Using personal robots to overstep disability The current issue of STANFORD magazine profiles an alumnus of note, Henry Evans, MBA, a former startup CFO who went on to become a TED speaker, robotics tester and advocate for disability rights. At 40, in 2002, Evans became mute and paralyzed after experiencing a stroke-like attack, and since then he has regained the […]

Examining how microbes may affect mental health Over on the NIH Director’s Blog today, there’s an interesting post about research efforts aimed at determining how the colonies of bacteria in our gut could play a role in mental health. As described in the piece, past research has shown there are a number of ways microbes can influence […]

Using a traffic light system to encourage healthier eating habits Imagine going to your favorite restaurant and discovering that high-calorie foods and sugar drinks were now listed in a red section on the menu, slightly healthier options were contained in a yellow box and nutrient-dense dishes were labeled green. Would you order differently? The answer […]

5 Questions: Longhurst on clinical informatics gaining recognition as medical sub-specialty Clinical informatics, a field at the intersection of clinical medicine and information technology, has reached a new milestone: Physicians can now become board-certified in this medical sub-specialty. Christopher Longhurst, MD, who is the chief medical information officer at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and the leader […]

Study reveals initial findings on health of most extreme runners Those of us who feel accomplished after jogging a 5K may wonder what drives more serious runners – marathoners, and even ultramarathoners, who run races longer than 26.2 miles. A pair of physicians believes that learning more about these extreme athletes could benefit the rest […]

Study provides glimpse into health of ultramarathon runners Researchers have recently published the baseline findings of a longitudinal study on the health of ultrarunners. Above, runners participate in a 100-kilometer ultramarathon in Britain. For some runners, a marathon is not enough. Participation in so-called ultramarathons — defined as any distance beyond the standard 26.2-mile marathon […]

Researchers take step toward developing ‘universal’ flu vaccine Every year, the approach of flu season sets off a medical guessing game, with life or death consequences. There are many different strains of flu, and they vary from year to year. So each season, health authorities must make an educated guess and tell manufacturers which variants […]

Study shows happiness and meaning in life may be different goals Would you rather lead a happy life, or a meaningful one? New research suggests that while you can have it both ways, some people find their way along one path or the other. Published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, the study, which surveyed 397 people […]

Gender and medical conference leadership How do you get more women as speakers at science conferences? Invite more to be on teams responsible for creating conference programs. A piece on MedPage Today looks at research on gender representation during two meetings sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology. Tracking 1,845 speakers across 460 symposia, the authors found that “having at least […]

Mindful eating tips for the desk-bound Well, January 1 came and went, and so did the first Monday of the new year. So, how are you doing on your 2014 resolutions, if you made any? The San Francisco Chronicle recently spotlighted the common seasonal commitment of eating better. Included in the article are healthy recipes and […]