The Measure of Everyday Life WNCU public radio

Generating electrical power is vital for our current way of life and yet the process can have direct effects on human health. On this episode, we talk with Sarah Komisarow of Duke University and Emily Pakhtigian of Penn State University about their innovative research to assess the effects of power plants on human health. 

How can we improve our mental wellbeing by supporting our caregivers and healers? Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has many ideas which have come to her in part from her own remarkable life. Time magazine has called her a "Hero of Medicine." She's also an award-winning author. On this episode, we talk with her about her New Yorker Book of the Year, Fires in the Dark: Healing the Unquiet Mind.

Most people generally understand what friendship is and yet the roles it plays in our wellbeing have yet to be fully explored. On this episode, we talk with psychology researcher William Chopik of Michigan State University about new work on the value of friendship for health and what we can to do encourage better friendship in our lives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges for many different people, but one of those groups whose story hasn’t been sufficiently told yet is teachers. On this episode, we talk with Erin Thomsen and Erin Dunlop Velez of RTI International about their work to tell that story. 

Communities sometimes emerge into the public spotlight at moments of crisis, such as when there is a dangerous train derailment or catastrophic damage to a water system. When we try to help those communities, though, how can we do that in a respectful and useful way that reflects history. On this episode, we talk about doing community-engaged research with Vicki Johnson-Lawrence of RTI International, co-author of a new RTI Press report on trauma-informed approaches to improve public health. 

If you are hoping for a vacation this summer, it might reflect your frustrations with co-workers. Conflict in the workplace can be an important source of stress and can undermine team functioning. On this episode, we talk about how to cope with conflict with Jessica Jameson of North Carolina State University, author of Communication for Constructive Workplace Conflict.