Health and Medicine (Audio)

Menopause care is changing as more patients seek evidence-based guidance for symptoms, prevention, and long-term health. Kathryn Macaulay, M.D., M.S.C.P., F.A.C.O.G., UC San Diego Health, and Rajita Patil, M.D., M.S.C.P., F.A.C.O.G., UCLA Health, explain why many people still struggle to find trained care, even as menopause affects sleep, mood, work, genitourinary health, and cardiometabolic...

Cardiovascular disease is a major threat to maternal health during pregnancy and the peripartum period, particularly for women with preexisting heart conditions. A UC San Diego cardiologist describes the development of a multidisciplinary cardio-obstetrics initiative designed to coordinate care for patients with congenital heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias and coronary artery disease. The...

AI-powered cell imaging may help researchers identify biological differences that are difficult or impossible to see by eye. Yu-Hwa Lo, Ph.D., and Louise Laurent, M.D., Ph.D., describe a system that combines high-speed imaging, cell sorting, microfluidics, and artificial intelligence. The technology creates label-free images of cells, uses AI to classify them, and can isolate selected cells for...

Continuous glucose monitoring and wearable data are changing how researchers study pregnancy and women’s health. Gladys (Sandy) Ramos, M.D., explains why glucose control is difficult during pregnancy and how CGM can reveal patterns that finger-stick testing may miss. She also describes research on CGM use in type 2 and gestational diabetes, labor, and behavior change. Ben Smarr, Ph.D., shows how...

For people diagnosed with cancer, patient advocacy can play a vital role throughout the treatment process. At UC San Diego’s annual Prostate Cancer Patient Summit, keynote speaker and three-time MLB All-Star David Justice brought visibility and purpose to that message, underscoring the broad reach and lasting importance of speaking up for patients and families. [Health and Medicine] [Show ID:...

Alzheimer’s disease can begin developing years before memory and thinking problems become noticeable. Iris Broce-Diaz, Ph.D., of UC San Diego is developing accessible, noninvasive, and cost-effective tools to help primary care physicians and neurologists identify people at higher risk earlier. Her models combine information from cognitive assessments, brain imaging, genetics, and PET scans to...

Men with non-obstructive azoospermia may undergo microscopic testicular sperm extraction, or mTESE, without knowing whether sperm will be found. Kun Tan, Ph.D., of UC San Diego explains how molecular semen analysis could provide a noninvasive way to predict the procedure’s outcome. The assay uses stage-specific germ cell markers identified through single-cell RNA sequencing, then measures those...

Chronic pain in older adults can affect mobility, mood, sleep, social connection, and independence. Una Makris, M.D., M.Sc., UC San Diego and VA San Diego Healthcare System, explains why musculoskeletal pain is common later in life and why medications or procedures alone may not meet the needs of many patients. Drawing on her work in rheumatology and geriatrics, Makris describes how pain and...

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Chantel Burkitt, Senior Clinical Scientist, and Todd Dalberg, Pediatrician and Palliative Medicine Physician, Gilette Children's Hospital, discuss how to assess and manage pain for people with developmental disabilities. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41471]

As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Corinne Melon, Managing Director, Phamaly Theatre Company, talks about accessible theater for people with disabilities. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41468]