Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Ira Pastor
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Science
  • Updated Daily

Interviews and Discussions With Fascinating People Who are Creating A Better Tomorrow For All Of Us - Host - Ira S. Pastor

  1. 4d ago

    Can Photobiomodulation Improve Brain Health? A New Frontier In Neuroscience Research - Dr. Neda Rashidi-Ranjbar, MD, Ph.D. - Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital / Peter Adams, VP, Business Development, VieLight

    Send us Fan Mail What if one of the most intriguing Alzheimer’s interventions isn’t a drug…but light? Light has long been recognized as essential for vision, sleep, and circadian rhythms - but could certain wavelengths of light actually influence the biology of the brain itself? Recent research into photobiomodulation is exploring whether carefully delivered near-infrared and red light can improve mitochondrial function, reduce neuroinflammation, enhance blood flow, and potentially slow aspects of cognitive decline. A newly published pilot study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease ( https://www.vielight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Vielight-University-of-Toronto-MCI-Publication.pdf ) reported improvements in memory and cognition among individuals with mild cognitive impairment following six weeks of non-invasive light therapy. While the findings are early, they raise fascinating questions about whether non-drug technologies could someday complement traditional Alzheimer's treatments. Today we're joined by two guests approaching this challenge from different perspectives. Dr. Neda Rashidi-Ranjbar, MD, Ph.D. ( https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4y5SuLYAAAAJ&hl=en) is a physician-scientist, neuroscientist, and clinical research leader at Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital ( https://unityhealth.to/locations/st-michaels-hospital/ ), where she leads a major neurodegenerative disease research program focused on mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Her work spans clinical trials, biomarkers, neuroimaging, cognitive testing, and translational neuroscience, helping bridge discoveries from the laboratory into patient care. Joining her is Peter Adams, Vice President of Business Development at VieLight ( https://www.vielight.com/ ), who has spent decades commercializing innovative healthcare technologies following leadership roles with Intel, MaRS Discovery District, and numerous international technology companies. His work focuses on bringing photobiomodulation technologies from research into real-world clinical use. Together we'll discuss the emerging science behind photobiomodulation, what we know about using light to influence brain function, how this research fits alongside today's rapidly evolving Alzheimer's therapies, and what the next generation of clinical trials will need to demonstrate as this approach becomes part of mainstream neurological care. #Alzheimers #BrainHealth #DementiaResearch #Neuroscience #Photobiomodulation #LightTherapy #MemoryLoss #CognitiveHealth #AgingBrain #MCI #Neurotechnology #MedicalInnovation #BrainScience #HealthyAging #MedicalResearch #Longevity #Biotech #Neurodegeneration Support the show

  2. 5d ago

    Air Launch, Hypersonics & Responsive Space | Tim Franta - CEO, Starfighters Space

    Send us Fan Mail For decades, getting to space has largely meant one thing: launching vertically atop massive rockets from fixed launch pads. But what if the future of space access also includes aircraft capable of flying at more than twice the speed of sound, launching payloads from the edge of the atmosphere, and providing researchers with affordable access to hypersonic flight and microgravity? Joining us today is Tim Franta, Chief Executive Officer of Starfighters Space ( https://starfightersspace.com/ ), an aerospace company operating the world's only commercial fleet of flight-ready Mach 2+ F-104 Starfighters. Based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the company is building capabilities that span hypersonic flight testing, airborne research, astronaut and pilot training, and an ambitious air-launch platform known as STARLAUNCH, designed to provide more flexible and responsive access to space. Tim brings an unusual blend of aerospace leadership, public policy, infrastructure development, and strategic finance. Before leading Starfighters Space, he helped shape Florida's modern space ecosystem through leadership roles with Energy Florida and the Florida Space Authority, where he worked on launch infrastructure, legislation, and hundreds of millions of dollars in space-related investment. Today we'll discuss why aircraft may become an increasingly important part of the space economy, how commercial innovation is changing access to orbit, the growing importance of hypersonic technologies, and what the next decade of aerospace infrastructure might look like. #SpaceExploration #CommercialSpace #Aerospace #SpaceTechnology #SpaceInnovation #FutureOfSpace #NASA #Hypersonics #AirLaunch #SatelliteLaunch #ResponsiveSpace #NationalSecurity #DefenseTechnology #RocketScience #SpaceEconomy #NewSpace #AviationTechnology #SupersonicFlight #Mach2 #F104Starfighter #StarfightersSpace #STARLAUNCH #FutureTechnology #Innovation #Engineering #ScienceAndTechnology #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities Support the show

  3. 6d ago

    Engineering the Human Body to Beat Extreme Heat | Justin Li - CEO, Qore Performance

    Send us Fan Mail Today on Progress, Potential and Possibilities, we're exploring one of the most fundamental challenges facing human performance: heat. Whether it's soldiers operating in desert environments, firefighters battling infernos, police officers wearing heavy body armor, construction crews working under extreme summer temperatures, or elite athletes pushing the limits of endurance, excess heat is more than an inconvenience - it can become a life-threatening limitation. Joining us is Justin Li, Co-Founder and CEO of Qore Performance ( https://www.qoreperformance.com/ ), a Tennessee-based company pioneering a new generation of personal thermoregulation technologies. Drawing on his background as a Deputy Sheriff with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, Justin founded Qore Performance to solve a problem he experienced firsthand - how to keep people cool, hydrated, and performing at their best in the harshest environments imaginable. Under Justin's leadership, Qore Performance has developed patented innovations including the ICEPLATE® and ICEFLASK®, systems that transform the water people already carry into wearable thermal batteries capable of cooling the body while simultaneously providing hydration. Today, Qore's American-made technologies are trusted by military personnel, law enforcement officers, first responders, industrial workers, outdoor professionals, and high-performance athletes across the country. Justin's work brings together physics, engineering, physiology, materials science, and product innovation to rethink how we manage one of the oldest biological challenges facing humanity. We discuss the science of heat transfer, the future of wearable cooling technology, entrepreneurship, and how better thermoregulation may become one of the next great frontiers in human performance. #JustinLi #QorePerformance #Thermoregulation #HeatStress #HumanPerformance #CoolingTechnology #WearableTech #Thermodynamics #Science #Innovation #Engineering #MilitaryTechnology #FirstResponders #OutdoorWorkers #OccupationalSafety #Hydration #ClimateTechnology #HealthTechnology #STEM #ProgressPotentialPossibilities Support the show

  4. Jul 18

    Cancer Recovery Is Being Reinvented | The Science of Cancer Rehabilitation - Dr. Jessica Cheng, MD - City Of Hope; Sharyn Araki - Breast Cancer Survivor

    Send us Fan Mail We spend billions of dollars developing drugs to fight cancer - but what if one of the most powerful therapies begins before treatment even starts? Today we're exploring the rapidly growing field of cancer rehabilitation and the science showing that exercise, nutrition, and personalized recovery plans can dramatically improve life before, during, and after cancer. Today's first guest is Dr. Jessica Cheng, MD ( https://www.cityofhope.org/patients/find-a-doctor/jessica-cheng ) one of the country's very few fellowship-trained physicians specializing in cancer rehabilitation medicine, and currently the only fellowship-trained cancer rehabilitation specialist serving Orange County at City of Hope. Dr. Cheng is a board-certified physiatrist whose work focuses on helping cancer patients maximize their strength, mobility, independence and quality of life before, during and after treatment. Her approach combines exercise medicine, physical rehabilitation, pain management, neurological recovery and supportive care into individualized treatment plans designed to remove barriers to successful cancer therapy. After earning her medical degree from Boston University, Dr. Cheng completed residency training at Loma Linda University Health before pursuing one of the nation's premier fellowships in cancer rehabilitation at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Today she is helping shape the future of this emerging field through clinical care, research and physician education. Our second guest is cancer survivor Sharyn Araki. Sharyn's journey encompasses every stage of breast cancer - from discovering a lump and receiving a life-changing diagnosis, through chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and rehabilitation. Throughout that experience she discovered that recovery wasn't simply about surviving cancer - it was about reclaiming her life. Working alongside Dr. Cheng, Sharyn embraced structured exercise and rehabilitation - including an unexpected passion for pickleball - which helped combat debilitating fatigue, rebuild strength and restore confidence. ( https://www.cityofhope.org/orange-county/talking-hope/physical-medicine-and-rehabilitation ) Perhaps most remarkably, Sharyn navigated this entire journey while raising seven children, offering a powerful perspective on resilience, family, faith and what it truly means to recover after cancer treatment. #CancerRehabilitation #CancerSurvivor #BreastCancer #CancerRecovery #ExerciseIsMedicine #Prehabilitation #CancerCare #Oncology #IntegrativeOncology #CancerResearch #Fitness #HealthInnovation #QualityOfLife #Stem #MedicalScience #PhysicalTherapy #Wellness #CancerFatigue #CityOfHope #ProgressPotentialPossibilities Support the show

  5. Jul 16

    Immune Engineering: The Next Revolution in Cancer Immunotherapy | Dr. William Williams, MD - President and CEO, BriaCell Therapeutics

    Send us Fan Mail For decades, the war on cancer has focused on destroying cancer cells directly - with chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted drugs. But what if the future of cancer treatment is not about attacking cancer ourselves...but teaching our own immune system to do it for us? Today we're exploring a new generation of immunotherapies designed to turn the body's own defenses into a precision weapon against cancer. Over the past decade, immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cell therapies have transformed the treatment landscape for many cancers. But major challenges remain - including limited response rates, treatment resistance, toxicity, and the enormous complexity and cost of manufacturing many next-generation therapies. Our guest today believes the next breakthrough may come from a new generation of personalized immunotherapies designed to activate a patient’s own immune system against their cancer - while also being manufactured as an accessible, off-the-shelf treatment. Joining us is Dr. William Williams, MD - President and CEO of BriaCell Therapeutics ( https://briacell.com/ ). Dr. Williams brings more than 35 years of experience spanning academia and the biopharmaceutical industry. He has helped advance numerous medicines from discovery through clinical development, including work contributing to therapies such as Jakafi and Olumiant during his time at Incyte, and multiple oncology programs during his career at GlaxoSmithKline. Before entering industry leadership, Dr. Williams was a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania focused on molecular immunology, receptor biology, and early DNA vaccine approaches. Today we’ll discuss the evolution of cancer immunotherapy, BriaCell’s Bria-IMT platform, the challenges of treating advanced breast cancer, and whether the future of oncology lies in creating therapies that can truly mobilize each patient’s own immune system. #CancerResearch #CancerImmunotherapy #Immunotherapy #CancerTreatment #Oncology #PrecisionMedicine #PersonalizedMedicine #Biotechnology #Biotech #LifeSciences #DrugDiscovery #ClinicalTrials #BreastCancer #MetastaticBreastCancer #CancerVaccine #CellTherapy #TumorImmunology #TCells #ImmuneSystem #MedicalInnovation #FutureOfMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #BiomedicalResearch #Pharma #PharmaceuticalInnovation #SciencePodcast #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #PPPShow Support the show

  6. Jul 15

    Menopause: The Workplace Blind Spot Costing Billions | Karen Bishop, MS - Senior Director of HR Rewards, Astellas Pharma US

    Send us Fan Mail We tend to think of menopause as a personal health issue - but in the workplace it quietly shows up as one of the largest unmodeled productivity shifts in the modern economy. Recent data from the Korn Ferry Institute, in collaboration with Vira Health, suggests nearly half of women report that perimenopause or menopause symptoms impact their work performance. And research cited by the Mayo Clinic estimates menopause-related productivity loss in the U.S. alone at roughly $1.8 billion annually. So the question becomes: what happens when a normal biological transition starts to meaningfully affect workforce participation, retention, and productivity? Karen Bishop, MS is Senior Director of HR Rewards at Astellas Pharma US ( https://www.astellas.com/en ), where she leads global benefits, compensation strategy, and employee well-being programs. Across more than two decades in HR leadership roles at organizations including MilliporeSigma, Shire (now Takeda), Cabot Corporation, and Putnam Investments, Karen has built deep expertise in total rewards strategy, healthcare benefits design, retirement systems, and organizational change. At Astellas, Karen has helped evolve an internal menopause workplace pledge into a broader global initiative focused on manager education, employee support systems, and benefits navigation - positioning menopause as part of a larger conversation around workforce health, retention, and productivity. #menopause #workplacewellbeing #hrleadership #futureofwork #corporatestrategy #workforceanalytics #womenshealth #hrtech #talentmanagement #employeeexperience #healthcareeconomics #productivity #leadershipdevelopment #totalrewards #organizationaldesign #publichealth #biologicalaging #genderequity #workplaceculture #healthpolicy Support the show

  7. Jul 14

    The Future Of Food Depends On Water: Inside The Global Water Challenge | Paul Reig - CEO, Bluerisk

    Send us Fan Mail Every cup of coffee, every chocolate bar, every loaf of bread has a hidden ingredient you probably never think about: water. But as climate change reshapes where and how we grow food, water is becoming one of the biggest risks facing our global supply chains. We often talk about climate change through the lens of rising temperatures, extreme weather, or carbon emissions — but behind many of these challenges is a resource that determines whether societies can thrive: freshwater. Agriculture accounts for roughly 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, and the systems that produce, transport, and distribute our food depend on reliable access to water. But climate volatility, changing precipitation patterns, drought, and disruptions in global trade are creating new risks throughout the agricultural supply chain. Our guest today is helping organizations understand and address these challenges. Paul Reig is the Founder and CEO of Bluerisk ( https://blueriskintel.com/ ), a company focused on helping businesses identify, assess, and manage water-related risks.  Paul brings nearly two decades of experience working at the intersection of water science, corporate strategy, and sustainability. Before founding Bluerisk, Paul spent nine years at the World Resources Institute, where he led the development of the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas - one of the world's leading tools for understanding global water risks - and helped create frameworks for measuring corporate water stewardship. Paul has advised more than 40 major global companies on how to assess water risks, establish resilience strategies, and develop solutions that protect shared water resources. Today we’ll discuss why water may become one of the defining challenges of the 21st century, how disruptions in agriculture and trade can amplify water stress, and what companies, governments, and innovators can do to build a more water-resilient future. #WaterRisk #WaterCrisis #ClimateChange #ClimateAdaptation #WaterSecurity #FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture #AgricultureTechnology #FutureOfFood #SupplyChainResilience #CorporateSustainability #EnvironmentalScience #ClimateInnovation #RegenerativeAgriculture #PrecisionAgriculture #WaterStewardship #GlobalWaterCrisis #ClimateTech #Sustainability #EarthScience #FoodSystems #Agritech #Innovation #ScienceAndTechnology #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities Support the show

  8. Jul 13

    From Cambridge to Cabinet - Dr. Evis Sala, MD, PhD - Minister of Health and Social Protection of Albania

    Send us Fan Mail We usually think of health ministers as politicians. Dr. Evis Sala, MD, PhD is something entirely different. She's one of the world's leading cancer imaging researchers who helped pioneer AI in radiology - and now she's responsible for the healthcare of an entire nation. What happens when a scientist takes the helm of public health? Our guest today is one of the world's leading physician-scientists in medical imaging who has recently taken on one of the biggest leadership challenges in healthcare. Dr. Evis Sala, MD, PhD ( https://www.kryeministria.al/en/ministrat/evis-sala/ ) currently serves as the Minister of Health and Social Protection of Albania  ( https://shendetesia.gov.al/en/hap/ ).  Before entering government, Dr. Sala built an extraordinary international career spanning the University of Cambridge, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Rome's Policlinico Gemelli, while becoming internationally recognized for her pioneering work in advanced cancer imaging, precision diagnostics, women's cancers, and the integration of artificial intelligence into radiology. Holding both an MD from the University of Tirana and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Cambridge, Dr. Sala has spent decades helping shape how we detect, diagnose, and ultimately treat cancer. Today, she is applying that scientific rigor and international experience to improving the health of an entire nation. #EvisSala #Healthcare #PublicHealth #Medicine #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Radiology #CancerResearch #PrecisionMedicine #CancerImaging #MedicalInnovation #DigitalHealth #HealthPolicy #Oncology #MRI #FutureOfMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalTechnology #SciencePodcast #ProgressPotentialPossibilities Support the show

See All (883)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Interviews and Discussions With Fascinating People Who are Creating A Better Tomorrow For All Of Us - Host - Ira S. Pastor

Information

You Might Also Like