The Future of Medicine

Stanford Department of Medicine
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to The Future of Medicine, a podcast from Stanford's Department of Medicine.  We bring you into conversation with the thought leaders who are reshaping how we understand disease, deliver care, and imagine what's possible in human health. This show is built around the extraordinary speakers who join us for Medicine Grand Rounds – one of the longest-running and most respected forums in academic medicine.  Our guests include world-renowned physicians, scientists, innovators, and policy leaders from across the globe, as well as the remarkable faculty at Stanford. Together, they represent the full spectrum of modern biomedical discovery: from breakthrough therapeutics and cutting-edge genomics, to health equity, digital health, global health, neuroscience, AI, and the re-design of care systems.  This is The Future of Medicine. 

  1. May 24

    Samuel Klein on GLP-1 Revolution, Metabolism, and the Future of Obesity Medicine

    Dr. Samuel Klein, Division Chief and William H. Danforth Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Science at Washington University Medicine, joins The Future of Medicine for a conversation about obesity, metabolism, insulin resistance, and the revolution sparked by GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. In this episode, Dr. Klein explains why obesity is far more biologically complex than many people realize — and why some individuals with obesity remain metabolically healthy while others develop diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease. The conversation explores how fat functions not only as stored energy, but also as an active endocrine organ that communicates with the rest of the body through hormones and inflammatory signaling molecules. Dr. Klein discusses visceral fat, insulin resistance, inflammation, and why procedures like liposuction do not produce the same metabolic benefits as weight loss through diet, surgery, or GLP-1 medications. Dr. Klein also reflects on the unexpected rise of GLP-1 therapies, including how medications originally developed for diabetes transformed obesity treatment and may hold broader implications for cardiovascular disease, addiction, and other chronic conditions. Together, Dr. Klein and Euan Ashley discuss the future of metabolic medicine, precision approaches to obesity care, and why understanding metabolism may reshape the future of healthcare itself. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    28 min

  2. May 17

    Robert Wachter on the Digital Doctor, the Trust Gap, and Medicine's Next Giant Leap

    In this episode of the Future of Medicine, we welcome Dr. Robert Wachter, physician, author, and chair of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, for a conversation about artificial intelligence, healthcare, and the future of medicine. Dr. Wachter reflects on how the digitization of healthcare reshaped modern medicine — and why many of the frustrations clinicians experience today, from burnout to endless documentation, emerged during the first wave of the electronic health record revolution. The conversation explores why large language models like ChatGPT feel fundamentally different from earlier healthcare technologies, and how AI may finally help medicine move beyond the limitations of current electronic health records. Dr. Wachter discusses the promise of AI scribes, clinical copilots, patient-facing tools, and digital assistants that can help clinicians synthesize information, reduce administrative burden, and improve access to expertise. At the same time, he examines the risks of overtrusting AI systems, including hallucinations, deskilling, automation bias, and the challenge of keeping humans engaged when machines are right most (but not all) of the time. Together, Dr. Wachter and Euan Ashley discuss empathy, medical education, patient trust, and what happens when technology begins to act increasingly human. Looking ahead, Dr. Wachter shares why he remains optimistic about AI in medicine — and why the next few years could fundamentally reshape how healthcare is delivered around the world. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    35 min

  3. May 10

    Crystal Mackall on CAR-T Breakthroughs, Beating Childhood Cancer, and the Future of Cell Therapy

    In this episode of the Future of Medicine, we welcome Crystal Mackall, the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy at Stanford, for a conversation on CAR T-cell therapy, pediatric cancer, and the future of biologic medicine. Dr. Mackall reflects on her path from a working-class town in Ohio to becoming one of the world’s leading pioneers in cancer immunotherapy. She shares how early experiences with cancer shaped her interest in medicine, and how decades of research eventually helped lay the groundwork for today’s advances in engineered cell therapies. The conversation explores the evolution of CAR T-cell therapy, including the challenges of treating solid tumors and why many promising therapies can take decades to become reality.  Looking ahead, Dr. Mackall shares her perspective on the future of medicine, including the growing role of RNA therapeutics, gene delivery, and in vivo cell engineering. She explains why the next generation of therapies may involve programming the body directly, rather than manufacturing treatments outside of it. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    39 min

  4. Apr 26

    Stephen Quake on Safer Prenatal Genetic Testing, and Detecting Disease Earlier

    In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Stephen Quake, a bioengineer, physicist, and serial entrepreneur whose innovations have transformed how we measure biology and deliver care. Dr. Quake shares how his early fascination with building and experimentation led him from physics into biology, where he helped pioneer microfluidics, enabling the automation of complex biological experiments. He reflects on founding multiple companies to bring these technologies into real-world use, reshaping research and diagnostics. The conversation explores the development of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), a breakthrough that allows doctors to detect chromosomal conditions using a simple blood draw instead of invasive procedures. Dr. Quake explains the key insight behind this advance: counting DNA molecules, and how it has since impacted millions of pregnancies worldwide. They also discuss the early days of genome sequencing, including Dr. Quake’s decision to sequence his own genome and what it revealed about the future of personalized medicine. From there, the conversation expands into liquid biopsies, transplant monitoring, and early cancer detection, highlighting how blood-based diagnostics are transforming how we detect and manage disease. Looking ahead, Dr. Quake shares his perspective on the next frontier: using advanced molecular tools and AI to detect disease earlier, understand human biology more deeply, and ultimately reshape the practice of medicine. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    47 min

  5. Apr 19

    Bonnie Maldonado on Smallpox Eradication, Vaccine Hesitancy, and the Return of Measles

    In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Yvonne "Bonnie" Maldonado, pediatrician and infectious disease expert at Stanford, for a powerful conversation on vaccines, public health, and the fragile progress of modern medicine. Dr. Maldonado reflects on the lessons behind her Grand Rounds talk, “Lessons from a House on Fire,” drawing from the global eradication of smallpox, one of humanity’s greatest public health achievements. She explains how targeted vaccination strategies helped stop a disease that once killed millions, and why that history still matters today. The conversation explores the growing resurgence of measles in the United States, driven in part by declining vaccination rates. Dr. Maldonado breaks down how measles spreads, why it remains one of the most infectious diseases known, and what current trends could mean for the future of public health. She also examines the roots of vaccine hesitancy, highlighting how risk perception, misinformation, and trust in institutions shape individual decision-making. From social media echo chambers to shifting federal policies, Dr. Maldonado discusses the complex forces influencing how people engage with science today. Looking ahead, she shares her perspective on rebuilding trust in medicine, the role of communication in public health, and why even small changes in vaccination rates can have large-scale consequences. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    46 min

  6. Apr 12

    Priscilla Chan on AI, Rare Disease, and the “Virtual Cell”

    In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Priscilla Chan, MD, pediatrician and co-founder of Biohub, a first-of-its-kind research initiative combining frontier AI with frontier biology to accelerate progress toward curing or preventing all disease. Dr. Chan shares how her experience caring for children with rare and undiagnosed conditions shaped her commitment to transforming how science is done. She discusses how patient-led research communities are driving breakthroughs, and how new approaches to data sharing and collaboration are reshaping the pace of discovery. The conversation explores Biohub’s work to build a “virtual cell”—a computational model designed to simulate human biology—and how advances in artificial intelligence, large-scale datasets, and imaging technologies could allow scientists to better understand disease at its most fundamental level. These tools may one day make it possible to predict disease risk earlier, test interventions virtually, and personalize treatment based on an individual’s biology. Dr. Chan also reflects on the future of medicine, where the boundaries between research and clinical care continue to blur, and where physicians increasingly engage with data, biology, and technology to guide patient care in real time. Looking ahead, she shares her vision for a more proactive and precise healthcare system—one that moves beyond treating illness to anticipating and preventing it. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    32 min

  7. Mar 29

    Jonathan Chen on AI in Medicine: Promise, Pitfalls, and Practice

    In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Jonathan Chen, MD, PhD, clinician, AI researcher, and Associate Professor at Stanford, whose work focuses on combining human and artificial intelligence to improve clinical decision-making. Dr. Chen reflects on the rapid rise of AI in medicine, and the moment he realized everything had changed. He also walks through surprising findings from his research, including studies showing that AI alone can sometimes outperform doctors using AI tools. He explains why this happens, from human bias and “automation errors” to the ways AI systems are designed to agree with users, even when they’re wrong. Looking ahead, Dr. Chen shares his perspective on the future of AI in medicine, including the risks of overreliance, the importance of clinical judgment, and how these tools could transform everything from medical education to patient care. He also explores the concept of “do no harm” in AI systems—and why safety and accuracy are not the same thing. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    44 min

  8. Mar 15

    Eric Topol on the Future of Healthy Aging

    In this episode of The Future of Medicine, we welcome Eric Topol, MD, cardiologist, scientist, bestselling author of Super Agers, and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, whose work has helped shape the field of digital medicine and the use of data, genomics, and artificial intelligence to personalize care. Dr. Topol reflects on how medicine is shifting from treating disease to preventing it, and why extending health span—the years we live in good health—may be one of the most important goals in modern science. He explains how advances in biomarkers, wearable technology, and AI are making it possible to predict disease risk earlier and intervene before conditions like heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s develop. Dr. Topol also discusses the science behind “super agers,” people who remain physically and cognitively healthy well into older age, and what research is revealing about the roles of the immune system, inflammation, lifestyle, and emerging therapies in determining how we age. Looking ahead, Dr. Topol shares his perspective on the future of preventive medicine, including how AI-driven prediction, organ-specific aging clocks, and new biological insights could transform healthcare from a reactive system into one focused on keeping people healthy for as long as possible. Thank you for listening! Call to action: If you enjoy The Future of Medicine, subscribe for more conversations with leading scientists shaping the next era of healthcare. Please rate and review the podcast to help others discover these important discussions. Share with friends and colleagues who are curious about how science becomes medicine.

    45 min
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out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Future of Medicine, a podcast from Stanford's Department of Medicine.  We bring you into conversation with the thought leaders who are reshaping how we understand disease, deliver care, and imagine what's possible in human health. This show is built around the extraordinary speakers who join us for Medicine Grand Rounds – one of the longest-running and most respected forums in academic medicine.  Our guests include world-renowned physicians, scientists, innovators, and policy leaders from across the globe, as well as the remarkable faculty at Stanford. Together, they represent the full spectrum of modern biomedical discovery: from breakthrough therapeutics and cutting-edge genomics, to health equity, digital health, global health, neuroscience, AI, and the re-design of care systems.  This is The Future of Medicine. 

Information

  • Creator
    Stanford Department of Medicine
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Future of Medicine
  • Show Website
    The Future of Medicine

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