On this UVA Speaks podcast, Leora Friedberg, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, shares with us the history of Social Security and concerns for the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund. Friedberg explains that the U.S. government has known about the future shortfalls for decades and describes proposed reforms. Her research details inequalities inherent in the system that could inform policy revisions. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Leora Friedberg, Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Economics in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Her research interests include public and labor economics and domestic policy. Friedberg is the Co-Director of the Retirement Research Institute and a Faculty Affiliate at the Virginia Center for Tax Law.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Shawn Pelletier, MD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery at the University of Virginia Health System, shares with us. He explains the different aspects of organ donation from living donors who donate their kidneys or part of their liver and those who arrange to donate their organs after death. Dr. Pelletier shares medical advances that have enabled surgeons and transplant teams to provide life-saving care to more patients. The need for transplanted organs outpaces the available supply. In 2023, there were 46,000 transplants performed; however, over 103,000 patients are currently on the transplant waiting list. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Shawn Pelletier, MD, is a Professor, Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery, Director of the Transplant Service Line, and Surgical Director of the Liver Transplant Program at UVA Health Systems. He has been on the faculty at UVA for 12 years, is a leader in several professional organizations, and has contributed to more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Bonnie Hagerman, Associate Professor in Women, Gender, & Sexuality and Director of Undergraduate Programs at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, describes the history of participation of American women in the Olympics and sports. She discusses athletes like Margaret Abbott, the first American woman to win an Olympic medal, and Althea Gibson, who broke the color barrier in women’s tennis and golf. Hagerman also highlights the importance of athletes like Venus Williams, who advocated for pay equity for women in her sport, and gymnast Simone Biles, whose withdrawal from the 2020 Olympics led her to become a mental health advocate. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Bonnie Hagerman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Women, Gender, & Sexuality and Director of Undergraduate Programs at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on women, gender, sport, and 20th Century American social history. She is the author of the book “Skimpy Coverage: Sports Illustrated and the Shaping of the Female Athlete.” This Spring, Professor Hagerman is teaching a course entitled “Gender & the Olympic Games.”

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Denise Walsh, Associate Professor of Politics and Women, Gender, & Sexuality in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, describes identity politics. She discusses the tendency of people to organize in collective solidarity and their actions to change social values or public policies, like in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Institutions can, Walsh says, produce and deliberately craft identities to ensure that one group has more opportunities and power than others. She explains that as long as discrimination exists based on characteristics shared by a group of people, there will be identity politics. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Denise Walsh is an Associate Professor of Politics and Women, Gender, & Sexuality at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia. Her research investigates how democracies can be made more inclusive and just. Walsh's current book project, Culture and Women's Rights Don't Clash, focuses on the so-called "burka ban" in France, the legalization of polygyny in South Africa, and the marrying out rule for Indigenous women in Canada.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Meghan Mattos, Assistant Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia, discusses age-related sleep changes and the consequences for the health and safety of older adults. Mattos shares her research investigating the connection between poor sleep, cognitive decline, and the potential of digital interventions and behavioral changes to improve cognition and memory. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Meghan Mattos is an Assistant Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on preventing and treating cognitive impairment in older adults, particularly those living in rural areas with limited access to care. Mattos practiced clinically in acute and critical care settings before pursuing her Ph.D., where she developed her research interests in gerontology, cognitive health, and health equity. Her continued commitment to providing care to underserved and aging communities drives her research, clinical, and teaching interests.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Jess Reia, Assistant Professor of Data Science at the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia, discusses smart cities and how technology and data are used both domestically and internationally to make more effective and data-driven decisions. The smart city agenda can lead to more efficient, accessible, and green cities. Reia also explains that we need to consider privacy, data protection, and safety when deciding what technologies to adopt. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Jess Reia is an Assistant Professor of Data Science interested in the untold stories in our datasets and how to include communities rarely heard in data policy decision-making processes meaningfully. They work primarily on topics of data justice, urban governance, and technology policy transnationally. For the past decade, their research and advocacy agenda has focused on fostering dialogues between academia, government, and civil society in three countries: Brazil, Canada, and the United States.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Kimberly Whitler, the Frank M. Sands Sr. Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business, discusses the backlash large companies and brands (like Nike and Bud Light) have experienced when taking socio-political stances. Whitler contends that taking a stand on social issues can destroy a brand's reputation and that CEOs and Chief Marketing Officers need to use data and research to understand their consumers to minimize the impact on their reputation and bottom line.   Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here.   Kimberly Whitler is the Frank M. Sands Sr. Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Whitler spent nearly 20 years in general management, strategy, and marketing roles within the consumer packaging goods and retailing industries, managing global, U.S., and Eastern European-based businesses. She is the author of “Positioning for Advantage: Techniques and Strategies to Grow Brand Value,” named a “best strategy book,” and is the co-author of the book “Athlete Brands: How to Benefit from Your Name, Image, & Likeness.”

On this UVA Speaks podcast, J.T. Bachman, Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, discusses his project “Waste Not, What Not.” This project seeks to reduce the amount of materials that go into landfills by transforming them into new designs and building materials. Bachman shares that according to EPA statistics, over 200 million tons of trash end up in U.S. landfills each year. By transforming waste and recycled materials into prototypes and long-lasting functional objects, Bachman hopes that he and his students can show through exploration, thoughtful design, and knowledge sharing that designers and architects can keep more materials out of landfills. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/5hynzyfLV36aMT1RQjOlkOMVLpO7UIJOH_4ArTdwgUwUAYMJUPStfhBOuiPnj0kzm9WRXrfNf9FJS-V-rU_edWqKMTg?loadFrom=SharedLink J.T. Bachman, an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. He is a registered architect, co-founder, and principal of “Office of Things,” an architecture collaborative that explores the construction and transformation of the built environment.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Sebastian Tello-Trillo, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, describes the U.S. healthcare system as fragmented and how that drives the economics of our healthcare. As an economist, he analyzes the U.S. healthcare system's positive and negative aspects through the economic indicators of price, quantity, and administrative burden. If you are curious about how our system compares to universal healthcare, listen in to hear his analysis. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. www.rev.com/transcript-editor/s…loadFrom=SharedLink Sebastian Tello-Trillo is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He is an economist whose research focuses on health policy in the United States and Latin America and on understanding how policies affect individuals’ health behaviors and economic outcomes. His fields of specialization are health economics and applied microeconomics.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Professor of Education from the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia, talks about the history of living-learning communities. These academic programs are based in college residence halls that seek to integrate in-class and out-of-class experiences. Her research shows that at their best, living-learning communities allow college students to forge connections with peers and faculty and participate in intellectual and social activities, all leading to a strong sense of belonging. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here.  www.rev.com/transcript-editor/s…loadFrom=SharedLink Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas is a Professor of Education in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. She has a longstanding interest in how college environments affect students. Among her research interests are the impact of living-learning communities and their impact on undergraduate student outcomes. In addition, she holds an appointment in the UVA Contemplative Sciences Center as Research Director of Undergraduate Initiatives, where she is the co-principal investigator of the Student Flourishing Initiative, a collaborative project with The Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, hear from Carrie Heilman, the William Stamps Farish Associate Professor of Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. She describes her role as UVA’s Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), advocating for student-athletes at the NCAA, the ACC, and UVA related to academics and student well-being. She explains new rules that make it easier for student-athletes to transfer schools and the use of “Name, Image, and Likeness” allowing students to profit from using their names and likeness without giving up their amateur status. A former Division I athlete, Heilman also discusses how she draws on her competitive spirit to lead and mentor her students in the McIntire Promotions course through a national advertising competition. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/dsGVAbmeO0-PsYsUxNHkqhByli5bquf1RCewiJZ5UBr-anG8_SFXv7ZrHxSBl6MReHvC2rxD2DQPI0yYLxBYCVBX4ns?loadFrom=SharedLink Carrie Heilman is the William Stamps Farish Associate Professor of Commerce in the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. She teaches courses in brand management, strategic brand consulting, and communications at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Heilman’s research interests include modeling consumer choice and brand loyalty in frequently purchased consumer goods categories, customer relationship management (CRM), retail loyalty programs and strategies, and the impact of consumer promotions, especially in-store promotions, on consumer behavior.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Erik Linstrum, Associate Professor in the Corcoran Department of History in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, provides a historical context that led Britain to leave the European Union. He will discuss Brexit—the “British exit”(withdrawal) of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the current pushback of public opinion against the reforms. Linstrum explains the political instability that has led to four prime ministers in six years, how this uncertainty plays out in a parliamentary system, and how much of Britain’s current economic crisis can be traced back to Brexit. Linstrum also describes his book Age of Emergency: Living with Violence at the End of the British Empire. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here.  www.rev.com/transcript-editor/s…loadFrom=SharedLink Erik Linstrum is an Associate Professor in the Corcoran Department of Philosophy, in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, at the University of Virginia. Professor Linstrum is a historian of modern Britain in its imperial, European, and global contexts. His research explores the politics of knowledge and the circulation of information with particular interests in science and technology, war and violence, and the long history of decolonization. His most recent book, Age of Emergency: Living with Violence at the End of the British Empire, traces reports of atrocities in Malaya, Kenya, and Cyprus as they circulated through British society after 1945.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Kelly Orians, Assistant Professor and Director of the Decarceration Community Reentry Clinic at the University of Virginia’s School of Law, talks about the dramatic rise in incarceration rates in our country since the 1960s and the policy and societal shifts that brought about this change. Once the incarcerated are released, they face many challenges when reentering society. To assist in this transition, Orians details the work that UVA Law School students undertake on behalf of their clients, such as legal work with clemency, pardons, and applications for post-conviction relief. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. www.rev.com/transcript-editor/s…loadFrom=SharedLink Kelly Orians is an Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Decarceration and Community Reentry Clinic in the School of Law at the University of Virginia. Professor Orians is an expert on helping formerly incarcerated people reenter society and prevent recidivism. Her scholarship has focused on the collateral consequences of arrests, convictions, and incarceration and the history and impact of sentencing reform and prisoner reentry reform.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Shilpa Davé, Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor in the Department of Media Studies in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, discusses the unprecedented number of awards won by Asian actors this past award season and how this accomplishment can lead to greater diversity throughout the entertainment industry. Davé also explores the significance of streaming services and social media platforms and how they have impacted the media and content creators in depicting Asians and Asian Americans by weaving their stories into American history and the present day. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here.  www.rev.com/transcript-editor/s…loadFrom=SharedLink Shilpa Davé is an Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor in the Department of Media Studies, at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, at the University of Virginia. Davé researches and teaches about representations of race and gender in media, popular culture, comparative American studies, including Asian American and South Asian American Studies, and film, television, and literary studies. She is the author of Indian Accents: Brown Voice and Racial Performance in American Television and Film (2013) and is co-editor of Global Asian American Popular Cultures (2016) and East Main Street: Asian American Popular Culture (2005).

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Zachary Irving, Assistant Professor in the Corcoran Department of Philosophy in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, talks about the philosophy of mind-wandering, which is unguided attention that occupies up to half of our waking hours. Listen in to learn about Irving’s interdisciplinary research that points to how mind-wandering can be a tool that leads to creativity and exploration. By combining philosophy with other disciplines, Irving and his colleague are developing ways to measure the dynamic phenomena of mind-wandering and how it can influence the mind and outcomes in our personal and professional lives. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. www.rev.com/transcript-editor/s…loadFrom=SharedLink Irving’s research focuses on the philosophy of cognitive science. He has proposed a new theory of mind-wandering as unguided attention. He also examines more general philosophical topics, such as mental action, conscious attention, and introspection, through the lens of mind-wandering.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, explains that behavioral decision-making considers how we reason and how that impacts the way we make both small and large decisions. This field helps us understand that we don’t always make decisions based on what a predictive model says we should. Listen in to learn what research shows us about being overconfident. Should we include behavioral decision-making as we structure our projects and deliverables?   Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here.   Yael Grushka-Cockayne is a Professor of Business Administration, Altec Styslinger Foundation Bicentennial Chair in Business Administration, and the Senior Associate Dean for Professional Degree Programs at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. She also holds an appointment as Co-Director of the Collaboratory for the Advancement of Business and Data Science at UVA’s School of Data Science. Professor Grushka-Cockayne’s research and teaching focus on data science, forecasting, project management, and behavioral decision-making. Her research has been published in numerous academic and professional journals, and she is a regular speaker at international conferences.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Vanessa Ochs, Rabbi and Professor in the Religious Studies and Jewish Studies Departments at the University of Virginia, talks about her popular Jewish Weddings_ class,_ which has appeared on the “21 Classes to Take Before You Graduate” and “9 of the Coolest Classes at UVA” lists. Ochs’ students read biblical and ancient texts to discover the origins of rituals and understand that some practices performed in today’s weddings, like the chuppah, have evolved more recently. Students perform mock weddings, and Ochs describes how they have honored interfaith and intercultural traditions during the ceremonies, with some being performed on UVA’s infamous Lawn. Retiring at the end of the academic year, Professor Ochs also reflects on her students and time at UVA.   Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here.   Vanessa Ochs is a Rabbi, and a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and a core member of the Jewish Studies Program since its inception. Professor Ochs teaches topics such as Jewish feminism, Jewish ritual, ethnographic fieldwork in religion, and Abrahamic feminism. She is the Chair of the Professional Consulting Committee: UVA Chaplaincy Services and Pastoral Education at the UVA Health System.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, Maryam Zehtabi, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Women, Gender, & Sexuality, College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, portrays the recent protest movement in Iran as a revolution because protesters seek systemic change from the current regime. She explains that people from different walks of life are openly protesting, with some taking drastic actions, to bring continued attention to the harsh and brutal crackdown of the Iranian government. Zehtabi describes this as a time of trauma for the people of Iran and the diaspora but also hopes that meaningful change can come to their country. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. www.rev.com/transcript-editor/s…loadFrom=SharedLink Maryam Zehtabi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality, at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, at the University of Virginia. Professor Zahtabi’s research focuses on the ramifications of sex work in Iran from the Constitutional Revolution of the early 20th century to the present day through the lens of Persian literature and film. Her current research centers around the issues of child marriage and the #MeTooMovemet in Iran. Zehtabi’s work has appeared in the International Journal of Persian Literature, The Guardian, and The Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, learn about the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest and the importance of prompt intervention to increase the chances of survival from these emergency conditions. Dr. Taison Bell, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and International Health and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at UVA Health, explains the importance of learning CPR, the bystander algorithm, and the use of defibrillators to restart the heart. Dr. Bell also highlights the disparities in rates of CPR delivery in black and brown communities and the need to increase awareness and education in these communities. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. Taison Bell, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and International Health and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at UVA Health and Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit and the UVA Summer Medical Leadership Program. Dr. Bell’s interests include improving inpatient healthcare delivery through quality improvement initiatives and increasing workforce diversity. He is involved in quality improvement efforts on the national level and sits on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Committee, developing healthcare payment reform initiatives.

On this UVA Speaks podcast, hear from Eileen Chou, the Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. She explains her definition of leadership and the belief that leaders are made and not born. Drawing upon her research and that of others in her field, Chou details some key skills one should master to be a good leader and the most important takeaway she hopes her students will remember. Transcripts of the audio broadcast can be found here. https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/GSYsUWNVt6EhwzB1rqJ8zbaunnCOAmtD8Zj_jdBA4liJgvPTVEDPRjFufGz6uQ3RsfAEQ8GqDMQAjsr9R-Kboh9Xl5U?loadFrom=SharedLink Eileen Chou is the Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Professor Chou researches the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. She explores questions such as how the terms of contracts promote or inhibit cooperation among team members, whether and when hierarchy is an effective mechanism of social organization, and how trust can be used as a strategic tactic.