pharmacopeia, and has been appointed to numerous scientific advisory boards. In addition, she has authored best-selling books (including 4 published by National Geographic) and written over 50 peer-reviewed articles and 25 book chapters. Tieraona was appointed by the President of the United States to serve on a White House policy commission, has received many awards from academia, public health, and industry, and has lectured at over 600 conferences.

She is an incredible teacher with an equally incredible life story. In this episode, we discuss the world of maternal health as it relates to preparing for a healthy life and pregnancy setting the stage for a healthy child’s life.

I hope that you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Low Dog,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #28 – Joy Warner – An Educated Life

Joy Warner – An Educated Life
Joy Warner is the founder and director of the Community School of Davidson in Davidson, North Carolina. She is a leader, educator, grower of children and a person with strong compassion. Joy graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before obtaining a masters in education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Her path was a deviation from the traditional model of school leadership leading to a heavy focus on emotional intelligence and growth through the understanding of problems as presented to be solved collectively.
We touch on topics such as:
Why such a focus on old mentoring young?
Why is education more than the book work to you?
The students really feel the anti-status quo of grades are everything?
Why such a focus on arts?
Why such a focus on service work?
Why such a focus on leadership?
What is the meaning behind the Standing O that is very unique to CSD ?
I hope that you enjoy my conversation with Joy Warner,
Dr. M