COVID Chronicles | The Built Environment & Health

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 undergraduate at Emory University on the pre-nursing track.
• Dr. Sydney Spangler is associate professor at Emory’s Nell Hodgson School of Nursing, with a joint appointment in the Department of Global Health at Rollins School of Public Health.
• Curry Bordelon is Vice President of the American Association for Men in Nursing.

Student Highlight: Daniel Sung is a second-year undergraduate at Emory University majoring in Chemistry and Film & Media on the pre-med track. He has never made a podcast before.

Studies and sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265221108209
• https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15402
• https://nursejournal.org/articles/male-nurse-statistics/
• https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/workforce-issues/where-did-all-the-nurses-go 

HealthierU's theme music is by TimTaj.

About HealthierU

Produced and hosted by students at Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, HealthierU is a podcast that aims to make sense of the science behind human health. This season, we’re diving into our generation’s burning health questions. Questions like: Is it bad to use the internet to diagnose yourself? Why do so many athletes get eating disorders, and why are they so hard to spot? Is sugar really so dangerous? To find the answers, we’re talking to scientists, nutritionists, counselors, medical professionals and regular folks, every week on HealthierU.

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

In this episode, Alexa Espinsoa 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 the multifaceted science of happiness and practical strategies for leading a more fulfilling life.

Featured Guests:

• Dr. Christine Whelan is Emory University’s “Purpose Professor,” as well as a professor of consumer science in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a bestselling author and the creator of the lecture series Finding Your Purpose.
• Jonah Reynolds makes social media content focused on happiness and longevity. Find him on TikTok @Jonahreynolds

Student Highlight: Alexa Espinosa is a dedicated senior at Emory University pursuing her B.A. in Human Health. Born and raised in Dallas, Alexa brings a passion for health and wellness to the engaging conversations on HealthierU. She is set to graduate in 2024.

Studies and sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35141667/ 
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606522000104
• https://www.thoughtco.com/eudaimonic-and-hedonic-happiness-4783750
• https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/japan-demographics/#life-exp

HealthierU's theme music is by TimTaj; additional audio from BenSound and Pixabay.

About HealthierU

Produced and hosted by students at Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, HealthierU is a podcast that aims to make sense of the science behind human health. This season, we’re diving into our generation’s burning health questions. Questions like: Is it bad to use the internet to diagnose yourself? Why do so many athletes get eating disorders, and why are they so hard to spot? Is sugar really so dangerous? To find the answers, we’re talking to scientists, nutritionists, counselors, medical professionals and regular folks, every week on

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

Everyone knows an athlete. What is harder to know is why so many of them are at risk for developing an eating disorder: as high as 25%, according to some research. In this episode, host Meg Woodward takes a deep dive into this question with the help of an eating disorders counselor and an athlete in recovery. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, contact the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) helpline at 888-375-7767.

Featured Guests:

• Herani Argoe is a therapist and licensed professional counselor working with adolescents and young adults who have eating disorders.
• Laurel Carlson is a former athlete, pageant contestant and disordered eating survivor.

Student Highlight: Meg Woodward is an avid Ultimate Frisbee player and 2024 Emory graduate majoring in psychology. She was inspired to pursue this question after working as a behavioral health technician for an eating disorder treatment center. 
Studies and sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24050467/ 
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25416025/ 
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32525767/ 
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24001492/ 
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14712163/ 
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16177594/ 
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245588#burning-energy 

HealthierU's theme music is by TimTaj.

About HealthierU

Produced and hosted by students at Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, HealthierU is a podcast that aims to make sense of the science behind human health. This season, we’re diving into our generation’s burning health questions. Questions like: Is it bad to use the internet to diagnose yourself? Why do so many athletes get eating disorders, and why are they so hard to spot? Is sugar really so dangerous? To find the answers, we’re talking to scientists, nutritionists, counselors, medical professionals and regular folks, every week on HealthierU.

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

Maternal death rates in the Black community are alarming. Some think the solution may lie in empowering Black mothers to give birth at home, with culturally appropriate assistance offered by doulas. In this episode, host Amaris Calhoun draws on evidence-based research and interviews to explore possible solutions to this crisis that could foster a more inclusive and equitable approach to maternity care.

Featured Guest: Ms. B Williams has been an Atlanta doula for more than 20 years. She specializes in “creating the ultimate labor and birth experience with glowing confidence and inner and outer beauty.”

Student Highlight: Atlanta native Amaris Calhoun is a third-year student at Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health. Her academic focus centers on combating maternal mortality and advocating for reproductive rights, with a particular emphasis on fostering equitable healthcare solutions within maternal care.

Studies and sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2021/maternal-mortality-rates-2021.htm 
• https://www.whijournal.com/article/S1049-3867(20)30100-6/fulltext 
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537019301191
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555483/ 

HealthierU's theme music is by TimTaj; additional music from Blue Dot sessions.

About HealthierU

Produced and hosted by students at Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, HealthierU is a podcast that aims to make sense of the science behind human health. This season, we’re diving into our generation’s burning health questions. Questions like: Is it bad to use the internet to diagnose yourself? Why do so many athletes get eating disorders, and why are they so hard to spot? Is sugar really so dangerous? To find the answers, we’re talking to scientists, nutritionists, counselors, medical professionals and regular folks, every week on HealthierU.

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

With the rise of social media usage, exercise and diet culture have influenced a large number of people, and today’s youth is among them. In this episode, Snehitha Vardhineni speaks to experts in the field as well as today’s youth to explore trends and personal experiences in relation to exercise and nutrition.

Featured guests include:

• Shivy Agadi - student at UT Dallas and president of an exercise/wellness organization called CHAARG 
• Dan Benardot - Professor of Practice at the Center for the Study of Human Health at Emory University teaching nutrition 
• Muskaan Vohra - student at Oxford College of Emory University, certified personal trainer, teaches group fitness classes at the rec center at Oxford

Student Highlight: Snehitha Vardhineni is a junior at Emory University pursuing a joint major in economics and human health.

About COVID Chronicles

The COVID Chronicles covers a variety of public health topics intertwined with the pandemic, as reported by the students in the HLTH 385: Health & Science Podcasting class during the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semesters. Sponsored by Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, the series includes interviews with experts in epidemiology, mental health, maternal health, and more. 

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

What is on your mind? Can you handle one more thing? Quarantined Happiness aims to set the stage on the conversation around mental health and the effects of the pandemic on society’s most fragile, yet influential group — the youth.

Featured guests include:

• Emmet Power is a clinical psychology research fellow and PhD student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
• Katelyn Hancock is a care coordinator with Florida’s Healthy Start, a program for pregnant women and families of children under age 3.
• Sarah Carroll is a Pediatric Psychologist and researcher in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University.

Student Highlight: Matt Guerette is a junior student journalist at Emory University interested in spearheading the conversation on mental health in young adults and teens.

About COVID Chronicles

The COVID Chronicles covers a variety of public health topics intertwined with the pandemic, as reported by the students in the HLTH 385: Health & Science Podcasting class during the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semesters. Sponsored by Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, the series includes interviews with experts in epidemiology, mental health, maternal health, and more. 

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

This NeuroTech Talk episode features four people from different walks of life and different stages in their neurotechnology careers to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted their work as scholars and researchers — as well as the future of the field.

Featured guests include:

• Dr. Cesar Echavarria is a recent Neuroscience PhD graduate from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Cesar Echavarria is now working as a Neuro-Data Scientist at CatalystNeuro and is currently developing data science solutions for academic neuroscience labs across the globe. 
• Bruno Bustos currently holds a Psychology degree and is now currently studying Economics and Business Intelligence from La Universidad Catolica Boliviana in La Paz, Bolivia. Manuel Illanes is a postgraduate researcher at La Universidad Catolica Boliviana in La Paz, Bolivia. Bruno and Manuel are both the co-founders of the LATAM Chapter of NeuroTechX which aims to connect the neurotechnology community across Bolivia and Latin America
• Dr. Gunnar Blohm is a Professor of Computational Neuroscience and the Principal Investigator of the Computational Sensorimotor Neuroscience Lab at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He is also one of the co-founders of Neuromatch Academy, a nonprofit organization meant to provide students from around the globe access to high-quality computational neuroscience and deep learning education. 

Student Highlight: JuanMartin Abreu-Melon is a senior neuroscience and human health double major with a healthcare innovation concentration. He is the co-founder and co-president of NeuroTech @ Emory and is passionate about using computational neuroscience and neurotechnology to better understand and treat neurological conditions. 

About COVID Chronicles

The COVID Chronicles covers a variety of public health topics intertwined with the pandemic, as reported by the students in the HLTH 385: Health & Science Podcasting class during the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semesters. Sponsored by Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, the series includes interviews with experts in epidemiology, mental health, maternal health, and more. 

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

Hookup culture is a unique cultural phenomenon whose discussion has increased in public discourse in the past few decades. College campuses are often characterized as hubs for hookup culture, and Emory is no different. In this episode, we unpack the misconceptions of hookup culture on college campuses, especially at Emory. 

Featured guests include:

• Tiffany is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying economics. She took a gap year during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Anna is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying economics and philosophy. She identifies as a butch lesbian. 
• Elizabeth Peeler is the assistant director of Emory’s Office of Health Promotion. She has a Master’s in Public Health in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior from the University of South Carolina. 

Student Highlight: Rachel Broun is a junior in Emory’s College of Arts and Sciences studying anthropology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. She enjoys diving into popular topics within public discourse, especially related to LGBTQ issues. 

About COVID Chronicles

The COVID Chronicles covers a variety of public health topics intertwined with the pandemic, as reported by the students in the HLTH 385: Health & Science Podcasting class during the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semesters. Sponsored by Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, the series includes interviews with experts in epidemiology, mental health, maternal health, and more. 

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

This podcast episode focuses on the complex intersection of nutrition and health through the lens of social media by considering the quality and messages of content posted online, the behaviors that are reinforced, and the impacts these components can have on individuals’ relationships with food and their bodies. 

Featured guests include:

• Camille McClain, a self-proclaimed foodie and current nursing student
• Sarah Boutros, a Dubai-based holistic health coach with an emphasis on intuitive eating and body confidence
• Brittany Verras, a registered dietician at Emory’s Student Health Services who also founded Eat Well ATL, a nutrition and wellness boutique

Student Highlight: Devyn Townsend is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in Human Health and Sociology. In her free time, she enjoys working out with friends, trying new restaurants, and doing absolutely anything related to music. 

About COVID Chronicles

The COVID Chronicles covers a variety of public health topics intertwined with the pandemic, as reported by the students in the HLTH 385: Health & Science Podcasting class during the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semesters. Sponsored by Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, the series includes interviews with experts in epidemiology, mental health, maternal health, and more. 

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH

This episode features a deep dive into EMDR, a newly popular form of trauma therapy that raises questions about evidence-based practice, monetization of knowledge, and the surprising truth about what really makes therapy work. 

Featured guests include:

• Dr. Andrew Kazama is a professor in the psychology department at Emory University and an expert in the neurobiology of PTSD. More about his work can be found here.
• M. shares her own story of PTSD and trauma therapy and speaks about flaws she noticed in the approach to treat survivors of trauma.
• A. shares her story of growing up with a mother who had Munchausen’s by Proxy and subjected her to unnecessary and traumatic medical treatments, as well as how EMDR offered her hope for recovery where she hadn’t yet found it.  

Student Highlight: Katerina Rinaldi is a senior at Emory University, where she majors in psychology. She is interested in science and pseudoscience in the practice of psychotherapy.

About COVID Chronicles

The COVID Chronicles covers a variety of public health topics intertwined with the pandemic, as reported by the students in the HLTH 385: Health & Science Podcasting class during the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semesters. Sponsored by Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, the series includes interviews with experts in epidemiology, mental health, maternal health, and more. 

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

Follow Us:

Blog: Exploring Health

Facebook: @EmoryCSHH

Instagram: @EmoryCSHH

Twitter: @EmoryCSHH