What are HDMZers listening to?
Keeping up with advancements in the life sciences and biotech world can be daunting, especially as we try to manage our screen time in an era of remote work. Podcasts allow us to stay engaged while doing the dishes, knitting, or going on a much needed walk.
We’ve rounded up eight of our go-to podcasts, each offering a distinct perspective and focus. Whether you want to hear from key movers and shakers in the industry, keep abreast of the most recent innovations, or brush up on your knowledge of science and medicine, there is a podcast for you. Grab your earbuds, start folding the laundry, and enjoy!
The Long Run
Podcast specialty: founder stories
Hosted by U.S. biotech journalist Luke Timmerman, The Long Run features hour-long, personal interviews with biotech entrepreneurs (academic scientists and CEOs), with a focus on their stories – or more specifically, on what brought them to biotech, what motivates them, and what they envision for the future. With its behind-the-scenes insight, the podcast is an especially great listen for people who collaborate with, invest in, or want to enter the biotech industry.
The Readout LOUD
Podcast specialty: biotech news
Stay up-to-date with the week’s biotech news and industry updates, hosted by STAT reporters Damian Garde, Adam Feuerstein, and Meg Tirrell. The brisk, half-hour episodes feature the hosts' perspectives on the biotech industry and short interviews with relevant industry leaders, health officials and scientists.
Talking Biotech
Podcast specialty: educational insights
This educational weekly podcast is hosted by University of Florida horticulture professor Kevin Folta. In conversation with a guest, each episode features in-depth discussion of a biotech topic ranging from agriculture, to therapeutics, to science communication. Kevin’s experience as a professor is especially evident in his interview style, which encourages guests to discuss their expertise in ways that are relatable and understandable to a broad audience.
Mendelspod
Podcast specialty: trends in biotech
Gain insight into questions that are shaping the biotech industry with host Theral Timpson, and his guests. With a special emphasis on genomics and molecular diagnostics, this podcast allows listeners to sit in on thought provoking conversations with industry leaders about trends in biotech and how they may impact the future.
Second Opinion
Podcast Podcast specialty: health, business and policy
The appeal of this podcast lies in its ability to synthesize and address issues of healthcare, biotech innovation and public policy. The host, Senator Bill Frist, brings his experiences as a transplant surgeon, former senator and business founder into conversation with his guests, as they discuss how to improve health and healthcare in America.
This Podcast Will Kill You
Podcast specialty: disease ecology and medical history
Hosts Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke became best friends as graduate students studying disease ecology, and it shows. Their podcast dives into the stories behind infectious disease – from a human and a pathogenic perspective. Each episode highlights a single pathogen, and is split into three parts: (1) a patient story; (2) a deep-dive into the medical and sociological history of the disease with Erin Welsh; and (3) a discussion of its biological underpinnings with Erin Allmann Updyke. Accessible and engaging for scientists and nonscientists alike, the podcast strikes an uncommon balance between entertainment and education.
Sawbones
Podcast specialty: medical history and humor
Medical doctor Sydnee McElroy and her husband, Justin, offer a lighthearted, but informative, look at where medicine has gone wrong in the past, and how our knowledge has progressed since then. Billed as “a marital tour of misguided medicine,” the show delights in exploring the idiosyncrasies of medical history, from practices as ancient as trepanation to as current as TikTok health trends. While thoroughly entertaining, Sawbones is grounded in scientific fact and offers a unique perspective on how people have approached medicine across time.
How I Built This
Podcast specialty: human appeal
Host Guy Raz encourages company founders to open up about their individual journeys, and the story of their businesses. Through hour-long interviews, this popular NPR podcast gets to the core of what drives entrepreneurship forward, and offers an inside perspective on some of the most successful companies in the world. While only a handful of episodes feature guests from the life sciences and medicine, every episode provides insight on entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation.
