Episode 9: Is the heat stealing your youth?

Do you ever feel like you're literally melting the second you step outside into the relentless Texas summer? It turns out that extreme heat might be doing a lot more than just making you uncomfortable—it could actually be taking years off your life.

In this episode of Launchpad, host John Elizondo sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Howard from the Department of Public Health at UT San Antonio. Dr. Howard’s groundbreaking research into heat-related deaths has captured national headlines , revealing that heat has claimed more than 21,000 lives since 1999 and has quietly become America's deadliest natural disaster.

But the danger goes deeper than the thermometer. Dr. Howard unpacks his fascinating research into accelerated aging, explaining how physical, emotional, and even "social" traumas trigger biological dysregulation that causes our bodies to age faster than the clock. Tune in to learn why your neighborhood's environment heavily dictates your life expectancy, what warning signs of heat illness you should never ignore, and two surprisingly simple daily habits you can adopt right now to help slow down the aging process.

Timestamps

00:00 – Podcast Intro & Guest Teaser

00:12 – Episode Overview: "Is the heat stealing your youth?"

00:35 – Introducing Dr. Jeffrey Howard and discussing national statistics on extreme heat

01:13 – Dr. Howard on the steep national increase in heat deaths over the last decade

03:36 – Discussion on The New York Times feature and the lack of standardized protocols for reporting heat deaths on death certificates

05:54 – Framing heat as America’s deadliest natural disaster and its connection to climate patterns

07:19 – Regional unpreparedness

08:37 – Heat mitigation efforts (cooling centers, hydration stations, and vulnerable populations)

09:38 – Signs of heat stroke and heat-related illness to watch out for

10:14 – Dr. Howard shares a personal story about his father's traumatic injury and health trajectory

11:51 – How military veteran research and Department of Defense trauma studies connect to long-term health outcomes

13:28 – Expanding the definition of "trauma" beyond physical injury to emotional, psychological, and social trauma

15:12 – Defining social trauma (inequality, racism, segregation)

15:49 – Biological age vs. Chronological age: How environmental exposures and socioeconomic status dictate life expectancy across San Antonio neighborhoods

19:23 – Dr. Howard’s top health advice for longevity (the importance of sleep, coffee, and tea)

20:18 – Stay connected with UT San Antonio

About Our Guest: 

Dr. Jeffrey Howard is an expert in premature mortality and accelerated aging research. His work spans from studying combat trauma and health trajectories in military veterans to examining the public health crises caused by global climate shifts.

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About UT San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) is a nationally recognized, top-tier public research university that unites the power of higher education, biomedical discovery and healthcare within one visionary institution. As the third-largest research university in Texas and a Carnegie R1-designated institution, UT San Antonio is a model of access and excellence – advancing knowledge, social mobility and public health across South Texas and beyond.