Impact In Progress
A podcast about research that is transforming the world from Emory University.
11 hours ago

Expanding HIV Prevention Services Through Pharmacies

Episode Notes

With 95% of Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy, community pharmacists represent one of our most accessible healthcare resources. In this episode, Dr. Kimberly Eck sits down with implementation scientist Dr. Natalie Crawford to discuss breaking down structural barriers in HIV prevention. Dr. Crawford examines stark racial disparities in HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) usage, where despite representing a majority of new diagnoses in the South, only 13% of Black individuals who need PrEP are currently prescribed it, compared to over 90% of White individuals.

Dr. Crawford details Georgia's Senate Bill 195, which empowers trained pharmacists to prescribe PrEP directly without a prior physician visit. Through the Rx for Change partnership, her CORE lab works alongside community organizations using a "train-the-trainer" model to educate local pharmacists on sexual health advisory, stigma reduction, and direct prescribing protocols.

Key Takeaways:

  • Pharmacies as Stigma-Reducing Spaces: Utilizing neutral retail environments to increase access to HIV prevention and screening.
  • Bridging the Implementation Chasm: Why passing state legislation is only the first step and how community organizations are training pharmacists to utilize their new prescribing authority.
  • Lessons from COVID-19: Recognizing the proven capacity of pharmacists as front-line public health providers.

Resources:

  • View Dr. Natalie Crawford’s faculty profile: https://sph.emory.edu/
  • National PrEP Locator Tool: preplocator.org
  • Partner Organizations: AIDS United, Black Public Health Academy, National Pharmaceutical Association, Emory COMPASS Center.
  • Community Event: Join community efforts around the AIDS Walk Atlanta taking place on Saturday, September 26, 2026.

Call to Action:

To find PrEP providers and accessible pharmacy locations near you, visit preplocator.org. Learn more about public health initiatives at https://sph.emory.edu/sph.emory.edu.

To stay updated on the latest research and impact at Emory, follow Impact in Progress on your favorite podcast platform, and if you are an Emory researcher interested in being featured, please reach out to Dr. Kimberly Eck at [email protected].

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7 days ago

Building Digital Twins For Expert Decision-Making

Episode Notes

While mainstream artificial intelligence relies on scraping vast databases to predict outcomes, what if AI could instead capture, preserve, and scale individual human wisdom? Organizational psychologist Dr. Karl Kuhnert joins host Dr. Kimberly Eck to explain how he builds "digital twins" of domain experts. Through structured 90-minute elicitation interviews and interactive scenario testing, Dr. Kuhnert models how seasoned specialists—such as pulmonologists deciding on lung transplants under intense **60-**minute time constraints—make high-stakes choices.

Dr. Kuhnert highlights the critical distinction between generic Large Language Models (LLMs) and sourced, transparent decision twins. He details how these models capture "tacit knowledge"—the unconscious, lived experienced-based insight that distinguishes true experts from novices—and discusses how scaling human judgment can transform clinical training, business continuity, and professional mentorship.

Key Takeaways:

  • Preserving Tacit Knowledge: Capturing the "how" behind decision-making before senior leaders and master clinicians retire.
  • Sourced vs. Anonymous AI: Why decision twins offer auditable, trusted, and transparent logic compared to broad database scraping.
  • Wiser People, Not Just Smarter AI: Utilizing technology to l earn from human judgment rather than replace human judgment.

Resources:

Call to Action:

Discover leadership programs and faculty research at Emory’s Goizueta Business School by visiting https://goizueta.emory.edu/goizueta.emory.edu.

To stay updated on the latest research and impact at Emory, follow Impact in Progress on your favorite podcast platform, and if you are an Emory researcher interested in being featured, please reach out to Dr. Kimberly Eck at [email protected].

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14 days ago

Where Your Food Comes From: The Oxford Organic Farm

Episode Notes

How does the food on our plates connect to local economic resilience, environmental stewardship, and student well-being? Daniel Parson, Farmer Educator at the Oxford College Organic Farm, travels from Oxford, Georgia to speak with Host Dr. Kimberly Eck. Established in 2014 and located 30 miles east of Atlanta, this 11-acre farm includes three acres of intensive organic produce production, five high tunnels, and a greenhouse supplying fresh, seasonal food to campus dining halls, hospital cafeterias, local farmers markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members.

Key Takeaways:

  • Local Food Resilience: How community-rooted organic farms enhance food safety and local economic strength compared to consolidated agriculture.
  • Experiential Education: Engaging Oxford undergraduates in direct physical labor that complements academic coursework across multiple disciplines.
  • Seasonal Eating: Encouraging consumers to support regional growers and make intentional choices that reflect seasonal harvests.

Resources:

Call to Action:

Sign up for the Oxford College Organic Farm CSA program or learn how to visit the farm by visiting oxford.emory.edu/farm. Support your local farmers at neighborhood markets this season!

To stay updated on the latest research and impact at Emory, follow Impact in Progress on your favorite podcast platform, and if you are an Emory researcher interested in being featured, please reach out to Dr. Kimberly Eck at [email protected].

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21 days ago

Rethinking Sex Differences in Biomedicine

Episode Notes

  • https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2608703123 In medical research, we frequently hear claims that men and women require different treatments, experience different disease symptoms, or possess fundamentally different brain structures. But how much of this is backed by rigorous statistical evidence? Dr. Donna Maney joins Dr. Kimberly Eck to discuss her research analyzing how sex differences are reported and interpreted across biomedical literature.

Key Takeaways:

  • Average Shifts vs. Overlap: Understanding that statistical average differences (like in height) involve massive overlap [DM1] between groups and typically do not warrant rigid, binary medical treatments.
  • Statistical Rigor in Research: Why analyzing men and women separately, without direct statistical comparison, leads to false conclusions and potentially to harmful healthcare restrictions.
  • True Individualized Care: Moving past sex categories to evaluate symptoms in individuals, regardless of sex, is ultimately more precise than sex-based care.

Resources:

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5 months ago

S2E6 - Moving Research to the Bedside

Episode Notes

Guest: Dr. Laurence Busse, Associate Professor, Emory University School of Medicine.

Joining us is Dr. Laurence Busse, an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine. Clinical trials are often restricted to large, urban academic centers, leaving community hospital patients without access to the latest treatments. Dr. Laurence Busse explains how the STAGE program (Satellite Trials Group of Emory) is mobilizing research, bringing life-saving trials for conditions like sepsis and pneumonia directly to the communities where patients live.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Access is Equity: Patients shouldn't have to travel hours to a main campus to participate in research. Making trials mobile ensures a more diverse and representative patient population.
  2. The "Research Halo": Hospitals that conduct research generally provide a higher level of care for all patients, as the staff is constantly engaged with the newest clinical guidelines and advancements.
  3. Innovating in Sepsis: Dr. Busse’s work includes novel approaches to treating septic shock by filtering endotoxins directly from the blood, a trial now available at community sites through STAGE.

Resources:

Follow the Show

To stay updated on the latest research and impact at Emory, follow Impact in Progress on your favorite podcast platform, and if you are an Emory researcher interested in being featured, please reach out to Dr. Kimberly Eck at [email protected].

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5 months ago

S2E5 - Biomarkers of Wasting Syndrome In Cancer Patients

Episode Notes

In this conversation, we sit down with Dr. Ronald Eldridge, an Assistant Professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. For many cancer patients, the greatest threat isn't just the tumor—it's the involuntary loss of weight and muscle known as cachexia. Epidemiologist Dr. Ronald Eldridge discusses his research into identifying metabolic "early warning signs" to help clinicians intervene before a patient loses their strength and independence.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understanding Cachexia: Cachexia accounts for roughly 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a metabolic disruption, not just "not eating enough," and is currently very difficult to reverse once it starts.
  • Early Intervention: Identifying biomarkers (like fatty acid and bile metabolites) can help clinicians predict which patients are at risk of severe weight loss before clinical symptoms appear.
  • Quality of Life: The goal of modern cancer research is shifting from simply "destroying the tumor" to ensuring the patient maintains the strength to live their life during and after treatment.

Resources:

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5 months ago

S2E4 - Women As Theological Thought Leaders In Africa

Episode Notes

Guest: Dr. Musa Dube, William Ragsdale Cannon Distinguished Professor of the New Testament, Candler School of Theology.

About this Episode: This episode features Dr. Musa Dube, the William Ragsdale Cannon Distinguished Professor of the New Testament at the Candler School of Theology. What happens when women are excluded from religious leadership and scriptural interpretation? Dr. Musa Dube discusses "The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians" and their work to provide gender-sensitive perspectives on theology, climate change, and gender-based violence across the African continent.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Power of Interpretation: When theology is exclusively male-centered, scriptures are often used to justify gender inequality or violence. Reclaiming these texts is essential for social justice.
  • Sankofa: Meaning "go back and get it," this concept guides the Circle’s work in reviewing the progress of African women researchers since 1989 and building on that foundation.
  • Theology and Climate: Dr. Dube’s current work explores how religious communities can use scripture as a constructive tool to care for the Earth and support those devastated by global warming.

Resources:

https://www.circlekenya.org/

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6 months ago

S2E3 - Strengthening Science Identity Among High Schoolers

Episode Notes

Why do many students lose interest in science by high school? We are joined by Dr. Sarah Fankhauser, an Associate Professor of Biology and Chair of the Natural Science and Mathematics Division at Oxford College of Emory University. Dr. Fankhauser explores the concept of "scientific identity." By engaging students in the peer-review and publication process through the Journal of Emerging Investigators, she is proving that you don't need a degree to be a scientist—you just need to participate in the scientific community.

Key Takeaways:

  • Scientific Identity: A student’s persistence in STEM is highly correlated with whether they see themselves as a "scientist," which is built through recognition, competence, and performance.
  • The "Fun" of Science: Science is often thought of as a series of facts to memorize. True science is the collaborative process of asking questions and receiving feedback from peers.
  • Mentorship at Scale: The Journal of Emerging Investigators has provided over 20,000 hours of mentoring to middle and high school students, primarily through volunteer graduate students.

Resources:

Visit Dr. Sarah Fankhauser’s Emory Faculty Profile

Visit the Journal of Emerging Investigators

Follow the Show

To stay updated on the latest research and impact at Emory, follow Impact in Progress on your favorite podcast platform. If you are an Emory researcher interested in being featured, please reach out to Dr. Kimberly Eck at [email protected].

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6 months ago

S2E2 - Labor Contracts In Higher Ed

Episode Notes

This episode features Dr. Deepa Das Acevedo, an Associate Professor at the Emory University School of Law. Tenure is often discussed but rarely understood with data. Dr. Deepa Das Acevedo discusses her groundbreaking research and her book, The War on Tenure. She provides a data-driven look at how tenured faculty actually lose their jobs and why the "elite" status of academia often masks the grueling reality of the profession.

Key Takeaways:

  • Tenure as a Contract: Tenure isn't a "job for life" without accountability; it is a high-level "just cause" contract similar to those held by unionized employees.
  • The Productivity Myth: Data suggests there is little to no correlation between getting job security and decreases in productivity. In fact, security often enables more ambitious, long-term research.
  • The Financial Reality: The path to becoming a professor is longer and more expensive than the public assumes, often resulting in a high debt-to-income ratio for many faculty members.

Resources:

Follow the Show

To stay updated on the latest research and impact at Emory, follow Impact in Progress on your favorite podcast platform, and if you are an Emory researcher interested in being featured, please reach out to Dr. Kimberly Eck at [email protected].

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Read more…