Innovatively Speaking

Join Jesse Goodwin, chief innovation officer at MUSC, on the "Innovatively Speaking podcast", where she dives into the origins of the next big things! We'll explore the who, why and how of ideas that are changing what’s possible at MUSC and in some cases, across the world! Subscribe via your favorite podcast app and listen in on conversations with expert guests whose breakthrough ideas and technology are reshaping life and health care in exceptional ways! 

Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe to the show on Spotify Podcasts. 

Our newest episode

Accelerator Programs and Innovation Engagement

On this episode of Innovatively Speaking, we speak with Todd Headley, the CEO of the Zucker Institute for Innovation Commercialization (ZI). We discuss how Charleston has grown to an innovation hotspot as well as how ZI, the technology transfer office of MUSC, is working to provide answers and support for all the ideas coming in.

 

Season 1

Episode one: Tackling Postpartum Depression and Anxiety with Connie Guille, M.D.

Our Innovation team sits down with Connie Guille, M.D., director of the Women’s Reproductive Behavioral Health (WRBH) Division at MUSC and associate Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Guille discusses her new innovative screening process, "Listening to Women," that's being adopted in OBGYN care nationally as well as postpartum depression and anxiety.   

Episode two: Astronauts, Anxiety and the Trip to Mars with Mark George, M.D.

Hear from Dr. Mark George, endowed professor of psychiatry at MUSC and a pioneer in the field of brain stimulation and treatments! Dr. George discusses treating depression, OCD, PTSD and more through the use of magnets (transcranial magnetic stimulation) as well as the opportunity to treat NASA astronauts dealing with depression on the way to Mars!

Episode three: The Most Common Disease You've Never Heard Of with Chip Norris, Ph.D., and Cortney Gensemer, Ph.D.

Dr. Chip Norris and Dr. Cortney Gensemer, both with the internationally known Norris Lab at MUSC, join the show to discuss some misunderstandings on Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS). EDS is labeled the most common disease you’ve never heard of, affecting almost 1 in 300 individuals. Norris and Gensemer show how learning about this condition could help parents manage constant pain their children may be dealing with. 

Episode four: Baby Steps for Preterm Infants with Dorothea Jenkins, M.D., and Bashar Badran, Ph.D.

Every year, the #1 cause of death for preterm babies in the United States is feeding behavior. Dr. Dorothea Jenkins and Dr. Bashar Badran, guest on this week’s episode to discuss their new new device, BabyStrong, designed to help enhance feeding behavior in at-risk preterm babies. Recently FDA approved for testing, Jenkins and Badran discuss their own personal connections to developing this life-altering technology and how this non-invasive technology stimulates the baby’s brain to learn to feed. 

Episode five: Painlessly Saving Lives with Nicole McCoy, M.D.

At any given time about 7,500 Americans are actively searching for bone marrow donors but only 2% of the population is a registered donor, possibly due to fear of the pain and side effects. On this episode of Innovatively Speaking, Kevin and Jesse are joined Nicole McCoy, M.D., whose innovative technique is eliminating pain in bone marrow transplants.  A Pediatric Anesthesiologist at MUSC, McCoy’s regional anesthesia technique called a quadratus lumborum block (QL block) has radically improved pain control in donors, to the point where they are receiving almost zero pain medicine or opioids in the recovery room.

Episode six: Imagination and Innovation: Taking Ideas to the Next Level with Erik Modrzynski

Kevin and Jesse are joined by one of the most innovative minds at MUSC in Erik Modrzynski, System Director of Ambulatory EHS & Emergency Management at MUSC. Modrzynski helped lead the development of the first drive through Covid-19 testing site in the United States with inspiration coming from just a chicken sandwich. Listen in as we discuss all of Erik’s innovations on campus including emergency simulation training, an emergency management podcast and how to turn imagination into innovation.

SEASON 2

Episode seven: The Ultimate "Think Tank" with Alex Spiotta, M.D.

Kevin and Jesse are trying to wrap their brains around neurosurgery with Alex Spiotta, M.D., the division director of neuroendovascular surgery at MUSC. Leader of the ultimate “think tank,” Dr. Spiotta leads the Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm Registry (STAR). A global collection of collaborating neurosurgeons, STAR allows doctors to call a colleague from anywhere around the world on their phone or iPad and virtually join the operating room in high definition. Like a "Facetime" call, doctors are able to see and hear what’s going on in the operating room, including the doctors’ hands actively performing brain surgery. 

Episode eight: Bounce Back Now: Addressing Mental Health with Technology

About 12 million adults in the U.S. have PTSD during a given year according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Ken Ruggiero, Ph.D., the Director of the Telehealth Resilience and Recovery Program at MUSC, is the creator of “BounceBackNow,” a free mobile app designed to improve the emotional health of adults and families affected by a disaster or suffering from PTSD.

Episode nine: With an Earnest Heart: Improving Diversity in Clinical Trials

Joining Jesse and Kevin in the MUSC podcast studio is, Marvella Ford, Ph.D., the Associate Director of Population Sciences and Cancer Disparities at the Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC.
Dr. Ford’s research into health disparities highlights the importance of including diverse populations in cancer research and the impact of lifestyle on breast cancer risk. Listen in as she outlines how far we’ve come in minority health screenings, confronting the atrocities of the Tuskegee study and going with an earnest heart into communities to improve participation in clinical trials.

Episode 10: Writing History: The  Partial Heart Transplant

Seven in 1,000 newborns have congenital heart defects, often involving the heart valve. On this episode of Innovatively Speaking, pediatric cardiac surgeon Konrad Rajab, M.D., shares about a new approach for treating some of these tiny patients- a partial heart transplant. These babies receive transplants containing only the heart valve, which then grows along with them and eliminates the need for re-operations as they age.

Episode 11: CARES: Innovation in Service and Education

As of 2021, the state of South Carolina currently has 10% of its population without healthcare coverage. To tackle this pain point, Anita Ramsetty, M.D., the MUSC student-run medical CARES Clinic is helping this group free of charge and bringing health care into rural areas of the state. This month, Innovatively Speaking talks with Ramsetty on the CARES Clinic growth and the innovative ways they are helping the uninsured Carolinians.

Episode 12: Precision Medicine and Personal Health Care

Precision medicine, sometimes known as "personalized medicine," is a new, tailored approach to disease prevention and treatment. This approach to health care factors in differences in people's genes, environments and lifestyles. On this episode of Innovatively Speaking, Jesse Goodwin, Ph.D., speaks to Daniel Judge, M.D., the principal investigator of the In Our DNA SC study. Learn more about how your genetics can be used to personalize your health care and where precision medicine is going!

Episode 13: Revolutionizing PTSD Treatment: Zeriscope

According to the National Center for PTSD, about 6 of every 10 men (or 60%) and 5 of every 10 women (or 50%) experience at least one trauma in their lives. Some people may recover within a few months after the event, but for others it may take years or may even begin long after the events occur. To help these patients, Robert Adams, M.D. has created Zeriscope, a mobile device that allows real-time monitoring and counseling with therapists. We speak with inventor Dr. Adams as well as clinical psychologist Amber Jarnecke, Ph.D., who is implementing this mobile technology currently with patients! 

Episode 14: From Startup to Success: Unlocking South Carolina's Knowledge Economy

This week, Innovatively Speaking talks to Dr. Nathan Dolloff, Ph.D., the visionary founder of Leukogene Therapeutics, an MUSC startup company making groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatments that are poised to transform the lives of patients with advanced-stage cancer. In addition to delving into the pioneering work of Leukogene Therapeutics, Dr. Dolloff sheds light on the remarkable influx of federal grant money pouring into South Carolina. Discover how this surge of funding is igniting a thriving ecosystem for small business startups and propelling the state into the forefront of innovation.

Episode 15: Game Changing Concussion Detection at the Blink of an Eye

This week, we interview Ryan Fiorini, CEO of BLINK CNS, about their revolutionary technology that can diagnose a concussion and other neurological conditions through just blinking. Fiorini discusses how their technology can be the future of concussion testing in sports for athletes of all ages as well as how the FDA-approved technology is also being used to diagnosis other central nervous system conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

 

Episode 16: Pioneering Innovations in Organ Transplant Surgery

Chief Innovation Officer, Jesse Goodwin, Ph.D., sits down with the Chair of the MUSC department of surgery, Prab Baliga, M.D., to discuss the advancements in organ transplantation. Dr. Baliga speaks on what innovative techniques are being done today to eliminate inequities in the organ transplantation system and increase the overall amount of donor organs as well as new advancements in bioprinting tissues in the future.

 

Episode 17: Pharmacy Efficiency Redefined: QuicksortRX

Chief Innovation Officer, Jesse Goodwin, Ph.D., sits down with Jonathan Yantis, the CEO and Co-Founder of QuickSortRx. Founded by pharmacists and technologists from MUSC, QuickSortRX helps pharmacy supply chains improve efficiency by providing real-time analysis and instant reporting on drug pricing and contract changes. Yantis tells the story of their founding as well as the importance of empowering their customers to make the most of their resources, partnerships and times.

Episode 18: Transforming Cancer Care: The Hollings Cancer Center

Chief Innovation Officer Jesse Goodwin, Ph.D., engages in an insightful conversation with Ray DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC. Together, they explore upcoming advancements that hold the potential to revolutionize the way we understand and combat cancer including an overview of the the world of cancer research, the development of cutting-edge cancer vaccines and the integration of artificial intelligence in genetic coding. DuBois, a distinguished figure in the field, provides valuable insights into the latest breakthroughs and emerging trends that are shaping the landscape of oncology.

Episode 19: The AI Revolution in Healthcare

Chief Innovation Officer Jesse Goodwin, Ph.D., talks with Arman Kilic, M.D., Director of the Harvey and Marcia Schiller Surgical Innovation Center at MUSC. Dr. Kilic discusses how artificial intelligence is being used to advance medicine and treatment in transplantation, through machine learning. Through AI, new risk models are being created to improve the cross between the donor pool and patients awaiting transplants.