HealthierU

In this episode, host Tre’ Harp tackles the issue of student mental health after reading a viral article that supposedly ranked the most depressed universities, with Emory coming in at No. 4. To get to the bottom of the question of what is going on with the depression on campus, Tre’ talks with fellow students including Nasneen Abdalim about what it’s like to navigate the university’s mental health resources. He also talks with Dr....

How do college students find purpose amidst the hustle and bustle of academic deadlines, internships, and social pressures? In this episode of HealthierU, host Abby Weisenfeld dives into the challenges and joys of discovering meaning in everyday life by drawing on published research and talking with Dr. Christine Whelan, Emory University's “Purpose Professor” and a nationally recognized expert on purposeful living. Next, Abby ...

More and more, otherwise healthy female athletes are getting diagnosed with something called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS, for short). Often, the first signs of POTS are feeling faint when standing up, or noticing a rapid heartbeat. POTS is a condition that affects blood flow and can cause symptoms like dizziness, rapid heart rate, and fatigue—challenges that can significantly impact athletic performance.

In this ...

Burnout, depression, and even suicide rates among physicians have reached alarming levels, raising the critical question: Who heals the healers? In this episode of HealthierU, we dive into the mental health challenges faced by healthcare professionals, starting with pre-med students and continuing through residency and beyond. One-time Emory pre-med student Ruhama Atena shares her story of burnout, and psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold d...

This episode delves into the growing epidemic of "tech neck,” a modern issue arising from our sedentary lifestyles and excessive screen use. We all know neck pain can be uncomfortable, but did you know it can also increase stress, impact your mood, and lead to a sense of overwhelm? We talk with Emory students who’ve experienced neck discomfort, as well as Dr. John Heller, an orthopedic surgeon at the Emory Spine Center, to fin...

Sisters Yulan and Joleigh Yim used to love eating Korean food — until they were both diagnosed with food allergies as adults. In this episode, we explore the science behind food allergies with Dr. Dan Benardot, a registered dietitian and Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, who explains the difference between an allergy, an intolerance and a sensitivity to certain foods. 

This episode was reported and produced by Yulan...

Every sip of water you take might contain chemicals that will outlast your great-grandchildren. In this eye-opening episode, we explore how so-called "forever chemicals” called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) became embedded in our daily lives, and what innovative solutions might help us clean up this invisible mess. From the devastating effects of DDT in the 1960s to cutting-edge biopolymer filters, we track humani...

As climate change continues to warm our planet, understanding the effects of heat on our health will become even more important. Yet many people aren’t aware of the impact that extreme heat can have on our mental health. On this episode of HealthierU, we dive into the science behind some of these lesser-known impacts with the help of Dr. Robin Cooper, a co-founder of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance and an Associate Clinical Profess...

We all know that feeling after a large, delicious meal, where our food baby overtakes our body. You know the one, where you feel extremely bloated, with a swollen gut? If you continuously feel abdominal pain or discomfort, it may be caused by a much deeper gut issue: H. Pylori. H. Pylori is a type of gut bacteria that affects half of the world’s population and can sometimes cause severe health problems, despite not being widely kno...

Microplastics are all around us, from the fabric of our clothes to the Tupperware container we warm our leftovers in—they’ve even been found in the human brain. We rely on plastic for affordability and convenience, but what are the health consequences of this growing dependence? In this episode, Emory students including Stephanie Oehler share their concerns about microplastics, and environmental health expert Dr. Mike Caudle of Emo...

Between IUDs, pills, hormonal patches, Depo-Provera injections and many other methods, women trying to prevent pregnancies have an array of options—none of them all that appealing. Let’s turn to the contraceptives available to men: only condoms or vasectomy. In this episode, we ask: Why is there still no male equivalent to the female pill? Why has it taken the contraceptive industry so long to make one? To find out, we talked with ...

Imagine a diet consisting only of two things: meat and dairy. Welcome to the carnivore diet, the internet's newest diet trend. Carnivores are all over social media raving about how the diet helped them lose weight and cure chronic disease — but is it legit? To find out, we talk to Courtney Luna, a TikTok influencer who has been a devout carnivore for more than two years, as well as Dr. Dan Benardot, an award-winning nutritioni...

The Healthier U podcast from Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health addresses essential health issues in our changing world. This season explores topics like fad diets, birth control, mental health, microplastics, and climate change.

Experts, including nutritionists and medical professionals, share insights on the dangers of the carnivore diet, birth control side effects, and the need for period products i...

Have you ever struggled with your mental health and sought answers for your problems on the internet or social media? If so, this episode is for you, as host Lauryn Palacio dives into the complex practice of self-diagnosis in psychiatry. While controversial, self-diagnosis is an alternative method of seeking mental health treatment used by those who may not have access to professional help. What is self-diagnosis? Why would I use i...

In this episode of HealthierU, Bobby Mosely Jr. tries to answer the question: how does air pollution affect our health? Bobby speaks with Lauren Cohen, a student at Emory University, and Dr. Jeremy Sarnat, an associate professor at the Rollins School of Public Health. 

Featured Guests:

• Lauren Cohen is a junior at Emory University, studying sociology. She grew up in Singapore, where air pollution made her asthma worse.
• Dr...

When host Kayla Barry was diagnosed with PCOS in high school, she had to give up her beloved Swedish Fish. In this episode, Kayla explores the multifaceted world of sugar, from how it functions in the body to its place in history, with help of registered dietitians and academics.
 
Featured Guests:

• Sharon Rhodes is a registered dietician nutritionist (RDN) and nutritional consultant. 
• Alissa Palladino, an alumna of Yale U...

Public school sexual education is patchy enough to begin with, but what about students who aren’t in the mainstream classes? For people with intellectual disabilities, sexual education is lacking at best and nonexistent at worst. With a population so susceptible to misunderstanding societal boundaries and sexual violence, it is important to provide adequate sex ed. In this episode, host Adele Fegley asks, how do we do this? 

Nursing shortages are nothing new in the United States—the problem goes back almost a hundred years. And since men make up only 12% of the nursing workforce, the solution appears simple: Get more men to join the ranks. But how? On this week’s episode, host Daniel Sung explores what keeps men from pursuing nursing as a career, and what can be done to help alleviate the shortage.

Featured Guests: 

• Jonathan Son is a second-year unde...

In this episode, Alexa Espinosa explores the science of happiness, from ancient Greece to Japan and beyond. A TikTok creator shares his experience using the Japanese concept of Ikigai to enhance life satisfaction; science suggests it might even help people live longer. Later, Emory’s “purpose professor” discusses the importance of aligning one's life with a meaningful mission. Tune in for a thought-provoking exploration into t...