Further Together, the ORAU podcast

Further Together, the ORAU podcast, covers all things ORAU, through interviews with our experts who provide innovative scientific and technical solutions for our customers. Learn about ORAU’s storied history, how we’re impacting an ever-changing world, as well as our commitment to our community.

Listen to all 150+ episodes of Further Together on Blubrry.com. You can also find Further Together on the Apple Podcasts app for iOS devices, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, Pandora, TuneIn, and Amazon Music.

Latest Episodes

Episode 168 Under Pressure: An epidemic of loneliness, a parental/caregiver stress crisis, contributing factors and how ORAU is helping

The U.S. Surgeon General says Americans are confronting an epidemic of loneliness. About half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness, and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness has physical health consequences, and impacts work performance, academic achievement and our overall mental health. Additionally, the Surgeon General has warned that the stress of caring for children has an impact on our mental health. Many members of Generation X may be caring for children or again parents or both, and the stress of caregiving has impacts on mental health as well. In this episode of Further Together, hosts Michael Holtz and Matthew Underwood talk to Jennifer Reynolds, senior manager of health communication, marketing, and promotion and Kristin Mattson, senior health education specialist. Both work in ORAU's Public Health and Healthcare Program. Throughout this episode, the hosts and guests discuss the problems, contributing factors, their lived experience, and where ORAU has done work to better understand and provide solutions. For more information on the work of ORAU's Public Health and Healthcare team, visit https://orau.org/public-health-healthcare/education-and-promotion.html.

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Episode 167 Destination Healthy Aging: An ORAU Innovation Partnership Program story

As Baby Boomers continue to age -- and let's be real Generation X isn't far behind -- healthy aging and how to care for this population will be critical. Elaine Jurkowski, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Southern Illinois Carbondale, received an ORAU Innovation Partnership Programs grant to host a day-long event called Destination Healthy Aging. The continuing education event for health care workers addressed caregiving, addressed the caregiver, addressed our workforce, talked about life after caregiving, talked about building communities that would be inclusive and age friendly for caregiving. We also addressed person-centered care and caregiving in place. That is, people remain in their own home and we figure out ways to strengthen the caregivers, so that they can do that job in helping that loved one stay in their home for as long as possible and even, hopefully, till they transition from this life. In this episode of Further Together, host Michael Holtz talks to Jurkowski and student GeVonna Fassett about the Destination Healthy Aging event, including how they decided to launch a program and the topic and what the impact was.

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Episode 166 Exploring the benefits of incorporating plants into daily life: An ORAU Innovation Partnership Grant story

Lakshya Sharma is student coordination manager for the Resource Center of Excellence Greater Atlanta, one of dozens of such centers around the world working to advance the United Nations' sustainable development goals. An ORAU Innovation Partnership Grant was awarded to RCE Greater Atlanta and Georgia Tech to help fund an Urban Horticulture and Permaculture Workshop, which brought together students from Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Georgia State, Morehouse College, Spelman College and other institutions across the Atlanta area. In this episode of Further Together, Sharma talks to host Michael Holtz and guest host Tracie Curtright from ORAU's Research and University Partnerships Office about the workshop. Sharma says students learned to incorporate plant life into their daily lives by gardening where they are. Sharma says the series of workshops also focused on the mental health benefits of caring for and having plants in your physical environment. Curtright shared details about the IPG program, and how ORAU's university partners can apply to use these $4,000 grants to grow attendance and dissemination of events like the one Sharma and his team organized.

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Episode 165 There is always something to be excited about in science: NASA NPP Fellow Sunil Pulletikurti, Ph.D.

Sunil Pulletikurti, Ph.D., is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow conducting research on the chemical origins of life. Essentially, he's investigating how small molecules become parts of larger molecules—for example, how an amino acid becomes part of a protein and other cellular transformation. In this conversation with host Michael Holtz, Pulletikurti takes a deep dive into his research, the time he spent at NASA before his postdoctoral fellowship, what sparked his interest in science, the struggle of coming from an impoverished childhood in India to being part of a global research enterprise, and how the fellowship will impact his career.

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Episode 164 The fight against cancer takes all of us: A conversation with Rachel Matlock from the Tennessee Department of Health

As part of our continuing series of conversations with leaders in the cancer space, hosts Michael Holtz and Matthew Underwood sit down with Rachel Matlock, manager of the comprehensive cancer control program at the Tennessee Department of Health. She also manages the Tennessee Cancer Coalition, which brings together stakeholders from across the state to reduce the cancer burden in the state. Her focus is primarily on cancer prevention and early detection. In this conversation, we discuss how Rachel got to her role, the Tennessee Department of Health's role in the fight against cancer, how she works with local health departments, community organizations, researchers, healthcare providers, decision makers and everyone involved in the fight against cancer.

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Previous Episodes

September is National Preparedness Month, the annual campaign to remind everyone that preparing for emergencies and disasters can keep them, their families and their communities safe. In this episode, hosts Michael Holtz and Matthew Underwood talk to Amanda McHale, Dr.PH, research associate on ORAU's public health and healthcare team, and Jennifer Russomanno, Dr.PH, associate department head at the University of Tennessee Department of Public Health, about the research they conducted that focused on the impact of extreme weather on small farms. Among their discoveries: the vast majority of small family farmers do not rely solely on farming for income. Their research was funded through the ORAU Directed Research and Development program, which supports collaborations between ORAU subject matter experts and faculty at consortium member universities.

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Charles R. Rogers, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Equity Foundation, an organization dedicated to eliminating colorectal cancer disparities among black men and other marginalized groups. In this conversation, host Michael Holtz and special guest host Brenda Blunt, ORAU senior director of health policy, talk to Rogers about the critical need to eliminate disparities, the importance of education about colorectal cancer prevention and early detection, and the hard work of creating a fair and just healthcare system. Rogers talks about his research portfolio, why health equity drives his work and how he came to found the CRC Equity Foundation.

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For the second year, the ORAU Research and University Partnerships Office has funded an internship program that places students in meaningful roles across the organization for the summer. In this episode of Further Together: The ORAU Podcast, hosts Michael Holtz and Matthew Underwood talk to five of the six interns in this year's program about their experiences at ORAU, what they will take away from the experience and what comes next. Lindsay Motz from the Research and University Partnerships Office introduces us to Samantha Gross, Noah Price, Faryal Rafay, Brian Bros and Julio Chavez. Amanda Smith was unable to join us for this conversation, but we understand she has enjoyed her experience.

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Bryan Goettel is the director of advocacy and alliance relations for Exact Sciences, a Madison, Wisconsin, based biotechnology company. Exact Sciences is perhaps best known for its signature product, Cologuard, an at-home colorectal cancer early detection test for adults of average risk age 45 and older. Further Together host Michael Holtz has a history with the company, including sharing his cancer journey at the first-ever national sales meeting for Cologuard in July 2014 and attending the Cologuard Classic golf tournament as a cancer advocate this past spring. Exact Sciences is on the forefront of oncology treatment and cancer prevention. During this conversation, Goettel talks about where Exact Sciences is heading in the biotechnology space, how he got to be part of the company, the importance of the patient voice in shaping its products, and how companies like ORAU can join the fight against cancer.

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In our continuing series of conversations with leaders in the oncology and cancer space, Further Together host Michael Holtz sits down with Jody Hoyos, president and CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The Prevent Cancer Foundation is the largest non-profit organization in the country solely dedicated to the prevention and early detection of cancer. As part of the conversation, Hoyos says companies like ORAU can help prevent cancer by educating and encouraging employees to get tested for colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer and others and help them understand when they are eligible to get those tests. Holtz and Hoyos also discuss the foundation's latest early detection and prevention survey, and how Hoyos became the leader of the foundation.

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View the full Further Together Podcast Archive

Further Together, the ORAU podcast

Latest Episodes

Episode 168 Under Pressure: An epidemic of loneliness, a parental/caregiver stress crisis, contributing factors and how ORAU is helping

Episode 167 Destination Healthy Aging: An ORAU Innovation Partnership Program story

Episode 166 Exploring the benefits of incorporating plants into daily life: An ORAU Innovation Partnership Grant story

Episode 165 There is always something to be excited about in science: NASA NPP Fellow Sunil Pulletikurti, Ph.D.

Episode 164 The fight against cancer takes all of us: A conversation with Rachel Matlock from the Tennessee Department of Health

Previous Episodes

Episode 163: ORAU-funded researchers give voice to small family farmers and how they respond to extreme weather events

Episode 162: Creating a fair and just healthcare system: A conversation with Charles R. Rogers, Ph.D.

Episode 161: Meet the Interns: 2024 Edition

Episode 160: Aligning missions to increase cancer screening rates: A conversation with Bryan Goettel of Exact Sciences

Episode 159: Leave no one behind: A conversation with Jody Hoyos, CEO of Prevent Cancer Foundation

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