TEDMED Conversations

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.

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.

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.

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

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 & TimestampsFrom 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 WalkerReferences + ResourcesBelow 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 studyNIH — Clinical Trials BasicsTuskegee Syphilis Study (Encyclopaedia Britannica overview)The Belmont Report — Ethical Principles and Guidelines for ResearchPew Research Center — Public Trust in GovernmentMore from Katherine and JayKATHERINE EBANKatherine 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 WALKERJay 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 GuestsKATHERINEWebsite: https://www.katherineeban.com/Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/KatherineEbanBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katherineeban.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineebanJAYWebsite: https://www.tedmed.com/about/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-walker-5187453/ Join the ConversationWe'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at [email protected]. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

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 erodeHow institutional failures ripple across societyThe tension between healthy skepticism and total distrustWhy individuals matter most when systems weakenWhat history reveals about collapse, recovery, and responsibilityKey Discussion Points + TimestampsOpening 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 EbanReferences + ResourcesBelow are links to references, books, articles, and resources mentioned during the conversation.Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom — Katherine EbanKatherine Eban’s reporting on the Guinea-Bissau hepatitis B studyPew Research Center — Public Trust in GovernmentTuskegee Syphilis Study (Encyclopaedia Britannica overview)The Belmont Report — Ethical Principles and Guidelines for ResearchNIH — Clinical Trials BasicsMore from Katherine and JayKATHERINE EBANKatherine 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 WALKERJay 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 GuestsKATHERINEWebsite: https://www.katherineeban.com/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/KatherineEbanBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katherineeban.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineebanJAYWebsite: https://www.tedmed.com/about/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-walker-5187453/ Join the ConversationWe'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at [email protected]. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

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.GuestsDiana Nyad, Open Water Swimming ChampionKelly Thomas, PhD, Biomedical Science TranslatorKey Discussion PointsThe 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 NyadResources MentionedStudy 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-17521Diana Nyad — TEDMED TalksCan 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-victoryChristopher & Dana Reeve Foundationhttps://www.christopherreeve.org/Irukandji Syndrome (Box Jellyfish Envenomation Overview)https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22608-irukandji-syndromeEd Viesturs — Mountaineering Philosophyhttps://www.edviesturs.com/More from Diana + KellyDiana 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 GuestsDiana NyadWebsite: https://www.diananyad.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diananyad/X: https://twitter.com/DianaNyad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianaNyadKelly ThomasTEDMED: ⁠https://www.tedmed.com/person/kelly-thomas/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-thomas-ph-d-416b356/⁠ Join the ConversationWe'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at [email protected]. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

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 & TimestampsFrom 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 SantoroAbout Lauren and TheresaDr. Lauren HughesDr. 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 SantoroTheresa 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 GuestsDr. 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 [email protected]. Follow our social media channels @tedmedcommunity on Instagram/Threads and @tedmed on X and LinkedIn for updates.

Conversation GuestsHost, Bruce Schneier, Health Data WatchmanGuest, Dr. Leana Wen, Transparent PhysicianArtificial intelligence is already making medical decisions—often without patients realizing it. In this episode of TEDMED Conversations, Bruce Schneier and Dr. Leana Wen unpack where AI is quietly saving lives, where it falls short, and why it may be “better than no doctor at all” in many settings. They challenge the idea of AI as a replacement for clinicians, arguing instead that the real stakes lie in how power, trust, and accountability are built into these systems. The conversation cuts through the hype to ask a harder question: how do we use AI to expand care without losing the human judgment medicine depends on?Key Discussion Points & TimestampsAI is already embedded in healthcare (00:00)Predictive AI vs. generative AI (02:13)Speed, scale, scope, and sophistication (06:09)Will AI widen or reduce health inequities? (13:23)How AI changes medical training and roles (18:03)Trust, transparency, and accountability (25:21)How patients should use AI today (29:17)Quotes of the Episode1. On access and scale“AI may not be a perfect replacement for a doctor — but in many places, it’s a powerful replacement for no doctor at all.” — Leana Wen2. On augmentation vs. replacement“The future of medicine isn’t AI instead of clinicians — it’s clinicians who know how to use AI replacing those who don’t.” — Leana Wen3. On trust and transparency“You can’t have trust without transparency — and transparency alone isn’t enough.” — Bruce SchneierMore from Leana and BruceDr. Leana WenDr. Leana Wen is a practicing physician, healthcare executive, and one of America’s leading public health experts. She is a columnist for The Washington Post, where she writes a twice-weekly column on medicine and public health and anchors the Post newsletter, "The Checkup with Dr. Wen". Previously, she served as Baltimore’s Health Commissioner. She has authored two critically-acclaimed books, including most recently Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.Recent articles and columns: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/leana-s-wen/Aggregated bibliography of recent published work: https://muckrack.com/leana-s-wen/articlesAdditional background, books, and media appearances: https://drleanawen.comBruce SchneierBruce Schneier is an internationally recognized security technologist, author, and public-interest advocate whose work focuses on security, technology, and society. He is a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, and has advised governments, corporations, and civil society on cybersecurity, privacy, and emerging technologies. Schneier has written more than a dozen influential books and publishes the long-running blog Schneier on Security. His most recent book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship , examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping democratic institutions and argues for building trustworthy, accountable systems that serve the public interest.More of Bruce Schneier’s writing and research on security, trust, and technology: https://www.schneier.comConnect with our GuestsDr. Leana WenWebsite: https://drleanawen.comX: https://x.com/DrLeanaWenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drleanawen/ Bruce SchneierWebsite: https://www.schneier.comX: https://x.com/schneierblogFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bruce.schneier/Join the Conversation!We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at [email protected]. Follow our social media channels IG/Threads: @tedmedcommunity and X/LinkedIn: @tedmed for updates.

Thomas Abt, founding director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (VRC) and associate research professor at the University of Maryland, is on a mission to reduce community violence in American cities. Drawing on rigorous research and real-world experience, Abt develops evidence-informed strategies that unite city leaders, law enforcement, public health officials, and community-based groups.Community violence—also known as urban or street violence—is not random. It’s highly concentrated in small groups and geographic hotspots, often tied to gun and gang activity. But its ripple effects extend far beyond those directly involved, impacting entire communities through higher taxes, rising insurance premiums, and declining property values.Abt explains how targeted, balanced, and fair interventions—backed by a systematic meta-review—offer the most effective path to safer cities. Through the work of the VRC, cities like Knoxville, Boston, and St. Louis are implementing these tailored violence reduction plans and seeing promising results.🎧 Related Playlist: Gun Violence and What to do About ItResources:Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (VRC)Systematic Meta-Review: What Works to Reduce Community ViolenceThomas Abt – University of Maryland Faculty ProfileBleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence—and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets by Thomas Abt