TEDMED Conversations

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Welcome to TEDMED Conversations, where we investigate stories in health and medicine to inspire curiosity and connection. Join the Conversation!

  1. 6d ago

    When medicine measures the patient, what does it miss?

    Medicine is very good at measuring what happens to the body. But how do you measure what illness feels like? Artist and patient advocate Ted Meyer has spent decades using art to make the parts of the patient experience that tests and charts can miss impossible to overlook. In conversation with TEDMED Executive Director Lindsey Lynch, Meyer explores patient-created works depicting invisible pain, isolation, altered perception, scars, and survival. He also considers why medical schools are increasingly making space for patient narratives while many healthcare institutions remain more comfortable with art that soothes than art that confronts. What might change if clinicians learned to see a patient’s story as another vital source of information? This TEDMED Conversation explores art not simply as expression, but as a way to bring the whole person back into medicine. Full show notes on TEDMED.com.

    When medicine measures the patient, what does it miss?

  2. Jul 14

    What Makes Psychedelic Therapy Work?

    What does it take to turn a powerful psychedelic experience into responsible clinical care? In this TEDMED Conversation, Heidi Allen joins Jay Walker to examine the rapidly changing future of psychedelic-assisted therapy: what patients may need, what clinicians must be trained to provide, and what could get lost as the field moves toward approval, reimbursement, and scale. Heidi looks beyond the excitement around new treatments to ask harder questions about safety, access, ethics, and implementation. How should therapists be trained for this work? What role should preparation and follow-up play? And if regulators and companies simplify care models to fit existing approval pathways, will patients receive the kind of support these treatments actually require? The conversation explores a field at a turning point, where scientific promise, commercial pressure, clinical responsibility, and patient need are all colliding. For full show notes and more from TEDMED, visit TEDMED.com.

    What Makes Psychedelic Therapy Work?

  3. Jun 9

    When AI Enters the Care Relationship

    Artificial intelligence is often described as a faster way to process information. But in healthcare, its deeper impact may come from how it changes the interactions between patients, clinicians, caregivers, systems, and synthetic agents. In this TEDMED Conversation, computer scientist Deborah Estrin joins Jay Walker to explore AI’s promise and risk as it becomes more embedded in care. Together, they examine personalization, mobile data, mental health, synthetic conversation, and the need to pair speed with judgment. Visit TEDMED.com for the full video episode and show notes.

    When AI Enters the Care Relationship

  4. May 12

    The Biology of Awe: Why Wonder Might Be Essential to Health

    What if awe is more than a feeling? Psychologist Jennifer Stellar joins Jon Ellenthal to explore how awe, compassion, and wonder may shape the body, influence stress and inflammation, and expand what we consider essential to health. Together, they examine whether awe can be intentionally cultivated, and why wonder may be one of health’s most overlooked ingredients. Episode: The Biology of Awe: Why Wonder Might Be Essential to HealthFeaturing: Jennifer Stellar, PhD + Jon EllenthalMore from TEDMED: TEDMED.com

    The Biology of Awe: Why Wonder Might Be Essential to Health

  5. Apr 21

    Truth, Trust, and the Fragility of Scientific Institutions - Part 2

    This is Part 2 of a two-part TEDMED Conversation with investigative journalist Katherine Eban. In this companion episode, host Jay Walker and Eban move from foundational questions about trust into the real-world consequences of its erosion. Building on the themes introduced in Part 1, the conversation examines how breakdowns in oversight, transparency, and accountability manifest in practice—shaping everything from global clinical trials to the everyday safety of medicines. Eban draws on her reporting to reveal how systems intended to protect can fail under pressure, and what those failures mean for patients, practitioners, and the future of scientific credibility. Together, they explore what it takes to restore trust once it has been compromised—and whether today’s institutions are equipped to meet that challenge. Key Discussion Points & Timestamps From theory to reality: how institutional breakdown shows up in practice (01:42) The hidden complexity of global clinical trials and oversight (04:18) Where accountability breaks down—and why it’s hard to fix (07:55) The role of fear, pressure, and silence inside institutions (10:27) What patients assume vs. what systems actually guarantee (14:03) Can trust be rebuilt once it’s been compromised? (18:46) Quotes of the Episode “We like to believe there are safeguards at every step, but in reality those safeguards depend on people—and people can be under pressure, they can be constrained, or they can choose not to act.” — Katherine Eban “The system isn’t designed to fail, but it also isn’t always designed to catch failure when it happens.” — Katherine Eban “If trust is the foundation, what happens when that foundation begins to crack?” — Jay Walker References + Resources Below are links to references, books, articles, and resources mentioned during the conversation. Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom — Katherine Eban Katherine Eban’s reporting on the Guinea-Bissau hepatitis B study NIH — Clinical Trials Basics Tuskegee Syphilis Study (Encyclopaedia Britannica overview) The Belmont Report — Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Research Pew Research Center — Public Trust in Government More from Katherine and Jay KATHERINE EBAN Katherine Eban is an investigative journalist known for her work on public health, pharmaceuticals, and institutional accountability. She is the author of Bottle of Lies, a widely acclaimed exposé on the global generic drug industry, and has written for publications including Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, and Fortune. Her reporting often examines the intersection of science, ethics, and systemic failure. JAY WALKER Jay Walker is the curator of TEDMED and a lifelong innovator focused on advancing ideas that improve health and medicine. Through TEDMED Conversations, he engages leading thinkers in deep, exploratory dialogue. Connect with the Guests KATHERINE Website: https://www.katherineeban.com/Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/KatherineEbanBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katherineeban.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineebanJAY Website: https://www.tedmed.com/about/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-walker-5187453/ Join the Conversation We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at conversations@tedmed.com. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

    Truth, Trust, and the Fragility of Scientific Institutions - Part 2

  6. Apr 14

    Trust, Truth, and the Fragility of Scientific Institutions (Part 1 of 2)

    This is Part 1 of a two-part TEDMED Conversation with investigative journalist Katherine Eban. Across these companion episodes, host Jay Walker and Eban explore what happens when the institutions we rely on to define truth, safety, and scientific credibility begin to falter. In this first installment, the conversation opens with a wide-angle lens: how trust in scientific and medical institutions is built, how it erodes, and why that erosion carries consequences far beyond any single failure. Together, they examine the delicate balance between necessary scrutiny and systemic collapse, and the role individuals play when institutions drift from their purpose. Part 2 continues the conversation, moving from theory into deeper real-world implications and case-specific insights. In This Episode (Part 1) At moments in history, institutions that once felt immovable begin to shift. This episode explores that unsettling transition, asking: What happens when trust in science begins to erode How institutional failures ripple across society The tension between healthy skepticism and total distrust Why individuals matter most when systems weaken What history reveals about collapse, recovery, and responsibility Key Discussion Points + Timestamps Opening frame: when once-stable institutions begin to shift (00:11) Trust has cratered: naming the scale of institutional erosion (06:11) Who gets to decide what is “safe” or “true” in a fractured system (08:32) The core issue: where authority and accountability actually live (10:53) Global reality check: looking outside the U.S. for standards and reliability (13:13) A turning point: what kind of system we may be heading toward (17:40) A note of tension and hope: the people still holding the line inside institutions (22:02) Quotes of the Episode “Trust has cratered in the institutions, the premier institutions that the US has relied on for a generation to keep us safe.” - Katherine Eban “What we're seeing right now is this struggle over what is truth inside of the scientific and medical fields.” - Katherine Eban “We’re now beginning to see what global health looks like without the bedrock of US support, and it’s a pretty frightening picture.” - Katherine Eban References + Resources Below are links to references, books, articles, and resources mentioned during the conversation. Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom — Katherine Eban Katherine Eban’s reporting on the Guinea-Bissau hepatitis B study Pew Research Center — Public Trust in Government Tuskegee Syphilis Study (Encyclopaedia Britannica overview) The Belmont Report — Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Research NIH — Clinical Trials Basics More from Katherine and Jay KATHERINE EBAN Katherine Eban is an investigative journalist known for her work on public health, pharmaceuticals, and institutional accountability. She is the author of Bottle of Lies, a widely acclaimed exposé on the global generic drug industry, and has written for publications including Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, and Fortune. Her reporting often examines the intersection of science, ethics, and systemic failure. JAY WALKER Jay Walker is the curator of TEDMED and a lifelong innovator focused on advancing ideas that improve health and medicine. Through TEDMED Conversations, he engages leading thinkers in deep, exploratory dialogue. Connect with the Guests KATHERINE Website: https://www.katherineeban.com/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/KatherineEban Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katherineeban.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineebanJAY Website: https://www.tedmed.com/about/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-walker-5187453/  Join the Conversation We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at conversations@tedmed.com. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

    Trust, Truth, and the Fragility of Scientific Institutions (Part 1 of 2)

  7. Mar 10

    What Resilience Really Requires

    After declaring at TEDMED in 2011 that she would one day complete the Cuba-to-Florida swim, Diana Nyad returned in 2014 having done just that — at age 64. In this Conversation, hosted by TEDMED’s Kelly Thomas, Diana reflects on what resilience truly requires: preparation over bravado, the courage to fail publicly, and the team that makes “five more strokes” possible when the will begins to falter. Guests Diana Nyad, Open Water Swimming Champion Kelly Thomas, PhD, Biomedical Science Translator Key Discussion Points The Resilience Study (00:01:53) Resilience Under Pressure (00:09:02) Returning at 60 (00:14:08) The Courage to Fail (00:16:58) A Broader Perspective (00:23:38) Five Strong Strokes (00:26:46) Quotes of the Episode “You don’t say, ‘I’m tough. I can withstand a 90-mile-an-hour wind.’ You’ll be blown off the mountain. You get real. And you turn around.” – Diana Nyad “By the time I got into my sixties, I had a broader perspective — gratitude, patience. I never would have reached that other shore without that team.” – Diana Nyad “I have the courage to fail. I’d rather chase something big and not make it than never find out who I am.” – Diana Nyad Resources Mentioned Study mentioned: Discover Magazine: “The Brain Basis of Extraordinary Feats of Will” — an article exploring research into how high performers sustain cognitive function under physiological stress. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-brain-basis-of-extraordinary-feats-of-will-17521 Diana Nyad — TEDMED Talks Can you still swim with the sharks at 61? (2011)https://www.tedmed.com/talk/extreme_swimming_with_the_sharks  No Shortcuts to Victory (2014)https://www.tedmed.com/talk/no-shortcuts-to-victory Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundationhttps://www.christopherreeve.org/ Irukandji Syndrome (Box Jellyfish Envenomation Overview)https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22608-irukandji-syndrome Ed Viesturs — Mountaineering Philosophyhttps://www.edviesturs.com/ More from Diana + Kelly Diana Nyad is an endurance athlete, journalist, and author whose story continues to reach new audiences through speaking, performance, and film. Following the release of the 2023 feature film Nyad, she remains active in public conversation about resilience, aging, and what it means to pursue unfinished dreams with preparation, humility, and team. Kelly Thomas is Director of Scientific Content at TEDMED, where she curates and translates breakthrough ideas at the intersection of science, medicine, and human potential. As a host of TEDMED Conversations, she explores resilience, behavior change, and the ways evidence-based science can shape longer, healthier, more meaningful lives. Connect with the Guests Diana Nyad Website: https://www.diananyad.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diananyad/ X: https://twitter.com/DianaNyad  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianaNyad Kelly Thomas TEDMED: ⁠https://www.tedmed.com/person/kelly-thomas/⁠  LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-thomas-ph-d-416b356/⁠  Join the Conversation We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at conversations@tedmed.com. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

    What Resilience Really Requires

  8. Feb 10

    Designing Pediatric Care for Access, Trust, and Time

    What if pediatric care were built around relationships instead of billing codes? In this episode of TEDMED Conversations, host Theresa Santoro speaks with Dr. Lauren Hughes, founder of Bloom Pediatrics, about direct primary care and why she chose to step outside the insurance system to better serve families. Dr. Hughes shares how this model allows for deeper access, lower costs, and more proactive care—while restoring autonomy and purpose to clinical practice. Together, they explore what this approach reveals about the future of pediatric healthcare. Key Discussion Points & Timestamps From Kitchen-Table Medicine to Modern Pediatrics (00:00) The Residency Moment That Changed Everything (01:22) What Direct Primary Care Is—and What It Isn’t (04:34) Running a Practice Without Insurance (07:45) The Shockingly Low Cost of Care Without Middlemen (13:57) Community, Collaboration, and the DPC Movement (19:22) Preventing ER Visits Through Proactive Care (23:48) Scaling a Relationship-Based Model of Pediatrics (26:49) “I got in trouble for taking care of a patient… and I was told, ‘You will never keep the lights on if you practice medicine this way.’” — Dr. Lauren Hughes “Direct primary care was the way I could practice medicine old school—without the moral failures I felt in the current system.” — Dr. Lauren Hughes “When you can’t think creatively, you end up with tunnel vision—and that’s become the standard in healthcare.” — Theresa Santoro About Lauren and Theresa Dr. Lauren Hughes Dr. Lauren Hughes is a board-certified pediatrician and founder of Bloom Pediatrics in Kansas City. She pioneered one of the region’s first pediatric direct primary care practices, offering families unlimited access, transparent pricing, and deeply relational care outside the traditional insurance system. Theresa Santoro Theresa Santoro is a healthcare executive and CEO of RVNAhealth, with decades of experience leading mission-driven organizations across home health, hospice, and community-based care. Her work focuses on sustainable care models that prioritize dignity, access, and outcomes for patients and providers alike. Connect with the Guests Dr. Lauren Hughes, Founder & Pediatrician, Bloom Pediatrics 🌐 Website: https://www.bloompediatricskc.com 📝 Writing (Substack): https://drlaurenhughes.substack.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenhughesmd  Theresa Santoro, President & CEO, RVNAhealth 🌐 Organization: https://rvnahealth.org 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresasantoro  Join the Conversation! We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at conversations@tedmed.com. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

    Designing Pediatric Care for Access, Trust, and Time
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About

Welcome to TEDMED Conversations, where we investigate stories in health and medicine to inspire curiosity and connection. Join the Conversation!

Information

  • Creator
    TEDMED
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © TEDMED
  • Show Website
    TEDMED Conversations

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