Solve For...

Nova Institute for Health

What would it mean to create a world where health is valued as our most essential asset? A future where people, places, and our planet can truly flourish? Sometimes, all it takes is a tiny change, a local fix, or a spark of innovation to help us think differently. Solve For... is all about finding those emerging possibilities and embracing the power of curiosity to bring health and well-being into focus in unexpected new ways. Join acclaimed journalist Kate Morgan and Nova Institute for Health president Brian Berman, MD, as they highlight the innovators tackling solutions to our most complex challenges at the intersection of medicine, biology, neuroscience, nutrition, the arts, and more. In an era of overwhelm, change doesn't have to be huge to be meaningful. It just has to start somewhere. Hosts: Kate Morgan is a freelance journalist based in Pennsylvania. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, National Geographic, BBC, Popular Science, Sierra, and many other publications. Kate's work takes a broad view of health and often focuses on the inherent optimism of those working to repair and restore natural ecosystems and human communities. Brian Berman, MD, is the president of the Nova Institute for Health, which he founded in 2007 to catalyze new ideas in health. He is professor emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he was the director of the Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Berman has served as an advisor to the NIH, chairing and subsequently serving for three terms on the advisory committee to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. He cofounded and, for 25 years, directed the complementary medicine field of Cochrane, an internationally recognized leader in evidence-based medicine. Dr. Berman is also the recipient of the prestigious Bravewell Leadership Award, which celebrates and supports visionaries who have committed their medical careers to transforming health care in America. Solve For...is a production of the Nova Institute for Health. Written and produced by Kate Morgan. Editing and sound design by Olanre Adewole. Executive producers: Brian Berman and Sue Berman. To learn more, visit novainstituteforhealth.org.

Episodes

  1. 2 days ago

    Solve For...Soggy Sauerkraut

    We all want clean air, water and soil. But there's another public resource being polluted: the planet's microbiome.  In 2022, a renowned sauerkraut producer in Bear Creek, Wisconsin, found itself with a mystery on its hands. A batch of its signature product had turned out soggy and limp without an obvious explanation. They called in scientists to investigate, and what followed became a sprawling microbial whodunit with an unexpected culprit buried deep in the soil. The case served as a vivid reminder that we're only just beginning to understand the full breadth of the microbiome, an invisible world teeming with life that underpins our bodies, our food, and the planet itself.  In this episode, join Kate Morgan as she examines the interconnected microorganisms that often go overlooked in discussions of health and well-being. You'll hear how plant pathologists, soil ecologists, and regenerative agriculture advocates are joining forces to decode the hidden dynamics of these microbial communities, revealing just how deeply these organisms influence soil health, climate resilience, and the future of sustainable farming. It's a story of unexpected connections and scientific curiosity that's already reshaping the way we view our global food systems. Guests:  Nadine Clopton // Founder, Conscious Consulting, LLC, and Nova Invited Faculty Nadine calls herself a "systems midwife." She works at the place where soil, societal, and social health converge. She believes "the transition from extractive to regenerative is the defining work of our time," and her career has been centered on supporting the shift. For more from Nadine, subscribe to her newsletter and podcast, Root & Rewild.  Don Huber, PhD // Professor Emeritus, Purdue University Dr. Don Huber is a Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. He received his Ph-D from Michigan State University (1963), and is a graduate of the US Army Command & General Staff College and Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He was first a Cereal Pathologist at the University of Idaho, then joined the Department of Botany & Plant Pathology at Purdue University in 1971. Dr. Huber's research focuses on microbial ecology, plant metabolism, and nutrient-disease interactions. He's been featured in multiple documentaries and on various podcasts, and you can read his 2024 paper, "Saga of Soggy Sauerkraut," published in the journal HortScience, here.  Sue Ishaq, PhD // Founder, Microbes and Social Equity, and Nova Invited Faculty Dr. Ishaq is an Associate Professor of Microbiomes at the University of Maine, in the School of Food and Agriculture. The Ishaq Lab's focus is on host-associated microbial communities in animals and humans. Read about her fascinating research on lobsters here, and click here to learn more about the lab's work on broccoli sprouts.  The Nova Institute for Health is a heart-centered think tank that takes action for the good of people, places, and the planet. We look at the entire lived experience that influences health. Our mission is to catalyze new ideas in health, explore the complex network of factors that influence health, and promote the well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet. Our vision is of a world where health is valued as our most basic and essential asset and where people, places, and the planet flourish for the benefit of all. To learn more, visit www.novainstituteforhealth.org. Solve For...is a production of the Nova Institute for Health. Written and produced by Kate Morgan. Editing and sound design by Olanre Adewole. Executive producers: Brian Berman and Sue Berman.

  2. 13 Oct

    Solve For...Circadian Chaos

    Everything – the planet, its flora and fauna, and our bodies – has a rhythm.  From the beginning, light and darkness have guided the essential rhythms of life on Earth. Every organism—microbes, plants, animals, and humans—has evolved in step with the rising and setting of the sun. We instinctively understand the power of these elemental forces, yet our grasp of them is still expanding. Even today, researchers are uncovering surprising new ways that sunlight shapes our ecosystems, our bodies, and our well‑being. One big challenge? Artificial light has rewritten the ancient contract between biology and the natural world. Nights are no longer truly dark. Days are often spent indoors, shielded from the full spectrum of sunlight our physiology has come to expect. And as our environment brightens, our internal clocks—those delicate circadian rhythms that govern sleep, metabolism, cognition, and mood—are struggling to keep time. In the inaugural episode of Solve For…, join science journalist Kate Morgan as she navigates this increasingly illuminated landscape to explore what happens when we drift out of sync with the cycles that guide every living thing. From citizen scientists in Philadelphia tracking fatal bird strikes caused by disorienting city lights to NASA scientists redesigning spacecraft lighting for astronauts, Kate weaves together insights from thought leaders who are reimagining ways that we can get back in sync by realigning our relationship with brightness in a world that never truly gets dark. Guests:  George Brainard, PhD // Professor Emeritus, Thomas Jefferson University, and Nova Scholar Dr. Brainard has directed Jefferson's Light Research Program since 1984. This program's research studies the effects of light on neuroendocrine physiology and circadian regulation in humans. In 2014, Dr. Brainard and his collaborators were honored with the NASA Johnson Space Center Director's Innovation Award for their contributions to a new lighting system for the International Space Station and other future space habitats. During his career, Dr. Brainard has taught neuroanatomy and neurophysiology to more than 10,000 medical and graduate students. He is a recipient of the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. Dr. Brainard is currently conducting a controlled pilot study on the effect of light wavelengths on human prostate cancer tumorigenesis. This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board, and is being performed collaboratively between Jefferson Medical College and Tulane School of Medicine. Expected outcomes of the pilot research would have public health significance and could lead to the development of preventative strategies involving outdoor night lighting and the illumination of building interiors. Robert Fosbury, PhD // Emeritus Astronomer, European Southern Observatory Dr. Fosbury spent 26 years as an astronomer at the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of ESA's collaboration with NASA on the Hubble Space Telescope project. He subsequently worked on the development of the James Webb Space Telescope. Today he studies the effects of light on living tissue. For more from Bob, check out this lecture on life beyond photosynthesis.   Rowan Jacobsen // Writer, author, and Nova Media Fellow Rowan Jacobsen's award-winning books, features, and talks explore the frontiers of science, adventure, and meaning. His most recent book is In Defense of Sunlight. Visit his website at www.rowanjacobsen.com/. Stephen Maciejewski // Bird Safe Philly Stephen Maciejewski is a founding member of Bird Safe Philly, which - if you're a morning person - is always looking for more volunteers. As a 2025 profile in Philadelphia Gay News notes: In addition to his heroics in the birding world, Maciejewski (pronounced MA-chay-YEF-ski), is an avid plant guy. A competitor in the Philadelphia Flower Show for 28 years, Maciejewski is also the president of the American Begonia Society. Not content to keep his efforts on one continent, he also co-founded the Gesneriad Conservation Center of China. To honor him for his conservation efforts, he's had a plant named after him, the Primulina maciejewskii. The Nova Institute for Health is a heart-centered think tank that takes action for the good of people, places, and the planet. We look at the entire lived experience that influences health. Our mission is to catalyze new ideas in health, explore the complex network of factors that influence health, and promote the well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet. Our vision is of a world where health is valued as our most basic and essential asset and where people, places, and the planet flourish for the benefit of all.  Solve For...is a production of the Nova Institute for Health. Written and produced by Kate Morgan. Editing and sound design by Olanre Adewole. Executive producers: Brian Berman and Sue Berman. To learn more, visit www.novainstituteforhealth.org.

  • 2 Episodes

About

What would it mean to create a world where health is valued as our most essential asset? A future where people, places, and our planet can truly flourish? Sometimes, all it takes is a tiny change, a local fix, or a spark of innovation to help us think differently. Solve For... is all about finding those emerging possibilities and embracing the power of curiosity to bring health and well-being into focus in unexpected new ways. Join acclaimed journalist Kate Morgan and Nova Institute for Health president Brian Berman, MD, as they highlight the innovators tackling solutions to our most complex challenges at the intersection of medicine, biology, neuroscience, nutrition, the arts, and more. In an era of overwhelm, change doesn't have to be huge to be meaningful. It just has to start somewhere. Hosts: Kate Morgan is a freelance journalist based in Pennsylvania. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, National Geographic, BBC, Popular Science, Sierra, and many other publications. Kate's work takes a broad view of health and often focuses on the inherent optimism of those working to repair and restore natural ecosystems and human communities. Brian Berman, MD, is the president of the Nova Institute for Health, which he founded in 2007 to catalyze new ideas in health. He is professor emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he was the director of the Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Berman has served as an advisor to the NIH, chairing and subsequently serving for three terms on the advisory committee to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. He cofounded and, for 25 years, directed the complementary medicine field of Cochrane, an internationally recognized leader in evidence-based medicine. Dr. Berman is also the recipient of the prestigious Bravewell Leadership Award, which celebrates and supports visionaries who have committed their medical careers to transforming health care in America. Solve For...is a production of the Nova Institute for Health. Written and produced by Kate Morgan. Editing and sound design by Olanre Adewole. Executive producers: Brian Berman and Sue Berman. To learn more, visit novainstituteforhealth.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Nova Institute for Health
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Solve For...