Health & Medicine Episodes
Public health, biotech, research, medicine, and more
March 31, 2020
BEST OF THE BEST: Is COVID-19 America’s Chernobyl?
Way back in Episode 65 , Quinn asked: Was Chernobyl a preventable and rare accident from the past, or a vivid picture of what happens when the government abandons its citizens during a crisis? FUN STORY: turns out, it’s B! W…
March 27, 2020
Special Edition: How You Can Help — And (Mostly) Still Stay Home
If you've been wondering how else you can help fight coronavirus besides staying at home in sweatpants, this episode is for you. Please share widely. You can find links and additional details at importantnotimportant.com/blo…
March 9, 2020
#87: What's In Your Moisturizer, Anyways?
In Episode 87 , Quinn & Brian ask: What, exactly, are we putting on our bodies (and why aren’t more people asking questions about it)? Our guest is: Gregg Renfrew . Gregg is a serial entrepreneur who most recently founded Be…
March 3, 2020
Special Edition: How to Survive the Coronavirus (With Your Sanity Intact)
In this special episode, Quinn (with some help from our friends at the CDC and elsewhere) talks you through everything you need to know about the coronavirus, what you can do to prepare, and — maybe most importantly — what y…
Oct. 1, 2019
#80: Mosquitoes. The Serial Killers of Nature. Should We Make Them Go Away?
In Episode 80, Quinn & Brian discuss Quinn’s wife’s least favorite thing: Mosquitoes! Our guest is Dr. Natalie Kofler, a trained scientist and the founding director of Editing Nature at Yale University, a global initiative t…
Aug. 21, 2019
BEST OF THE BEST: Where Does Ebola Go From Here?
In Episode 62, Quinn & Brian asked: Where does Ebola go from here? Our guest is Karin Huster, a Field Coordinator at Doctors Without Borders, where she is currently bouncing between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozam…
July 23, 2019
#75: Can Zebrafish Beat Childhood Cancer?
In Episode 75, Quinn & Brian discuss: Beating the crap out of childhood cancer with science and... zebrafish? We’re getting really nerdy about beating childhood cancer with Dr. Jaclyn Taroni and Dr. Genevieve Kendall. Dr. Ke…
April 16, 2019
#62: Where Does Ebola Go From Here?
In Episode 62, Quinn & Brian ask: Where does Ebola go from here? Our guest is Karin Huster, a Field Coordinator at Doctors Without Borders, where she is currently bouncing between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambi…
March 26, 2019
#59: Is Florida the Harbinger of Doom? (Probably)
In Episode 59, Quinn & Brian ask: Is Florida the harbinger of doom? (Probably) Our guest is Dr. Salvador Almagro-Moreno, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Ce…
Jan. 22, 2019
#51: Are We Thinking About CRISPR All Wrong (& What the Hell is CRISPR)?
In Episode 51, Quinn & Brian ask: Are we thinking about CRISPR all wrong (and what the hell is CRISPR)? Our guest is C. Brandon Ogbunu , an evolutionary systems biologist working as an Assistant Professor in the Department o…
Jan. 15, 2019
BEST OF 2018: New Antibiotics in a Post-Antibiotic Era
Back in Episode 19, Quinn & Brian asked: What’s the future of antibiotics? To find out, we sat down with bowtie enthusiast and professor of pathology and immunology and biomedical engineering Dr. Gautam Dantas. Dr. Dantas le…
Dec. 18, 2018
#48: Why Does Childhood Cancer Exist & What Can We Do to Make It Go Away Forever?
In Episode 48, Quinn & Brian ask: Why the hell does childhood cancer exist, isn't the world effed up enough as it is, and what can we do to make it go away forever? Our guest is one of our favorite humans, Jay Scott, Co-Exec…
Dec. 11, 2018
#47: The Future of Digital Health, Part 2: America’s Data
In Episode 47, Quinn goes solo for a minute to discuss: America’s data and the future of digital health. Quinn sits down for a one-on-one chat with Dave Gershgorn, the lead artificial intelligence reporter at Quartz (AKA qz.…
Nov. 27, 2018
#45: Poop Vs. Cancer
Our guest is Dr. Diwakar Davar, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and a a medical oncologist/hematologist. Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!
Nov. 13, 2018
#43: The Future of Digital Health, Part 1
Our guests are Dr. Indra Joshi & Maxine Mackintosh, the co-founders of One HealthTech. Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!