UVA Speaks

UVA Lifetime Learning

The University of Virginia Lifetime Learning program enriches the intellectual life of UVA’s alumni, parents, friends, and families through faculty lectures and online resources.

  1. 05/06/2025

    Food Pharmacies and Heart Disease Prevention in Rural Communities

    This UVA Speaks podcast features Kelley Anderson, Associate Professor of Nursing at the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia. Anderson explains that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing more deaths than all cancers combined. She shares how lifestyle and food choices can significantly reduce the risk and progression of heart disease, as recommended by the American Heart Association's Life's Essential Eight. A collaborative, grant-funded initiative between the University of Virginia, Blue Ridge Medical Center, and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank offers crucial heart disease prevention services to rural communities in Central Virginia. Through a food pharmacy, clients receive fresh fruits and vegetables and sessions with nutritionists who educate them on sustainable lifestyle changes to prevent and manage heart disease. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/f605CPAuJqp6KTDQh_bmteSZ0xsKzZR0mu_gSgNox3DwCOdjLjhc0gNqy6-mdkhtvNz9PXRRrqrAw4OhDvrf5sScqKw?loadFrom=SharedLink Kelley Anderson is an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia's School of Nursing. As a nurse-scientist, her research centers on heart failure, cardiovascular health, assistive technology for heart failure patients, and innovative approaches to teaching and mentoring. As a family nurse practitioner, Anderson also studies nursing in global and under-resourced contexts and earned a Fulbright Program Scholarship to the Czech Republic.

    26 min
  2. 03/28/2025

    Origins of the Universe, the Nature of Time, and Other Dimensions

    This UVA Speaks podcast features Kelsey Johnson, Professor of Astronomy and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia. Earlier this year, Johnson captivated audiences at a popular Lifetime Learning virtual event entitled "Mysteries of the Cosmos: Science, Philosophy, and the Big Questions," where she delved into some of life's most profound mysteries. Due to the large number of questions posed by participants, Johnson agreed to address additional inquiries in this podcast. Here, she tackles deep questions about the origins of the universe, the nature of time, and the possibility of other dimensions. Johnson underscores the importance of curiosity and humility when confronting such vast and potentially unanswerable questions, and she champions interdisciplinary thinking as essential for fostering innovation and breakthroughs. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Kelsey Johnson is a professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia, an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Religious Studies, and she currently serves as the associate dean of undergraduate education at the College of Arts & Sciences. She is the past president of the American Astronomical Society and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the founding director of the award-winning Dark Skies Bright Kids program. Johnson has won numerous awards for her research, teaching, and promotion of science literacy. Her TED talk on the importance of dark skies has more than 2 million views, and her writing has appeared in nationwide publications, including the New York Times, Scientific American, and the Washington Post.

    34 min
  3. 03/04/2025

    UVA’s National Security Data and Policy Institute

    This UVA Speaks podcast features Philip Potter, Professor of Politics in the Department of Politics, founding Director of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy’s National Security Policy Center, and founding Director of the National Security Data and Policy Institute at the University of Virginia. Potter explains that the National Security Data and Policy Institute, a collaboration between the University of Virginia and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, seeks to bridge the gap between government and academia to address the country’s most pressing national security issues. The Institute researches the challenges of data proliferation and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and biotechnology. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Philip Potter is a Professor of Politics from the Department of Politics at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the founding Director of the National Security Policy Center at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the National Security Data Policy Institute at the University of Virginia. Professor Potter’s research focuses on US foreign policy, military affairs, and international security. He has published dozens of articles, policy papers, and government reports on these topics as well as two books. He also serves as a university expert for the Intelligence Community and a senior advisor in the Department of Defense.

    26 min
  4. 12/04/2024

    Degree Completion Programs: Transforming Students’ Lives and Careers

    This UVA Speaks podcast features David Corlett, Assistant Professor and Senior Program Director of Undergraduate Degrees at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia. Corlett discusses the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) and the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management (BPHM). These degree completion programs have transitioned from in-person to primarily online formats, broadening UVA's reach to non-traditional students both nationwide and internationally. He emphasizes the importance of a liberal arts education in fostering critical thinking, ethics, and adaptability, and shares how these programs have profoundly impacted students' careers and personal lives.   Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here.   David Corlett is an Assistant Professor and Senior Program Director of Undergraduate Degrees at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia. Corlett is a historian whose research and teaching interests focus on the Atlantic World, comparative colonialism, and early New England. Before joining UVA full-time, he taught with the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary program at UVA since 2005, served as an Assistant Teaching Professor at Arizona State University (2019-2023), and as the Interim Director of the National Institute of American History & Democracy at the College of William & Mary.

    27 min

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The University of Virginia Lifetime Learning program enriches the intellectual life of UVA’s alumni, parents, friends, and families through faculty lectures and online resources.